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A
short distance west of Leadville you will find Turquoise Lake Recreation Area.
This shot of the lake was provided by Andy Simons.
Clustered around Turquoise Lake are five very nice, totally motorcycle-accessible National Forest campgrounds with good paved roads and more than 250 camp sites. Turquoise Lake itself is a beautiful man-made lake with sand beaches, mountain vistas, and a good hiking trail all the way around its 6.6-mile perimeter. This is a very popular spot and reservations are a good idea. The fee is $12 per night.
The five campgrounds are May Queen at the far end where the stream enters the lake; Belle of Colorado and Baby Doe at the northeast; and Molly Brown and Silver Dollar along the southeastern shore. We preferred the Molly Brown campground, with sites 15, 16, and 17 being our favorites. All campgrounds offer toilet facilities, fire rings, picnic tables, running water, trash receptacles, and swimming beaches.
Here's a shot of the map for the entire recreation area, followed by a shot of the camp site we used and of the lake.
