Gunnison/Lake Irwin

Miranda Sanchez

Kathy and Steve, camp hosts at Lake Irwin Campground are extremely rude and disrespectful. They are not nice and welcoming in which her response was “that’s not my job.” Kathy kept calling me “illegal” and using my home state of New Mexico against me. Saying things like “ you’re from New Mexico, that makes sense.” Upon arriving, there was no clear signage at the entrance indicating the campground was full. Only after driving several sites in did I notice a small handwritten sign on their RV stating “FULL.” Due to the lack of cell service in the area and the fact that Lake Irwin is a first-come, first-served campground, I stopped to ask a question about reserving a site for future dates as I had additional people in my group coming in so I knew we would need another site in a few days to host us all. I was immediately met with hostility and was yelled at simply for trying to understand how the process worked. When I mentioned the discrepancy between the posted rules at the entrance and what Kathy was telling me, I was rudely dismissed. According to the posted signage at the entrance, each campsite allows: • 2 vehicles and 1 RV, • 8 people per site, • Additional vehicles must be parked in the overflow lot, • Additional people require another site. When I tried to clarify these rules, Kathy stated the limits were different (1 vehicle, 6 people per site) and then refused to let me park an additional car in the overflow area —Which apparently the company who manages the campsite also manages the parking lots? These parking lots are also for day use parking to the lake. Used everyday by locals. So I was a bit confused there as to why I couldn’t park an additional vehicle in overflow. Meanwhile the campsite next to us had 3 vehicles and a camper. I watched as other guests arrived looking for sites and were met with the same rudeness. The hosts clearly lack the communication skills and temperament needed for a customer-facing role. Regardless of whether there were discrepancies between website rules and posted signs, their job as hosts is to help clarify, not escalate situations. Kathy purposely waited until 8pm at night to tell me I had to leave because “ I was arguing with her too much.” 8pm… with a tent setup, and all my stuff out. And she demands I only have “10 minutes to pack and leave.” They were yelling and disrupting other nearby campers. Making it seem as if I did something horribly wrong, which I did not. I repeatedly told her I was leaving and asked her to give me space so I could get my stuff together. Instead, she stood over me, continued to berate me, and brought her husband Steve to assist in further harassing and belittling me. I also asked multiple times for her to contact her supervisor or local law enforcement, especially since they had cell service at their site with starlink and I did not. My requests were ignored. I asked them of this because she told me if I did not leave she would call the police, and at this point I would be SO HAPPY if she did, as her behavior was very unpleasant and uncalled for. This experience was not only unpleasant — it felt like harassment. I will be submitting a complaint to the U.S. Forest Service, the managing company overseeing this site, and if necessary, I am prepared to share video evidence to support my claims. Lake Irwin is public land, and no guest should be treated with the disrespect, and hostility that I experienced. I sincerely hope steps are taken to retrain, replace, or formally reprimand these hosts to ensure a welcoming and safe experience for future campers. Other than them the actual Lake is BEAUTIFUL… thankfully even at 8pm at night, we found a campsite down the road and made use of the lake the next day as intended.

Bridgette Franklin Harbour

Beautiful, clean campground/lake. The toilets smell absolutely awful, but it’s a busy place so just hold your nose lol. Great views and beautiful water:) we had a blast

Kelly Jones

This is a stunning campground with great trails and views, pit toilets and trash but, Colorado, for the love of EVERYONE... fix the road! It like it's post war bomb out. Huge ruts, half pave/half dirt, lots of run-off ruts. Take some tax-payer money and grate, gravel the roads. Everyone else, slow the hell down... you're half the problem.

Mariza Vazquez

A group of us camped at Lake Irwin the week before they closed in September of 2024. Kebler Pass during fall colors is spectacular. Highly recommended! When we arrived, the camp host James, informed us that the whole area will be closed down for remodel 2 years, making our visit even more special. The road, picnic tables, some of the fire bins, and especially the bathrooms absolutely need refurbishing. Yet it was a nostalgic camping experience & goodbye knowing that access will be limited in the future. A very special ((shout out)) to James are camp host. He has been a camp ost in this facility for many years and also was saddened by the announced closing of the campground during remodel. We are senior women who like to go hiking & camping together and a group of us enjoyed his company and problem solving skills....when someone's battery died off, a hybrid, we didn't know about the reset button .....or another woman got lost during a hike and we needed to communicate with the camp host at the other campground.....James was friendly, helpful, approachable & a decent above average host. He deserves a raise! 😉 Grateful for this fall experience in Kebler Pass 2024. 🫶

Amber B

*closed for the 2022 season* but this is the best campground! the views from here are incredible and the lake is the perfect size. we have great luck finding a spot when arriving thursday afternoon's. the only downside is there's no cell service within about a 15 min drive