View Full Version : Best Places to Camp in Colorado Rockies?
My family and I moved from NC to Texas last Summer and are having mountain withdrawl. We would like to take a trip out to Colorado to see the Rockies (the mountains, not the baseball team ;)) but when I look on the internet there are like a zillion campgrounds and I have no clue which ones are good and which ones aren't. I think we would like to camp close to or in Rocky Mtn. National Park. So, a national forest campground close by or a campground in the park are options. However, we are strictly tent campers and don't want to be walled in by RVs. My wife and son aren't into backpacking like me so backcountry camping isn't an option. Day hikes are definately in the plan though. So, I ask those of you who may know the Colorado Rockies (the mountains, not the baseball team) for advice. I know I'm getting a late start on this but just got approval from my wife. We plan on being out there June 14 - 22. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
I doubt theres a 'bad' place! Ask Mags!
Pretty much any campground in RMNP will be good. Lots of options!
Though busy, the campgrounds in the Indian Peaks are nice as well. Being national forest land, they get a little less use, too. Pawnee Campground is in the busy Brainard Lakes area, but is in an awesome location.
A little off the beaten path is the Rainbow Lakes Campground.
There are also USFS campgrounds near the Longs Peak trailhead that aren't considered part of RMNP. I don't have my maps with me currently, but I do know they are long HWY 7.
What is nice about both the Brainard Lake rec area and the park campgrounds is that there are plenty of hiking options for all ability levels.
EDIT: I just realized your dates of coming out here. Ooops! There is a going to be alot of snow still in the high country. I know a few ideas for lower elevation hikes if need be.
Thanks Mags....since we are now Texas flatlanders it would probably be best for us not to venture to high anyway. I know it takes a few days to get acclimated to the altitude. Any suggestions you can make would be appreciated.
That is a very long, hard drive.
You have some fun stuff nearer. Witchita Mtns., OK. The lake near Ardmore, OK. Skip Possum Kingdom. Unless you fish by boat.
When you do head for CO, remember that you need to get away from pavement to get away from RVs. Any number of nice national forest places. Rand McNalley Atlas shows alot of them.
Don't buy bagged stuff like nachos and head up hill. The bags pop.
Thanks Mags....since we are now Texas flatlanders it would probably be best for us not to venture to high anyway. I know it takes a few days to get acclimated to the altitude. Any suggestions you can make would be appreciated.
May I suggest the Lost Creek Wilderness? Plenty of car campground as well as forest service roads where you can find un-official camping spots. It is the first place that is snow free, esp at lower elevations. And, esp. compared to other areas in the Front Range, gets low use.
Grab map Trails Illustrated 105: Tarryall Mts/Kenosha Pass
The mountains are low (by CO standards, topping off at 12k feet), but have unique rock formations, expansive meadows and beautiful peaks.
The meadows alone are pretty and at lower elevations. Sure to be some wildflowers.
sasquatch2014
06-02-2008, 21:25
I say that with you coming from the South you may wish to check out stuff at that end of the state. Sand Dunes NM is great and the Sangrio De Cristos are breath taking. Tons of stuff down near Durango as well if you want go that far. In between is Pagosa Springs.
StepChld
06-03-2008, 12:22
As you head to Colorado, spend a night or two at Sugerrite Canyon outside of Raton Pass. Stay in the upper campsite, no electricity and group water hydrant, but the view is incredible! Occasional RVs but they run off of batteries, mostly tent campers. And the lake that's nearby (halfway in NM and half in CO.) is beautiful and great for canoeing or kyaking.
Gray Blazer
06-03-2008, 12:27
Get a AAA colorado camping book and check out all the free camping above 8000' or whatever.
Tennessee Viking
06-03-2008, 15:14
I only been to some of the touristy spots in Colorado.
I lived for a month in SW Colorado in 96, San Juan Forest has some nice areas around Durango. But you go quickly from mountains to arid/dry areas. Rio Grande Forest was mostly just near desert like conditions. Very dry and arid around Monte Vista and Alamosa. A lot of potato farming. Hated it.
Rocky Mtn Park and Boulder area is real popular.
We are thinking about getting a walk in site at Moraine Park Campground in RMNP. I know its a big campground but its close to Estes Park, trails, etc.
I would like to suggest the Crested Butte area. There is a nice trail just out of Crested Butte at Gothic, a one building ghost town, that goes to Aspen behind the Maroon Bells. Very scenic, some above treeline. Good camping spots. Not incrediby difficult. Snow in July and the altitude made for easy snowball fights. Have a nice meal when you come out of the woods. We came out and went to Crested Butte and ordered meat. The whole town gasped. It was 1993 and I met my first crunchy granola heads. My first real backpack. Beautiful.
Will be alot of snow there. That whole area is very cool. I like granola.
aufgahoban
06-04-2008, 08:37
The camping near Raton is very very nice, and about the closest to Texas as you can get if you want Colorado mountains. There are tons of places to 'off road' and just camp, but you'd need to have a 4 wheel drive type vehicle. We stayed for 3 weeks in between Ouray and Teluride, just cruising the jeep roads. It's beyond breathtaking.
A suggestion for future reference.. The N.M. mountains are not nearly as spectacular as those in Colorado, but, they are mountains and are about 1/2 the drive. I don't know what part of Texas you are in, but you can get to the Sacramento Mountains from the DFW area in about 10 hours vs. 18 to Denver. It's very lovely up around Cloudcroft (9000 feet).
We have reserved a walk-in campsite on loop D at Moraine Park Compground. Any suggestions on trails for day hikes in this area? There seem to be quite a few choices for hikes that are 3 - 6 miles in length that are rated easy-moderate.
http://www.protrails.com/area.php?areaID=8. We will be staying at the campground 4 days.
fiddlehead
06-08-2008, 20:58
Probably gonna hit some snow. I'd look to see if there's any hot springs in the area. Colorado has lots of them and they'll be enjoyable after a hike in the snow. Enjoy!
Cub Lake is a nice hike, and is at lower elevation, exposed (lotsa sun!) and should be snow free.
The lower section of Wild Basin (up to Ouzel Falls) should be fairly snow free.
The Lumpy Ridge loop is my favorite almost year round hike. It will be snow free. Really nice loop, with great views. Stopping at Bridal Veils Falls is worth the side trip.
Twin Sisters may have some snow, but is doable. Awesome views towards Longs Peak and the divide. Estes Cones is across the street and is also a nice hike. May be less snowy.
Deer Mtn is my favorite "view to effort ratio" hike. It is also one I tend to do this time of the year as well. Without much effort, you can get some AWESOME views towards the Mummy Range, Longs and the continental divide.
Protrails is a great website. I use it often to give info for the hikes I organize. Good guy who runs the site.
Don't forget elevation. Advil will chase away the 10K headache. But you might feel slack, coming from 5-600?ft.
Have fun, I am jealous.
Pokey2006
06-09-2008, 14:41
Staying hydrated does more for that headache than Advil. It's a good idea to drink more water than usual when at elevation. 10K shouldn't be all that bad, though.
Thanks for all the advice and input. We are looking forward to some beautiful scenery and good family time.
I recommend Arches National Park. It's in Utah, but not far off I-70 and may be a few hours drive depending on what part of CO you are in. Having lived in NC my whole life, the desert scenery was amazing and like nothing I've seen!
The park is pretty small, so you can see most of the sights in a short amount of time. There are a lot of short hikes (1-2 miles or less) to different arches. If you have kids, they love climbing around on the rocks if you trust them not to fall.
We got home Friday from our camping trip to Rocky Mtn. National Park. We camped at Moraine Park Campground, where we had an outstanding walk in tent site....site 162 on loop D. We had a beautiful view of the mountains and Elk grazed daily in the area adjacent to our camp site. We did the following hikes: Cub Lake, Moraine Park Loop, Deer Mountain, Mills Lake and Loch Vale. I think Mills Lake was our favorite. Our 8-year old son had a blast hiking thru the snow banks still on the Mills Lake and Loch Vale trails....he even slipped descending a a snow bank and slid down to the bottom to where the trail picked up again. Instead of being scared, he wanted to go up and do it again. This trip really did something in my soul that's hard to explain. I think I'm starting to get the meaning of "Rocky Moutain High", which I found on You Tube this morning and played it over and over. The 15 hour drive back home only put a damper on my enthusiasm for 1 day and I'm ready to go back to the Rockies now! I realize that we didn't even scratch the surface of what there is to see and do in the Colorado Rockies.
cannonball
06-22-2008, 13:17
Turquiose lake just out side of Leadville- absolutely breathtakijng.
http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtdItemDetail.jsp?forge_prod=P6rx-txhzOkxj4lv3WxdDAEz%3AS&beginIndex=0&item=108§ion=10096&forge_prod_pses=forge_prod%3DP6rx-txhzOkxj4lv3WxdDAEz%253AS%7E
Most any bookstore should be able to get you one of these.
Worth the money. Northern NM is also cool.
Glad you had a pleasant trip.
(Ain't that drive a beast?)
Yes, the drive was definately a beast and I think I made it worse by taking US-287 most of the way back. I think I-70 to I-35 would have been a better route, even though it is a longer distance.