Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Thornton, CO

Great Campground, Incredible Dog Park

Located in the city, but once you’re in the park you don’t feel like you’re in the city at all!!! The RV spots have full hookups and are nice and spacious, as are the neighbors. We were able to set up a tent too! Great place to stroll and relax. Beautiful sunsets. Clean bathrooms and laundry facilities with a little vending machine.

A great place for camping (RV and tent spots), fishing, wildlife/nature viewing, hiking, boating (all water activities), has a swim beach, marina, off leash dog park, shooting range, horse stables that you can do a beautiful hour horseback ride.

FEES: Campsites $41 full hookup, basic campsite $28, daily park pass is $11, annual park pass $83, daily dog park pass $3, annual dog park pass $25, and group camping is available too.

Located in the city, but once you’re in the park you don’t feel like you’re in the city at all!!! The RV spots have full hookups and are nice and spacious, as are the neighbors. We were able to set up a tent too! Great place to stroll and relax. Beautiful sunsets. Clean bathrooms and laundry facilities with a little vending machine.

A great place for camping (RV and tent spots), fishing, wildlife/nature viewing, hiking, boating (all water activities), has a swim beach, marina, off leash dog park, shooting range, horse stables that you can do a beautiful hour horseback ride.

FEES: Campsites $41 full hookup, basic campsite $28, daily park pass is $11, annual park pass $83, daily dog park pass $3, annual dog park pass $25, and group camping is available too.

As it is very close to the city, the temperature stays consistent with Denver temps. So in the summer, it will not be as cool as some mountain spots. That being said, it is very easy to get to and you’ll have the lake right there to cool off!

Entrance into the state park is about $7/day. There is a dog park within the state park that allows off leash and has some ponds the dogs can swim in. Entrance to the dog park is $2.

Easy , fast, but the water in the dog park is no bueno

This is a really neat spot. Big dog park, hot air balloons, ice fishing.

This is a location that you only camp if you literally don't have any worries about being around people. It is ALWAYS packed due to the tons of hiking trails, huge dog park, and water access. 

I taught kayaking to little ones here and it was always a fight to get into the park, get to the water, and not get run over by boats and unexperienced (or entitled) people. 

The campground is well maintained but it sit really worth being able to be basically in a metropolitan city? For me I'll go somewhere more nature friendly and less crowded. 

BUT it is excellent for dogs. We love taking out dogs here because they can play in water, run their hearts out, and hang out with other dogs. It is pricey to get into the park though. $80 for a year pass to the state parks and another $25 for the dog park fees.

Chatfield is such a great park; I’ve spent so much time biking, kayaking, paddleboarding, spending time with family; picnics areas are even great to have lunch. The dog park is by far the best. Off leash- so much room; well taken care of and big lake for the dogs to swim. And it’s close to Denver - so we go here weekly!

Good Sam’s RV park with full amenities. We booked a water/electric online, but got bumped up to full hookups. Beautiful river going beside many of the sites. Newer bathrooms. Huge park with playground for kids. Our site was very wide and open, but we might just have been lucky. Most are tree covered sites and not packed in. Dog park. About 45 minute beautiful drive to Rocky Mountain National Park entrance.

Great campground here at this state park. We have always stayed in the Arapahoe Group Loop for holiday weekends. Arapahoe Group Loop has a great pavillion with outdoor kitchen and bathroom. Overall Camper amenities are great and very clean. Many well shaded individual sites are available. Campsites are far from other park amenities like Dog Park, Shooting Range, Marina. Swim beach is a 10 minute walk-able distance from campground. Recommend driving to get around the park.

Definitely a gorgeous area, but the Pets Allowed designation is misleading. RMNP has serious restrictions on dogs inside the park, like not letting them on any trails. If you intend to stay in a campground, and never leave it, then no problem. But if you want to hike, you'll need to have a plan for your furry friend. It gets very hot in any vehicle, because of the intense sunshine, so you absolutely cannot leave your pet in a vehicle, unless you are able to leave the A/C on for them. They also must be on leash at all times. There are lots of dispersed camping areas in CO, so I wouldn't go here if I want to take my dog camping with me.

Having lived and worked in this area (previously not as a full time traveler), Chatfield SP has a lot to offer for being one of the few campgrounds in the Denver Area.

The biggest dog park around (25 acres), many endless, open spaces/trails for biking and ‘hiking’/walks/runs (mostly flat grounds), 15m from most necessities (stores/restaurants etc) Also: Really look forward to doing laundry here as a traveler (kept clean and always in working order with use of machines via an app!)

Camphosts are on time and do a great job cleaning up sites for new guests.

Couple of great playgrounds at the camp loops!

Facing west provides unobstructed views of the park and foothills (varying based on the loop and site)

Overall, clean, safe, spacious and conveniently located while not being IN the city or nearby towns.

I wanted to stop into this area after exploring a few campgrounds designed more so for tent campers in the area. I noticed some of these spaces were not ideal for those wanting to bring their RV and have amenities and that really was something that I know many of the people I know really look for when finding their locations for travel. Loveland is a little further away from the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park but it offers many great things to those wanting to explore the area and still be within comfortable distance of the park itself. The RV Resort is designed for both larger and smaller rigs and offers a variety of comfortable amenities for campers of this style. 

There are 4 basic styles of offerings at this location including full hook up, oversized full hook up, premium and premium back up sites. These prices range from$56 to$65 for base single night stay. They do offer both weekly and monthly rates as well for those really wanting to enjoy the area. 

Something which I have found very common amongst these style of locations is that while they do offer base charges which do not include tax there are many times additional fees depending on certain amenities. This campground was no different with additional charges for parties of over 4 people, extra vehicles or pets. Additionally they do have a sizable$20 dump fee, I found this to be quite high, especially considering there is a free dump station only a few miles up the way at another facility which allows campers or passers by alike to use their dump station. 

Something nice is they do offer a Good Sam discount if you belong to the affiliated program which is a few dollars off the price of nightly stay. 

Additionally amenities include a pool and mini golf which were quite nice and a clubhouse with several really cool things inside. They have a playground for the kiddos and a dog park for the furry family.

 Overall the park itself seemed to have wide roadways for navigating and though for my personal taste the sites are located pretty close together they were pretty typically placed for an RV style park. Unlike several parks I have encountered in the area and others, this place did not have the long term stay option readily flagrant and while they might offer it you do not see people who look like they have moved in and allowed their area to become homely and run down. Quite the opposite, the grounds were very clean and inviting, everyone was very friendly and nothing looked like a“there goes the neighborhood” moment.

Loved the camp area, so close to climbing. Also loved the people in the area! We met so many amazing and kind people! It is gorgeous, and the road is really good up to the parking lot. Our ford focus hatchback managed just fine. That being said, there is a lady who regularly loses control of her off leash dog and makes no attempt to catch him. I would suggest being cautious with your pets around here.

Nice campground. No park rangers around for help. You sign in yourself pay on the honor system. Wood is sold til 6:30 so be hasty for pick up. RMNP has rules for the protection of wildlife to not allow dogs on any trails and although I think that wildlife should be protected that this is a dumb rule. Like everything else they charge for and give permits for they should permit pets. 3 stars for wasting my time and I wasn’t able to do a single trail.

Took the kids camping in Colorado for the first time and we had a blast. It rained on us a lot but it didn't stop us. Took a great hike up deer mountain....stunning views. Can't wait to go back.

Lots of pull offs. Great for vans or small RVs. Do not recommend for anyone in a tent or those traveling with small children or pets.

Great place for kids and pets. Playground , pool, and nicely stocked camp store. Not a ton of shade so, it gets hot at 2:00 p.m. It is right off the road so some traffic noise. Great staff on hand as well!

My family and I stayed here for one night in a 34' travel trailer as a reward from crossing Kansas. :) We knew what we were getting into - a tight family campground, so we weren't disappointed in that regard. It's actually a little hard to write this review because there's such a mix of pros and cons. I think listing them out will be the best strategy.

Cons: 

- VERY close to the interstate. Take a look at a satellite map view so you will come prepared. The road noise is ever present, and if you can tune it out you will be a much happier camper. We were able to sleep ok with it, but it was a constant in our experience.

- Proximity to your neighbor. This is the way it is with KOAs, but it did feel strange hooking up utilities within arm's reach of your neighbors having dinner.

- Wifi. They advertise it, but it was so slow that not once was I able to successfully load a single webpage. Verizon is also not strong here.

- Cable. They had hook-ups but quality was too poor to watch.

- The hot tub was closed with no indication when it will open. 

Pros:

-The playground was pretty awesome, large and with multiple things to climb on for kiddies.

- They had a pool and kiddie pool. Both are small, though.

- The game room is really nice! (see pics)

- Pizza and ice cream on site.

- Affordable laundry. $2.50 for wash and 50 cents for 8 minutes for the dryer.

- Clean and tastefully decorated bathrooms and showers.

Other:

- Pancake and sausage breakfast on the weekends for $6.50.

- A BBQ restaurant run by the campground.

- 40 minutes to Denver. 

- Dog park.

Overall, not a bad experience, just not spectacular.