## Overview

 Glacier Basin Campground (8,500 feet) is located inside Rocky Mountain National Park, along the Bear Lake Road Corridor. The entrance to Glacier Basin Campground is approximately 5.2 miles up Bear Lake Road and across the street from the Park &amp; Ride Parking Area.\_\_\_\_ There are 150 campsites available by reservation only. There are no first come - first served campsites available at Glacier Basin. Any sites that are open are listed as \"A\" for available. Any campsite listed as \_\_\_NR\_\_\_ has Not Yet Released; this means that those campsites are not yet available to be reserved. A number of campsites are available to be reserved up to 6-months in advance on a rolling window. \_\_\_\_ Some campsites are available to be reserved 2-weeks prior to your desired camping date.\_\_ Some campsites are available to be reserved 1-week prior to your desired camping date. Group campsites are available to be reserved 1-year in advance on a rolling window.\_\_ 
## Recreation

 Rocky Mountain National Park has over 350 miles of hiking trails that range from flat lakeside strolls to steep mountain climbs. One of the most popular activities in the park is wildlife viewing. There are excellent wildlife viewing opportunities to see elk, Mule deer, Bighorn sheep, hawks, a wide range of songbirds and more throughout the park. Rocky Mountain National Park offers some unforgettable scenic views along of the land above trees, over 1/3 of the park is alpine tundra. Enjoy incredible scenic drives along Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road. 
## Facilities

 Glacier Basin Campground contains several group and family tent-only sites, as well as RV sites without hookups. Each campsite is equipped with a picnic table, fire ring with grate and tent pad. Roads and parking spurs are paved. Flush toilets and drinking water are provided.\_\_ There is a shuttle stop inside the campground for the park\_\_\_s free shuttle bus. The shuttle system provides easy access to many trailheads and scenic destinations located throughout the Bear Lake Road Corridor. Click on the following link to learn more about the [Bear Lake Road Corridor][1] . Due to a pine beetle epidemic, all the trees in the C Loop, D Loop and the Group Loop have been removed, leaving little to no shade in these areas. However, this campground has beautiful views of the mountains and the night sky. 
## Natural Features

 A pleasant mix of Douglas fir, Lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine and the occasional Engelmann spruce forests the campground, offering equal amounts of sun and shade. Grasses, shrubs and seasonal wildflowers fill the open meadows. Wildlife is plentiful in the park, and while mule deer and the majestic Rocky Mountain elk are the most commonly seen, black bear, coyote, bighorn sheep and moose inhabit the region as well. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The Town of Estes Park is a short drive from the campground, located outside of RMNP\_\_\_s Beaver Meadows and Fall River Entrances. Dining, shopping, rafting, fly fishing, horseback riding, and golfing opportunities await. Lake Estes offers boating, sailboarding, and fishing. 

[1]: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/exploring-the-bear-lake-road-corridor.htm

Glacier Basin Campground — Rocky Mountain National Park

This campground has four loops consisting of 150 sites.  We camped near the entrance of C Loop.  Our site had a mixture of Lodgepole and Ponderosa pines that provided ample shade and hammocking options.  Due to pine beetle kill, the majority of the sites in C loop (#73 and up) have little or no shade at all.  Across from our site were restrooms, trash/recycling, and a water spigot.  This site has a large tent pad that accommodated our six person tent perfectly.  We did have a bear bin for storage, but had to share it with the site next to us as few sites have their own designated bear bin.  At the campground entrance, firewood, kindling, ice, and ice cream are available for purchase.

  

Across from the campground entrance is located the Park &amp; Ride where all shuttle routes transfer for access to trailheads without the hassle of finding parking.  We utilized this daily for our various hikes and only had one wait in excess of ten minutes.  There are also trails that can be accessed right from the campground.

  

Apart from the occasional RV generator, the campground was relatively peaceful and we had nice mountain views to the south.  The various campground hosts and rangers that we encountered were engaging and helpful.

  

We were nearly always able to receive two bars on Verizon LTE (while sitting on top of the picnic table) that allowed us to at least complete calls; otherwise reception was very inconsistent.

Excellent views and convenient trail access!

This was our second stay at this campground. Stayed in the C loop the first night which was surrounded by lots of young pine trees. The rest of the week we stayed in the B loop with many mature pines. They were perfect for our hammocks. This is a very clean campground surrounded by amazing views. The restrooms were always clean and stocked. We had mule deer right next to our campaign and views of the horseback riding trail. The only complaint we had was that the older lady selling firewood and ice was very rude to us and others. We eventually bought ice and wood in Estes Park at the Safeway. We love it there!

Great week long camping trip!

Stayed here for a few nights in July. Great location for the popular attractions in RMNP, also convenient that the shuttle stopped at the campground, and was located across the street. Nightly talks/shows at the amphitheater. Only downfall was the loop that we stayed in was almost treeless because of trees that have died, so wind was a problem with our tent, but the views made up for it!!

Amazing views

I camped in RMNP at Glacier Basin CG at the end of July. I was in loop A site 14. The campsites in this section had good tree cover for shade. The restrooms are centrally located within the loop. Even through there is ample space you feel crowded because there are no natural barriers between campsites. I liked this site because of its proximity to the main bus shuttle hub. I would definitely consider camping here again.

Glacier Basin CG RMNP

We stayed two nights and hiked during the day.

The bathrooms were great but the sites feel too close together. The evening show at the amphitheater was great! The rangers were super!  If you can get a different loop then D it is better because all the trees had to be torn down because of beetles. 

We were here for a week. The weather and views were absolutely amazing!

Mountain Vacation 

One of the best campsites we have been to. Sites are a little close together, but well taken care of. The beetles have caused many of the trees to be removed; however, despite what the reservation site says, loop C has enough trees to hang a hammock. The plus side to fewer trees is the netter mountain views! If there were a downside, the lady selling firewood is pretty abrasive.

Awesome Campground

We booked our site a couple days before just for one night. We arrived after 8pm, the check in station closes at that time but we were still able to set up camp. Just make sure to stop by on your way out. Campground was very clean, we were in C97 and the bathroom was right across the street. Sites weren't super close together, great views!

Last minute camping 

Wildlfe is very abundant. Bear Lake and Fern Lake are amazing hikes for the fam.

Perfect Family Tent Campground. 

This is a perfectly positioned campground and closest campground to Bear Lake In the Rocky Mountain National Park.  The campground is a short walk to the free shuttles which takes you many places in the park.  The campground is fairly open with not much shade which can be warm during midday.  That being said, the stars!  Oh the stars!  The campground provides a perfect landscape and stars view at night.  There Is a larger river that rubs adjacent to the campground and can be heard at night.  It was soothing for us, but if you want complete silence, thIs campground might not be for you.  The view from the campgrounds is stunning with a picturesque view of the panorama Rocky Mountains.  The campsites had decent pads with a fire ring and attached grill.  The grill lifts all the way over so you can enjoy the campfire after cooking.  The concrete tables were nice.  The campground has plentiful fresh (potable) water spouts with very clean (flushable) restrooms.  There are no showers.  The campsites are fairly close, especially for the lack of concealment between campsites.  We had respectful neighbors and felt Isolated enough.   l a eDuring the summer hours, a shed near the front of the campground is stocked with firewood, water, ice cream, kindling, and sodas for decent pricing (cash only).  The Rangers were very knowledgeable, nice, and helpful.  Don’t leave food out!  That should go without saying, but the Rangers said they write plenty of warnings and tickets at this campground. The traffic is minimal and quite at night.  

Perfect Views

Lovely campground in a large meadow area with beautiful mountain views. Close to Sprague lake. Lots of wildlife (elk, fish, birds) in the area. Many group sites to choose from. It was across the street from the park shuttle park and ride lot making it easy to get around. Bathrooms with flush toilets and running water. There's also a store for wood and ice at the campground. It can be pretty busy, so expect to see and hear your neighbors. Great location to explore the park.

Meadow and Mountain views, wildlife, good for groups

Great campground, the first couple loops have lost all trees and are very exposed. We stayed in loop C, which still has trees. Easy walk to Sprague lake where we caught a bunch of trout. No showers but clean bathrooms. Pack for cold weather even in the summer!

Great place to stay! 

Sites were very close to each other in loop A, but then we realized we were lucky to have shade provided by lodgepole pines at A12\. The pine beetles have made a mess of loops C and D, but you have more space. Take your pick: shade/close together on loops A and B or no shade/larger area on loops C and D.

The upside is you're located in a great place to explore the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park. The downside is that area is crowded. Get up early (6 am...seriously) and get on Trail Ridge Road or take a shuttle to some of the crowded areas.

Glacier Basin is close to Sprague Lake and Bear Lake via car or shuttle bus, but don't ignore Fern Lake and Fern Falls. Fern Falls is definitely worth the climb. If you don't want to come back the same way, go to Cub Lake. You can see Fern Falls and Cub Lake on an 8 mile hike leaving from the Cub Lake trailhead, but you can add on Fern Lake to make it 10\. Your total distance depends for either of these depends on where you end up parking. 

Other than that, this is a standard no frills campground- flush toilets, drinking water, dump station. Recreation.gov will give you the info. FYI - we grabbed this reservation a week ahead of time. Got the night of 7/4, probably a cancellation because these national parks campgrounds are always fully booked.

Choose one - shade/close quarters or no shade/more space

Best of National Park camping ! This was a great weekend. We camped in our 26' Travel Trailer

Pros: Stunning Views, Clean Campground, Bear Boxes available at almost all tent sites. Small stream to fish at the entrance to campground. Great trails to hike close to campground. Shuttle stop at Campground to get around the park.

Cons: No electric Hooks Ups, No Shade, Close to Neighbors, Dump Station in awkward place. Site said it would fit our camper...it did but it was tight getting in and out due to big boulders along site.

Lots to do in Rocky Mountain National Park. I suggest a picnic lunch at Tuxedo Picnic Area along the stream. Afternoon trip down to Estes Park is always fun. Can't wait to go here again!

Rocky Mountain High - Coloradooooo!

Campground located next to the park and ride shuttle station which was a huge plus. while there are no electric hookups the “comfort station” has running water and flush toilets. they do nightly programs for people of all ages and the rangers were awesome to work with. Its an awesome location in the park and has plenty of sItes fo choose from with 150 different sits.



Amazon Location and People


This Rocky Mountain National Park campground is fantastic. I tent camped with my husband for 3 nights in Loop B. We saw tents and all sizes of campers many with families. Our tent site included a nice tent pad, picnic table, fire ring, and a shared bear box. The fire ban had been lifted and we could buy fire wood each evening-and ice cream! Clean bathrooms with flush toilets. This campground is very close to a number of trails. We hiked the Sprague Lake Trail. It’s 2 miles round trip and pretty easy. Breathtaking views. If you don’t hike, you can drive all the way to the Trail Ridge gift shop and cafe at the top. This park fills up quickly-amost 3 million visitors a year-so plan to get started early. We love RMNP. We will be back this fall!

Great Campground 

this remains one of my favorite places to camp. it’s so peaceful and you really can’t beat camping in a National Park. we stayed in the B loop, which I recommend because the C loop has no shade because the trees died from a disease. I highly recommend this campground. 

one of my favorites

I love this campground! it is always so clean and it peaceful. occasionally there are some disruptive people, but people are always coming and going, so it’s not terrible. The rangers are close by and always helpful, they even do coffe with a ranger or ranger talks. The bathrooms don’t have showers, but they are always kept clean. The sites themselves are nice with a fire pit and a larger picnic table. I highly recommend this campground.

Great experience!

The campground is quite nice. It has well made tent pads, dishwashing station and a bathroom with full plumbing. Sites are kinda close together but it’s not to bad because it is fairly well covered by trees.

Can’t beat the views of the mountains either!

Nice campground 

Make reservations early. Fills up fast because it is such a great place to camp. Nice pads. Firing rings.Accessible bathrooms. No showers. Firewood sold next to the entrance by the same husband and wife that have been selling firewood there for 35 years. There is a shed full of firewood. The wife was selling firewood from the back of their truck when we visited. They only sell firewood at certain times so check for times so look to your left on the way into the campground. Bear Lake is accessible and the view are stunning. Lots of trails of varying lengths and the difficulty: from easy to more challenging. You can hike fro Glacier Basin to Sprague Lake. It is popular fly fishing spot and there are hiking trails that branch off from the trails around the lake. You can bike from the campground to Bear Lake. Bear Meadows Visitor's Center is close by. It's worth a visit. "The Beaver Meadows Visitor Center is open daily, except Christmas. Located just outside of Estes Park on US 36, it features a bookstore and movie theater with regular free showings of park films. A few minutes’ walk down a paved sidewalk behind the center is the backcountry desk, the only place on the east side where you can reserve and purchase permits for backcountry campsites in person. Shuttle bus pickup is in the parking lot next to the bathrooms." MyRockyMountain.com

Base Camp

Loved this campground. The tent areas were pretty open, but plenty of options if you book super early.

Great spot

Make reservations early. Glacier Basin campground was a awesome place to camp. I suggest camping near the southern portion of the area where you can have a little more privacy while being close to the bathhouse. Beautiful views and quick trail access while having just a short drive to glacier gorge trail head. 

Awesome!

Glacier Basin campground is one of three in RMNP.  There are 150 standard and 12 group campsites.  The sites are distributed in 4 loops with each site having a picnic table, tent pads, and fire grates.  There is a limit of 35 feet for RV/Trailer length.  Due to pine beetle infestation in the area, many of the trees have been removed.  Glacier is open from late May to September with a maximum stay of 7 nights.  Campsites are quite close together, but there are quiet hours and limits to generator use. 

There are trails the leave right from the campground, the free shuttle bus makes a stop near the check in station, and the Park &amp; Ride is a short walk away.  The location is very convenient to the most popular hikes in RMNP.

In the middle of it all

We stayed at site C97 for 5 nights. This site had a bearbox. Was close enough to the bathrooms and drinking water. We had amazing views all around due to the lack of trees. There was a vendor on site almost every evening from 530pm to 8pm selling firewood and ice. There were ranger programs every evening at 9pm. We also had the pleasure of seeing double rainbows three times during our stay! And if the moon hadn't been so bright every evening the star gazing would have been second to none. I would highly recommend staying at this campground again. I was unsure going in, because I knew there wouldn't be much shade or privacy...but we were out exploring all day and only really at our campsite for dinner through breakfast. If you plan to spend midday at your campsite, maybe consider a different option.

Stunning Views

Glacier Basin Campground is located in RMNP. The spots fill up quickly and it is a good idea to make reservations online ahead of time. We've stayed here in loop B where it is open for the most part but the tent sites are spread further apart. In loop C the campsites are closer together but there are more trees providing some privacy for those who want it. Glacier Basin campground is a short walk from park and ride which is a free shuttle that will take you to many different spots throughout the park so you don't have to drive each day.

RMNP - Glacier Basin

Beautiful campground with great amenities. Nice flush toilets with running water, sinks, very clean. Water available throughout the campground and solar showers and a dishwashing station. We had spotty cell service which is fine. A short hike takes you to sprague lake or the park and ride shuttle to bear lake area. The shuttle does come into the camp,  but due to construction it was easier to walk over to the park and ride. If possible take the drive up through the park to grand lakes via the alpine visitor center! 

Glacier basin campground in Rocky Mountain National Park , July 2019

Glacier basin is one of our favorite campgrounds in RMNP. Our June 2019 site was in loop b.  The site didn’t have any shade but it had spectacular views all around.  The site was level and had a picnic table, fire ring and a bear box.  The campground is close to sprague lake and an easy walk to the park and ride to bear lake.  The bathrooms were clean but had no showers. 

RMNP

Campground might not provide the complete feel of an “escape into nature”, we visited when the campground was 99% full.. was a bit cramped with other campers surrounding our plot on all sides within in a couple feet. Since bears are frequent visitors here, it’s absolutely necessary to lock all food in a bear box; these were also a bit scarce for room as we had to share one with 2 other families. So plan ahead and definitely make a reservation in advance! I would recommend this campground to anyone needing a quick and accesible spot for the night to visit bear lake in the morning or for families looking to spend a great night together in the outdoors around the fire roasting marshmallows; fire pits are cleaned out after each occupant which was nice, they sell firewood on the site as well but were sold out which caused us minor inconvenience as firewood collecting is not allowed. But town is not that far, about 15-20 min away. Bathrooms were very clean, community sink as well. Park rangers were friendly and accesible through out the campground. If pitching a tent, I would say each plot could fit about 2  small four person tents. 

Convienent, Clean, and great spot for the family to unload the RV for the day

Overall a great campground to stay at. The spaces are large, but quite close to one another with few trees for privacy. Each site here is variable, with some open with no trees and others nestled in some mature trees. Flush toilets and running water in the bathrooms. I’d avoid a site right next to the bathroom as the lights and hand dryers are running at night which are bright and loud, respectively. Dishwashing sink and drinking water sink available throughout campsites. Make sure you have a strong tent as some days may have 35+ mph winds rolling thru the campground (several tents collapsed/broke on a windy day here). About a 10 minute walk to the shuttle that takes you to Bear Lake and Glacier Gorge trailheads. Direct walking access to a couple easy lake trails, including Sprague Lake that is good for seeing wildlife at dusk. Firewood and ice sold most nights at the campground. 

Great campground with access to some trails

Best views in the park. Make sure to watch sunset over the mountains. Camp hosts were extremely helpful when our car battery died during a snowstorm! Very close to other hikes in the park. 

Views! 

Loved being in the park and having easy access to all the park has to offer. Especially with the new timed entry requirements. 
However, Loop C in which we stayed was very tight between sites and the old growth pines have been removed and replaced with younger/shorter trees.
Still enjoyed some elk wandering through the campground. 

Close to All RMNP Has to Offer

Beautiful views of the mountains but not much privacy. It’s all open so you can hear everyone and their annoying kids. Wouldn’t recommend for tent campers. Showers in town but no pop up showers allowed. 

Don’t ruin other people’s stay

First experience with a national park campground. We were there at a time they were implementing reduced capacity, but that had nothing to do with social distancing. We had two tents and it was a chore to make sure they fit into the assigned area. It had lots of bathrooms and never had to wait to use it. Our first night, we unfortunately were two campsites away from a loud and boisterous camper. Since I had young kids, after they left we probably became the loudest campers in the area. One early morning I saw some Elk moving through the campground at sunrise, and one night there was an Elk just lounging in the nearby open field. Plenty of bear boxes for food was also provided.

  

There is a private company that comes 5:30-8pm to sell firewood and ice. The old lady we had was crotchety if you tried to pay in anything other than small bills.

  

While we saw/heard other people talking on their phones we did not have Wi-Fi or cell service (T-Mobile)

First experince at NPS campground

This campground has a nice view of the mountains and good bathrooms (but no showers). Having a reservation lets you avoid the whole timed entry thing for Rocky Mountain, so that’s really nice. 

Pretty view

This is a very good campground on the east side of the Rockies! No showers, but there’s decent bathrooms and beautiful views. 

Nice campground with lovely views

This is a great base camp for exploring the park. With your reservation, you don’t need a timed entry ticket into the park or Bear Lake Road. It’s close to Bear Lake parking area which allowed us to beat the crowds (we did get to the trailhead by 5:30 still.) Sites are pretty spacious although there is next to no privacy from neighbors. Our site had some trees for shade/hammocks and a nice large tent pad. Bathrooms were clean with flush toilets, sinks, and outdoor sink but no showers. Our only small complaint was sharing Bear boxes between sites - I’m not sure how many are supposed to share but we had
 someone a few sites over come and stick something in the one basically in our site so we didn’t really have room. Oh well, there’s always the car. 

Beautiful views on Bear Lake Road

I have a 22’ travel trailer I pull behind an F150. Since this campground is inside Rocky Mountain National Park, the roads are all paved. 

The campground sites are situated around one-way driving loops, which are quite narrow. Best to pay attention to which side of the loop your site is on so your trailer door doesn’t open up onto the road. I think they error on the side of caution when it comes to the size of trailer fitting into each spot. At least for mine. They said max 26’ (trailer + tow vehicle), but I’m closer to 32’ and I fit fine. That may not be true of all campsites though. There is parking very close by if your tow vehicle can’t squeeze into the site. 

My site didn’t have a whole lot of trees, but they planted a bunch of small ones to try and fix this years from now. Sites were level and had lots of space. Each had a fire pit and picnic table. 

There were no hookups and no cell service (Verizon). They did have trash drop offs, water for cleaning pans and dishes, and bathrooms. It was very quiet at night. Generators are allowed but only for a couple times a day during short windows. 

Glacier Basin campground is just a few miles from the Bear Lake trailhead. It was very nice to stay inside the park. Vehicle passes to get into National Parks were still required when I stayed and the lines to get in were very long and slow. 


Wonderful Stay

We were on loop D, where like in lopp C and the Group Loop trees had been removed due to a pine beetle epidemic. This provided beautiful views of the mountains but no shade. Site are specious but because of the lack of trees did not provice much privacy. There were no hookups and no cell service(Verizon/XFinity) Bathrooms were clean with flush toilets, sinks, and outdoor sink. They also have well organized installations where you can use your own portable shower. This is a great base camp for exploring the park and even do hikes from the campground.

Beautiful campground with great amenities. 

This campground is hard to book given how popular it is. The day that reservations are available most of them are usually booked up by the end of the day. If you can get a reservation you'll be rewarded though. Beautiful views of Hallett peak and Flattop Mountain. Surrounded by ponderosas and the sound of running water. Some of the tourists are dumb and don't abide by the campground rules but you'll get that anywhere in Rocky Mountain 

Hard To Book But Worth It 

First of all, it’s completely wrong when the Dyrt says this campground is closed through Aug 2023. Maybe they have it confused with Moraine Park, which is definitely closed this season. 

Anyway, this campground is in a perfect location in Rocky Mountain National Park. The mountains in the distance were beautiful. Due to the weather we didn’t get to see the alpenglow, but it was still gorgeous. 

The campground is right across from the park and ride so you can grab the shuttle very easily. With a campground reservation you do not need a timed entry into Bear Lake Road. 

The sites were nice and spacious and while we didn’t use the tent pad, it seemed large. The rangers were friendly and helpful and the other campers were great. 

Got decent T-Mobile 5G service.  Not at all necessary, obviously, but it was nice to have to check the radar when we had storms roll through.

We would definitely stay here again.