Olive Ridge
Reviewed Jul. 10, 2018

Nice campground with great some non-reservation sites; get there early!

We stayed here for a night when we wanted to explore Boulder, but this campground is close enough to the Estes Park entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park that you could use it as your base for exploring the east side of RMNP. You can get up there in about 20-25 minutes. 

Tip: Don't pay attention to a 'Campground Full' sign early in the day, especially at campgrounds with non-reservation sites. People leave every day, even on a Saturday in July. Sites 1 through 25 and 38 (cool site) are non-reservation sites, and we managed to get site 7 at 9 am when we noticed people packing. They told us they'd be out in less than an hour; we paid the fee, put our tag on the post, and waited out front.

This campground has the usual 'amenities' of a Forest Service campground in Colorado (tent pad, food locker, fire ring, cooking grill, vault toilets) except water. Water spigots throughout the campground were wrapped up.  We always carry plenty of water to Forest Service campgrounds just in case.

The non-reservation loop has more private sites than the reservation loop especially if you have a tent. You can hide pretty far back on sites 5, 19 and 20 (and possibly others). This campground also has shade provided by pineand aspen; the pine beetle infestation is not prevalent in this part of Colorado south of RMNP's east side.

The sites in the center of the reservation loop are like one big open neighborhood. The trees are nice, but you can see all your neighbors. If you want privacy, stick to the outside of the loop if you have a tent. You can pitch your tent fairly far away from the road at some sites. (I love tents/tent sites but I don't like to sleep on the ground anymore. We have a teardrop.)

But....the coolest site is #38, and it's not reservable. See the photo. It's not very private, but the big rock is something no other site has. #34 all by itself on the inner part of the loop also looks cool.

Site7
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Olive Ridge by Mary S., July 10, 2018
  • Review photo of Olive Ridge by Mary S., July 10, 2018
  • Review photo of Olive Ridge by Mary S., July 10, 2018
  • Review photo of Olive Ridge by Mary S., July 10, 2018
  • Review photo of Olive Ridge by Mary S., July 10, 2018
  • Review photo of Olive Ridge by Mary S., July 10, 2018