This area requires a permit which you can buy at the ACE hardware in Nederland. However, after mid-September permits are no longer required or sold, as we found out when we arrived at the hardware store.
We camped about a mile down from Devil's Thumb lake because we got a late start (~4:00pm) and it started getting dark and cold. We made the hike into a two-day loop instead of out-and-back by summiting and then taking King's Lake trail back to the original trailhead. Beautiful sights all along this path! It's about 12-13 miles this way.
Plenty of access to water via various streams. Did not see many other people camping. Passed a few hikers the second day. Once you summit you can see the town of Fraser and also get cell phone service, but we did not have service in the valley before summiting. Note that it got quite cold this night in mid-September, just below freezing.
As most of the middle portions of this 9 mile trail are relatively flat, there are many good backcountry camping opportunities in this area. Some are in the pine and spruce forests and others are in the aspens. The best are in the open meadows around the south side of Captain Mountain. A short scramble to the top affords great views west to Mt. Goliath, north along the Chief Mountain ridge, and back south to the Bear Creek Basin. An amazing variety of wildflowers abounds throughout the trail. Water sources are easiest on the northern portion of the trail.
We wanted to check out the Dillon/Breckenridge area, but we didn’t have a reservation. We thought we would go to another campground first, but it was pretty full so we drove around the lake to Lowry and are so glad we did! We really enjoyed our time here. We initially only paid for one night, but we kept extending it since we liked it so much! The views are incredible and there is a bike path around the lake that we made great use of. You can only go one way around the lake in an RV so make sure to check on that! The views are incredible here and the camp host was super friendly. The sites are electric only. They have vault toilets available for use as well. We had a great time here and would definitely go back if we are in the area again!
One of the best most accessible views in the county! Nice short loop with lake views in every direction! I recommend it at all times of day even at night to check out the sky!
Nice and clean we only stayed over night in our way west from iowa. But nice park and would come back!
We took our maiden voyage here (just in case things went sour) had a great time. Friendly neighborhood of easy to pull through camp sites. Great facilities (including the dump station), close enough to town for a quick adventures and a nice playground for the kids.
Found this spot just exploring the area. Was actually headed down to the Rainbow Lakes campground but the campground was closed at the time. It is a nice little pull-off spot with plenty of room to park and several camp spots down in this area. A fire ring was present and with no fire bans in place we were able to get a good fire going. Plenty of dead trees around for firewood. This spot has a nice stream by it as well providing a pleasant white noise for sleeping.
Saw this trail-side camp site while out Jeeping in the mountains near Breckenridge, CO. Nice pull-in site with a fire ring available and plenty of firewood that you can cut up around. The area was in a fire ban at the time so we were not able to start a fire. Had a nice sound of the creek rushing along beside us. Arrived at camp a little late that night (was already dark) and had no traffic around during our whole stay. There are lots of similar sites along the trail.
My wife and I took our inaugural trip in our small camper to Pinewood Reservoir last weekend during the front range's first snowfall for 2019. We had just bought our camper and weren't about to let a little snow stop us from trying things out. We drove up on Thursday and the roads, despite some steep climbs and winding curves, was in great shape.
We found the campground empty, and already white with the snowfall. We had a reserved a spot and claimed it. Several other sites appeared to be reserved, but with the weather, we had the place all to ourselves. Heaven, with just a taste of lonely. Even with the snow and us being novices we set up without a hitch and were soon enjoying the magical panorama of the lake below us and the hills and mountain tops around us.
By Friday the weather had cleared and the Colorado blue skies had returned. While it was still chilly a few other campers arrived, including a number of Boy Scouts trying to hone their cold weather tenting skills. By our Saturday departure, the camp ground was filling up and we enjoyed meeting some nice neighbors.
All in all the place was perfect. the water access was off due to the seasons cold, but the place was clean, the restrooms were open, and the electricity was on. A great place for late season, and I am sure it is busy but spectacular during the summer.
We stay at Kelly Dahl when we get to Denver. Favorite campground for us and our niece and her husband.
WIFI…non-existent and phone coverage (Verizon) is very sketchy.
Did not see any staff during our two days there….except to tell us that the campground closed for season on the following day. (We knew this.)
No showers.
Vault Toilets only…Very clean.
Sites are not always great, and some of the larger campers are going to have problems with size, and level-ness of pads. I think that they are all dirt pads.
Lots of good space in the campground.
A shame that the beetles have done so much devestation in the area.
September 28th, 2019 Just roaming around and decided to revisit Poudre Canyon when I found most of the NFS campgrounds closed… Taking my chances I continued up the canyon until I found this place. The owner was closing up for the season but showed me the tent pads. The view from the east tent area faces down the canyon and is nice. They have trailers and pop ups to stay in if anyone wants more comfortable accommodations. This place has showers and toilets… there’s a convenience store across the street. This was the only spot where my cell phone worked in the canyon. Nice location. Nice owner. Nice view. 3 stars!
Great campground! Wonderful view of the surrounding mountains, quiet, clean, staff was friendly. They had wood and ice for sale. Conveniently located across the road from Rocky Mountain National Park shuttle that takes you to the major trailheads as well as Estes Park.
This is a wonderful campground on Michigan Reservoir. It’s busy for sure, but never in a way that deters me from visiting. There are cabins to rent, which are fun too. Fishing, hiking, off-roading, kayaking or canoeing, or simply sightseeing - there are big mountain vistas to enjoy. There’s a ton of beetle kill in the area, so that hurts the views a bit, but that’s pretty typical in this area.
Really calm vibe here. Me and my girlfriend stayed here for 3 nights while the camp Was completely full. The amount of space they give each camper spot is more than plenty. Lovely clean facilities. Very well taken care of camping ground. Tons of trails and other activities to do here. I throughly enjoyed all the things about this place. I will come back and stay again if I am in the area. Perfect place to camp if you are going to a red rocks show. It’s only a 10 min drive away.
Absolutely perfect for us! We have a pop-up and we loved the campsite. Super clean, lovely area, and not crowded. We will camp there again
Previous review is not for this property. Royal Gorge is in Cañon City.
Stayed here a week.Bathroom was dirty. Toiletpapet always on the floor. Toilet seat needs to be repaired in men’s bathroom. Also toilet paper in different places of campground from campers. It is not worth the $19.
Couldn’t find a vacant RV park or campground north of Denver on a Friday night. Getting dark and Walmart was looking like the only option. Then we found this! Clean, a little cramped but nice showers and bathrooms. Beautiful flowers on perimeter. Full hookups $25 or $15 for none. Pleasant surprise and on way to Estes Park.
Beautiful lake. Very peaceful. Campground host was wonderful. Campground is clean. The Free Birds- #livefree www.livefreebirds.com IG: thefreebirdsrv
Small campground by creek. Lots of room between sites. Very pretty location. -The Free Birds RV- https://livefreebirds.com IG: thefreebirdsrv
Right outside of Grand Lake, this RV park is a good place to park. With showers, electrical/water hookups, dump station, and an on-site store, it’s well supported. $32/night and there are limited tent-only sites and cabins available.
Each plot includes a grated fire ring and picnic table. Some have grassy areas (request a group spot if you want this) and some are just dirt. Moose are frequent in the area.
The owner mentioned they close at the beginning of October. They are responsive via phone.
My oldest daughter (27) and I went on our first trip without my husband along. We stayed at Indian Paintbrush Campground in Bear Creek Park in Lakewood, CO right next to Red Rocks Amphitheater. We went to a concert (Old Dominion) and it was a perfect set up. Lyft picked us up and dropped us off from our site. We could not have been closer. There were coyotes, owls, and rabbits in the huge urban park. Highly recommend this spot for concerts at one of the best venues ever.
We had a great stay at Prospector Campground. Host was very nice, bathrooms were extremely clean, and the site is beautiful! We will be back!
Great location, was able to reserve a spot the day we needed it with no issues. The park was nice and clean.
Close to town and RMNP. Beautiful views. Elk in the area. Clean showers/bathrooms, though have to pay for showers. Propane fill on site. Small store. Have stayed there twice.
We rolled up to West Magnolia TH on 9/7/19. All sites were filled, however, we managed to find someone packing up at Site 18 and waited for about 20 mins for them to clear out before taking over this site. The site was good at first glance, however, being on the edge of the mountain biking trail we had numerous people literally roll through our campsite as they were seeking other parts of their trail experience. Kind of frustrating as we felt the campsite was clearly labeled but that didn't matter to most people.
If traveling here I would recommend getting here early to procure a better site…avoid #18 if you can. The area has many great mountain biking trails and very few hiking trails. Nice views though with many nice Aspen groves.
Campground is located above Central City with great views. Amenities include full hookup sites both pull through and back-in. Store with everything a camper would need. Clean restrooms and showers. Playground and dog friendly. Staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Would definitely stay here again.
Beautiful area, clean sites, water, clean bathrooms but no showers. No bodies of water here. We enjoyed our stay with the exception of late night guns going off. (After 10 pm and later). My dog and teen did not appreciate it.
Very nice campground and clean facilities (note: you must pay to shower)! Woke up to elk outside of the tent! Such a cool experience. The campsite is close to town, which is very nice too!