Best Equestrian Camping near Cañon City, CO

This KOA journey has a friendly and helpful staff, and offers all of the bare essentials so you can get ready for your next stop. The campground is 8 miles from Cañon City and 4 miles from Royal Gorge.

Sites are a mix of dirt and gravel and as with much of the desert, you should expect it to be very dusty. Our site was very close to our neighbor and in combination with the high winds during our visit, we didn’t spend much time outside. Full hookups are conveniently located and offer water/sewer and 30/50amp service.

The campground has propane refills available on site. The staff was kind enough to let us drop off our tanks and they brought them back to us once someone was available to fill them. The laundry is open 24 hours. There are (4) washers and (4) dryers available at a cost of $2 per load. There is no change machine, so bring your own quarters or stop in the office and the staff can help you with exchanging some small bills.

Cabins available and horse rings/stables available all over. Reservations needed.

By far one of the nicest state parks in Colorado. Every site is huge and several pull through are on sides of the hill with sweeping view of Colorado Springs. Nestled up to the Air Force NORAD complex the nature is unspoiled all the way up the mountain. Tons of trails the only sad part is our dogs only have limited trails they are allowed on. Bear, large cats and lots of deer visit regularly (well at least the deer are regular.

This is a nice campground with a good view of the mountain. There are some nice trails from the campground and it’s close to Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs offers much to do and this campground is a great spot to unhook. “The Meadows” is one of the loops...all level spots here, full hook-up. Not much privacy or shade, but would still highly recommend. The park location is close to Garden of the Gods, Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Pike’s Peak and more. The park offers many wonderful hiking trails...and a frisbee golf course. Convenient drive to grocery stores and restaurants.

CAMPGROUND REVIEW: COLORADO CAMPGROUND PIKE NATIONAL FOREST

https://www.recreation.gov/camping/colorado-campground/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70684

Colorado Campground is one of several campgrounds less than 10 miles north of the city of Woodland Park off Route 67 in the Pike National Forest.

Situated at 7800 feet elevation, even summer nights get cool. Nearby 5 acre Manitou Lake is a trail walk away. You can toss your canoe or kayak in, but unless you are simply trout fishing, it’s tiny size doesn’t offer much variation.

Numerous foot trails lead into the National Forest, offering wonderfully quiet hikes and exploration.

There are 81 sites available, but some are adjacent to highway 67, so periodic road noise will be heard. The ponderosa pines assist in muffling highway noise.

Neighboring sites are visible across the entire campground, but they are situated in such a way that you are not directly on top of each other.

The back loop sites are larger and set deeper (Site 19, 20,21, 22, 23) which are my choice. Sites can be secured on www.recreation.gov. There are double sites which garner double fees. At the time of this review, sites are $23.00 nightly (a bit pricey for no showers or modern facilities). When there during the week, not including the host and groundskeeper, only four sites were filled. Most sites were reserved for weekends and upcoming Labor Day holiday.

No RV/Campers over 36 ft permitted. Parking pads are gravel, a few are pull-through. Sites are non-electric with no hookups…no showers Water spigots, metal trash containers and pit latrines are spaced out through the campground. Each site has one stationary picnic table and a fire pit. Most sites appeared fairly level. No specific tent pad locations.

With the towering ponderosa pines, there is ample shade.

Plenty of trails permit mountain biking as well as the paved centennial bike path that runs along highway 67 from Woodland Park 15 miles north…that you can walk, in-line, cycle and even ebike.

You have plenty of local activities to keep you busy, including the Red Rocks a couple miles south…or drive east on Rt 24 to Pikes Peak, or further into Manitou Springs for the Incline, Red Rock Canyon Open Space, Garden of the gods and more!

Just six miles south into Woodland Park offers every food or shopping option.

All in all, a nice, clean campground in a great location.

This was our second time camping at Colorado campground. It seems to meet the needs of campers of all types from the biggest rigs to the tent campers, they can all find a home here. The size of the sites, especially on the outer ring, can't be beat. We like the natural beauty in the campground and surrounding area as well as easy access to hiking.

The Colorado Sports Ranch and Refuge offers a unique blend of outdoor activities and relaxation, making it an ideal getaway for sports enthusiasts. With its expansive facilities, it perfectly complements Sportzfy TV's mission to promote active lifestyles and engage audiences in diverse sporting events. Whether you’re looking to train or unwind, this destination provides an excellent backdrop for fitness and recreation. For More: https://www.sportzfytvapks.com/

The Colorado Sports Ranch and Refuge offers a unique blend of outdoor activities and relaxation, making it an ideal getaway for sports enthusiasts. With its expansive facilities, it perfectly complements Sportzfy TV's mission to promote active lifestyles and engage audiences in diverse sporting events. Whether you’re looking to train or unwind, this destination provides an excellent backdrop for fitness and recreation. For More: https://www.sportzfytvapks.com/

This Pike National Forest campground is run by Rocky Mountain Recreation which means you'll pay a $10 transaction fee if you make a reservation on recreation.gov. It looks like some sites are strictly walk-up. Check recreation.gov to see what's available, but you can just show up if there are available sites, pay at the self-pay station, and avoid the $10 transaction fee on recreation.gov.

Every site has a picnic table and fire ring. Vault toilets (rather fragrant as you walk by because of the vent pipes) and trash dumpsters are conveniently located throughout the campground as is potable water. There are no bear-proof lockers but locking up your food is a prudent move.

There are mostly back in sites but some pull through sites. Most of the pull through sites are partially protected from the road by a few tall pines and large rocks, but the pull through curve may be tight for some RVs. There are a few double sites (with double charge) if you need more space.

Manitou Lake on the edge of the campground is a popular fishing spot, and there's a trail around the lake.

Our site (#45) was rather close to the road, but the road noise was not bad throughout the park. Sites 40 through 44 are on a small loop and are probably the nicest sites even with a bit of road noise; these sites are near the trail to the lake.

In my opinion, there are two things that make this campground stand out: 1) The sites are large and not on top of each other. This campground could have twice as many sites, but it's nice that it doesn't. 2) It's a great location because you're close to Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, US Air Force Academy, Cripple Creek (only if you're into gambling), lots of hiking trails...and on and on. It's close to Colorado Springs and even closer to Woodland Park. If you want craft breweries and restaurants, you'll find plenty. We enjoyed being close to a larger city after being in lots of small towns. We loved the inexpensive food at Uchenna (Ethiopian and Mediterranean), Taste of Jerusalem, and Azada Mexican as well as craft beer (Fossil Craft Beer Company and Phantom Canyon Brewing Company with ginger wheat ale, Belgian ale aged on cherries, hazelnut coffee stout, coconut/chocolate porter, and on and on) in Colorado Springs. Beer is $3 during a 3 to 6 pm happy hour at Phantom Canyon....yes!

This campground is only open between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day.

Campground Review

Note: This is a military campground only, on the grounds of the US Air Force Academy just north of Colorado Springs, CO. 

My family and I stayed here a week in a 34' travel trailer.  This is a large facility with over 100 campsites. Sites are gravel and fairly level, spaced decently with little undergrowth among the pine trees. Full hook-ups are of good quality and worked with no problems. Cable is not provided and we did not check to see if our antennae picked up any local TV stations. WiFi is restricted to the office and bathhouses, and do not extend into the campground. You have the option of purchasing a MiFi transmitter for $5 a day or $25 a week, but we did not choose this option. A short walk from our campsite is a very nice playground next to the picnic pavilions. Each site comes with a grill and aluminum picnic table. Ground fires are not allowed, but fire pits can be rented for an additional fee. The laundry facility is affordable and the machines are in good condition. Now for a little bit about the area outside the campground. The Academy grounds are huge. It is a good 10-minute drive to the commissary/exchange, a 10-minute drive to the visitor center, and about 30 minutes to downtown Colorado Springs or Garden of the Gods. If you are here for football, the stadium is right down the street (I would say it is within walking distance).  There is a lot to do around here and this is a good base camp. I wish we could have stayed longer than a week. 

Oh, and just a heads up, if you are staying here in the summer expect thunderstorms to roll by every day.  The wind and lightning can be rather intense. 

Product review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. This week I tested the Gregory Avos 15 pack. Although designed as a mtn biking pack, I used it for day hiking and road cycling and found it to be a great and versatile pack.  See the video and pictures for more details, but here's a quick review of the pros:

• The numerous storage spaces, crash pad for a phone/glasses, and a separate bag for repair tools that can be clipped inside the pocket.
• The feel of the fit and adjustability of straps and back length.
• The size of the hydration bladder.
• The convenience of the bite valve. 

After hiking 6 miles and riding 10 miles, I have very few negatives, and these are just me being picky:

• The magnetic connection for the chest strap is challenging to remove with one hand. 
• The length of the hydration hose could be a little longer so I could loosen the chest strap without it pulling on the hose (I have wide shoulders). 
• The hydration bladder itself is difficult to drain completely when trying to dry it out. 

Overall, I would give this pack a 5-star review and recommend it to others who want a comfortable, well-designed, and versatile pack when playing outdoors.

Enjoyed the beautiful views and the ability to get offline and out in serenity’s. Only down fall staying at the temple view camp site is that there is a jeep tour that comes by a few time in the am and afternoon. So you feel like your on exhibit but they go by fast. Not much shade, and there isn’t a real access to the trails. Had to hike over to temple ridge about a mile away to find two beautiful intermittent trails. Would definitely stay at ridge when we go back. Oh and for sure need 4x4 drive or not a low car. Roads are windy but the view after are amazing.

Awesome camp ground great place if wanna get away

It’s a small stream but it’s sure as hells got some trout in it! I’ve been fishing this stream since I was a kid, and I still have a good time there. It’s got some decent little camp spots too.