Best Glamping near Copper Mountain, CO

I’m a mountain girl! Like grab your back pack and hike in! Then we had kids and splurged on a camper... and now this place has me over here laying pool side... drink in hand, head over heels about glamping. Seriously I loved this so much. They have an amazing pool! Bowling alley, arcade, restaurant, bars (yes more than one!) they had live music, they have fishing, and dog parks, bike rentals, daily trash pick up from your campsite, firewood delivery, play grounds, golf carts... it is a little close together with out any trees of coverage BUT the pros far (FAR FAR FAR) out weigh that one con.

There are RV, Tent and Yurt camping sites. Bathrooms, showers, dishwashing area and laundry facilities but still in nature and beautiful views and trails, especially in the non-electric tent sites. Great staff at the check in area.

Whether you're camping or staying in one of the cabins or Yurts this place is absolutely breathtaking located in the Rocky Mountains there were many miles of hiking trails and great places to go fishing for trout they don't allow motorized boats however this place was perfect for canoeing and kayaking this is a nice little getaway with breathtaking views absolutely recommended if you were in the area or looking for a nice place to get a good dose of nature

YMCA of the Rockies, Snow Mountain Ranch near Granby, Colorado was a great place for us to spend a couple of weeks while visiting friends. The Y has cabins, yurts, and primitive and developed campsites. Some of the developed campsites have electricity, some electricity and water, and a few full hookups. The campground is dirt with little privacy between most of the sites, but great views of the surrounding mountains. The bathhouse is old, but very well taken care of by the volunteer caretakers. There is a nice commom area with picnic tables, umbrellas for shade, and very busy bird feeders and hummingbird feeders. The staff is welcoming and friendly and the campground volunteers are some of the best we've come across. The Y offers a variety of activities included in the camp fee and publishes a weekly schedule of activities. We enjoyed the Y's hiking trails, excellent disc golf course, and introduction to pickleball. They have lots of activities for kids. While the campground lacks spacing and privacy, the beautiful setting, great staff, and variety of activities made for a memorable stay.

This park has so much character that it should have it’s own tv show. There are conservation areas, trails galore, historical buildings, and a beautiful lake that is surrounded with alpine forests. 

The staff is really sweet and willing to help in any way they can. We lost our pump for our inflatable and they found us one to borrow. 

The campground is large and can accommodate a lot of campers, the bathrooms are fully equipped and clean. It was quiet at night which was surprising since you are basically in a cul-de-sac of tents and rv's. There are cabins and yurts to rent as well. They are even building (or just finished) a new section of a campground that looks like it will accommodate more rv’s and boats. It is called fisherman’s paradise.

There is also a day use area with grills and picnic tables. 

The road to get out here can be rough in bad weather but low clearance is fine to get out here. WInter excursions are probably a bit tougher and would require an all wheel drive.

Reverend’s Ridge Campground is part of Golden Gate Canyon State Park. Besides the campground reservation, you need a daily car pass ($10) or a yearly CPW pass ($80). The campground is well equipped with running toilets and showers during the spring and summer. They also have. Washer and dryer in their facilities. The campground has an area for tents only, RVs, cabins and a few yurts ($90 per day with a minimum of 2 Days). The site is quite big and the sites, at least at the tent site, were fairly distanced from each other which gives you some privacy. The area is covered with pines and a lot of aspens. There are plenty of trails and a few ponds for fishing. In general, this campground is very good and has really good amenities. Trails were pretty busy due to the excellent weather. Panorama view area is walking distance from the site. Avoid driving there since you probably will walk the same distance from your car. Parking were extremely difficult and CPW were giving citations.

Slyvan Lake State Park is located outside of the Town of Eagle, CO. It takes about 20 minutes to drive from town to the park. Upon entering, there is a multitude of activities you can partake in. Besides camping, which i will get to in a second, Sylvan lake offers excellent fishing for trout, Stand up Paddle Boarding and Canoeing; Both which can be rented there. The surrounding area offers hiking and scenic drives.

As for the camping, there are a couple campgrounds in the Sylvan Lake area as well as cabins and yurts that can be rented. Camp grounds are standard forest service spots. The each feature a picnic table and metal fire rings. As always, spots range from small to large, some having ample tree coverage and some are very exposed. There are vault toilets in the are as well.

There is a fee to use these spots which can be paid via self service area. This is a great spot for a family or anyone looking to get away and stay active. The area can get very busy in the summer so try to avoid weekends. This summer (2018) there was a lot of construction in the park and in turn it closed down some area that were normally open for camping and activities.

The Piney Lake area of Vail is by far the most scenic spot anyone can drive to. The ranch at the lake is ever growing and offers a restaurant, canoe rentals, SUP, fly fishing lessons as well as cabin and yurts to rent for the night. If you are looking to spend your night closer to nature the campground is just located about a mile away from the lake.

This may get confusing as there are camp spots along the road that are forest service controlled and have fire rings and right next to that you will find many spots that are in the National Forest but are primitive. The "Camp Spots" that have fire rings are located on the final stretch to the lake. There are maybe 6 or 8 of them. Really the only difference in these spots compared to the primitive ones right next door are the fire rings and the fact that they are fenced in with a small wooden fence.

The upside to grabbing one of these spots is all of summer 2018 in the valley we were in a stage 1 fire ban, meaning you could only have a fire in a permanent fire ring, leaving these few spots the only legal camping in the area. The spots themselves are fairly large, we have put 4 cars and 5+ tents comfortably in one of them. There are no toilets or anywhere to get water unless you drive to the ranch (the ranch is privately owned and closes and opens at a certain time, the lake is public and can be accessed anytime) There is also no fee which is always a plus.

We camped in Willow Creek Campground for one night this passed July 2018 on a road trip from California to Granby, CO. We camped in State Forest State Park the previous night, which was about an hour or so North of the town of Granby. We spent that morning roaming around highway 14 near SFSP looking for moose - and found two! After seeing the moose we decided to head down to the Granby area to try to find a campsite for the night - we were meeting up with family the following afternoon to check into a rental house for a wedding. As we were driving down highway 125 towards Granby, we spotted our third moose of the day! He was skittish and ran away upon seeing us approach him.

Willow Creek Campground was the first stop on our list of potential camp spots - it is a first come first served campground, and we lucked out, there were a few open sites. This is one of those areas that you need pay for both a park pass AND a campsite, but our Interagency Pass qualified for the park pass. The campsites are reasonable at $22 per night.

The campground is near a reservoir, alongside a small river. The sites are fairly primitive, with no hookups available - each site has a picnic table, fire pit, and some had a tent-pad area (ours did). Some of the sites were next to the reservoir or the river; most sites were grassy, good sized, and spread out, but there was very little in the way of trees for shade or privacy. This is an area of Colorado that has been hit by the pine beetle epidemic, so a lot of the pine trees had been cleared from the park, especially in the Willow Creek Campground itself. A lot of the trees across the river were dead and brown - it’s sad that that is such a common site in Colorado these days. There were, however, some very healthy aspens in the area around the park and the reservoir. Because there is so little shade and trees available, I would suggest bringing an easy up, if you have one. This area can get hot in the summer, and thunderstorms happen frequently enough. Willow Creek Campground had drinking water available, and had well maintained vault toilets.

At the time of our road trip, the state of Colorado was in various stages of fire restrictions/bans - in the week that we were traveling around Colorado we stayed in parks with fire bans in full effect, and some with only fire restrictions, all within an hour of each other. Willow Creek had a stage 1 fire restriction, so we were able to burn charcoal and firewood in the designated firepit in the site.

WARNING: You ARE in bear country and there were no bear bins in the campground - be bear safe and bear smart, lock all of your food and toiletries inside your car at night. I was once told by a ranger in Yosemite NP that bears can recognize coolers when peering into car windows, so we always put a towel and gear over our coolers when keeping them in the car overnight.

The campground was nice and quiet, without much noise pollution from the nearby road. The campers were all considerate with their noise levels, so it was a very peaceful stay. The park is very pretty, with lots of small trails. We found little clusters of aspen trees, and saw deer and foxes on an evening walk. I got up early the next morning to see if I could photograph any wildlife, and found the foxes again!

When talking to our neighbors, they suggested that we visit Grand Lake over Granby Lake - they felt Grand Lake was prettier, and they talked up the little village area near the lake. After we broke down camp, we drove to Grand Lake and hiked some the North Inlet Trail - we probably went a mile passed Cascade Falls, then turned around to go back. The hike is fairly easy, moderate, in parts.

The little village of Grand Lake is charming and quaint, and is reminiscent of a boardwalk. There are a lot of gift shops and restaurants along a main road, and we spent a little time roaming in an out of stores. For the rubber ducky lovers out there, Grand Lake has an ENTIRE STORE dedicated to rubber duckies called the Quacker Gift Shop! I collect rubber duckies, so I was pretty excited - they even had a Grand Lake moose “rubber duck” - I had to get him, since we had seen three moose the previous day. He is one of my favorite trip souvenirs ever!

We decided on ice cream for lunch - SUCH A GOOD CHOICE. The ice cream from Grand Lake Chocolates was some of the best ice cream of my life!

After our morning hike and visit to the Grand Lake boardwalk, we headed over to Granby Ranch, a ski resort near the rental house we would be staying in. The ski lifts were operating for visitors and downhill cyclists, so we took the ski lift up to the top of the little mountain - it was a fun ride with gorgeous views! We roamed around on some of the paths for a while, until it started thundering overhead. We raced back to the ski lifts, but they had already been shut down. The resort personnel took us to a yurt that’s used as a warming hut in the winter, and had us stay in there until some stuttle vans could come and take us down the mountain. By the time we got down to the lodge it was about time to check into our house, so we left.

CAMPSITE SPECS

Fees: $22/night + recreation pass fee

Plumbed Toilets: NO - vault

Drinking Water: Yes

Showers: NO

Picnic Table: Yes

Firepit: Yes

Cooking Grate: Yes

Shade: NO - limited

Cell Service: Limited

Animal Bins/Food Lockers: NO

Trash: Yes

good location for cute old mountain towns! also close to Denver and other must sees in Colorado!

This is one of the best campsites we have visited in Colorado. It’s located a few miles north of Buena Vista Colorado next to the Arkansas River. The site has terrific walk-in tent sites along the river as well as group picnic facilities and drive camping for campers and vans. They have a huge boat launch to access the world class white water rapids on the Arkansas River. The site has about a 30 campsites and was only about half full during g the summer peak. The access road is dirt but flat graded. They have a camp host on site. The sites have fire rings and picnic tables. The facilities are new and well maintained. The river is powerful and campers with kids should take care. Great hiking and rock climbing in the area. This is a must see.

Beautiful lakeside camping just outside of Denver. Campsites are a bit close together, but great for groups! No hookups here but you have bathroom facilities and a visitor center where you can buy firewood. Campfires allowed in the fire pits. If you have an RV beware quiet hours from 10pm to 8am, no generators allowed. Lake is perfect for paddleboarding, kayaking and fishing and you will most likely have phone service if you are with AT&T or Verizon. Many day use areas, however vehicles and individuals are charged. For campers, if you bring more than one vehicle you will be charged daily for any additional ones. No drinking water is available, you must bring your own. Dirt roads to the lake are rough and narrow. Close to Deckers for incidentals. Intersects with the Colorado trail for hiking and biking and close to the Colorado River for tubing!

We stopped at this site on a whim. When we arrived on Friday afternoon there were plenty of sites available at 3pm. By the evening it was 90% full. This site does not take reservations. The campground itself was beautiful! There are lots of tall pines trees, aspens, and wild flowers. There was pretty good space between sites. The campsite host informed us moose frequent the area. The big downside is the highway is very loud here which really took away from the peace. This is on the opposite side of the highway of Kenosha Campground which was equally as nice, but also suffered from proximity to the highway. The Colorado trail runs alongside both campgrounds.

Stunning campground nestled right outside Golden and Boulder Colorado. We couldn’t believe it…so close but you feel incredibly removed once you get there. Campsites are close together but there is plenty of shade and coverage between sites. Great amenities: hot showers, laundry, firewood for sale, well marked trails. Our loop did NOT have water be aware and look at your maps before booking. Some loops have water and some do not. We did have electric though. Overall had a blast.

Great spot on the East side of the lake, Not far from the town of Leadville where there is a Safeway, places to eat and places to shop. It was a bit windy the day we stayed but great views, lots of hiking trails and things to explore. Campground is located a high elevation.

Accessible Sites, Boating, Campfire Rings, Canoeing, Drinking Water, Firewood Vendor, FishingGrills, Hiking, HostLake AccessSailing, Self Pay Station, Tables, Vault Toilets, Waterfront Sites

Less Than 1 Mile: Boat Ramp, Interpretive Trails, Water Skiing

Fun Fact:

The campground was named after Elizabeth McCourt's nickname, Baby Doe. She made a name for herself in the Colorado mining community in the 19th century when she took on the rugged work of a miner, and was given her nickname.

Trees, trails and tranquility just an hour from Denver? Yes please! This is one of my new favorite spots -perfect for a quick weekend escape. We loved the roomy pull through spots for our camper, easy electrical hookups, super clean bathrooms and shower house. So many other campgrounds in Colorado have been hit hard by the pine beetle epidemic, but Reverends Ridge still has towering trees that make the loops feel private and remote. Dont mIss the easy hike to Panorama Point. From there you can let link to the rest of the extensive trail system through the park.

S I liked everything about this campsite, it was clean, spaced out so no one was too crowded, and a beautiful area. What I DIDNT like was that I was accused of being here for more than 2 weeks while I have only been here for 8 days. And then was told I wasnt allowed to camp at free sites unless I had proof of a physical address in Colorado. I'm from Michigan and was vacationing here. Can someone explain to me HOW that makes sense? I rented out a place at my boss's house before I came to this campsite and she told me that doesnt count. Sorry for the long rant, just doesn't make sense to me.

We had reservations at Kenosha Campground and were diverted to Kenosha East. The camp hosts were protecting us from a bear that had visited the campground a few too many times. We were thankful that they put our safety first.

Kenosha East is designed primarily for tent camping. A small trailer or camper van can be accommodated. Large fifth wheels or RVs can be accommodated at the disbursed sites located East and South of the campground, just follow the dirt roads back into the forest. Sites are designated for camping and/or parking.

We stayed at camp site #10. It had a lot of space between the other camp sites but the trees are not thick enough to create a lot of privacy. Our site was located in an aspen grove with lush grass and wildflowers. It was beautiful to look out on the grove and watch the bees collect pollen.

This campground is at the start of the Colorado Trail. A hiking trail that is frequented by backpackers. The trail is also surrounded by aspen grove with thick wildflowers and wild grasses. The reward on the short hike we did is the view of the South Park valley. It was amazing, even with the haze that blew in from the California wildfires.

The caveats: this is a highly trafficked day use area. There is a parking lot at the entrance for day use with two well used vault toilets. The campground is visited by non campers on foot, on bikes, and in cars and campers. There are a lot of people around all day on weekends.

This campground is located right off of Hwy 285. This is the main thoroughfare to the central mountains in Colorado. The traffic is heavy day and well into the night. Semis and motorcycles are the loudest culprits. If you are looking for quiet and solitude, you may want to look elsewhere. Kenosha Pass and Kenosha East are built for recreation and lots of people.

For the ladies: Bathrooms, especially vault bathrooms, can be a deterrent for some. The camp hosts take great care of the bathrooms. We stayed 3 nights and there was always toilet paper. The bathroom smelled as good as it could possibly smell with the amount of people that used it all weekend. It was never gross. Which is so nice. If you are a little squeamish when it comes to camping and vault bathrooms, I think this is a safe bet.

Overall, I would stay at this campground again and bring my bike. I’d also spend more time out on the trail. I’d stay somewhere else if I was looking for quiet and solitude.

This became a favorite car camping spot of mine while living in Vail, Colorado. The lake is situated in White River National Forest and is accessible only for a few months during the summer via Red Sandstone Road. I have seen 2wd sedans drive up this road, however I would definitely recommend something with high clearance and 4wd if possible as the roads up there are not well maintained. There are plenty of first come, first serve USFS campsites near the lake, additionally there are quite a few service roads off of Red Sandstone Road that provide access to miles of additional dispersed campsites. It is hard to find a spot to camp without a breathtaking view of the Gore Range from Piney. In addition to camping, there are hiking trails near the lake and the privately owned Piney River Ranch offers horseback riding, boat rentals, fishing, a restaurant, and other lodging options. This area is also known for the moose that frequent the area, be sure to keep your distance if you are lucky enough to spot one! If you are interested in camping at Piney in the early summer or fall, you may first want to call the Minturn Ranger’s Station at 970-827-5715 to check on the closure status of Red Sandstone Road.