Best Tent Camping near Cowdrey, CO

Recent Tent Reviews near Cowdrey, Colorado

684 Reviews of 46 Cowdrey Campgrounds

• D

  Darryl W.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 28, 2019

  Glen Echo Resort

  Outstanding One-Stop Poudre Canyon Camping Experience!

  Glen Echo is an exceptional one-stop Poudre Canyon camping experience.   While they do offer large and small cabins, long and short term RV spots, we tent camped for two nights on two different riverside sites - numbers 1 and 6 - and both were awesome!  Both spots offered amazing rushing water views, a nice mixture of sun and shade, picnic tables, and fire rings.  One of the spots - site 1 - had electric hook-up.  Aside from the great tent sites, they have on-site a general store/market, fuel, a liquor store and restaurant/cafe, which made life super convenient because it's located about mid-way through Poudre Canyon and there's not a lot out there.  Also, clean showers, which was a nice surprise.  Cannot recommend this chill camping destination enough!

• 

  Frank H.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 2, 2021

  Steamboat Springs KOA

  Basic Campground

  A basic family style campground directly on the Yampa River within city limits of Steamboat Springs. Tent sites, RV sites, tent cabins and full fledged cabins. We had a tent site right on the river. Miniature golf. Various bikes to rent. This was the priciest camp site on our cross country trip. But it is located within an upscale ski resort town so probably expected. A little noisy from road traffic.

• M

  Michael M.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 17, 2019

  Steamboat Springs KOA

  Can’t recommend for tenting

  Leaving a review at 4 stars to keep the average.

  We stopped in late looking for a tent spot. The only tent sites this location provides for late check in are their luxury riverside tent sites, despite their being a huge open loop of others(that other tenters had booked earlier in the day). I’m not going to get started on how horribly placed and awkward these late spots are. But I will say you’ll get charged $50/night for them.

  We just booked a hotel instead.

• 

  Heather C.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 25, 2019

  Ranger Lakes Campground — State Forest State Park

  Nice, peaceful place

  I tent camped at Ranger Lakes. I was the only one tent camping among all the RV’s. I didn’t mind that the spaces were visible from each other since I was camping alone. The pads were very spacious and flat. The lakes are very pretty and are a short walk from the campground. The trails around the lakes were nice to walk around. I wish there were facilities since there really aren’t any within most of the campgrounds of State Forest State Park. But Ranger Lakes is just a short drive from Cameron Pass as well as several beautiful trails. I’d definitely stay here again.

• C

  Cody L.

  Ranger

  

  Jan. 1, 2022

  Stove Prairie

  Nice get away.

  Tent sites are really nice and close to the river.

• 

  lauren L.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 27, 2023

  Buffalo Pass Dispersed

  rough road up

  rough road up, in a sprinter 4x4, not a lot of great options. seems better for tent camping. did see one or two RVs up, shocked they made it.

• L

  Liz

  Scout

  

  Aug. 28, 2022

  Dutch Hill Campground — Steamboat Lake State Park

  Tent sites by lake!

  Beautiful tent sites by the lake. 186-188 are quiet and beautiful. Especially during the week! Highly recommend!

• B

  Barrett M.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 1, 2022

  White Rock Canyon Dispersed Site

  Solid dispersed camping

  Near freeway, relatively secluded. Good camp site, some areas RV friendly. Tent sites hard to come by at night

• 

  Isabelle K.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 27, 2023

  Stagecoach State Park Campground

  Junction city campground

  Well appointed campground on the water. Seems to cater more towards families with RVs, no privacy or shade for tent camping. Clean facilities overall with great proximity to the water and marina.

• N

  N I.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 17, 2021

  Dowdy Lake Campground

  Reflections

  Status: Open year round 

  Reserve mid spring through September 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov 

  weekend reservations recommended 

  70 sites including 10 walk-in tent 30 sites year round $24.00 tent sites $32.00 electric $64.00 double sites 

  Vault toilets, water during season ,tent sites have bear boxes, picnic table, fire ring/grill, trash no sewer or water hookups The campground has beautiful Ponderosa Pines but the Pine beetle is beginning to take its toil. 

  The back loop closes early fall. all sites have electric except the tent sites. There are 5 double sites. The campground can accept various size rigs. The day use area with a boat ramp and pit toilet with a nice size parking lot. There were a lot of people fishing from the shore. The lake is beautiful with small islands and rock formations. The road to and in the campground is gravel and rather dusty. Potholes 

  Directions: Drive 21 miles north of Fort Collins on US Highway 287. Turn left (west) onto the Red Feather Lakes Road (County 74E) and travel approximately 22 miles. Turn right (north) and travel another mile to signed campground entrance on the right.

  LNT

  Better than when you found it 

  Stay safe Happy travels

• 

  Kade C.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 27, 2019

  Steamboat Springs KOA

  Absolutely awesome views and times!

  Awesome camp site, great staff, beautiful right on the river, fresh water. Showers are located in center of KOA so be ready to walk or drive over. Very dog friendly and well maintained tent sites!

• A

  Ann M.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 1, 2021

  Summit Lake

  Hidden Gem

  Beautiful quiet campground  but a little hard to get to. Road from the east is much better than from Steamboat Springs. Quiet , well maintained,  more suited to car/tent camping. Great views of lake from many sites. Grills, tables, trash and toilets, No water. Went on weeknight  in July and it was about 3/4 full

• 

  Caitlyn B.

  Scout

  

  May. 28, 2022

  Elk Creek Campground & RV Park

  Great spot

  Right on the lake and super close to the west part of the RMNP. The staff was super helpful and they have free showers (with not time limit) and Wi-Fi in the front office area. If you select tent camping though, just know you have to tow your tent in and don’t park next to the spot so not good for vans (have to get an RV spot)

• J

  James D.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 13, 2019

  Six Mile Campground

  Tastefully Developed, Empty, and Awesome

  We were told by Google that this campground was permanently closed, but we went with The Dyrt's info, and it really panned out. We were the only ones there, it was a short walk down to the Platt (flys and lures only), and the tent site, fire-ring, and picnic table were in top notch condition. Would definitely stay here again.

• C

  Cindy C.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 23, 2018

  Dowdy Lake Campground

  Beautiful Campground

  This campground is great! The lake is wonderful to kayak on and to fish. The sites are very clean and large. They have a picnic table and fire pit. Of course the sites very in size. There is electric hookups in most sites with the exception of the tent sites. The hosts are very friendly and welcoming. Lots of trees for shade and beautiful views.

• J

  Justin and Samantha W.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 21, 2020

  CanyonSide Campground

  Love it

  Loved it, Went on an adventure with my husband, we booked a tent site here because it is cannabis friendly. Which it is. The Hosts are very nice and Accommodating. The views were amazing, met some great people, and chipmunks.
  The drive to Fort Collins is about an hour, however it's a beautiful trip. You are a short time away from Chambers Lake, and the Reservoir. Highly recommend this area.

• 

  Corrin S.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 4, 2018

  West Lake

  Easy access, beautiful lake

  West Lake campground is a beautiful spot off 74. The lake is great for fishing, and the tent campsites are super private. Your pass includes access to other lakes in the surrounding area as well.

  We didn’t see any moose but we could definitely hear them early in the morning.

  Clean bathrooms and great, friendly hosts!

• 

  Danielle C.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 22, 2020

  RJourney Laramie RV Resort (formerly Laramie KOA)

  Simple but nice

  State parks were full so we stopped over in Laramie. Originally planned on a tent site but once we saw how open the tent space was, we decided to grab a dog friendly cabin instead. It was cozy with air conditioning and a mini fridge. Kind of a weird location between a neighborhood and hotels.. but it did the trick. Nice community fire pit for us to relax next to in the evening. Staff were friendly and helpful and bathrooms were clean.

• 

  James D.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 29, 2016

  Bottle Creek Campground

  No option for the Bottle Creek Campground but it is right next to the Picnic Site

  Walk-in availability only and about 11 sites which worked out fine. Only about 9 were filled when we were there. The bugs here got pretty annoying pretty quickly so be prepared. You will need a bear bag or vault. There are vault toilets and bear proof trash cans available. Water is also available. The tent sites were decent. You can fish in a nearby stream and check out the Green Mountain Falls accessible by day hike. They are worth seeing!

• 

  Michael S.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 19, 2019

  Grandview Campground

  Nice spot

  Arrived on a Monday, practically had the place to ourselves all week, though filled on Friday. 8 tent sites, water pump, vault toilet, and dozens of moose.

  Had beautiful weather, only a couple of squalls. Definitely bring tie-downs!

  Sites are a little close together, again, only an issue on the weekend.

  Outstanding hikes (corral and neota creek, not the ditch road) and views for miles.

  No luck with the fish, but not a problem with views like below.

  $20/night. Payment by drop box - Host at Long Draw Campground.

• 

  Kaylin B.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 22, 2024

  Tunnel Campground

  Beautiful Spot!

  Beautiful camp sight! Went tent camping for 3 night and had a great time with my boyfriend. Found plenty of spots open Friday morning and stayed pretty empty through most of the day. Began filling up Saturday afternoon. Stayed in sight 21, close enough to a river to drown out some noise. Each sight is FF and does have a bear box, which is a nice addition. Camp sight was clean, bathrooms were very clean and well maintained. Camp host was very friendly! Plenty of spots to dip in the river or go fishing. I do wish it had more trees around each camp sight for privacy. Got to see a momma and baby moose pass through. Over all; a wonderful stay!

• 

  Wren H.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 5, 2022

  Stove Prairie

  Lovely quick trip & clean but close to the road

  October '22 $25/night, $7 3rd car fee We arrived at 5pm and got the last car spot on a Tuesday, the walk-in tent sites were totally open. The river is SO close to these spots and it's just gorgeous. It was a great sound barrier at night and was fun to explore since the water level is low this time of year. It was freezing at night but then we realized the inside layer of our comforter was all bunched at the bottom, once we fixed it we were totally fine inside our tent. Bathrooms were clean and the fire pits/bear boxes were clean and well maintained. No rust or nasty spots, & little to no trash in sight! Yay! Dumpster available to clean up after yourself, friendly interaction with the site manager whose spot is up at Ansel Watrous where the firewood is.

• 

  Lisa K.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 16, 2018

  The Crags Campground — State Forest State Park

  Great scenery--lots of moose around!

  The 26 campsites at the Crags Campground in State Forest State Park were very basic and accessed by a road that was steep and narrow. No RVs or trailers allowed or able to make it up the narrow one lane access road, which made it nice and quiet for tent camping. Fire grills and picnic tables provided, but no designated tent pads, no bear boxes, no electricity, and only a tough to use hand pump for water in the center of the campground. As of August 2018, there was an appallingly old and poorly maintained pit toilet for the campground use--with a brand new, nice looking pit toilet complete with handicapped parking--locked and roped off with construction netting. We were visited by a moose at dinner time two nights in a row as she had unfortunately become accustomed to eating from people's unsecured trash and had a special liking for hot dogs and potato chips. Beautiful place, with neat animals, but be aware how basic it really is.

• 

  Jeane L.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 7, 2019

  Dutch Hill Campground — Steamboat Lake State Park

  August at Arnica Loop

  We tent camped at Arnica Loop for 3 nights in early August and we would definitely come back. It’s a solid camp ground, a half mile hike or short drive to the marina and swim beach. You can buy ice and firewood at the marina The descriptions of each site are helpful. Bring a shade to sit under if your site doesn’t have as many trees (check the descriptions). There are two flush toilets on the first loop of Arnica and a vault toilet in the second loop. The flush bathroom gets cleaned regularly and is fine. Another set of flush toilets would go a long way to making it even better and tidier as the day goes on. Hosts were just the right amount of friendly and helpful without being intrusive. Only 4 stars because some of the groups can be... trickier. Most around us were very self contained and fine, but it only takes one group or neighbor. Still enjoyed our time!

• G

  Gary

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 19, 2021

  Winding River Resort

  Great Resort!

  We pitched a tent here for 3 nights. Excellent, very large facility next to RMNP. The tent sites are large and spaced out nicely to provide some privacy. Loved the shower and bathroom facilities, large, clean, and modern with plenty of hot water in the morning. The general store was very handy and staff very friendly. Was a great base for going out and exploring the greater area and less than 10 minutes from the restaurants and stores of Grand Lake. Unfortunately, the area is going to be recovering from last year's fires for quite some time. But will be interesting to see how things recover over time. The only knock, if you want to call it one, is the bathrooms are a little ways away from camp sites, so if you need to go in the middle of the night, it's a bit of a walk. But would highly recommend this resort and hope to be back in the future.

• 

  Mary D.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 25, 2019

  Winding River Resort

  One of my favorites

  I’ve tent camped at Winding River Resort twice and both times really enjoyed it. It’s a little more expensive that some, but has lots of amenities that make it totally worth it. If you love real bathrooms and showers, this is your place! There’s a wonderful petting zoo area, playground, basketball courts and much more. They offer all sorts of activities such as horseback riding, ice cream social, chuckwagon breakfast, square dancing, cowboy church. Some do have an additional fee. You may bring your own horses here too! There a several lodging options including camping, full RV hookups and cabins. The location near Grand Lake and Rocky Mountain National Park can’t be beaten! So much to do in the area. There’s a separately owned, but very convenient onsite place where you can rent ATVs, bikes and snowmobiles. There’s even a small store onsite with necessities, T-shirts, souvenirs, etc. The campsites are large and trees and wildflowers abound.

• 

  Jona R.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 15, 2021

  Winding River Resort

  Positive experience

  The bathrooms are very clean and that’s something that’s very important to me. We went the weekend after Fourth of July and the bathrooms weren’t ever crowded from what I saw. Everyone was far enough apart. Their store is well stocked, everyone was helpful. The animals were adorable. Horseback riding was fun, staff was friendly. Gumdrop is my buddy.

  The ground is more dirt than grass at site 106 and the tent sites near it. Can hear the horses neighing. Close enough to hear neighbors talking or singing loudly or closing car doors. Heard a lot of vehicles passing by at night, people returning to their sites. 106 had some decent trees to hang hammocks from, the others nearby didn’t from what I saw. Very windy, not much shade. Next time I’d like to be at the grassier tent sites with more shade.

  My groundhog stakes went in the ground just fine and did not come out super easy. There were some broken plastic yellow stakes left on the ground from previous occupants.

  Playground was small and looked nice. There’s a bocce ball court with a basketball hoop. Spigots for drinking water all around. Water was delicious and refreshing.

  It was my first time going to one of these places and it was a good experience. Will be coming back. There was also a young moose wandering around. This was my first camping experience as an adult so I did not know this: you need a reservation just to DRIVE through the national park to get to Estes. After 3pm you don’t, and you still need to pay a fee. Just a heads up for other newbies like me.

  Note: I did email them twice, two different ways (through their form on the website, and direct email) and they never responded. We did get a hold of them over the phone very easily though. Their map says one tent per site, and when we called they said two tents are alright. No campfires allowed when we were there. Only fuel fires that you can turn off. Dogs are supposed to remain on leash. We saw a lot that weren’t and it must be because they are well behaved. Horses, and a donkey walk around like they own the place. The building at the back that’s supposed to have laundry and bathrooms wasn’t finished and therefore wasn’t open during our stay.