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Winding River Resort accommodates horses with tent, RV, cabin, and glamping options near Grand Lake. Horses roam freely throughout the property, creating a unique camping experience where equines walk around "like they own the place." The campground provides direct access to Rocky Mountain National Park trails, allowing riders to take their dirt bikes and ATVs directly from the campground into the park. Horseback riding is available on-site with friendly staff, and many campers bring their own horses to enjoy the numerous back-country trails that begin at the property and extend high into the mountains. The resort maintains clean facilities with water spigots throughout the grounds and offers a small country store for supplies.
Located at the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, the campground serves as an excellent base for exploring extensive trail networks. Riders frequently encounter wildlife, with moose and elk sightings common throughout the property. The Colorado River headwaters run through the resort, providing water access for horses and scenic riding opportunities. While no dedicated horse corrals appear in the amenities list, the property clearly caters to equestrians with its trail access and horse-friendly atmosphere. Campers can choose from various accommodation types, including sites without hookups located next to the horses. The campground fills quickly during summer weekends, so reservations are recommended for those planning to bring horses. Morning trail rides connect campers to mountain paths where riders regularly spot wildlife.
"They have direct access to the headwaters of the Colorado River. We visited a little late in the season (August) to catch many fish, but we still had fun. "
"Three dispersed camping locations all completely booked so I chose to stay in this RV Park which is located within Rocky Mountain National park and right next to Arapahoe National Park."
from $40 - $60 / night
Check Availability"My partner and I met up with some friends out here on a Friday around 4:30 (after getting passes from Granby - the pay station is not in operation), and we spent the weekend burning wood and appreciating"
"Close to the Columbine Lake trail and so many other awesome hiking trails. It's far enough away from the National Park to not have a ton of foot traffic through. No reservations."
"Busy campground, however views from some spaces were epic as well as the easy access to the walking trail and all the day use areas."
"Restrooms were available closeby and there were plenty of places to ride bikes and relax with downtown Estes a short drive away."
"Our space was large enough to accommodate our 20 ft travel trailer with our truck next to it, still leaving plenty of room for the picnic table and a chair circle around the fire."
"The bathrooms were clean, and close to almost every site. They had a very nice playground for the kids with a climbing wall."
from $45 - $80 / night
Check Availability"The first stops have more Mountain View’s and the farther you drive is next to the water!"
"Close to town, and had no issues getting our travel trailer into a site. There where some deep ruts getting into our site. Most of the sites are shouldn’t have issues with trees falling."
"There are two towns within 10-15 minutes, Granby and Grand Lake. Granby had a Dollar General, which is amazing for stuff that you may have forgotten."
"There’s a good bit of campsites along the road and if you’re able to get one close to the edge you can get some good views"
"This spot is just a quick ride outside of Golden. The scenery is gorgeous with several trails to hike or mountain bike. The campsites are clean and easy to get to."
"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."
from $28 - $90 / night
Check Availability"area was plowed open to exactly the width of our trailer, so with more than three feet of snow on the ground we needed to get some exercise and do a bit of shoveling so we could back in and be able to walk"
"Late October is very unpredictable in Colorado for a camper who is primarily a tent camper."
from $18 / night
Check Availability"Located in the Arapaho National Forest, Sugarloaf is a small campground found on the Williams Fork of the Colorado River. The valley was once heavily forested but is much more open these days."
"This campground is perfect for those who live in Boulder or the nearby surrounding areas (Louisville, Superior, Lafayette, Longmont, Gunbarrel)."
from $19 / night
Check Availability
ScoutMy partner and I met up with some friends out here on a Friday around 4:30 (after getting passes from Granby - the pay station is not in operation), and we spent the weekend burning wood and appreciating the stunning beauty of the trees surrounding us and the river dashing by. The sites pretty much filled up by 6. Will be back. No Verizon reception.
GuideThis is a beautiful campground with lots of family-friendly activities to do. They have direct access to the headwaters of the Colorado River. We visited a little late in the season (August) to catch many fish, but we still had fun. We found some tailwaters below the big lakes and caught some trout on the fly rods.
This site is minutes away from an entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. We got up early and hiked a trail in RMNP and had a few moose walk right past us. It is also close by to the major lakes of the area.
They rent ATVs and lots of people bring their own horses to this campground to enjoy the many back-country trails that begin at the back of the property and go high up into the mountains.
Facilities were well kept and clean.
TravelerThis is a bare bones remote campground with assigned sites and vault toilets. There is no potable water on site, so bring plenty of water for your stay. The 18 sites are on a first come basis and can't be reserved.
I don't own horses, but have seen some in the area so it is equestrian friendly. The campground is located in a canyon with high cliffs and there are several hiking and backpacking trails that branch off from the campground. The south fork of the white river runs through the campground affording good fly fishing.
While you can get to the campground in a standard automobile the gravel road is rutted in places as you get close to the campground and can become dicey in heavy rain or snow for the last mile or two.
I have been there numerous times as early as July and as late as September when snow can be expected.
GuideThis was our second site. The first one we apparently misunderstood and weren't supposed to be camping there. Moving was the best thing we could have done. The views from our site are absolutely breathtaking. It's quiet, and wildlife comes through our camp often. Moose, deer, fox, and some sort of cat have been seen. There are no hookups for anything. You are literally on your own out here. Our site is right by a small creek, so we just use that water after boiling it, of course. There are two towns within 10-15 minutes, Granby and Grand Lake. Granby had a Dollar General, which is amazing for stuff that you may have forgotten. They're decently priced, like most Dollar Generals. There is a thrift store in Granby that we were able to get a few blankets from. Very good prices there. Grand Lake, we went to the Mountain Market for all of our gluten-free needs. They have a great selection and decently priced as well. Gas prices are a tad high, but you have to consider where you're at. If you're a Marijuana user, buy that stuff elsewhere. One sativa cartridge in Granby is $60. It's way cheaper in the surrounding major cities like Denver.
LegendWe found State Forest State Park on a whim this past July 2018. We were on a road trip from California to Colorado for a wedding in Granby, CO. We were camping in Utah at Dinosaur National Monument, but due to the smoke from a nearby wildfire and the high heat of the summer, we decided to cut our stay one day short, and head over to the Rockies a day early. We wanted to be fairly close to our final destinations, Granby then RMNP, but wanted to go somewhere we hadn’t been before. My boyfriend and I are both animal lovers, and our dream was to finally see a moose on this trip out to Colorado. In researching moosey areas on the internet, we found the Moose Visitor Center at State Forest State Park. We figured that a place with a Moose Visitors Center was as moosey as it comes, so we reserved a site online and headed out to Colorado.
It was late afternoon when we arrived, but since we had already eaten, we didn’t have much to do besides set up our tent and sleeping pads for the night. Getting to the campground and visitors center is easy as they are both right off the highways 41 and 14, but it is quite a drive to get to, in general. The scenery is so pretty, that we did not mind the drive to or from SFSP. North Michigan Campground is right by a lake, it is pretty.
The sites are primitive - each site had picnic benches and a firepit, but at the time we visited there was a Stage 2 fire ban in place, so we couldn’t have a campfire. The fire ban included the burning of wood and charcoal - using a propane stove was OK.
There were pit toilets, and they were well maintained. The sites appeared to have once had more in the way of trees and shade, but it looks as though SFSP was hit by the pine beetles, like so much of Colorado. It’s sad to see the destruction the beetles left in their wake, and fewer trees mean less privacy and less shade for tent campers. We would have had a hard time setting up extra tarps in case it had rained that evening. Bringing an easy-up or canopy would be smart in the summer to protect against sun and heat, or a passing thunderstorm.
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.
We packed up early and arrived at the Moose Visitors Center when they opened. The visitors center was educational and interesting, and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. After studying some maps of the area with the rangers, we decided to try our luck driving along Highway 14 towards Fort Collins.
We stopped at various spots along the highway, and ended up walking around the Joe Wright Reservoir for a while. Thunderheads were rolling in, and some rain and thunder started, so we decided to start making our way back towards SFSP then head down to Granby, our next stop. We were around Cameron Pass and had given up on seeing any moose when we saw traffic slowing and cars stopped alongside the road - there were two young bull moose snacking by a small river on the side of the road! We pulled over, turned our hazard lights on, grabbed the camera, and jumped out to see our first moose. The moose seemed unconcerned by their growing audience, and continued to chomp away on their lunch - there was a small ravine between the moose and their human audience, so neither moose nor humans felt threatened.
According to the staff at the Moose Visitor Center, there are only about 1,000 moose in the entire state of Colorado - and here we stumbled across two moose at once! We were ecstatic, and so happy we made the impromptu, unplanned trip out to State Forest State Park! We returned to the Moose Visitors Center to share the experience with the rangers (they record the specifics of moose sightings in the area on a board), and the ranger gave us a high five for spotting our first ever moose.
I would like to return to the area someday to hike, I imagine the nearby trails must be goregous!
CAMPSITE SPECS
Fees: $18/night
Plumbed Toilets: NO - pit
Drinking Water: Yes
Showers: NO
Picnic Table: Yes
Firepit: Yes
Cooking Grates: Yes
Shade: Limited!
Cell Service: NO
Animal Bins/Food Lockers: NO
LegendThree dispersed camping locations all completely booked so I chose to stay in this RV Park which is located within Rocky Mountain National park and right next to Arapahoe National Park. Very good price compared to other RV resorts and surrounded by beautiful flowers and mountains and silence. They have showers and laundry and free coffee and garbage dump, and a small country store, along with many equestrian activities for adults and kids and it's very homey feeling.
GuideAlthough this site is a no water/ electric site and next to the horses, we had a blast! Especially the kids. The site was a great size! We went horse back riding, hung out by the river, had s’mores, and even went for an ATV ride!! I was most impressed by how clean the bathrooms were, especially with the current COVID situation! Thank you Winding River Resort for keeping the place clean!
ScoutA lovely wooded campground literally on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park - we even saw moose from the back window of our RV! Options for everyone from cabins, to FHU RV sites (limited and not the ideal locations, but still nice), water/electric sites and tenting areas. Even Conestoga wagons! There is horseback riding on site and we loved watching the horses run in and out each morning/evening and you just have to cross the road for a pretty hike along the Colorado River in RMNP (no dogs on the trails). We camped with our Great Dane - very dog friendly with bag stations around the park. Friendly and helpful staff, a small shop with supplies and souvenirs, a cute little petting zoo with goats, sheep, and pigs.
TravelerSite 5 was a great spot for a bigger group. It was nice to be tucked away in the corner with no groups behind us or next to us. There were other campers near by but it felt pretty private. The weather was great. We didn’t make it to the gross reservoir but it was nice to have the option of a good hike near by. It is very important that you have a high clearance car to drive on the road. It’s a lot like off roading on some parts. I would go back!
Horseback riding options abound in the mountainous terrain around Granby, Colorado, with elevations ranging from 7,935 feet in town to over 12,000 feet in the surrounding peaks. The area experiences summer temperatures between 45-80°F, with cool nights even during peak season. Winter snow typically closes many forest roads and campgrounds between October and May, limiting access to equestrian trails.
Trail riding from camp: Several campgrounds near Granby connect directly to trail systems. At Meadow Creek Reservoir Fishing Site, campers can ride into the backcountry from their sites. "We could hear anyone else, saw a couple moose and got to fish right off our campsite!" reports Connor T.
Wildlife viewing on horseback: The forest areas around Granby offer regular wildlife sightings. At Moraine Loop Campground, trail riders often spot elk in the meadows. "Go here during elk season. Our campsite sat atop a hill overlooking the beautiful meadow where the elk were calling," notes Krystle T.
Family horseback excursions: For those without their own horses, guided rides are available at various campgrounds. "Horseback riding was fun, staff was friendly. Gumdrop is my buddy," writes Jona R. about her experience at the resort. Guided rides typically cost $50-85 per person for a 1-2 hour excursion.
Direct forest access: Dispersed camping areas provide more solitude for horse campers. At Stillwater Pass Grand Lake Colorado - Dispersed, campers appreciate the spaciousness. "Love all the room in the big sites! Area can be busy but keep going down the road and you're bound to find a spot!" recommends Justin R.
Morning wildlife experiences: Many campers mention the joy of waking up to wildlife near their sites. "Saw moose's almost everyday, a fox, ospreys and eagles everywhere feeding and trout," Johannes R. shares about his stay at Meadow Creek Reservoir.
Multi-use trail systems: The extensive trail networks accommodate various users beyond horseback riders. "You can ride your dirt bikes, atvs from the campground into Rocky Mountain National Park," notes Donna S. This allows families with different outdoor interests to share the experience.
Seasonal limitations: Most equestrian campgrounds in the Granby area have limited operating seasons. "We got here September 29 and the RV park closes for the season Oct 1," reports Christopher W. about his stay at East Portal Campground at Estes Park.
Burn area recovery: Recent wildfires have affected the landscape at some horse campgrounds near Granby. "As others stated, fire 3 years ago ruined the views and while we were there there was a burning restriction so no fires allowed," Jon E. mentions about Country Road 455.
Water access varies: Not all sites offer running water for horses. At Meadow Creek, "It was $5 for day pass. Beautiful area to camp or spend the day kayaking, SUP, fishing, etc.," notes Lilliana S., but campers must bring their own water supplies.
Animal interactions: Beyond horses, many campgrounds offer additional animal experiences for children. "Lots of activities to do. Loved the petting zoo and stream to swim in," shares Tina K. about her family's stay at Country Road 455 Camp.
Playground options: Some campgrounds provide built-in entertainment for children. "There's a wonderful petting zoo area, playground, basketball courts and much more," Mary D. mentions about one resort.
Educational opportunities: Ranger programs and nature walks are available at established campgrounds. "The campground is in a beautiful area near Golden. There are plenty of hiking trails in the park some easy some difficult," shares Rich M. about Reverend's Ridge Campground, which offers interpretive trails suitable for children.
Size considerations: Many horse-friendly campgrounds have limitations for larger rigs. "We have a 38ft travel trailer and we were able to go only about 3 miles up but found a great off the road spot by a creek," advises amie M. about Meadow Creek Reservoir.
Hook-up availability: Full-service sites for RVs are limited in national forest campgrounds. "Full hookups and lots of space at the lower numbered full hookup sites. Nice and quiet," notes Christopher W., highlighting the importance of securing these premium spots early.
Access challenges: Some horse-friendly camping areas require navigating difficult roads. "There where some deep ruts getting into our site," warns Alec about Beaver Creek Campground, where "plenty of Dispersed Camping spots" are available for those willing to navigate the terrain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Granby, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Granby, CO is Winding River Resort with a 4.8-star rating from 20 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Granby, CO?
TheDyrt.com has all 39 equestrian camping locations near Granby, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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