Best Glamping near Gunnison National Forest

Wow! This is a beautiful spot. The lower campground is for tents and smaller RVs, but is definitely the spot to be if you can swing it! This campground has cabins, glamping tents, tent pads and spaces for RVs. We camped in spaces 17 and 18 in the lower campground right by the river. The “resorts has a rafting company, zip line, and restaurant/bar on premises.

Pros:

• Easy to access off of I-70, but you feel a million miles away
• Gorgeous scenery all around
• Very easy access to the bike/walk trail through Glenwood Canyon
• 5 to 10 minute drive to Glenwood Springs attractions - Hot Springs, Gondola, downtown shopping a land restaurants

Cons:

• Spaces are EXTREMELY close together
• The train runs by, which is very nice to see and experience as it runs through the canyon, but at 5 am, that sucker is LOUD
• It’s a pricey campground, but could be worth it if you take advantage of all the amenities and it fits in your plans

Overall, this is a great campground. I might save it for a mid-week stay or slightly off season so you aren’t stacked on top of your neighbors.

After spending three nights in forest service campgrounds, we landed here, lucky to find a place with availability on a weekend in September (reservations made a month in advance). We opted for a riverfront RV site (#17) and we were right on the Colorado River, with the soothing white noise of the river putting us to sleep each night (interrupted only by the occasional LOUD train on the other side of the river). 

This place has every kind of accommodation possible: (resort) cabins, cottages, glamping campsites, individual and group tent sites, and RV sites (some with full hook-ups, some with water and electric, some on the river, and some above it). The sites are laid out in typical RV park style, lined up like dominoes. This is not our typical preferred camping, but we were with friends, so we were able to create a little oasis between our sites. 

The fire in August, Covid, and snow the first week of September essentially shut down all the extras this place has to offer– zip line, rock climbing wall, ropes course, and restaurant, so I cannot comment on these. But, Defiance Rafting is located on the property; while they were no longer able to offer rafting trips (due to potential rock slides resulting from fire damage), they did rent inflatable kayaks and we took advantage of this and had a rolling good time on the Colorado River! 

The office staff is very nice and there is a small store in the office offering t-shirts, stickers, hats, etc. (but not food essentials). It is located about three miles from the town of Glenwood Springs and there is a trail leading from the resort that winds along the river to town. The trail east of the resort was still closed after the fire. 

The bath/shower house was clean, but the shower set-up was funky in that there was no private area to undress/dress. The only other unpleasant thing was the odor emanating from what I would assume to be the waste/sewage facility and it was necessary to walk past it from the riverfront sites to the bathrooms. This and the price ($88 for a riverfront site) have me giving this place four stars instead of five, although I would consider staying here again if in the area.

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.

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.