Best Cabin Camping near Howard, CO

We enjoyed our stay at the Royal Gorge RV Resort. The new owners were in the process of updating the bathhouse which will look beautiful from what I could see! The sites were level and well-kept. The camp store was well stocked with firewood, camping supplies, a s’mores bar, cold drinks and lots of Colorado made items. The view from the hot tub was amazing! The fire pits on the patio were cozy and inviting. The location was perfect, close to the Royal Gorge bridge, rafting in the Arkansas River, hiking trails, the Royal Gorge Route Railroad and several great restaurants. The playground was very kid friendly and the giant jumping pillow was super fun! We are already planning our next visit!!

I reccomend the greenhouse if you’re an adult. We walked in and we were like oh geez because of the children, the greasy food, and the screams. We aren’t kid haters we just were kids 15 years ago so we still can’t stand them. Heck, I am still a kid in my opinion. Thankfully, we didn’t walk straight out and went to the greenhouse. Adult only spa-ish experience. The hot tubs are hot as heck! Yay! There’s showers and a sauna. They take college IDs. We went outside to jump in the outdoor pool. Don’t expect it to be cold in April. It was very hot outside and the water was STEAMING. I was caught off guard. Hottest pool I’ve ever been in outdoors. That’s cool to have in the winter for sure.

Campground Review

What a cool place to cool off near the Sand Dunes. There are plots for RVs as well as tents. The campground hasn't been open more than a year and a half, and some areas are still taking shape and overall the campsite is still figuring itself out. While some sites are well established, there's a decent amount of open flat land people were camping on as well. This place used to be a tilapia farm and there's still some pools around the place with large fish. There are a few ponds with frogs too, which is cool, but also means pack the earplugs as these guys are an alarm clock you can't snooze in the AM.

The main attraction of this place for families has to be the pool, which also has a basic restaurant with grill food that's reasonably priced. There's also a separate adult only area within the pool rec center called "The Green Room" which has a bar and various temperature level hot tubs, a wading pool, and a sauna.

There is also a basketball court, coin operated showers and laundry, water hook ups, and electric hookups.

What's a little awkward about this place (as of May 2017) is the showers are a combo shower/toilet room, and there are two of them to service this whole camp when the pool rec area is closed (10pm-10am). There was another single service bathroom around the back of the rec building, but not well marked. While there are 2 port-o-potties (well maintained, to their credit), they would do well to add more facilities for the growing campground space, especially since checkout is 11am so most people want to use the bathrooms before they hit the road.

Gear Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products from time to time - today I am testing the Outdoor Travel Pack from Green Goo. Inside the plastic carry case (probably a good airport toiletry bag when these things get used up) it comes with two lip balms, some bug spray repellent, and two different salves - a pain relief and a first aid. Green Goo is a company based out of Lyons, CO and they definitely know how to cater to the drier air climate out here. Keeping yourself from getting cracked hands, feet, and lips is a constant struggle and so I'm always looking for good products to help me win the war. When your lips are begging for moisture, these balms are awesome because almost on contact does it start to feel like my lips are getting hydrated. The taste/flavors are good choices too, and not overpowering. I also am not a fan of lip balms that flake when you apply or leave a glossy finish, and this did neither.

The bug spray was nice for the flies, and it felt good knowing when I was spraying the stuff around my dog or campsite that if residue was getting anywhere, it wasn't a big deal since their products are made with all natural ingredients. Odor was also fine.

The First Aid salve was a savior, as we were camping in South Colorado in a town near Great Sand Dunes National Park and the basically desert climate dried out my feet pretty bad. I applied some salve when I woke up in the morning and before long my foot was already looking better. It felt better and when I put my sock on over the salve it didnt feel greasy or slippery. I continue to use it 3 days later and my feet are looking and feeling better.

My recommendation is to hit the sand dunes NOT at midday like me when it's hottest from the sun, but this and the pain relief salve were great for my dog. Yep, the products are safe around pets and what I decided to do after taking the dog out on the dunes (we turned around once it was super hot) was apply some to hit paws to help with the heat. Cracked paw pad protection for the win!

Overall this is a great line of products. They're easy to pack, do their job, and are all natural and safe around pets. What's not to like?

We love this CG!  It is in a beautiful part of Colorado, centrally located to many attractions.  The CG itself is large, but spread out well.  All sites are paved and fairly level, all have electricity and there are even a few cabins for rental.  What makes this park great is the huge trail system, trails are all around and all at various levels of difficulties and lengths.  Wildlife is abundant and the sites themself are well maintained.  Each site has a fire ring, electrical hook up and picnic table.  Water spigots are nearby, RV dump is included with stay (and you can fill up with fresh water too).  They have a laundromat and shower house as well as several bathrooms located throughout the campground with flush toilets.  They have nightly educational programs and the rangers have always been polite to us.  Firewood is available for sale at the CG entrance.