Best Equestrian Camping near Kremmling, CO

This 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.

This 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.

A 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.

Winding River Resort is a hidden gem. There are plenty of campsites and a few cabins. All spaces are well laid out with plenty of space between each spot. The facilities are clean and provide everything you need for a great stay.

Be sure to book a horseback ride and get to the cowboy pancake breakfast on the weekends. (Pro tip: Bring a couple eggs for the cooks to throw on the griddle while cooking your pancakes!). If you enjoy trout fishing, be sure to explore the North Fork of the Colorado River that flows through the southend of the property. If you have a disc golfer in the group, bring the discs to play a round or three on the 9-hole course throughout the campground.

Moose have a tendency to wander through the campground toward the evening and the local elk herds like to eat with the horses. There are bear in the area, so take the proper precautions with your food and cooler storage.

Winding River is close enough to Grand Lake to get out and explore for the day and you have easy access to nearly all amenities between Grand Lake and Fraser, in case you forgot something. The cabins look great, but we have not stayed in them during our visits.

There are 4 small US Forest Service campgrounds here.  The access road is in great shape and while it is gravel, it is passable with any vehicle and trailer combination.

One of the campgrounds is reservable, the the others are FCFS.  We stayed in the equestrian campground.  In two of the campgrounds (on the left as you come in), only the smallest of trailers will work.  The first one on the right is the equestrian campground and the second one on the right is the reservable campground.  We have a short 5th wheel (26') and we found only a couple of sites we could fit in.  I would say that 32' is about it.  On the other hand, the campgrounds get very little use and you should have no problems finding a spot.  We were there in early June and we had our campground to our selves.  There is water but no other services.  Cell service?  Forget about it.  

The hiking is fantastic from the campground.  Trappers Lake is outstanding.  There was a forest fire a few years back so the trees around the lake are gone.  There are many trails and the views are some of the best.

**Campground Review: **

We really enjoyed our stay at Estes Park at East Portal! I can’t say enough good things. We passed so many parking lot campgrounds and were so happy we chose here. We had trees! 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. We chose to park next to the camper so as to not obstruct the view. Water and electric and a large bear box were provided. Our spot A66 overlooked a little field that every morning a little fawn would come up out of and sniff around. My kids enjoyed playing with sticks and rocks in this little field-something every kid should get to do! We had beautiful views in 3 directions(bathroom behind us). Speaking of bathrooms, they were large and clean! Auto flushing toilets, toilet paper and hand soap! A cleaning crew came in often and quickly. Individual shower rooms make for a comfortable and private hot shower very welcomed at the end of a day of nearby hiking. Mule deer came through every evening right by our camper to eat grass. One morning 3 large Bull Elk and a young bull came through the valley and up through the campground. It was so surreal! The stars were stunning too. We saw shooting stars and even the northern lights (flashing kind not curtains). Then on our last day, a rainbow could be seen right next to the campground. We could not have asked for anything more! The camp hosts were all awesome and very helpful. The location was central to most things that we wanted to do. No cell service and it was glorious! But if we did need it, about a mile down the road we picked it back up. There is a geocache very near to the campground right by a hiking trail-my boys enjoyed marking it off their list . I could watch them walk to it from the site. On our first hike we saw horse back riders from the YMCA and stunning views including a small waterfall. Wildflowers were scattered across the mountainside and there is a small reservoir for fishing-though we didn’t. The air was so clean and you could smell the pines. The site next to us was a walk-in I believe as it cycled through a few times in a week. The playground was small but my kids were satisfied. There was a rock climbing wall and swings. My husband said the dump site was not positioned perfectly for our camper but we were so happy they had one. The office has a small little store with maps brochures and some essentials or souvenirs. If we go back to Estes Park, this is definitely where we will camp again.

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Product Review: 

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time and this time we chose to review  Fiber Light.

https://fiberlightfs.com/collections/fire-starters-tinder/products/original-fiber-light-fire-starter

My husband has been showing our 12 year old some camping how to’s and this was a fun thing for them to mess around with. They used a spark wheel to get it going (survival mode they said lol) and it lit quickly and burned for a long time! We timed a large pinch and it burned for over 5 minutes. Lights immediately with a flame lighter. Comes in a large fully packed round tin with a thick rubber band around it to seal out moisture. My son was the first to try and was not able to get lit with his Firebiner (first time using that too), but my husband got it lit right away lighting the kindling and a log. I was impressed with how much time we had to get the rest of the fire set up! This will definitely be useful in a survival or long hike situation. Thumbs up from us!

This was a nice place. People were all super friendly. Pricey, but it’s private owned. Nice hiking trails super close to the campground. You can ride your dirt bikes, atvs from the campground into Rocky Mountain National Park. The town of Grand Lake was nice, typical mountain town. Breath taking views. Adams fall trail is near the town, recommend hiking. It’s pretty easy and not super long, but very cool! We saw our first and only moose while camping up there. It was super cool! They also have horse rides available for purchase and I believe dirt bikes/atvs

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.

Cleared of timber a few years back due to Pine Beetle infestation, the campground is spartan with little shade or site separation. It's at the end of a dead end road making road noise minimal. The good news is that it's uncrowded and easy to secure a first come, first served site, and the trees are growing back.

There are 11 spaces many of which will accommodate RVs (we were able to fit our 30' class C), most will fit small travel trailers/pop-up campers, and all have space for tents. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring with a horse shoe pit located in the middle of the campground. There is a pit toilet and water well though the well has not been functional for some time. Trash dumpsters are on site, and water is available at South Fork campground a short distance away. While amenities are limited, activities are plentiful.

Fishing on the Williams fork is fair to good for Brook Trout with the occasional Brown Trout being caught. Pressure is generally light upstream from Sugarloaf and a bit more congested downstream where the stream is slightly larger. Once you're tired of fishing, there are numerous hiking trails to be explored.

Leaving from the the immediate area are the Darling Creek trail, the South Fork trail, the Kinney Creek trail and 4x4 road, the Ute Peak trail, and further north, the Williams Peak trail. There are also multiple Geocaches located nearby. Best bet here is to purchase a trail guide for more specifics on the area. Be sure to check with the Hot Sulphur Springs Ranger district as fires have damaged or closed many locations.

If you're looking for a laid back peaceful camping experience, Sugarloaf may just be the place for you!