Best Tent Camping near Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland

We 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

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.

This wooded campground has a very narrow season. Gravel roads (starting at Albany) were snowed in 4 miles out in late May 2019, While there are gendered vault toilets (TP stocked), bring your own water for cooking and cleaning. This fact alone makes it better for RVs than tent campers like us. There are loads of sites, well spaced with fire rings and picnic tables. We got rain and small hail on the 3rd weekend in July and it got to 40 F or below overnight. Deer, chipmunks, and a bald eagle were spotted. There were mosquitoes. There is a boat ramp into the reservoir. Heavily ATV traffic. Dog friendly but must be on leash. Gunfire noted early and late across reservoir. With proper prior planning, you will probably have a pleasant experience.

Primitive camping was great here in the North Camp Area. From what I can tell all the Primitive sites have fire rings. Site 470-480 even have a vault toilet but they are close together. I stayed at site 410 which has a stream behind it and was a beautiful spot. I would also recommend sites 411-414 & 421 for the primitive camper. The hiking is just beautiful and there are several lakes (2 are only accessible by hiking in). Most of the sites around the large lake are for RV or Cabin campers and fill up fast. There is no picnic area near the lake so if you are primitive camping you have to be creative. ALL RESERVATION FOR CAMPING ARE DONE ONLINE. There is no cell serves past the entrance so be sure to book in advance. The vault toilets are well kept there is no indoor plumbing that I could find. There is also Yurt camping here. There is no electric hook up for the RVs but there is a dump station. Water can be found in a few areas around the park.

We stayed here for 2 nights in one of the Cabins in December. There is no electricity, bedding, or running water, but there is a propane heater that looks like a wood burning stove that casts a great ambiance. Our cabin also had plenty of coat racks, a snow shovel, and a table. We stayed in Cabin 6, and walked though 2 feet of snow 300 ft down a hill (larger hill than expected) with all our stuff to get settled in. As we approached, the propane stove was already going and the cabin was warm and inviting. We used string lights (solar powered) to provide light (there is a dim solar powered light in the cabin as well). We brought 0 degree sleeping bags in case the heater was not enough, but it was toasty warm inside and we ended up hot. The cabins are right on the edge of the reservoir (which is drained as of Dec 2021 but still beautiful in the snow). Cabins 1-3 (cabins 1&2 hold 15ish ppl for large groups, cabin 3 is ADA) are closer to the road and look like they would not have such a long walk in the snow. During my search, it looks like they also allow primitive camping in the winter for $18, but I didn't see which area this would be in, the cabins are on the north side of the lake. Daily vehicle fee of $9. The experience was incredible, we were completely alone and enjoyed great stars and beautiful sunrises. Highly recommend for a unique winter camping experience (sure it would be great in the summer as well but likely way more crowded). Be sure to be prepared for cold temps!

We pulled off Route 40 at 7pm on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend and were able to nab the last camping spot. Each campsite has a place for 2 cars, a picnic table, flat places for 2-3 tents, and a fire ring with an adjustable grill. Plenty of shady trees to hang your hammock from and enough space between campsites to give you some privacy. There were many RV's and family groups set up when we camped, though noise was not an issue.

Sites are $10/night payable by cash or personal check at the entrance. There are campground hosts just as you drive in, though they were not present the night we visited. Two different park rangers came by to check on all sites in the morning (payment and fire safety, I believe). Campground offers 2 pit toilets and a trash dumpster at the entrance.

The site is close enough to the road that you can hear when cars go by, especially when they drift onto the rumble strips (which happens frequently). Bring headphones if you're a light sleeper.

$10; $5 with senior/interagency pass. Camped in site 8 on Oct 12, 2024; in my opinion, this is the best site. Short walk to his/hers vault toilets in day use area. Trash cans nearby. Site was level & accommodated my van. Area for setting up tent. Hammock camping possible. We'll water pump located near entrance to campground next to site #2. Picnic table and metal firering on site. Overall, the campsite was clean. Good separation between sites. Some trees and foliage between sites. Site was mostly shaded. Encampment River was behind the site. Hiking trail nearby. Liked this campground. I would stay here again. Campground was well maintained, and the vault toilet was clean and stocked. Very weak T-Mobile and AT&T service.