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

This is one of my all-time favorite places to hike and camp in Colorado. I have not yet stayed in any of the campgrounds but have backpacked to the top of the American Lakes Trail. Not only is this hike fantasticly beautiful and full of wildlife (tons of moose especially) but there is great dispersed camping along the trails. You simply cannot find more scenic and free camping in Colorado. I would highly recommended camping anywhere in State Forest State Park!

Also, there are quite a few huts, cabins and yurts that can be rented year round in SFSP!

This is not 'glamping'. This is a pitch your tent, start a fire, watch the deer walk thru type campground. Beautiful views of the Rockies, trails for all levels of hiking. My only tip--bring your own TP, they kept running out. And a jacket, nights are chilly at this altitude. No trailers, RVS allowed as tiny, winding dirt road to get there.

Fee box at entrance with all current information.

"Reservation Only" 800-244-5613 or cpwshop.com or come to the Moose Visitor Center Campground is very open. Gravel sites with picnic table 

Electric $36.00 plus reservation fees Basic and tent $28.00 plus reservation fees Dispersed $18.00 plus reservation fees Small cabins $90.00 Large cabin $120.00 Yurts & Huts $80.00-$275.00 Backcountry no charge 

The park encompasses almost 71,000 acres. You will find a visitor center 187 campsites for RV and tent and over 60 dispersed sites, 15 cabins and yurts, boat ramps and 94 miles of hiking trails. There are all types or recreation throughout the year.  The park forest is being decimated by the Mountain pine beetle so the dead trees are being removed. This leaves a very stark deserted look. It is very difficult to observe the devastation that the state of Colorado is dealing with.

LNT 

Better than when you found it 

Stay safe and happy travels

I stayed a week here for a backpacking trip in July last year. It was absolutely beautiful! I especially enjoyed the American Lakes trail up to Michigan and Snowy Lakes. That amazing landscape will forever be a special place to me. They were doing a lot of work while I was there, preparing for a potential fire and recreating a trailhead. I saw more heavy equipment along the Kelly Lake trail than I would have liked but such is life. The staff at the info desk are really helpful and local. They helped me plan my trip and answered a lot of questions for me. You are allowed to camp off trail (.25 mi) so you can pick your campsite really well. I unfortunately found a few old fire pits along the way but I didn't have to pick up garbage after anyone. I'm considering going back with my family to stay in one of the yurts or cabins scattered throughout the park. Highly recommended!

This is by far our favorite campground in the Colorado State Park system. It’s great for families because you of the swim beach and marina. The views are spectacular. Don’t miss the homemade fudge.

This is one of our favorite campgrounds in Colorado. We make a habit of visiting the week after Labor Day. The crowds are gone and the campground is peaceful. Amenities as small boat rentals remain open. The local deer migrate into the campground. A site on lake’s edge is usually available. Fall’s morning fog greet you in the morning. Outstanding mountain and lake views suttound your campsite.

Colorado does a great job with their parks and this is no exception. Stayed here spur of the moment booking two nights prior to the stay. It’s a large facility and when we booked, for a midweek stay, there were 11 sites available, one with power. We had a large site with great views of the mountains and if we stood on our tippy toes we could see the lake.

We’ll be back aiming to snag one of the sites with lakeside views.

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

This campground is part of State Forest State Park but used to be a KOA.  As we understood (from talking with the park rangers), the State Park bought the rundown KOA and is doing repairs as they can.  The campground is on Park Property.  

The good:  The scenery is unbelievable, truly exactly how Colorado is portrayed in movies and dreams.  You will probably see wildlife-deer and moose are common.  The fishing in the park is awesome.  The sites are well spaced a very level.  You have privacy and lots of room to roam. 

The bad:  The bathrooms/showers were rundown from the leftovers of the KOA.  The State Park is a haul to get to.  There are no real towns of any significance nearby.  Be prepared to come into this park and stay here for the weekend!  

No hookups but the views are worth it!

Word to the wise-we were there in late June and we saw about 6 inches of snow overnight.  It was cold!

For those looking for dramatic scenery and endless wildlife, State Forest State Park should be at the top of your list. This is one of my favorite places in Colorado for hiking, backpacking, backcountry skiing and of course, camping! The campgrounds in the park are wonderful and offer plenty of amenities, this review in particular though refers to my experiences with the dispersed campsites in the park and my winter camping adventure near Montgomery pass. According to their web site, there are over 60 dispersed camping sites throughout the park. Due to the winter season of our trip in particular, we were snowshoeing to our campsite and didn’t go too far into the park. We approached along Montgomery Pass and camped at approximately site #416. This is a high elevation site and there was plenty of snow, so there was no access to toilets that we could find. However, there were toilets at the trailhead which were still open during our trip. Overall, I cannot express enough how wonderful this park is and all of the campgrounds and dispersed sites are very well maintained. For those looking for well maintained and scenic campgrounds, there are 4 awesome campgrounds to choose from. Those looking for more of an adventure should check out any of the dispersed sites throughout the park. Note that camp fires are not allowed in the backcountry. Also, this park is home to a large population of moose, and visitors should educate themselves on safety precautions specific to these giant and beautiful animals!

Stay tuned for my reviews of their campgrounds which are coming soon as well.

I love camping. I love the opportunity to connect to the wild spaces that surround us. I love finding people who share that same passion. What I don't love, is sharing a campground with someone who obviously has no regard for the safety of their fellow campers or the wild animals that call those wild spaces home. Over Labor Day weekend I got the opportunity to camp at State Forest State Park in Colorado and a 'fellow camper' 2 sites down from us made choices that put us all, and one of the coolest cow moose and her calf in danger. Despite knowledge of moose being present in the area, the campers would go to bed every night and leave all of their trash out, and various food and drink sources scattered around their campsite as well. The moose quickly learned she had easy access to food there and frequented their site. Each time they would honk their horn and blow a whistle and clang pans, but moose are typically not afraid of humans at all, so she did not deter easy. Not only did they lure her into their trap, they then harassed her and disturbed the peace of the other campers. They clearly had no regard for the rules of campground and had their dogs off leash many times, one evening one of their dogs chased the moose out of their site, much to their amusement. I reported them to the rangers, and was assured they would be talked to, but their behavior did not change. If that moose decides to 'fight back' instead of run off, it will be her that pays the price. My sisters and I made sure our site was clean and tidy and even when the moose visited during dinner one evening all that was needed from us to scare her off, were a few claps and shouts. My point is this, we have a responsibility to utilize our wild spaces responsibly, and in my opinion, if you can't do that, then you lose the privilege to use them. Enjoy some of the pictures from that weekend, and remember to recreate responsibly, and if you see something, say something!

We visit this campground every year in late August. The camp hosts are extremely friendly, helpful but also give you the space you need. We have a pop up camper. We always stay in the same spot which faces the lake. Bathrooms are always clean and so are the camp sites. We drive over to Steamboat lake to go fishing and take our canoe out on. You aren't allowed to take a boat of any kind on Pearl. The lake looks like glass and is so peaceful! You are allowed to fish from the shore and paddle board on lake.

There aren't as many tress as there use to be, but it is one of our favorite places to camp for 3+ nights.

Just down the road there is a little store where you can buy groceries if you have forgotten something at home.

Clean bathrooms and great views. We visit this campground every year.

Had to reserve well ahead but was worth it. Right on the lake, good amount of space between spots, close to Steamboat. Bathrooms were clean, camp hosts were nice.

Half of the upper loop sites have a lake and mountain view. Plenty space between sites for privacy too. They had twice daily ranger visits and they were very polite. No trash and all campers seemed very friendly.

Camping along Pearl Lake is a dream come true. It's a quiet lake, surrounded by mountains and forest, perfect for paddle boarders. There is also a nice hike that goes over the dam and then climbs up and away from civilization.

Some of sites are along the lake, others are on an upper loop with views of the lake, or of the valley behind the park. Note that site 29 (and a few others) have stairs leading from the street to the campsite.

Very family friendly camping. We stayed on Bridge island. Site 194. Here there is a common parking area and you carry or use the 1 cart they provide to haul all your gear to your site. The island is lacking in trees so there is a shortage of shade. It seems there once was as there are a lot of tree stumps! The picnic benches do have a very nice shell covering though. The swimming area is small and was crowded. The marina is very busy and seems a great place If yII have a boat. The bathroom facilities are nice and a laundry mat is on site. Showers are pay with quarters and there is a change machine in the shower room. Also, there is a very nice camp store if you have forgotten any necessary items. A beautiful place to stay!

My family stumbled on to this campground while trying to find overnight accommodations between the Sand Dunes NP and Yellowstone's West Gate. We stayed at a KOA the night before and we were heading to another KOA outside YNP and oh boy did I love this site! Coming from someone who had never camped at the time, KOAs seemed a logical first step. This was a campground that made me want to truly embrace the park system that our country has done so well with.

The first thing you can say about staying anywhere in the Rockies is that your views are impressive. We faced our tent to take advantage of the view out of our front door. We got in a bit late, but still made a very interesting Ranger led presentation at the amphitheater regarding deer and elk.

I woke up to views of the mountains, an abundance of wildflowers up to my shoulders, and a brief walk to watch the lake's natural beauty unfold while sipping on some coffee.

I wish I could have stayed longer and so will you.

Nice amenities and close to lots of other attractions for exploring.

Great views of the lake. Lots of hiking and biking nearby. We camped on the non-electric loop and there were very few people. The sites were spread out with trees and some privacy. The electric loop was full and the sites very close together.

We traveled to this park from Jackson WY. The site is about 30 minute drive up a winding road from the main highway 40. It’s a large state park on a local reservoir. Our site had a very nice elevated western view. The sites had ample room and firewood. The mule deer were nightly visitors during our two night stay. The lake below can fill up on weekends and become very busy. It’s a self checkin system and the sites are patrolled by park police. The visitor center and office is on the road leading to the campsite. The staff were very helpful even with large summer crowds. Our loop only had a few guests but others looked fairly full during August stay. This is a nice option is you are traveling from Wyoming to Steamboat Springs.

Absolutely loved this campground. We stayed on Bridge Island and there are plenty of sites with good distance between. The day we went a pretty good storm rolled in late afternoon so the shelters at some of the further inland sites came in handy. You really can’t go wrong view-wise at any of the sites. Amenities included showers (paid by quarters and very short), fire pits, wheel barrow for toting supplies from the parking lots to any of the far sites, picnic tables at each site, potable water, and restrooms. Don’t forget you will need to pay the park pass fee on top of the cost of your camping site unless you have a state pass!

Very beautiful campground! Spacious spots, beautiful big lake and very peaceful. I took some photos just before it open in May.

We tent camped at Arnica Loop for 3 nights in early August and we would definitely come back. It’s a solid camp ground, a half mile hike or short drive to the marina and swim beach. You can buy ice and firewood at the marina The descriptions of each site are helpful. Bring a shade to sit under if your site doesn’t have as many trees (check the descriptions). There are two flush toilets on the first loop of Arnica and a vault toilet in the second loop. The flush bathroom gets cleaned regularly and is fine. Another set of flush toilets would go a long way to making it even better and tidier as the day goes on. Hosts were just the right amount of friendly and helpful without being intrusive. Only 4 stars because some of the groups can be... trickier. Most around us were very self contained and fine, but it only takes one group or neighbor. Still enjoyed our time!

Steamboat Lake State Campground is a very clean and beautiful site right on the lake. We were in site 166, on the end and overlooking the lake. The area has 2 campground areas once you pass the showers and store.

Watch for the sites that are walk-I’m only where you have to use a cart to haul your stuff. Although they are nice we chose a drive up site.

This campground doesn’t have many trees but still seemed private with cool metal dividing walls that give you shade as well.

Vault toilets only at the campground or you can drive back to the showers area for real facilities, laundry and showers. Water at each loop. Would definitely return.

We stayed for 2 nights in late July, in the Sunrise Vista, Arnica loop (site 16). Next time we will try for other sites in sunrise that have wonderful views of the lake & surroundings (not in the inner loop right next to the vault toilet 😃). Well maintained. Sunrise is a moderate-long walk from the Marina, so if you are there for a lot of water activity, Dutch Hill might be more desirable. Nice hiking trails, also. We were hoping to get in a little work while there, but lack of WiFi prompted us to head to Steamboat Springs when that was needed. Don’t expect a lot of shaded spots-very few options that we saw. Overall, highly recommend this place!