Searching for the best camping near Thornton, CO? Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Thornton, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Thornton camping trip.
$18 / night
"Fire ring and picnic table at each site. The road to and in the campground was plowed. Pets allowed. Tons of beautiful hiking trails."
"We stayed here for a quick overnight so did not have time to enjoy the park. Very well kept with nice clean bathrooms. Showers take quarters so come prepared if you plan to shower."
$35 - $55 / night
"There’s no hook ups for water, electric or dump sites although there are water spigots that can be used to fill fresh water. The shower is an outdoor shower."
"Talked to someone on phone said it was $30.00 a night and had to be booked online and no same day bookings."
"Camped in a cabin which was clean. I will camp here again!!"
"Close proximity to the highway. Clean level spots. Geared more towards RV camping. Pros: great views of the foothills."
"It is a no thrills,Quiet,peaceful,full hook-ups kind of park.little expensive but one cost covers everything.plus it is a all season park."
"Lots of good food nearby."
$28 - $90 / night
"Loop E (electric hookups) is very spacious and well laid out. Every campsite is a pull thru allowing you situate anywhere along the paved area to best suit your needs."
"I reserved the area with electric hookup since I brought the van. The area was very organized and tidy. Campsite was large with a picnic table, fire pit, and central spot for trash and recycling."
"Some space between with trees. Nice metal patio furniture provided at each site(chairs, table, fire pit). Has decent showers, hot tubs, and off leash dog park."
"8100’ high. 7 miles off I-70 at Idaho Springs. 25 miles into outskirts of Denver. Don’t worry they have oxygen! Not kidding!!"
$18 / night
"This was a great campground tucked away in the mountains. There are plenty of hiking trails from the campground and throughout the park. The sites were very private and very quiet."
"The sites are very clean, have a bear box and close to parking."
$30 - $65 / night
"Nestled right in beautiful Colorado, even!& I love camping! Okay, I admit, I love‘camping’ in parks where there are cabins with beds and air! "
"We used a tent site, but the site they assigned to us was not the best for a Tent Trailer, but we made it work by moving the picnic table and pushing the trailer into the site."
$39 - $79 / night
"With cozy beds and a prime location, this spot is a great place to rest your head. Give them a try and leave your experience here."
$25 - $35 / night
"Large gravel pull through spot (as were all of the sites on this loop), with a picnic table and fire pit."
"This campground was better than expected--the tent sites were well spaced for privacy, and even on a busy weekend, we felt like we had our own space to enjoy nature."
ScoutBeautiful campsites next to water with onsite water access. Wonderful campfire pits/grills and picnic tables. Quiet hours were no inforced which can be good or bad.
GuideBeautiful lakeside camping just outside of Denver. Campsites are a bit close together, but great for groups! No hookups here but you have bathroom facilities and a visitor center where you can buy firewood. Campfires allowed in the fire pits. If you have an RV beware quiet hours from 10pm to 8am, no generators allowed. Lake is perfect for paddleboarding, kayaking and fishing and you will most likely have phone service if you are with AT&T or Verizon. Many day use areas, however vehicles and individuals are charged. For campers, if you bring more than one vehicle you will be charged daily for any additional ones. No drinking water is available, you must bring your own. Dirt roads to the lake are rough and narrow. Close to Deckers for incidentals. Intersects with the Colorado trail for hiking and biking and close to the Colorado River for tubing!
ScoutWell, what is there to say about Elk Meadow Lodge and RV. We booked a tent site for Fri-Sun. We are a fully contained truck with a roof top tent but we're not allowed an RV site (despite the fact we would have loved electricity and water, and were willing to pay for that luxury). We pulled in after hours to a $h1t show. Our site was unlevel (in the extreme, I pity the people in ground tents that don't have leveling blocks), had no picnic table, and had our neighbors fire pit 6 feet from the side of our truck. Since it was after hours I had to call the 'emergency number' so that my boyfriend and I would have the $50 a night luxury of cooking our dinner on a table. I also expressed concerns about the fire pit damaging our truck or roof top tent, to which I was told "well what do you want us to do, since we can't move the fire pit". Obviously not Jill, but I would like to bring it to your attention. She also offered to have us move sites, but since all the fire rings are in the parking space, I'm not quite sure what that would accomplish (excellent planning on their part!!). When Jill, and I'm assuming her husband arrived with the picnic table (all praise Jill for providing what we paid for!) They were nothing but mean, snarky and downright rude. The excuse for lack of a table was "were closing sites for winter). I'm writing this after only being at the offending RV park for 1.5 hours, but I can't wait to leave. You should save yourself the trouble by never entering in the first place. At least the views were pretty, if you like highway noise.
Update #1: Boyfriend almost got bitten by a black widow in the bathroom while turning on the light, someome flew a drone, very low, over our tent at 8 in the morning, children were screaming like coyotes all night (seriously), and it's been a rare moment that dogs have not been barking, yapping or howling (no not the kids this time). And I just got to hear the staff gossiping about us requesting a table. Can't wait to see what tonight brings!
P.S. I am so excited to see what their reply is to this review.
ScoutI stayed in spot S18 for 2 nights. Large gravel pull through spot (as were all of the sites on this loop), with a picnic table and fire pit. Some trees around this site providing shade on both sides, but this was not true of my friend’s site as S20. Also enough foliage between sites to give a feeling of privacy. Nice view of the lake and boat ramp. Electric hookups at site, water and vault toilets available.
LegendCampground Review
My friends and I live in Boulder and this spot is a nice retreat about 90 minutes away near Fort Collins and is a good place to enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities.
The campground is quite spacious and offers a lot of staying options. RV, car, cabins, tent – all of those kinds of sites are available. They opened a newly renovated information center about a year ago, and it’s a great place to stop in to plan out your activities in the area and make sure you have any questions answered by park ranger staff. You could very well just show up here to camp without much of a plan and after a visit to the center have more than a few ideas. They have maps.
This area has boat ramps, rock climbing nearby, and even some caves to explore. You could find some bike and hike trails too without much effort. We were there as part of a large group, so we rented three cabins near the water. Each cabin comes with a bunk bed and a double. A basic, summer camp-like mattress for each. They also have combined A/C Heater unit. I didn’t see showers here, but there were primitive toilets with TP. I noticed even the basic tent campsites came with a fire pit and picnic table.
We opted for some hikes near the campsite while some others went climbing.
Ranger Review
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I am given product to test from time to time. For the last 2 months I've been testing out the Renogy Multi-Functional Solar Backpack. You can watch the video review here.
This is a 20L backpack with a lot of compartments best suited for those needing a daily activity/commuter bag. If you're looking for a true hiking/backpacking pack with solar panels, I recommend checking out Renogy's stand-alone panels.
How does it work?
The solar panel is slightly larger than a regular piece of paper (11.3" x 9.7") and can be configured to face inward when not in use for protection from abrasions. When in use, it provides a USB port to charge from (max output 1.2A and can charge a phone in 2.5 hrs.
Here's the thing: Renogy recommends you use the set up to charge to a power-bank, rather than directly to devices and I completely agree. This is because even in the best light, directly connected to my phone I was only able to maintain my power level, not improve it. I found out the panel is pretty sensitive because in partially cloudy conditions I could hear my phone beep when it would go on/off charge. Sometimes it would beep at me a few times a minute. With a power bank, you can still charge devices but also build up reserve power so at night you can recharge your electronics.
Who should buy this bag?
Anyone who wants a comfortable day pack with lots of storage options and loves the idea you can grab free energy to recharge your devices. I use it for all my media projects as it carries all my cameras, cables, and tripods plus in compartments so they aren't knocking into each other and the weight stays distributed evenly. Just check out the amount of stuff I put in this thing! It has pockets everywhere, and includes an option to slide this through larger luggage's extendable handles, making it a great carry on bag if you need to travel by a plane. You will need a different bag for long expeditions because you need more than a 20L pack for that, plus this bag lacks chest and hip straps.
Verdict?
If you're in the market for a 15-20L day pack and want something that provides power, buy this. Especially if you're outside a lot. The bag is lasting very well, the panel is going strong even after I spilled beer on it (it's waterproof and obviously it was an accident as I would never waste beer), it's comfortable, and I like how versatile I can configure it for all my stuff. In some social or business settings the solar panel isn't the greatest thing to be showing off, so it's great you can hide that away. Last I checked electricity isn't coming from a magic bean field, and I love how I'm able to go greener now by getting energy for my devices from the sun.
TravelerOn a cross country today trip these were the nicest camping cabins we stayed in. The campground itself is relatively small but with a nice playground and camp store as well as bathroom facilities. You can't beat the view, people and the easy location to go into the downtown. We only had one night here but plan to make a week long trip to the area at another time we liked it so much.
ScoutThere are community fire pits, stocked trout pond, access to the river, acres of woodland, and Colorado’s smallest bar! We love the vibe at AVR and the owners are amazing. Occassionally you can catch live music and there are several historic buildings they are restoring. We have a few friends that don’t camp which is okay because they also offering glamping, tipis, cabins, and a lodge. Trust me... one stay and you’ll be booking another one soon after!
TravelerCurrently they don't have day-use open, so there's plenty of space at the lake to set-up and spend the day playing with the kids. We stayed in a mountain site (not lake-front) and the kids loved climbing the rocks and exploring the mountain. Really friendly staff. Quiet hours are not well kept and that would be my only complaint. No motors allowed on lake. Great for paddleboarding (rentals available), kayaking, canoeing & kid's floats.
LegendAnd in fact I believe they were KOA of the year 2023 or 2024. More expensive than we're used to, but has nice amenities. Sites level with concrete pads, fairly large. Some space between with trees. Nice metal patio furniture provided at each site(chairs, table, fire pit). Has decent showers, hot tubs, and off leash dog park. Inexpensive pancake breakfast and pizza/wings to your site are available, also an onsite store. Kind of at the top of a rise, so good views but also kind of chilly for July (60s/40s). Massive thunderstorms with hail and heavy rain two evengings (CO mountains tend to get afternoon t-storms). Communicate via text to let you know about goings on. Good radio station out of Idaho Springs KYGT 102.7 and 103.9
Cabin camping near Thornton, Colorado offers a perfect blend of nature and comfort, making it an ideal getaway for families and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Thornton, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Thornton, CO is Deer Creek Campground — Golden Gate Canyon with a 4.6-star rating from 48 reviews.
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