Best Glamping near Whitewater, CO

We came from 6 nights in the mountains and spent 1 night in our rooftop tent on an electric river site. It was the perfect spot in Palisade. The bathhouse was very clean and convenient. One side of the building had men and women restrooms with showers. The other side had family bathrooms with one toilet, one shower, and one sink. The bathhouse was air conditioned which was very appreciated! It was hot out!!! While we were sitting around our firebox campfire, staff rolled up on a golf cart with fresh peaches to try that were picked that day. That was a nice surprise! We bought one for later in our trip!

I was a little disappointed by how low the reservoir was, compared to the photos when I made the reservation, but considering how dry things have been, I can't really get mad. The campground itself is huge, and absolutely gorgeous. I rented a group site and was happy to see how clean it was, and the double bathrooms were very clean. Fire pits were available for each individual spot, but there was also a huge communal fire pit, plus two flat fire platforms so you good get your grill on, as well as several long picnic benches. We managed to get into the water and have fun. It was a fair bit mucky by the waters edge but that's to be expected when it's so low. It never really good too deep. One of our party managed to walk across to the other side and the water level only got to maybe chest high. This is absolutely a place I would visit again. The tall trees, the fresh air, wonderful scenery, is worth it.

The resort may not be busy in the fall, but that just adds to the appeal of staying this season. We arrived late, but check in was a breeze, and we were able to make ourselves comfortable. The bathhouse is heated and in pristine condition. On property their is a very lovely peach orchard, a dog run, and river access which would be ideal for the summer months. The camp sites are close together but have good trees and even plugs! The cabins are comfortable, with heating, mini fridges and microwaves. 

And the best part: Colterris winery is right next door to walk to.

General: Sites ranging from tents to vans to full hookup RV to cabins. Be aware all of these options are quite pricey, ranging from $54 to$107 (not including cabins– I don’t know the price of these). We had originally reserved a site last year but had to cut our trip short; we had the option of forfeiting our money or rolling over our reservation to any date in the future, which was appreciated. We reserved our site at the end of January via e-mail and it was confirmed (and a site assigned) via phone in early February. However, when we arrived, our reservation confirmation was not waiting for us on the board with the others. There was no one at the office but Billy, a maintenance employee, was very helpful and told us we could just set up at the site that had been assigned to us. 

Site Quality: Varies. In my opinion, the tent sites by the river (Site T7-9) are the best, but these are $67 per night. We were in Van Site 2 which has a short gravel driveway and lawn area, but the driveways between Van Sites 1 and 2 are so close together, that it would not be possible for both vans to have their doors open at the same time (and, of course, there would be zero privacy) Fortunately, no one was in the site next to us. Since van campers sleep (and sometimes cook, depending on the weather) inside their vans, it would have made sense to space the driveways apart with the grass area in between. Van Sites 5 and 6 mirror Sites 1 and 2. Van Sites 3 and 4 have more separation and would be more desirable but sites are assigned, not chosen. The RV sites are spaced a decent amount of distance apart. 

Bathhouse: Was very clean with plenty of stalls and sinks. The door to the handicap stall was broken but I assume that will be fixed. The showers looked very clean as well, although I did not use them. The hooks are outside of the stall, which could compromise privacy. There is a vault toilet for the tent sites, although it would not be an undoable walk to the flush toilets. 

Activities: There is a pool on site. There are nearby hikes listed on the website, but we did not stay long enough to check them out. Close to the small town of Palisade and the larger hubs of Grand Junction and Fruita. There are also nearby wineries. 

Other: There is a laundry room and dishwashing sink, as well as a picnic pavilion.  Note that the dishwashing sink was not located near the tent sites.

Although the facility was clean and well-maintained, the prices are high, and four of the van sites are too close together to make it enjoyable if all sites were occupied. Also, you will hear road noise from nearby I70 and a very loud train sometime in the middle of the night!

Campground is a loop of 30+ sites. Sites on inside of the loop are mostly roadside with a few pull through sites. There is a lot of green space in the middle with a few more sites. Most sites on the outside are back in/pull in sites, and some are quite deep. The sites are a nice size, but you are in close proximity to your neighbor across the road in many cases.

The transaction fee of $10 for a Colorado state park reservation on reserveamerica.com is the highest I have encountered. Then you pay $7/day for a state park fee when you enter the park. (Or buy the CO parks pass for $70.) Add these fees to the base cost of $20/night, and two nights cost us $64 total which seems pricey for a site with no electricity. We did have water at our site so you can hook up a hose if you want. The bathroom has showers that cost $1 for 4 minutes.

Generator policy is quite liberal...and ineffective. You can use a generator any time except during the 10 pm to 6 am quiet hours. That's good for people with big RVs, but it's obnoxious if you're near a generator. Had to ask someone to turn their generator off after 10 pm because the host on duty was not around to ask (asleep). Then someone else turned theirs on around midnight and left it on all night. No one reviews campground rules at check-in so this is the result.

In addition to noisy generators, people wanted to share their music choices with everyone around them. It was the loudest campground we've been in this year (and we've been in 45 campgrounds for about 100 nights). Maybe it was people coming in for Country Jam, or maybe there were just a lot of inconsiderate people.

This seems like a park where local people come to hang out and use the lake. There is a beach along with cabanas/picnic tables and trails around the lake. If the lake is what you want, it might be a good option...if you don't mind the noise. If you are touring the area, there are federal lands that are less expensive, more scenic and quieter.

The cabins are HA and have nice sidewalk paths from the parking lot. Inside a mini fridge, coffee maker, and a microwave are provided. There are 2 bunks in the back and a plastic kitchen table in the "living space." The cabins have nice patio furniture on the front porch, which was a nice touch for a State Park.  The outdoor picnic table and campfire area outside the cabin is large. The five cabins in this area are close together and you can view your neighbors but this was not a problem for us. (It would make for great a trip with extended family or friends.) One may consider the cabin pricey, but it was typical for a Colorado state park.

During our stay the bathrooms (vault toilets) near the cabins were so full of bees it was like Candyman was also staying the weekend. There are flush toilets and showers next to a small playground closer to the reservoir. A trail will take you from the cabins to the visitor center. While other areas of the park were not full during our stay, I imagine that at the peak of summer the boating and RVing is plenty.