Best Glamping near Windsor, CO

This is a great little campground with only 7 campsites that are first come first served (no reservations). However, it's almost never full and if it is full there are plenty of free camping areas along the road (forest service road). There is no electricity or sewer capabilities for RV's and campers and the sites are relatively small, but a pop up or smaller 5th wheels and RVs will fit. There are pit toilets in the campground, but no running water - so pack your own or bring a filter to pump out of the creek.

The beautiful Kilpecker Creek runs through the camp and most of the campsites are situated right along the creek. All of the campsites have a good tent pad, fire pit and picnic table. The great thing about this campground is it's location and the fact that the sites are fairly spaced out giving you more privacy at each site. There is also a great communal area in the center of the campground of you have a small group up there.

Maka sure to use a bear bag or put all food in the car at night (bear country)

I think this campground experience varies significantly based on your site. We stayed at E36, which was nice, clean, and right across from the pit toilet which was nice for our needs in a teardrop. However, it was also right next to residential housing. Everything was quiet, but it is still a far cry from secluded- and neighbor campers were very close as well. There was a level tent pad in addition to the pull-through site. Leveling the trailer was pretty straight forward.

Loved the trees, and the placement of the fire pit was ideal at our site- surrounded by pines. I can imagine how beautiful it would be in the summer.

Driving through the campsite there were some sites that overlooked the lake- I imagine the reservations for those go quickly, but I will definitely try to get one of those sites next year.

There was a bath house with a few stall toilets and running water. They also had some coin operated showers and a lovely day-use picnic area.

All-in-all an enjoyable stay, and it probably would’ve gotten 5 stars if we had a site with a view, but decent otherwise.

Of note: *Very limited cell service, but better on top of the hill by the bath house. *The road in had some pretty rutted areas that had to be avoided- and also pretty narrow- I don’t think the main road through the campsite would’ve handled 2 cars wide, and there was no signage stating it was a 1-way road.

Great staff and great people!! Big area and right across the road from the Lake so easy walk. Has super clean bathroom showers and facilities. Cute very well stocked store with anything you might need from tons of camping gear to OTC medicines, clean laundry room, clean outdoor pool, free outdoor large hot water sink areas to wash dishes and such. Nice safe playground and relaxing pool. No WI-FI signal at all but some cell services (Verizon). Staff quickly Clean open camp sites scooping fire pits, washed down picnic tables and even picked up teeny tiny trash in the grass and bushes! Many sites have little to no shade so really hot during daytime. Site #135 is nice with good shade. It is a busy place so you must make reservations in advance!!

We love to visit Golden Gate Canyon State Park early in the season because it is very busy all summer.  This is our second stay at the park in March, and we have had wonderful snow both times.  

The Reverends Ridge campground has limited sites available this time of year but is still well maintained.  The campground office restrooms were open, heated and clean.  Trash dumpsters were available as were recycling cans. The electric hookups were on. There is no water available except in the restrooms. 

The campsite (C-35) parking area was plowed open to exactly the width of our trailer, so with more than three feet of snow on the ground we needed to get some exercise and do a bit of shoveling so we could back in and be able to walk along side the trailer and open the door! .More snow was falling as we set up but the scenery was absolutely magical.  About 25 yards of more shovel work made it so we could find and dig out both the table and fire pit provided.  We had a warming fire going in no time.  

Golden Gate is a wildlife paradise and as we worked we could hear Turkeys calling form the trees.  We were also graced with the presence of four huge Moose who had taken up residency and were lounging in the snow.  In the distance we could hear the yips and howls of coyotes.  

Snow graced us for the first of our Friday to Sunday stay, but warmer temperatures  arrived Saturday afternoon and the great daytime thaw and evening freeze common to Colorado mountains in springtime began in earnest.  This made for some cautious walking around the snow piled nearly everywhere. 

One of the great things about this park is the winter activities available on the many trails, and the added benefit of Nederland, Black Hawk, and Central City Colorado being within easy driving distance for some small town amenities if desired.  This is a great park, and my wife is wishing to visit when there is no snow!   😎

Campground Review

This campground is located in the Poudre Canyon area of Colorado. This is a private, 420-friendly campground. While many will be drawn to that allure, there is a lot of other features this campground offers that makes it a lovely place to stay. There’s communal fire pits, a jungle gym for kids, and hiking trails into and up the Poudre Canyon. It’s also a good place to bunk if you like to fish, with access into the rivers just across the road and so many other spots just a short drive away. Across the road is a general store for any last-minute camping supplies, munchies, booze, and ice. There’s also the Poudre Canyon Grille – a tiny, well-kept trailer serving up burgers, fries, and other fast food sandwiches. Near the office, there’s a large covered patio that has a cell and WiFi booster and in the summertime is a lounge area with a TV. There are two areas that have a bathroom with shower – both single use. When there are nearby music festivals, Canyonside has been known to shuttle festival goers to and from areas of greater access to help you enjoy the show. Speaking of shows, there are sometimes laser light shows where the hosts reflect their displays off the rocky canyon walls, and up the canyon there is also a small ampitheatre.

To learn more about what may be going on near the time of your stay, just call the campground. Which is also what I suggest you do before you book, especially if you’re interested in renting one of their really cool themed cabins (there’s a few, are different sizes, and each have a unique décor theme and were all incredibly clean). There are a few factors like the day of the week, amount of people, and amount of dogs you have that will affect your nightly rate. Ask about the dog policy when you call too, as not all sites allow for pets – like the tent sites – and there is a pet waiver that should be read.

One thing I noticed that was neat for tent dwellers was that one area of the tent sites (there are two sent site locations on either side of the park) had a hammock or swing chair and access to water to do dishes (there is also communal dishware) in addition to your typical flat plot, fire pit, and picnic table. There is also poured concrete sites for RVs with electric and water hookups, but I don’t remember seeing a dump station.

Not sure you want to go all the way in on a cabin but don’t want a tent site and you don’t own an RV? That’s OK as there’s also a pop up trailer on site that can be rented as a “glamping” option. It was a pretty neat little place, but due to the size and chance of trapping pet dander, dogs aren’t allowed in there either.

The hosts are very accommodating and want to help you enjoy your stay. They are approachable and can point you to resources to help you make your stay a 420-featured one, if that’s your thing. I understand they’re looking to add more tent sites and shaded areas and continue to tweak their internet to help it cover more of the grounds. I look forward to returning to see how the place evolves. I do like that there’s so many ways the hosts are there to accommodate you, and one thing that I would love to hear about is that they’ve added drinkable water access. Water is there for you but bring your own drinking water on site.

I want to give this place a 5 out of 5 because of how nice the hosts are, how well kept the grounds are, how many camping options there are, and how many activity options you have, but it gets a 4 out of 5 from me because of the water access, pet restrictions, and add-on fees (pet, extra guest), plus possible fines for any ‘dog infractions’. If you plan your trip ahead, you will have a great time here and really enjoy the atmosphere. 

Product Review

As part of the Dyrt Ranger program I am given camping gear to test from time to time, and today I was reviewing a new kind of spork, the Morsel Spork XL. This company makes 3 kinds: The regular sized spork, then the XL, and a spoon XL. I have the morsel XL spork. No better place to review a munchie-curing tool like a 420-friendly campground! I’ve used a lot of sporks over time, and there were three things about this one that I really liked. 

• it is long. At first I was like, “Why do I want a spork this big?” until I started using it with my rehydrated meals. I eat those right out of the bag and when you get near the bottom, with other sporks being shorter your hand starts picking up the juices/sauces from the dish when you start to really dig deep into the bag. This spork kept the pasta sauce on the food and away from my hands. 
• It had a flat edge end on the spoon side. I’ve seen this feature before and it’s an important one because it helps you dig down into the bottom of those bag meals better than a rounded spoon. May not seem like a big deal, but when you’re backpacking and those foods are your fuel, every morsel (see what I did there?) of food counts and a utensil that’s doing a better job than another is the one I’ll want to pack. 
• The rubberized outer coating. This creates a spatula-like effect and – again – helps with getting the most food on your spork, but also now has an argument as to why it could be used when cooking. I wouldn’t want a plastic spork stirring my eggs in case that thing melts into my food, but I’ve been using this morsel one on the stove top to mix simple meals and it does the job better than my JetBoil folding spatula because its rubberized and not as flimsy. 

These sporks are nowhere near the lightest sporks on the market, but their added weight gives them more durability. They aren’t indestructible, but they won’t snap when they get shoved in your pack either. It is technically also a knife because of the ribbed edges of the fork, but I didn’t have a lot of success cutting with this. I love how it’s dishwasher safe and BPA free! Their versatility for camping makes them a better all-around solution for satisfying your hunger than what you’re using now. 4.75/5 because of the whole knife thing not really working super great.