Campground Review
Have you ever had such a desire to camp that you end up pitching a tent in your backyard just to enjoy the great outdoors? That is essentially what brought us to Wolcott Campground, just a few minutes down the road from home, on the first warm spring weekend in Colorado. I have driven past this little campground a zillion times along I-70 but never thought to camp here until the convenience beckoned.
This campground is small and simple but offers great accessibility to all sorts of adventures. The greatest part of this campground is by far, the location. As I mentioned, it is just off of I-70, which makes it incredibly easy to get to in any sort of vehicle. However, this also results in some noise from the highway and limits your sense of “getting away from it all”. This spot makes a great stopping point if road tripping from Denver towards Moab, or if heading up towards Steamboat Springs. Wolcott itself appears to be a town on the map, but don’t be fooled, it is really just an exit with a post office. If you need gas or supplies, you will need to stop at an earlier exit going either direction on I-70 (east at Edwards or west at Eagle). So, back to the wonderful location, this campground is situated right along the Colorado River and offers many sweet camp sites right next to the river. I wish it was warmer when we visited, because the water looked so inviting for a swim. While we were there we also saw a few people using this as a put in spot for rafting and fly fishers wading in the river. We will definitely be back in the summer to enjoy the river!
The river has carved the canyon in which the campground sits, so you are surrounded by gorgeous red cliffs and mountain views in all directions. This has resulted in another unique perk of this campground, the bouldering and climbing opportunities all around! This campground therefore makes a wonderful basecamp for those looking to spend a few days climbing. Within the campground itself there are multiple impressive boulders that we played around on while camping. Across the river you there are a bunch of climbing routes, we tried a few and you can read more about them here: https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105807153/wolcott-crags-and-boulders
The amenities of this campground are fairly basic but well-kept. The sites are close together so there isn’t much in terms of privacy, but plenty of opportunities to meet new people! Each site has ample parking, space for a few tents and a picnic table. Most sites also have a grill and/or fire pit combo, some of these were actually some of the nicest I have seen. Amenities are very basic, there are a couple of bathrooms and it appeared a few sites have electric hook ups as well.
Overall, this campground isn’t going to wow you with natural ambiance and seclusion, but it certainly makes up for that with the great location and numerous outdoor recreation activities just outside of your tent.
Product Review
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I have the opportunity to test products from time to time. On this trip, I was very excited to test a product from a brand that I already know and love, Mountain House! This is an awesome company that makes delicious freeze-dried meals. I have relied on them for years to provide me with light-weight, nutritious and delicious food while out on adventures. During this camping trip, I had the pleasure of trying the Mountain House Apple Crisp.
First of all, making this meal (as with all Mountain House meals) is super easy. I removed the freshness packet and the bag of granola, boiled a cup of water on my camp stove, poured the hot water into the pouch, stirred and sealed the pouch and then set it aside for about 7 minutes to work its magic. Overall, the prep and cooking only takes like 10 minutes and all you really have to do is set up your stove, pour some water, and stir. I love how simple this is because I often am too exhausted from a day of hiking and climbing to spend time worrying about preparing a complex meal. In this case, I just was able to sit back and enjoy the morning with my friends while my meal cooked itself in the pouch! Yes, I said morning…technically this meal is listed as a dessert on their website, but I let my sweet tooth take charge and happily enjoyed this as a breakfast!
The dish itself is so delicious. I don’t know how they manage to do it, but they really nailed the different textures and flavors of a freshly baked apple crisp. Pouring in the granola last ensured that there was an authentic crunchy bite to compliment the warm apples. This meal was also super filling! My boyfriend and I shared it for breakfast and were both totally full for hours. I would 100% order this meal again to enjoy at any time of the day.
Overall, I was super pleased with this product. It is lightweight and easy to pack with my gear, which is something I really value in the backcountry. Cooking it was simple and quick. It was such a treat to finish my meal without needing to clean up a bunch of pots, pans or dishes. This also makes the whole process more water and time efficient. Not only was the meal absolutely delicious, it was filling and gave me plenty of energy to fuel my day in nature.
