Best Equestrian Camping near PSICC

My grandson and I stayed there in June for 4 days in a 34ft travel trailer in a pull thru long enough not to have to unhook. The sites were large and plenty of room for my slideout and not too close to next site. About 30 min from Pueblo and 30 from Canon City on Hwy 50 just east of Hwy 115 Full hookup and good WiFi Also had 30 OTA channels. Beautiful sunsets of the mountains Hwy 50 close by but traffic was not loud enough to disturb us Horses on the property as well as a swimming pool and very friendly staff Very nice experience and only 40 min from Colorado Springs or Royal Gorge.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park, Colorado Springs, CO.

http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/Parks/cheyennemountain

Made our way to Cheyenne Mountain State Park, Colorado Springs. The tent only sites are walk-in and $18…and by walk-in…between 10-100ft from the parking area depending on the site. By midday most were taken and we landed in the available #45 (which was handicap accessible). Pluses and minuses: close to the restroom. Convenience comes at a cost, a motion sensor light constantly tripping on and a tad noisy. Tent pads only…comprised of a small pea gravel base, but elevated two railroad ties high…you will not get standing water, that's for certain. #45 is a handicap site so it is all paved…walkway, picnic table, animal-proof food container and fire pit area…no dust or dirt. Could be a positive or negative depending on your expectations. In April the trees were just budding so there wasn't a ton of concealment or cover from your neighbors provided by the leafless shrubbery and mountain scrub. A water pump is ten feet away. Another site was handicap accessible like this one but the others were situated further back in the scrub in dirt trails offering greater privacy. Hammock hanging was limited on site #45 but could be creatively managed. Restrooms were very clean and well-stocked. The visitor center is beautiful, large, interesting and offers local trinkets to purchase. Camp registration office is located by the campground and also houses restrooms and the coin operated showers and laundry. Water appeared to be at a premium as the water fountains were not operating. Depending on the wind direction, and with no leaves on the trees yet…highway noise could be heard in the distance from interstate 25…but not loud enough to be an irritation… Not to mention the sound breaking the early morning air…revelee from the nearby Air Force base. Signage leaves little doubt where you are or where to go throughout the park. The trails are superb and offer a variety of high plains and mountain views. Trail markings are remarkable, offering both self-guided tutorial placards and strategically located gps coordinates, in case of injury. Runners and mountain bikers frequent the trails. Wildlife aplenty. Mule deer sauntered by throughout the park and tom turkeys strutted their stuff for all to see. Colorful songbirds dotted the trail (my favorite…bright blue mountain bluebird). Keep the elevation in mind when choosing activities. Being a "flatlander," it takes about 7-10 days for your body to adjust to high elevations, so allocate more time on the trails for recovery breaks and hydration. Definite plus or minus…dogs are allowed in the park, but not on the trails and must be leashed at all times. Even on a Monday night in mid April, the park was filled so reservations would be advised. You can choose electric/water sites but there is no privacy from your RV neighbor.

Creative mountainscape photos are necessary to avoid the mountaintop antenna towers from NORAD.

It was a pleasant camping experience and would visit again.

There is so much to do nearby that you need to stay in the area at least a week.

Here are a few of my favorite nearby hikes: -Mt Cutler trail, Mt Muscoco trail, Helen Hunt Falls, Seven Bridges Trail, Red Rock Canyon, The Manitou Incline (parking fee), The Barr Trail (to Pikes Peak summit), Garden of the gods, Palmer Park, and Stanley Canyon Reservoir (on the Air Force Academy grounds)…all are must do's! Only Red Rock Canyon and Garden of the gods are flatter and easy strolling. Countless other trails exist and would take a lifetime to explore…worthy reason to return again and again!

Campground Review

Note: This is a military campground only, on the grounds of the US Air Force Academy just north of Colorado Springs, CO. 

My family and I stayed here a week in a 34' travel trailer.  This is a large facility with over 100 campsites. Sites are gravel and fairly level, spaced decently with little undergrowth among the pine trees. Full hook-ups are of good quality and worked with no problems. Cable is not provided and we did not check to see if our antennae picked up any local TV stations. WiFi is restricted to the office and bathhouses, and do not extend into the campground. You have the option of purchasing a MiFi transmitter for $5 a day or $25 a week, but we did not choose this option. A short walk from our campsite is a very nice playground next to the picnic pavilions. Each site comes with a grill and aluminum picnic table. Ground fires are not allowed, but fire pits can be rented for an additional fee. The laundry facility is affordable and the machines are in good condition. Now for a little bit about the area outside the campground. The Academy grounds are huge. It is a good 10-minute drive to the commissary/exchange, a 10-minute drive to the visitor center, and about 30 minutes to downtown Colorado Springs or Garden of the Gods. If you are here for football, the stadium is right down the street (I would say it is within walking distance).  There is a lot to do around here and this is a good base camp. I wish we could have stayed longer than a week. 

Oh, and just a heads up, if you are staying here in the summer expect thunderstorms to roll by every day.  The wind and lightning can be rather intense. 

Product review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. This week I tested the Gregory Avos 15 pack. Although designed as a mtn biking pack, I used it for day hiking and road cycling and found it to be a great and versatile pack.  See the video and pictures for more details, but here's a quick review of the pros:

• The numerous storage spaces, crash pad for a phone/glasses, and a separate bag for repair tools that can be clipped inside the pocket.
• The feel of the fit and adjustability of straps and back length.
• The size of the hydration bladder.
• The convenience of the bite valve. 

After hiking 6 miles and riding 10 miles, I have very few negatives, and these are just me being picky:

• The magnetic connection for the chest strap is challenging to remove with one hand. 
• The length of the hydration hose could be a little longer so I could loosen the chest strap without it pulling on the hose (I have wide shoulders). 
• The hydration bladder itself is difficult to drain completely when trying to dry it out. 

Overall, I would give this pack a 5-star review and recommend it to others who want a comfortable, well-designed, and versatile pack when playing outdoors.

Cheyenne Mountan State Park is remarkably close to Colorado Springs, which makes it perfect for a quick getaway…. if you can score reservations. This park fills up fast!

We felt lucky to score a reservation for a pull-through Site (#56) at The Meadows Campground. This level, open, unshaded site offered nice views of Cheyenne Mountain and the lights of Colorado Springs. However it did leave us a bit exposed the wind. Next time we'll try to score one of the more sheltered sites on the opposite side of the loop. The firepits had high sides so our campfire was more immune to the gusty weather than we were.

The rangers in this park are very friendly. In fact, as we were cooking dinner, one came around and offered us a mini-class on the hummingbirds that live in the park. Wished we would have had time to stop by the visitor center to learn more about the local flora and fauna.

As runners, we loved the easy access to trails and you can earn a patch for exploring all 21 miles of trails throughout the park. Mountain bikers seemed to be having a ton of fun out there too.

Always a plus… The bathrooms have flush toilets and were super clean and well stocked.

Very nice small stone tent pad that is about 10x10. Cement area next to the tent pad with a metal/plastic coating picnic table. Fire ring is very modern with a grill surface that covers the entire fire (not like the old school flip down that only goes over 1/3 of the fire ring). Bathrooms are clean. Shower is good only thing is it is a quarter operated system. They do have a quarter dispenser for bills. Tent spaces are pretty private. They do allow dogs but only in the camping area. Most trails they do not permit. Tents are a very short walk in (40 yards at most)