Smugglers' Roost

The community here is cute and diverse. Very small farming town with few stores and a restaurant. Other campers are nice and welcoming. Beautiful clear night sky due to being away from the city.

Stayed for two nights to explore the campground before deciding to lease (99 year) a site. The campground has both short term and long term sites available. Only two of three phases are in operation and there wasn't anyone in the second phase sites. They have a lot of plans to grown the park and it will be interesting to see the end results.

Amenities at this campground were not up to speed when we visited.  The laundry facility was not hooked up properly.  The one shower room did not have a lock or curtain on the door!   It is located in a farming area in a very small town.  

This place has possibilities....

There is a cute restaurant in walking distance and a public school is next to the campground.

We canceled to spread out & speed up our trip easier, tho I was really looking forward to this place. They couldn't have been nicer bith for easy booking nor cancelation (w/ more than 24 hours notice). I'm coming back for sure.

This spot is a diamond in the rough. Its rustic, with full hookups. Just like boondocking on the desert floor with 50amp - water - sewer. You can’t beat the value.

Smugglers’ Roost is a blank canvas and while that may not be ordinary for some campers, it is extraordinary for many; everything one can dream of, plus more!

Their lots are 18x100 and there’s plenty of space (approximately 456 spots; yeah—I know right) and even with one row of lots full, there is still peace and quiet.

This is a pioneering community and they invest in not only their guests, but the land itself.

The quietly nestled roost is located in the middle of nowhere but somehow captures the essence of everything; from nearby mountain hikes, gas stations, stores, small town restaurants, museums and endless miles of nature’s beauty—Smugglers’ Roost is a dreamer’s dream.

As a writer, photographer and filmmaker choosing this spot for some winter camping time was the best decision I could make.

I spent my mornings practicing meditation (at the roost) and enjoyed peaceful “me time” during mid-mornings while others were awake, up and about (it’s very spacious here, shall I add—repeat?) By day, I spent time mingling, helping out (because what is community if you are not involved?) and getting to know my surroundings; by night, I spent looking at the stars, the moon, Saturn and Venus through the lens of a telescope that the host opens up for guests—astronomy here is a BIG deal and a must see for those who need a look and feel of the earth we are apart of.

The Roost has tasty water (no need for bottled water here, you can literally drink from the spout), full electricity and high speed wifi.

I live out of my tent, so the huge gusts of winds were no bueno for my tent (during this particular Winter stay), but the host, Curly Bill, was gracious enough to provide me with shelter as I continued to enjoy my Jeep and the roost simultaneously.

If you are looking for community, peace and quiet, nearby history and space to breathe, live and dream—Smugglers’ Roost is it!

p.s. I have met some incredible individuals here, from other creatives, to builders, to astronomers—this is truly a unique experience.

another p.s. I spent Christmas here and my wish this year was to spend it around a fire with strangers and hot cocoa; well the hosts at Smugglers’ Roost made my dream come true and my Christmas was well spent telling stories and teaching children (my passion) around a nice warm fire at “The Gathering”, plus I tried my first ever s’more and it was delicious—thanks to the fellow camper who helped that experience a golden brown mouthful (another community act put to practice).

Ok, enough of me yet? Well I’m just getting started and my future holds a private leased lot (or two, or three) here at Smugglers’ Roost, because yes, this is an option for their guests as well—if you can see yourself here for weeks at a time (I did, and with no intention to stay more than a weekend), you can surely see yourself here more permanently (and especially with the ability to build your own, own your own and be apart of a growing community—did I mention you’re surrounded by history and nature? What more could one ask for? Oh yeah, more time here!)

Thank you Curly, Slim, Pat, Leigh and Loy—you fine folks will forever be home.

Very quiet. Our host Gene was very friendly and helpful. He loves to share his knowledge of astronomy and will show you the planets with his telescope.

Curly is the nicest and wants you to come and have a good time. He even had a brand new 50amp to 30amp adapter that allowed us to use electric in our 30 amp class c (electric is 20 or 50 amp hookups here). Views of the stars are amazing and the campsites are huge. I am excited to see if the popularity of this place grows in the coming years.

We really enjoyed our stay at Smugglers' Roost! Our host couldn't have been nicer or more helpful to us. He gave us great advice on local places to explore & even showed us the stars through his telescope! The night sky there is incredible! 

There are so many cool things to see & do in the around there, that we took a different day trip each day, but we didn't even scratch the surface! We're coming back as soon as we can, especially when the snow flies! 

You can tell that the folks at Smugglers love where they live& are really good at showing people where to go& what to do. We found it an extremely healthy& active life-style. 

It's the wild west out there& its been some years since the campsite was full. The place still needs some TLC, but they are working hard to shape it up. But, it had everything we needed with the hook-up& wifi. 

We look forward to our next visit to see how things have progressed. They are in the process of adding a general store, laundry& shower this month. The bamboo plants were awesome! LOL!