Best Equestrian Camping near Granite Canon, WY

This is a KOA journey, meaning it’s great for a stopover, and it is located next to a horse farm. If you are used to smelling farm life, then the smell won’t be a problem. This KOA is also one with long term/monthly residents but I will say the office, laundry and bathrooms were absolutely spotless! We spent 2 nights in our RV and a full day driving Poudre Canyon and it was perfect just for that. The staff was very accommodating! Office is open 8a - 8p.

After driving for nearly 4hrs to find a spot in any of the first come first serve camp grounds up Poudre Canyon we started to head home only to pull into Pingree Park for one last cry for help... we stumbled upon Jack’s Gulch, a little hidden gem, tucked inside a cute mountain trek to the CSU campus at Pingree Park. It didn’t have any “water features” like a stream or a river but it was a quick car ride to find that. The spots were clean, noise was minimal, and there were bathrooms if you needed them. A lot of options as far as camping goes - electrical sites, walk up sites, equestrian sites, and mixed use (what I like to call a mixture of tent and RV). There were also trails all around the campsite that were accessible for bikes, or hiking. It was definitely a Father’s Day to remember. Oh yea, some coyotes at night definitely woke us up! I don’t believe they made it to the campsite but they were close 😳

To say we love Beaver Meadows would be a huge understatement. We spend just about every other weekend there all year long - winter and summer. We got married there in 2014 (as our photos show) and it was beautiful. The outdoor wedding area is amazing and right by a river. The reception hall for after is so cool with giant windows so you can look out in every direction on nature and you celebrate your big day. Ever since we've been hooked. They had cabins, condos, lodges, and camp spots so every guest had a place to stay the night.

When you pull around the corner and into the valley it takes your breath away every single time. Lush green fields, ponds, stunning mountain backdrops, wildlife, horses running free, people fishing and riding horses. It's a playground for adults and kids and it's only an hour from our house in Fort Collins - we can't stay away. They have a yummy restaurant too so we never even bring food - we just eat there.

In the winter we go snow tubing (12 + runs with a lift) and stay in one of their little heated cabins which is so cozy but also provides all the amenities of home (kitchen, bedrooms, entertainment, etc). We love to go up before a storm and watch the snow start to fall. In the spring and summer we are up there camping along the river all the time. Each site is unique so we like to change it up each time - we go hiking, horseback riding, and fish in the stocked ponds! There are some unique fish in there - really neat. In the fall we like to go up and do the "river walk" - a series of paths and bridges through tall foilage that feels like your in a different world. Watching the leaves change is awesome in the fall - compares to any drive you can do in the state - soooo many aspens.

If your looking for a romantic weekend with the significant other or a family vacation with the kiddos - I would highly suggest making the drive up - I bet you will fall in love with it just like we did and won't be able to stay away.

Late season camping in wonderful Wyoming is always a risk worth taking and the wife and I were treated to a great final outing for 2020 with our first visit to Curt Gowdy State Park.  We knew we were in for a good weekend during the second weekend of October when we met the staff at the visitor center.  She was helpful, knowledgeable, and even recommended her favorite spot on the water in the Tumbleweeds Campground, one of several great places to camp in the park. 

We were pleasantly surprised to find the favored spot open since it is walk up only in the park this late in the season.  The campground had a fair amount of people at the sites, which are remarkably well spaced and spotlessly clean.  We found the bathrooms that were open in the same condition, and trash receptacles were still available and being emptied. 

Our spot was perfect in every way, with easy access to the water, and a great view of the entire lake.  We set up camp in a brisk Wyoming "breeze" of about 20mph, but the weather was warm.  By nightfall the breeze was a 40mph "blow" but the sunset was a warm orange and gold tinged with smoke from wildfires in both Wyoming and Colorado. 

The next day we spent hiking the area trails and bike paths and recommend the jaunt along Crow Creek to Hidden Falls.  By Friday night into early Sunday morning the blow had turned into a full fledged gale of about 70mph and inside our camper was akin to being in the space shuttle on re-entry!  The wife was planning escape routes should we trade wheels down to wheels on the side.  But by Saturday afternoon the wind was gone and a perfect fall afternoon and evening was served up.  Sunday Morning greeted us with freezing drizzle and a skiff of snow making our Wyoming weather experience completely enjoyable.  This place is a great visit.

We stayed in site # T31 waterfront site with water & electric in the tumbleweed loop. Nice pull thru and we can slide our kayak in the water from our site & fish from it too. Nice park, there's a little hike near the Visitor center. There are showers at the visitor center where you enter & small restrooms through out.  We drove the campground around the lake and saw pronghorn sheep, deer, yellow birds and more. They had a little place you could get cooked food from which the food wasn't bad it was cooked in a trailer.  You can't swim in the lake but you can kayak in it. 

We went into town to the bunkhouse & yes had rocky mountain oysters. Being from Florida they are different than our oysters. 

Like they say if you don't like the weather in Wyoming wait 5 minutes it will change. It is windy in Wyoming at least when we were there. Nice park and a nice visitor center.

Real cowboy Wyoming feel here, lots of fun nature to do and views all around. There are like a dozen different places to camp here, most require some driving on dirt and/or gravel roads to get to. Our sedan handled it ok but in the spring or muddy weather it could be impassable without 4WD. There’s only a few places for campers so if you have a tent you’ll want to bring it so can get closer to the really beautiful spots along the reservoirs. There’s an archery range so if you like to sleep in and/or not hear guns all day pick a campground and campsite far away from that. Anyway it’s an astoundingly BEAUTIFUL area.

Curt Gowdy State Park, Cheyenne Wyoming 

Located between Laramie and Cheyenne, about 25 miles to each. We stayed at the Tumbleweed Campground. If you enjoy stargazing,  you'll be amazed. There are no campground lights to interfere and campers keep lights to a minimum. We had a cloudless clear sky to enjoy the heavens. One of the most awesome night skys I've seen. Would love to be here for meteor showers! 

This area has electric and water. The sites are gravel and mostly level. Each site is totally separate with great views of the reservoir. There's a nice picnic table and firepit. Vault toilets. Really nice tiled showers (takes quarters) and flush toilets are available 24/7 at the Visitor Center up the road. Boondock and tent campgrounds also available.  Staff super friendly. Camp store has the basics. Nice mountain bike and hiking trails. Popular intermediate hike to waterfall, 4 miles rounddtrip. Fishing, picnicking, kids play areas. 

We visited Curt Gowdy when multiple fires were burning nearby, so all our pictures are tainted with smoke. This facility offers campers two lakes and several different types of sites. Some are full hook-up and others are no hook-up. We had the latter, but were so happy with our spot. The park is primarily composed of dirt roads. There are so many different types of sites, from those with several trees, lake side, open, or group spots. Water is available for filling bottles, but not campers. No dump stations are open here, but Wyoming has dump stations at its rest stops along the interstates/highways for free. Cell service is unavailable away from the beautiful visitors center. Our campsite sat by itself, on a ridge next to the furthest away lake. It was beautiful and a worn trail at the campsite ended at the water's edge where we could store our kayak in the trees for the weekend. A small beach allowed for chairs to be set up at this spot as well. The lake offers fishing and kayaking. The real draw, though, is the IMBA mountain biking trail system that weaves throughout the park. The trails are well-marked and maps are easy to follow. Hiking is abundant as well. This park sits near Medicine Bow National Forest and has similar typography with awesome rocks, evergreens, aspen and creeks. Hiking is a pleasure in this environment. Our campsite was pull-through with a fire pit and table. There was a fire ban (for obvious reasons) during our September visit.

Hynds Lodge at Curt Gowdy State Park

Ranger Review: OOFOS Women's Recovery Gear 3/4 Zip- Charcoal at Curt Gowdy State Park

Campground Review:

Located within Curt Gowdy State Park between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming, Hynds Lodge includes a great hall, kitchen, modern restroom facilities, and an upstairs sleeping area. I spent a retreat weekend here with fellow hikers and ambassadors from the organization, Hike Like a Woman. It was the perfect spot for a quiet retreat with hiking trails nearby.

Nestled in between large boulders and evergreens, this spot is ideal for receptions, retreats, weddings, family reunions, and more. The lodge can hold up to 90 people and sleep 20. The great hall has a built-in stone fireplace along with three couches. The kitchen includes a gas stove, refrigerator/freezer, microwave, sink, cupboards and counter space. You will need to bring your own utensils and cookware, bedding and linens, as well as your own firewood. Additional chairs and tables are included for set-up in the great hall. The upstairs sleeping area contains 20 twin sized beds with mattresses. An attached covered porch with large picnic tables creates even more space for visitors, and a beautiful view of the surrounding rock formations and forest. A couple of things to consider here are there are no showers within the lodge, so if you're staying for an extended period of time you'll have to access showers in a different part of the park. And, cell phone reception is spotty at best. The lodge can be rented for $150 per day, starting at 10:00 am till 10:00 am the following morning. Guests are responsible for clean up.

Just a short walk from the lodge is The Amphitheater; a great spot for weddings, talent shows or musical entertainment. It can be rented for an additional $50 per day. Curt Gowdy also offers tent and RV camping sites along with lots of hiking trails, and SUP, canoe, and kayak rentals. Hunting and fishing are also permitted in designated areas. All vehicles must obtain a daily use permit; $4 per day for residents, $6 per day for non-residents. Reservations can be made through wyomingstateparks.reserveamerica.com.

While in the area, I highly recommend visiting Vedauwoo Recreation Area, located inside of the Medicine Bow National Forest. Famous for its amazing granite rock formations, it's approximately a 30 minute drive from the Lodge. Vedauwoo offers a variety of trails; some surfaced, some primitive, and climbing is allowed. It’s important to note that the road leading into Vedauwoo coming from Hynds Lodge is dirt and can be bumpy.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. This time around I had the opportunity to test out the Women's Recovery Gear 3/4 Zip- Charcoal pullover from OOFOS.https://www.oofos.com/collections/apparel/products/official-apparel-half-zip-charcoal?variant=36083325641

1. While OOFOS is a company that offers a variety of shoes for outdoor/sports recovery, they also offer accessories which include shirts and pullovers. The 3/4 zip seemed like the perfect option for morning hikes and evening fires at the lodge.

2. The pullover is made from moisture wicking material and is quick drying; a good thing on this trip as we ran into light rain more than once while outside.

3. The pullover also has thumb holes, which I like. My hands get cold easily, so it's nice this garment has this option. I would have liked it if there had been a zippered pocket of some sort to stash keys or my phone. I did like that while it was form-fitting, it wasn't snug, and fit true to size.

4. The pullover fit nicely into my backpack and didn't take up much space. With cooler weather fast approaching, the OOFOS pullover will be be stowed in my pack for autumn hikes and nights around the campfire.

Our family tent camped one night, but we wished we would have stayed longer. Sites and restrooms are well maintained by friendly staff. This campground can fill up very quickly (we learned the hard way) and when full, sites are close together. At less busy times, more secluded and more open sites are available. The trails , both hiking and biking, are rugged enough for a thrill, but can be tame enough for kiddos. We have visited this campground twice on our travels west, and are sure to visit again!

Beautiful rolling hills along the water with tons of hiking trails. Boating and fishing is a major attraction but not one we didn’t have a boat. There are many different camping areas along two reservoirs. They are all pretty similar in terms of views and amenities, as far as we could tell. You can drive up to all of the options. Great stargazing and wildlife (pronghorns!) and not far from Cheyenne. Mostly locals here so if you talk with your neighbors you can get some great insider tips.

We camped here for one night and unfortunately didn't arrive till 6:30. With the 11:00 am check out the following morning we didn't get to enjoy very much of what the park has to offer. But we plan on going back for two nights later this summer. There's plenty to do with the reservoir and trails in the park. Boat, fish, hike or bike just take your pick. Be forewarned that most of the sites are out in the open. Not much protection from wind and sun on the North side of the reservoir.

A little remote to a low area with a large body of water with sites right on the shore surrounded by beautiful hills with biking trails and good fishing. Bring a kayak if you can. Lots of water to explore. Definitely hits the top of my list.

We loved this spot! We stayed 5 nights the week before Memorial Day - rolled in on a Sunday afternoon and were fortunate to find a lovely first-come-first-serve spot right on Crystal Reservoir with access to the water right there at camp. We have a small camper trailer and our pull-through site was spacious and level with plenty of sun and shade. Word of warning: by Tuesday, locals were starting to "hold" the first-come-first-serve spots for the upcoming holiday weekend. We lucked out by getting there at the end of a very cold and wet weekend where we had our pick of sites around both reservoirs. I recommend reservations if you plan on visiting during peak season/dates.

The mountain biking trails at this park are SO MUCH FUN!! There are trails for all skill levels that are accessible from just about every campsite in the park. The Stone Temple Circuit trail was by far our favorite - it's an intermediate trail with A and B options around features that allow you and your partner to tailor your shared ride to you exact experience levels. Recommend starting with this trail as it provides a nice overview of what the other trails have to offer.

If you plan on boating or kayaking, read up on the rules and regulations first. No swimming as the water is too cold and swimmers are at risk for hypothermia.

All-in-all, we had a great stay and look forward to our next visit.

One last thing...watch out for ticks and snakes! Happy Camping, Campers!!

I showed up late was still able to get a reservation by the water. I was able to get firewood at the camp store, and they had a lot of other things for sale. camped right in the water, it was beautiful! If I had to say anything bad it would be that for a tent site there wasn’t any grassy area to put my tent, most every spot had a lot of gravel which was unfortunate. other than that it was great!

Liked it here, however some rules and regulations were a little off. No swimming allowed, but people are wakeboarding. Also didn’t help we have a dog and there is very little shade. I’d say that this area would be perfect for RV campers. Us tent campers, find the best campsite you can before arriving.

The camping is very spread out making sites private even with few trees and open spaces. Lots of wildlife and trout in the lakes.

Very windy on the days we were there. Not sure if that’s the norm or just was a storm front while we were there.

inexpensive too.

If you want water and electric at your site book well in advance.

Curt Gowdy is the perfect campground for all ages and all types of campers. The best part is the plenty of activities they offer and you'll have access to. Bring your water toys, bow (for the archery course, which is super cool), hiking gear, bikes...you name it! There's a little store on site in case you've forgotten or run out of something. They have parks for kids and pets are allowed on leashes. Some sites are more covered in shade than others. The downsides are that you have to book to reserve super early in the year since they fill up fast and they only allow two structures per site unless you get a group site. That makes it hard to invite friends to come along unless you can commit up to months in advanced.

Curt Gowdy State Park is a great camping and recreation facility just west of Cheyenne, WY. It seems to be our home away from home, since we spend at least 3 or 4 weekends here every summer. The facilities are clean and well placed. The camping spots are spaced far enough apart that you are not on top of your neighbor, but close enough that you may hear the rowdy crews later in the evening.

We love CG because it is less than 90 minutes from our house and has quite a few recreational activities that we enjoy. The paddleboarding opportunities are immense on both reservoirs, as well as across the road in the cove. The mountain bike trails are top notch and provide endless miles of well groomed and sometimes techy fun. There is an archery range that is more than the 20-60 yard standard course. Get on the trails and find the 3D targets!!!

A word of caution regarding the local youth that have discovered they can come in to the park after hours to party and then scoot out at the break of dawn. The park is big enough that is difficult to patrol and allows for these popup parties to happen.

Also, the winds in WY are no joke. Be sure your tent is well staked down and your RV awning is rolled up anytime you are not near the camper.

Don't let this stop you. The welcome center offers spacious pay showers and there are a few hookup spots. Book early, if you can't get into the park during the week or at least by Thursday afternoon for FCFS spots.

My husband and I stayed there for one night and we loved it! That was first time camping for him and he really enjoyed it! The grounds were clean and well maintained, there was a little shop were you could buy wood or other things you might've missed to bring like food, plastic utensils etc.

Beautiful location. The Camp store on property has just about everything a camper may need. Water and electric is available at some sites but there is not a sewage drop off. The Park Rangers and other staff are very kind and courteous. Lots of hiking trails for all different skill levels.

We stayed along Granite Reservoir. It's lovely, but we had to listen to jet skis and motor boats during the day. The bike trails are terrific, but as paddle boarders, next time we will head to the smaller Crystal Reservoir, where motorized boats are prohibited.

We traveled across several states and found this to be one of our favorites. The sites were all provided with a gorgeous view of the lake and privacy from other campers. Easy access to fishing - several said they were having luck catching brown trout. Fire pits were all very clean and well taken care of. Never saw any staff - so cannot comment on helpfulness. Only complaint were the lack of facilities .... impossible to find water - we had to use a vacant site - and no dump station - and if there were showers .... I could not locate them. If you’re stopping - make sure to prepare for that! They did have fire sale on site - very reasonable!

Stayed here during the week and it was not crowded at all. Great hiking trails at varied levels of ability. Only issue was access to potable water and no RV dump.