Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Laramie, WY

This place is fantastic and easy to get to. Located right off I-80 and less than 20 miles from Laramie WY.

Campground Review: We arrived on the Friday afternoon of Father’s Day weekend, and there were a few tent sites available. All sites are $10.00-- If just visiting the park, there is a $5.00 day use fee. There are two loops that both accommodate large RV's down to tents. We chose a pack-in tent site that was down a trail about an 1/8 mile surrounded by the granite rock formations the area is know for. It was kind of tucked away from the rest of the campers in the area. Even way back in here, they had a very nice picnic table and metal fire rings with a grill for use. The campground was very clean. In the main area, there are restrooms and drinking water available. The camp host was very helpful with directions. (wish I could recall his name) He gave us some trail maps of the area. There are multiple mountain biking trails which we had a ball exploring. They are open to hikers and horseback riders as well so be aware and be courteous. The area is very well known for off-width rock climbing. There Is a wall of sport climbing and many boulder projects. Be aware the granite can flake off so use established routes.

Restrooms were tidy and well stocked with TP. there is water available near the restroom area.

The Badger Creek Fire was currently burning to the south causing a lot of smoke in the area. There was not a fire ban at the time we visited.

There Is free dispersed camping nearby. See Vedauwoo Road Dispersed Camping for my review of that area.

Gear Review: Occasionally the Dyrt will offer gear to test out and demo on a camping trip. I was lucky to have the opportunity to test and review theICEMULE Pro size Large 23L backpack cooler https://icemulecoolers.com/collections/pro-coolers/products/the-icemule-pro-large This cooler is amazing! I was skeptical at first. I let my teenage daughter use it prior to this trip on a beach outing and it is now the new favorite cooler for these girls! They raved about it! The ICEMULE Pro 23L held 10 pounds of ice and 10+ beverages and our food that needed kept cold. There was still ice In the bottom 2 1/2 days later when we returned home. The website says this will hold an 18 pack of beer, I don’t doubt that. Since we were camped at a pack In site, being able to pack In our cold stuff like a backpack was a great feature! We were even able to pack everything out between the two of us In just one trip! Normally a cooler of this capacity would require a singe trip for 1 or possibly 2 people. The cooler seals by rolling the opening down and buckling it closed. No zippers or latches. There is an air vent you can blow into to create additional insulation for the cooler. The cooler also folds/rolls down to a compact size when not in use. This cooler is easy to use, a dream to pack anywhere you need a cooler, and most Importantly: keeps stuff COLD! This is now an every trip favorite item! And they are currently on sale (20% off!) on the ICEMULE website!

I gave 4 stars because the campground was really clean and the staff was extremely friendly. The laundromat was nice and wouldn’t worry about the washers and dryers being clean. The only reason I took off a star was because the location is right next to the freeway so you get a lot of noise from it and literally no landscape whatsoever the sites were nice and flat and everything is gravel. There was a dog park and the WiFi was not bad. We have Verizon not sure about other carriers. It was packed full of overnighters. Completely cleared out the following morning. I would stay again if we are ever in the area but wouldn’t stay for any amount of time.

We travelled to Vedauwoo on a suggestion from friends and were tremendously surprised by the beauty of the area nestled between Cheyenne and Laramie.

We camped on the dispersed area just to the east of the campground in a pleasant spot in the trees and boulders a good distance from the dust of the road. One of the great things about dispersed camping in this area is it affords some distance between campers and gives you a sense of your own space.

August weather in Wyoming is plenty warm during the day and cool in the night and it met our expectations. The fabled Wyoming breeze was actually less than expected. The only drawback was the fire ban in effect due to the wildfires in both Wyoming and nearby Colorado.

We would encourage visitors to explore the various trails as each one we set out on rewarded us with magnificent views and the surprise of a swift creek feeding a number of picture perfect beaver ponds.

This is a great camping area and is close enough to Laramie for any needs. Vedauwoo is well worth a visit. Thank Wyoming!

We stayed for one quick night. The hosts were gracious. We had to make our reservation same day because of some delays. They were very accommodating and didn’t gouge us! Everything was clean and in working order. Very organized. Full hook ups on almost every site. Decent WIFI, even cable hook ups. Pet friendly with a small off leash dog run. Pretty quiet. Even though it was almost full. They also have a BBQ restaurant that smelled amazing. Wish we had time to eat! FYI- Google tries to take you in the exit. So go in where the BBQ sign is! We will come back!

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.