Ferngully. Prehistoric. Quiet and pet friendly! Decent showers, and great involvement from the staff! No annoying camp hosts!

In the summer there are tons of people on the weekends. I live nearby and sometimes want a outdoor get-away. I do not camp on weekends around here! Quiet enough, though but cars everywhere. Not much in to that. But in a pinch or a through-camp, there are a lot of spots to choose from, each with a good view and easy access to tons of hiking. Sometimes people will post signs saying they’ve “claimed” the spot for several days in end. Huge bummer.

Doesn’t get above 40 in the middle of summer, so bring colder weather stuff to sleep in. Days are comfortable and sometimes hot. Although the times I’ve done this trail (I live in Leadville), the lake area is swampy; there are dryer spots but not on the “lake”.