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JAC1982's avatar
JAC1982
Explorer
May 07, 2018

Big Rig friendly campgrounds in Colorado?

I am wondering if anybody has any suggestions for big rig friendly campgrounds that would be a reasonable drive from Denver? We upgraded to our big 5er last year, and are having difficulties finding places to go that aren't 3+ hours away from Denver. We are close to 60' long hitched up, and while we have no issue finding places that can accomodate our length in the actual parking spot, it is difficult to get in and out of said spots. Height is also an issue as we are just above 13' high so lower hanging trees become a hazard.

This came about as we had a spot booked for this weekend at Carter Lake, and we drove out there to take a look at it yesterday, and even though the pictures made it look clear, it had some low hanging trees both on the road to go into the campground, and on the actual spot, that would most definitely do some damage to our trailer. Last year, we camped at Flatiron Reservoir, and again, we could fit in the spot fine, their boulder placement made it hard for us to swing out wide enough to leave our spot and also clear the trees. We ended up damaging the side of the trailer on the tree just to get out.

I'm familiar with places we can go/fit in on the Western Slope, and in Wyoming, but not so much anywhere near the Front Range. I'm starting to think we need a second little trailer just for quick weekend trips!
  • Heisenberg's avatar
    Heisenberg
    Explorer
    May 07, 2018
    Golden Gate State Park. Nothing but trees but we did not have any problems.
  • JAC1982's avatar
    JAC1982
    Explorer
    May 07, 2018
    Heisenberg wrote:
    Golden Gate State Park. Nothing but trees but we did not have any problems.


    Perfect, thank you! This is the type of place I'm after. I think we'll run up there this weekend to take a look!
  • Thom02099's avatar
    Thom02099
    Explorer II
    May 07, 2018
    If you're looking for places here in the flats, Boyd Lake SP in Loveland and St. Vrain SP in Longmont would both work for you. Plenty of sites for bigger rigs and the tree issue is minimal at best. Boyd is practically in my backyard, I go by there very frequently and always see big rigs (trailers and DPs) there all over the campground.

    Consider also Colorado State Forest SP over by Gould, and specifically Ranger Lakes. Trees not an issue here, since they've all been cut down due to the beetle kill. It's a great place to go for some solitude; has electric hookups, there's common water fill (threaded) and a dump station not too far.

    Also consider some of the USFS campgrounds off the Peak-to-Peak Highway, specifically in the Ward to Estes Park area. There's Camp Dick and Peaceful Valley that are both conducive to big rigs (see them all the time up there), and there's open meadow camping areas as well as spots in the trees. Also, there's Olive Ridge, which has more trees, but it seems to be easy enough to get bigger rigs in there, as I've seen the big DP rigs with toads in there.

    In Estes Park, if you want to go there, Elk Meadows (commercial park) can certainly accommodate big rigs, as that park is very popular with the DP and 5er crowd.

    Just some of the places I can think of all the top of my head.
  • ependydad's avatar
    ependydad
    Explorer
    May 07, 2018
    In Colorado Springs (not sure if that's within your distance constraint), we stayed at Mountain Dale RV & Cabins with our 42' fifth wheel + 22' crew cab/long bed truck. We also drove through Cheyenne State Park and felt it was big rig friendly.
  • JAC1982's avatar
    JAC1982
    Explorer
    May 07, 2018
    Thom02099 wrote:
    If you're looking for places here in the flats, Boyd Lake SP in Loveland and St. Vrain SP in Longmont would both work for you. Plenty of sites for bigger rigs and the tree issue is minimal at best. Boyd is practically in my backyard, I go by there very frequently and always see big rigs (trailers and DPs) there all over the campground.

    Consider also Colorado State Forest SP over by Gould, and specifically Ranger Lakes. Trees not an issue here, since they've all been cut down due to the beetle kill. It's a great place to go for some solitude; has electric hookups, there's common water fill (threaded) and a dump station not too far.

    Also consider some of the USFS campgrounds off the Peak-to-Peak Highway, specifically in the Ward to Estes Park area. There's Camp Dick and Peaceful Valley that are both conducive to big rigs (see them all the time up there), and there's open meadow camping areas as well as spots in the trees. Also, there's Olive Ridge, which has more trees, but it seems to be easy enough to get bigger rigs in there, as I've seen the big DP rigs with toads in there.

    In Estes Park, if you want to go there, Elk Meadows (commercial park) can certainly accommodate big rigs, as that park is very popular with the DP and 5er crowd.

    Just some of the places I can think of all the top of my head.


    Thank you!!

    Sorry I forgot to mention we've been to Boyd (with our old trailer) and weren't fans of it. Didn't feel much like camping there since it's surrounded by houses and right in the middle of town(felt a bit like that at Carter too TBH), and there were SO MANY kids that were up and yelling and playing by 8am. We live on an acre with nobody behind us, so staying in our own backyard feels more like camping than Boyd does LOL! But you are correct that it is Big Rig friendly. St Vrain is convenient of course, but I feel like it'd probably have the same vibe as Boyd due to it's proximity to the highway... plus it's so hard to get a reservation there unless we do it way in advance! But we'd still like to try it sometime, maybe in the fall when it hopefully isn't as crowded.

    I'll check out the USFS spots up there too, I forgot about Camp Dick.

    I should add we're also open to boondocking or places with no hookups, we can go a week with no hookups easily.
  • JAC1982's avatar
    JAC1982
    Explorer
    May 07, 2018
    ependydad wrote:
    In Colorado Springs (not sure if that's within your distance constraint), we stayed at Mountain Dale RV & Cabins with our 42' fifth wheel + 22' crew cab/long bed truck. We also drove through Cheyenne State Park and felt it was big rig friendly.


    Yeah, the Springs is a bit far for a Friday afternoon-Sunday afternoon trip, probably about 2 hours if we pony up the big bucks to take the toll road around Denver, but doable for a long weekend. I'll note down Mountain Dale, thank you!
  • Dennis_M_M's avatar
    Dennis_M_M
    Explorer
    May 08, 2018
    Trinidad Lake has a number of large spots. We usually come through there in spring or fall and try to reserve site 012. nice long pull through, not quite flat though.
  • craig7h's avatar
    craig7h
    Nomad II
    May 08, 2018
    I am a fan of St. Vrain State Park in Longmont. Wide open, concrete pads, full hook up.
  • fanrgs's avatar
    fanrgs
    Explorer
    May 08, 2018
    We also have a 5th wheel and live in the Denver area. We have tried most of the state parks within 2 hours of Denver and they are obviously all popular just due to the number of people who live here. From Brighton, however, you are only an hour or so from Jackson Lake SP near Ft. Morgan. If you have a boat of some kind, the lake is fun; if you are a fisherman, birder, or photographer, it is also part wildlife refuge; and if you just want to sit in a lawn chair and relax, it is fine for that too. There are plenty of long sites and even a few with shade. And no nearby suburban subdivisions!

    If you want some inexpensive camping ideas in the mountains, take a look at my blog at https://2fanrgs.blogspot.com. I include some campgrounds and boondocking sites near all the US highways on the Western Slope, most of which we have used in the past for tent camping, our original travel trailer,or current 5th wheel.

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