Boondocking in Colorado this summer?

Excellent! Thanks for this info as I failed to make any reservations for this summer before the state park campgrounds all filled up 6 months out.

That's a wonderful write-up you've done. Thanks for sharing! Just doing a quick once-over I see many places we've been.

It is currently snowing hard in the northern mountains (Rocky Mountain National Park) and San Juans (Silverton-Telluride), with 12" of new accumulation by tomorrow. Although the long-range forecast is for warmer weather, nighttime temps in both of those locations are not expected to be above freezing until the end of May.

If you are planning a late May-early June trip to RMNP, keep in mind that Trail Ridge Road will not likely be cleared of snow until Memorial Day weekend, if then. And even after the road is open, there may still be 20' walls of snow on both sides and no open parking lots in which to stop and see the scenery. So, be sure to check the RMNP website for weather and road conditions before you drive all the way up to Estes Park or Grand Lake.

If you are planning an off-season RV trip to Colorado to avoid the crowds, fall is better than spring!

Based on a recent PM, I have updated the camping info for San Luis Lakes State Wildlife Area. If you are headed to Great Sand Dunes NP on US 285 or US 160, you might want to take another look at the blog.

Check the NF websites for fire conditions and restrictios

fanRGS,
This is fan Rio Grande Southern. I model the RGS from Ridgway to Rico in a 1200 sq. foot building. Here is the RGS loco 461 pounding upgrade over br. 43A, the Ames Trestle the last big bridge to fall on the RGS in 1979.

Thanks for the effort you put into your blog. They say perspective is everything, so here are links to a trip report from 8 years ago called, "San Juan High". The perspective part was taking 3 truck campers over a lot of the highest passes in the San Juans and actually bedding down near the summits of those passes. Night after night we camped at a low of 10K feet up to and over 13K feet. The secret was doing it during the 3rd week of September, a time slot after the chance for lingering Monsoons and before the 1st big winter snow. This could only happen with experienced off-road aficionados.
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regards, jefe

jefe, you might like riding a mtn bike on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail in Canada -- it goes over several intact high trestle bridges. Amazing engineering!

Durango received more than 1/2 inch of rain today, 0.63 inch in the past 24 hours, and fog is predicted for tomorrow. That should help the firefighters on the fires in SW Colorado. However,the closure of San Juan National Forest for all uses, including camping, has not yet been lifted. So, you may want to find another part of our scenic state to visit if you are going to be coming here before mid-July.

With the Spring Creek Fire having burned much of the area from Ft. Garland to La Veta Pass, those RVers headed for the Great Sand Dunes NP may want use alternate routes to US 160. US 285 and CO 17 would keep you away from the fire, but not likely away from the smoke.

It may be a better year to head to Salida for a raft trip with the kids than to the Great Sand Dunes!

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