Colorado - We want mountains!!

April is still winter in the Colorado mountains. There will be no Forest Service campgrounds open, many lakes will still be frozen, and most of the ski areas will be open as late in the month as possible.

The closest campground to Denver meeting your conditions is Golden Gate Canyon State Park, but it will likely still have snow on the ground due to shade from its conifers.

Mid-May is the earliest that your full wish list might be possible.

Your posts are not useless. It is typical of new members (I was one, once!) to ask questions without thinking of all of the issues and ramifications. Don't worry about it -- just keep asking! Your questions will get more and more focused over time.

Jm so sorry my posts are useless for info.

We will be there mid April 2019. 3 days. So excited for our trip. We were thinking being out in the mountains/lake, pop into denver for a day to explore (so probably could be a little further out) then back to our colorado wilderness (with hook ups).

Agree about the Central City KOA. It is actually a really nice area, pretty close to Denver but no lake. Not too far from some really beautiful area of Clear Creek on hwy 6.

What time of year you going to be there? I ask because that KOA is prime July 4th for the Central City/Blackhawk fireworks.

Jandy2015 wrote:

- we would be coming from Arches so any stops on the way that are a must visit.

Glenwood Springs and the canyon
Vail
Frisco/Breck
Georgetown

These blog posts might be helpful -- and even if not, at least there are lots of photos to look at! Each post is the first of a series:

2018 trip

2015 trip

My only advice would be not to rush Colorado. We have spent two months there so far, and have just scratched the surface.

Jandy2015 wrote:
Apologies for the vagueness. Think i was excited to get your guys opinions so rushed..

- We would like to get to Denver to explore (maybe no more than 30 minutes outside)
- hook ups preferable. We've got a pop up.
- we would be coming from Arches so any stops on the way that are a must visit.

Thanks for the responses alresdy, great options to research.

No more than 30 minutes from Denver sort of limits you for having mountains and lakes, plus hook ups. So forget about any of the commercial parks in Denver.

May want to consider Clear Creek in Golden.

The 2 State Parks on the south end of Denver are Chatfield and Cherry Creek. Both have water/lakes, but you're not IN the mountains. But you do have a view of the mountains.

The KOA in Central City will put you in the mountains, but there's no lakes immediately in the area.

When you say you would "like to get to Denver to explore", do you mean you want to explore Denver, or use Denver as your base and explore the areas around Denver? Makes a difference for recommendations.

ETA: You haven't indicated when you'll be doing this. If you're thinking about this year, you NEED to make reservations. And if you're thinking about early June, the booking window has already come and gone for a couple of weekends, and you'll likely not be able to find much on the weekends. Week days should not be a problem.

We want mountains everywhere - Durango! Surrounded by mountains,

Apologies for the vagueness. Think i was excited to get your guys opinions so rushed..

- We would like to get to Denver to explore (maybe no more than 30 minutes outside)
- hook ups preferable. We've got a pop up.
- we would be coming from Arches so any stops on the way that are a must visit.

Thanks for the responses alresdy, great options to research.

vermilye wrote:

ppine wrote:
You want mountains CO has em. I would forget about KOAs and most state parks. I would head west with a good map and just find a USFS campground when you get to a piece of country you like.

Such as those surrounding Turquoise Lake near Leadville. I believe any of those Forest Service campgrounds will meet your desires.

And at 10,000 feet you are really in the Mountains. :)Link of Images

ppine wrote:
You want mountains CO has em. I would forget about KOAs and most state parks. I would head west with a good map and just find a USFS campground when you get to a piece of country you like.

Such as those surrounding Turquoise Lake near Leadville. I believe any of those Forest Service campgrounds will meet your desires.