Colorado and beyond- July 2014 trip
Hello everyone, We are planning a trip from Memphis to Colorado and back in July 2014. I have listed our preliminary itinerary below. I am hoping you will chime in on best places to camp, things...
Forum Discussion
For your Loveland CO stop, currently, the only place I could recommend without hesitation is Boyd Lake State Park; I live one lake over to the west! In July, you'll need to get reservations early; they fill up quickly on the weekend. Plan to come in during the week if you can.
Also, since it's a reservoir used for irrigation out east in Weld County, the water level may be low. They fill it early in the season (last year it was filled nearly completely in early May), but drought and agricultural draw off can lower the level quickly. In spite of that, this is a wonderful place to stay. There's a bike trail that one can take to downtown Loveland and beyond if you're so inclined.
As Lauren stated, the Riverview Park was the best place in the flats area to stay. They may be able to get some sites open by July. There's a few other parks in the area, and of the remaining, I'd recommend the Carter Valley CG west of Loveland. I can't recommend Johnson's Corners or Loveland RV Resort, simply due to road noise and both are usually crowded with long term residents
If you plan to go up into Estes Park, US34 will likely be the best/only way to go, without delays. CDOT is currently working on some stabilization of the canyon walls and my guess is they will be done before tourist season kicks in.
US36 between Lyons and Estes Park is another story. There is significant construction going on there due to the flood damage. There's a lot of rock that has to be moved, as CDOT is completely re-routing the roadway to a higher elevation in places that parallel the river. Right now, and for the next 20 weeks or so, they will be doing blasting and they state that delays of 30-60 minutes will not be uncommon. It will be years before US 36 is back to normal.
Also, since it's a reservoir used for irrigation out east in Weld County, the water level may be low. They fill it early in the season (last year it was filled nearly completely in early May), but drought and agricultural draw off can lower the level quickly. In spite of that, this is a wonderful place to stay. There's a bike trail that one can take to downtown Loveland and beyond if you're so inclined.
As Lauren stated, the Riverview Park was the best place in the flats area to stay. They may be able to get some sites open by July. There's a few other parks in the area, and of the remaining, I'd recommend the Carter Valley CG west of Loveland. I can't recommend Johnson's Corners or Loveland RV Resort, simply due to road noise and both are usually crowded with long term residents
If you plan to go up into Estes Park, US34 will likely be the best/only way to go, without delays. CDOT is currently working on some stabilization of the canyon walls and my guess is they will be done before tourist season kicks in.
US36 between Lyons and Estes Park is another story. There is significant construction going on there due to the flood damage. There's a lot of rock that has to be moved, as CDOT is completely re-routing the roadway to a higher elevation in places that parallel the river. Right now, and for the next 20 weeks or so, they will be doing blasting and they state that delays of 30-60 minutes will not be uncommon. It will be years before US 36 is back to normal.
