Colorado State Parks

Thom02099 wrote:

The way that I read that is, if you are driving a towing vehicle with a trailer attached, said trailer is exclusively towed. Now some may think that a towed vehicle behind a motor home would not meet this exemption. I think it still does. A towed vehicle behind a motor home is, when it is entering the park, exclusively towed. It is not driving in on it's own accord. It is being towed, and thus exclusively towed, and therefore exempt from a vehicle fee.

It is a confusing issue but here is one way to look at it. A daily parks pass allows one to enter a park. Every vehicle must have a pass to enter. So when a motorhome enters with a toad they pay for a daily pass. If camping there is a camping fee also. The motorhome is set up in a site and stays there similar to a trailer. Then to exit and reenter the park, the daily pass is put in the toad.
I think in the past some parks were requiring a pass on the motorhome and the toad because they were both motor vrhicles.

The rules were explained to me essentially as described by Thom 02099. One additional way of explaining to me was that the pass to get into the park is by defination a "vehicle pass" a trailer/ 5er, etc is not self propelled therefore it is not a vehicle. All this made no sense to me and was not this way when I had stayed less than a year before. It was also explained that this was not a change in the regulations, but rather a change in the intrepration of the regulations. In my words just another way for Colorado to get money.

H E R E - CO State Parks Rules and Regs is the PDF of the rules/regs for CPW.

Article 1 #700 Vehicle Pass Section 2 (no vehicle pass shall be required for) subsection .i Any vehicle that is exclusively towed.

The way that I read that is, if you are driving a towing vehicle with a trailer attached, said trailer is exclusively towed. Now some may think that a towed vehicle behind a motor home would not meet this exemption. I think it still does. A towed vehicle behind a motor home is, when it is entering the park, exclusively towed. It is not driving in on it's own accord. It is being towed, and thus exclusively towed, and therefore exempt from a vehicle fee.

It is definitely not clearly written; the gobbledy gook legalese stuff is convoluted. Why can't they just say that a towed vehicle of any type is considered as one unit, and therefore one vehicle fee? Guess that would be too simple...:S

AJBert wrote:
A motorhome, regardless of classification, towing another vehicle will need a camping permit for the motor home and will also receive vehicle permit to use either on the motor home or the towed vehicle.

Read this as a freebee for the towed vehicle.

And, yes, I've asked this question to the folks at CPW. The regs aren't written in the easiest to understand language. Best thing to do is call Cherry Creek to verify. If they tell you something different, call the main office in Denver.

If you are towing a TT/5er/etc, then you need to pay for the camping permit and the daily fee for a vehicle.

If you have a motorhome with a towed vehicle you will pay for the camping per night and a daily fee just as with a trailer. Then you put the daily fee tag on the towed vehicle.
And I believe that Cherry Creek's fees are a bit different then other parks due to the popularity of the park.

concord 05 wrote:
Just made reservations at Cherry Creek for 3 nights. Will be visiting family that live close by. We are driving a motorhome pulling a tow car. Know I will be paying a daily vehicle fee. My question is will I be paying 2 vehicle fees, one on motorhome and tow car or just one on the tow car? Will be in Colorado a month but not sure if I will be staying at enough state parks to justify buying a yearly pass.

Colorado State Parks are GREAT! JMHO (don't think I'm alone) but the question you ask can only be answered by YOU.

We have stayed in many of the Parks (Some have been booked so as to not be able to get in) and have loved them all. You need to pick a good itinerary to see if they will work for you, and if you can get a space.

I just left (FLy IN Fly Out) and the kids last day of school is TODAY - so the parks will be FULL till mid August.

Plan and see if the $$$$ work for you.

BOL,

A motorhome, regardless of classification, towing another vehicle will need a camping permit for the motor home and will also receive vehicle permit to use either on the motor home or the towed vehicle.

Read this as a freebee for the towed vehicle.

And, yes, I've asked this question to the folks at CPW. The regs aren't written in the easiest to understand language. Best thing to do is call Cherry Creek to verify. If they tell you something different, call the main office in Denver.

If you are towing a TT/5er/etc, then you need to pay for the camping permit and the daily fee for a vehicle.

Seems like I asked this question at Boyd Lake State Park. I asked if a motorhome towing a toad was treated the same as a vehicle towing a trailer or 5th wheel. The rely was they both were "one" camping unit.

It may be different at other Parks.

Last time I stayed at Chatfield dam, I paid for camping per day for the RV and daily for the towed vehicle. As I stayed 2 weeks and it was cheaper to get a half year pass. The pass was only good for Chatfield at that timr. If I wanted to go to cherry cteek that required a different day pass. That was the last time I stayed at Chatfield as commercial parks were less expensive.

Assuming your reservation includes one camping unit, no. At least that doesn't make any sense to me.