Denver Colorado FHU camogrounds?
Looking to make a trip to Denver the end of August. Anyone have recommendations for FHU campgrounds? I don't mind staying a few miles west of Denver in the mountains.
Forum Discussion
It really depends on what part of Denver you are planning to visit. You are talking about a metropolitan area of 2.5 million, so it can be a long, hot, jammed road to get to some of the favorite tourist destinations in town. Some of the other suggestions, like Boyd Lake SP and Golden Gate Canyon SP (we have camped at both) are miles north or west of the city on the parking lot called I-25 (BLSP) or on a very winding, slow mountain road (GGCSP).
Personally, I would stay at Chatfield State Park. Don't know exactly what your dates might be or your RV length, but I looked up availability on August 28 for three nights and found 60 FHU sites with 30A or more electric, water, and sewer hookups still available for those nights at Chatfield. Despite it being only 8 miles from our house, we have used Chatfield for shake-down camping before a full summer of travel (like to Alaska) and enjoyed it. We also take our grandsons there for kayaking on a small, quiet, former gravel pit pond, for small-pond fishing, for picnicking and swimming at the swim beach, and for watching dogfights between RC planes.
Chatfield has all paved roads; paved, level, back-in and pull-thru sites of all lengths; flush toilets and showers; and some shade from small pinions, junipers, and a few decidous trees. It also has a boat ramp and marina with rentals; cafe/store; river, pond, and big lake fishing; small pond for kayaking or paddle boarding; hiking trails; paved bike paths; a rental horse stable; and a paved RC model plane airfield. A King Soopers (Kroger) grocery store with a gas station is located just over a mile from the west park entrance and SW Plaza Mall is about 5 miles and Walmart is about 6-7 miles, all straight north on Wadsworth.
Chatfield's west/north entrance is located on Wadsworth Blvd. a few blocks south of C-470. So, it is very convenient for travel to the mountains around Evergreen/Conifer (use Deer Creek Canyon Road right across Wadsworth from the park entrance), Golden and Red Rocks Amphitheater (use C-470), and other areas on the western and southern parts of the city. Not real convenient to downtown Denver by road, but you can take the nearby SW light-rail line from the free Aspen Grove shopping center park-and-ride lot and not have to pay an exorbitant rate in a downtown parking lot. When you get downtown, there is a free shuttle bus on the 16th Street Mall that can take you to Blake Street, then it's only a 4 block walk to Coors Field for a Rockies game. Or you can ride light rail to a stop three blocks from Mile High Stadium (it's never been "Sports Authority Field" to anyone who has lived in Denver for long) to watch a Broncos preseason game.
But, if your primary Denver interest is on the far north or east sides of the metro area--like a soccer tournament at Dick's Sporting Goods Park or the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, you might be better off camping somewhere else, like Cherry Creek SP. If you are really more interested in the Boulder-Longmont-Loveland area and the mountains west of there, then Boyd Lake SP might be the right place.
Personally, I would stay at Chatfield State Park. Don't know exactly what your dates might be or your RV length, but I looked up availability on August 28 for three nights and found 60 FHU sites with 30A or more electric, water, and sewer hookups still available for those nights at Chatfield. Despite it being only 8 miles from our house, we have used Chatfield for shake-down camping before a full summer of travel (like to Alaska) and enjoyed it. We also take our grandsons there for kayaking on a small, quiet, former gravel pit pond, for small-pond fishing, for picnicking and swimming at the swim beach, and for watching dogfights between RC planes.
Chatfield has all paved roads; paved, level, back-in and pull-thru sites of all lengths; flush toilets and showers; and some shade from small pinions, junipers, and a few decidous trees. It also has a boat ramp and marina with rentals; cafe/store; river, pond, and big lake fishing; small pond for kayaking or paddle boarding; hiking trails; paved bike paths; a rental horse stable; and a paved RC model plane airfield. A King Soopers (Kroger) grocery store with a gas station is located just over a mile from the west park entrance and SW Plaza Mall is about 5 miles and Walmart is about 6-7 miles, all straight north on Wadsworth.
Chatfield's west/north entrance is located on Wadsworth Blvd. a few blocks south of C-470. So, it is very convenient for travel to the mountains around Evergreen/Conifer (use Deer Creek Canyon Road right across Wadsworth from the park entrance), Golden and Red Rocks Amphitheater (use C-470), and other areas on the western and southern parts of the city. Not real convenient to downtown Denver by road, but you can take the nearby SW light-rail line from the free Aspen Grove shopping center park-and-ride lot and not have to pay an exorbitant rate in a downtown parking lot. When you get downtown, there is a free shuttle bus on the 16th Street Mall that can take you to Blake Street, then it's only a 4 block walk to Coors Field for a Rockies game. Or you can ride light rail to a stop three blocks from Mile High Stadium (it's never been "Sports Authority Field" to anyone who has lived in Denver for long) to watch a Broncos preseason game.
But, if your primary Denver interest is on the far north or east sides of the metro area--like a soccer tournament at Dick's Sporting Goods Park or the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, you might be better off camping somewhere else, like Cherry Creek SP. If you are really more interested in the Boulder-Longmont-Loveland area and the mountains west of there, then Boyd Lake SP might be the right place.
