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estesbubba's avatar
estesbubba
Explorer
Nov 23, 2013

Estes Park campground suggestions

We have camped in Estes Park I believe 4 times and stayed at Elk Meadow RV. We enjoyed the first visits but the last two it seemed to go downhill. We last stayed there 3 years ago so maybe things have improved since then but reviews point to it hasn't. Pets used to be free, cable was free if you stayed for a week, but that all went away. The "free" WiFi made you actually miss an AOL 28K connection! Now their policy is 50% deposit which is non-refundable!

So what parks have you stayed at recently and what do you recommend? Although the campgrounds inside RMNP are nice we want to stay outside the park. We don't have kids but do have dog.

Spruce Lake is owned by the same company so that doesn't thrill us and gets the same low reviews. Manor RV could be an option but we don't know much about it. Mary's Lake has never impressed us and we like staying on the other side of town.

Paradise RV gets great reviews but I think they pack you in there. The majority of reviews seem to be for the cabins and not camping. Since we spend a lot of time away from the camper and mainly eat and sleep there, maybe space isn't a big deal. The sites along the river would be cool.

We plan on going in mid-August, and now that the roads are open, the juices are flowing! It will be 4 fours since we were last year which is long enough.

13 Replies

  • This may be alittle out of the way or not close enought for you. I go to colorado evey year and have been staying at St. Vrain SP. Its off I25 at longmont. Great full service site, great walking paths, dog friendly. The interstate noise is almost never heard. If its not to far for you I would check it out.
  • StilwaterSeems you have done your research on available campgrounds around Estes Park. Seems strange that they don't do a better job making RV facilities available around a major tourist attraction but that has always been the case here.
    Have you considered staging out of the west side of the park? There are several USFS campgrounds around Grand Lake and Grandby although trees are surely not in abundance these days.

    You might research these; Winding River

    Green Ridge

    Stilwater
  • I think it is great you are willing to go back; it will be a much different experience for you.

    Elk Meadow was good when it first changed over from Blue Arrow. We used to live in Estes and stored our trailer there. And been back a few times. It has just continued to get worse and worse - one July 4th not many years ago the Manager and whole staff walked out. And weeds. And forget wifi.

    Problem is I don't know where to recommend. Last time we stayed at Riverview in Loveland but not an option at this point I do not think.

    Not sure how "open" the roads are; particularly for an rv. Keep an eye on it - most are temporary.

    Good luck.

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