RV Parks in Estes Park CO area?

Lot’s of great advice being given out on places to visit in CO. We have traveled out to Estes Park pretty much every year since ‘76. Yep, it is definitely not the town it was then! However, it is still a great vacation area as is BV, PS and Durango.
We sent a couple of months in CO last Summer and decided to spend three months in Estes Park later this year. We still find it attractive. Oh, and the comments about disrespectful RMNP visitors, yep, they are alive and well!

Gary

Like T M, Iwe lived there (just 8 years though) and got out in 2003. Could not take the crowds and the mode of lack of respect for anything....people, Nature, anything. We still go back to CO quite a bit as, we feel, it is the most beautiful state in the nation. We also love Buena Vista and will, once again, spend a month there this summer as well as shorter time other places in SW CO.

Thunder Mountain wrote:

Do yourself a favor and find another place to relax and enjoy what Colorado has to offer. We found Buena Vista. It kind of reminded us of Estes Park back in the day. Great hiking, fishing, Jeeping, rafting, dry camping and sight seeing. But it is being discovered. Think we have another decade before it gets too crowded.

.... and you know why that is? You and 'busskipper' keep recommending Buena Vista. :) I agree, it's a great area.

We volunteered at Rocky Mtn. NP and got to listen to the BOLO (be on the lookout) calls.... quite an education of what people do in the park.

Two Jayhawks wrote:

Cider wrote:
Was in RMNP last year, late August. This will be my last trip there. Estes Park is nothing like it used to be, as a small, fun mountain community. RMNP is overcrowded and has daily vehicle backups / waits to get into lake areas. Park police were out with electronic billboards by 8 a.m. monitoring traffic in and out of areas - one car out of the area, on car allowed in. We were told that RMNP has become the #1 destination park in the US and I believe it. Going there used to be fun - no longer. Even the locals are complaining now about the density and traffic. With all the growth, from Fort Collins down, and the Denver area, local traffic in and out has dramatically increased, It is a beautiful park, but just too crowded nowadays. Yes bet, if you go, is make reservations now. Good luck,

We pushed away from Estes also as I just can't take the crowds. We did try Pagosa Springs last fall and loved the area. Much less traveled.

We lived and worked in Estes Park for 31 years. The wife's family started going there in 1917 and purchased property in 1921. The wife started summering there in 1953. She introduced me to Estes Park in 1969. As teachers in our native Dallas, we summered in EP from 1974-1980. We technical climbed mountains and hiked several hundred miles a summer. Then we moved there in late 1980.

We saw so many changes. After about 2000 we saw an increased number of tourists who had no understanding of wilderness ethic and didn't care to be educated. Later in our careers, we were summer hike leaders for the YMCA of the Rockies. We were in the Park boots on the trail several days a week from June to August.

After we retired in 2010, we knew we had to find a new place to live. Estes Park and Rocky weren't fun anymore. We found Buena Vista. We've been back to EP several times in the summer to hike and see friends. We stayed at Spruce Lake and Elk Meadow. Both were over priced.

Since we left in 2010, visitation to RMNP has increased by 30%+. The gridlock and chaos in RMNP and EP are unbearable. People breaking the most basic rules such as littering, leaving TP everywhere and parking where they please. You won't find solace anywhere unless you can hike more miles into the backcountry than our old bodies will allow. The infrastructure in the Park is totally overwhelmed. They close down Bear Lake road at Moraine Park to private automobiles seeking access to Bear Lake because their are no parking spaces at the lake or shuttle bus parking lots.

Do yourself a favor and find another place to relax and enjoy what Colorado has to offer. We found Buena Vista. It kind of reminded us of Estes Park back in the day. Great hiking, fishing, Jeeping, rafting, dry camping and sight seeing. But it is being discovered. Think we have another decade before it gets too crowded.

Cider wrote:
Was in RMNP last year, late August. This will be my last trip there. Estes Park is nothing like it used to be, as a small, fun mountain community. RMNP is overcrowded and has daily vehicle backups / waits to get into lake areas. Park police were out with electronic billboards by 8 a.m. monitoring traffic in and out of areas - one car out of the area, on car allowed in. We were told that RMNP has become the #1 destination park in the US and I believe it. Going there used to be fun - no longer. Even the locals are complaining now about the density and traffic. With all the growth, from Fort Collins down, and the Denver area, local traffic in and out has dramatically increased, It is a beautiful park, but just too crowded nowadays. Yes bet, if you go, is make reservations now. Good luck,

We pushed away from Estes also as I just can't take the crowds. We did try Pagosa Springs last fall and loved the area. Much less traveled.

Was in RMNP last year, late August. This will be my last trip there. Estes Park is nothing like it used to be, as a small, fun mountain community. RMNP is overcrowded and has daily vehicle backups / waits to get into lake areas. Park police were out with electronic billboards by 8 a.m. monitoring traffic in and out of areas - one car out of the area, on car allowed in. We were told that RMNP has become the #1 destination park in the US and I believe it. Going there used to be fun - no longer. Even the locals are complaining now about the density and traffic. With all the growth, from Fort Collins down, and the Denver area, local traffic in and out has dramatically increased, It is a beautiful park, but just too crowded nowadays. Yes bet, if you go, is make reservations now. Good luck,

Thom02099 wrote:
H E R E is the link to RVparkreviews.com for the Estes Park area. There's 3 pages presented, the only ones that are really relevant to Estes Park are on page 1.

There's 3 CG within RMNP (Aspenglen, Moraine Park, Glacier Basin) but they are no hookups.

Manor RV Park is off Mary's Lake Road, fairly easy access, but can be a bit tight roads inside their park.

Paradise on the River is a lovely small park, but is also rather tight to get in to. And it's almost always completely booked, as it really is right on the river.

Spruce Lake RV Park is right off Mary's Lake Rd and is very convenient to the Beaver Meadows entrance to RMNP. All sites are back in. Staff there have always been very helpful.

Yogi Bear's Jellystone is outside Estes Park, about 6-7 miles south on US 36. Mixed reviews on it, have never stayed there.

Estes Park KOA. First CG you come to as you come in to Estes Park on US 34. A bit tight to get in to, sites close together. Some great views from there of the peaks around town.

Estes Park Campground at East Portal. A small CG, caters mainly to tents, popups and small trailers, very tight to get larger rigs in there, as there are a lot of trees there, and only a few sites that can handle bigger rigs. Run by the Town of Estes Park Recreation and Parks Department, one of 2 CG that are the cheapest in the area.

Estes Park Campground at Mary's Lake. The other CG run by the Town of Estes Park Recreation and Parks Department, it's up the hill from The Spruce Lake park, right at Mary's Lake. 3 areas, one for FHU, one for W/E only, and a separate tent area. I've stayed many times at the W/E portion, reasonable rates, cheapest in the area, even for FHU ($47/night).

Elk Meadows Lodge and RV Park. Large RV park with FHU, very convenient to the Beaver Meadows entrance to RMNP, less than 2 miles away. Very clean showers there, IIRC all sites are FHU except at the top of the campground where they have some tent sites. Some of the sites are not level, it gets mixed reviews, and the electrical system there is...interesting. It and Spruce Lake are owned by the same company and are among the most expensive in the area, at ove $60/night even with discounts.

That's it for the commercial CG in the Estes Park area. They are not cheap, by most standards, and they are certainly not a good value, with the exception of the 2 parks run by the Town of Estes Park, which is non-profit. If it were me looking for FHU, Mary's Lake would be my choice. One caveat there, it gets rather windy due to it's location.

Read the reviews in the link provided. I've reviewed several of them in greater detail, and there are other relevant reviews, so you can make an informed decision.

Thanks!

Listen to Thom - also some other good points as well.

I lived in Estes for 8 years; we moved because of the zoo of masses of people in the summer.

Relaxation and Estes Park in the summer do not match.

Paul1944 wrote:
Thank you to all who replied, your input has been most helpful. I certainly have a lot to consider. Thanks again.

If you decide to stay in Estes Park, PM me and I can give you some "insider" directions for gettimg around town, depending on which way you come in.

We stayed at Elk Meadow in June. Nice place and literally right around the corner from the entrance to the park. If you do choose this one make sure to drive around town and past Mary's Lake and come in the back way. You will have a very difficult time making the turn downtown with a 38footer and toad.