Estes Park Colorado

[Two_Jayhawks]

Estes is our favorite close destination as it's really only a days drive from home. Only thing missing is we have not been enjoying the RV parks we have stayed. We mostly go back to Elk Meadow as our size has put a few others out of reach. Frankly we have stayed at other parks in Estes when we were 36' & 40' but it made little difference. Sites are always close, usually difficult to level, dirt sites, dusty, staff seems like they are doing you favor, etc. Wondering if anyone has any recommendations. I can't believe someone hasn't opened up something like Grizzly in West Yellowstone in the Estes area. That would force them all to raise the bar.

[Lauren]

Will be in B V first two weeks in August, T M.

[Thunder_Mountai]

Two Jayhawks wrote:
Estes is our favorite close destination as it's really only a days drive from home. Only thing missing is we have not been enjoying the RV parks we have stayed. We mostly go back to Elk Meadow as our size has put a few others out of reach. Frankly we have stayed at other parks in Estes when we were 36' & 40' but it made little difference. Sites are always close, usually difficult to level, dirt sites, dusty, staff seems like they are doing you favor, etc. Wondering if anyone has any recommendations. I can't believe someone hasn't opened up something like Grizzly in West Yellowstone in the Estes area. That would force them all to raise the bar.

There is a direct answer to your question. The cost of "dirt" and development is out of sight in Estes plus there are very few chunks of desirable land that hasn't been subdivided. Zoning is a problem as well.

Lived is Estes for 30 years (1980-2010). We left after retirement because of the overcrowding and grid lock. Move to Buena Vista. Much wider range of recreational activities and lots of elbow room in the Arkansas Valley from Leadville to Salida. After Estes, we don't even notice mid summer crowds and traffic except for July 4. We can always find a place to hike or ATV and see at most a handful of people and sometimes no one.

Lots of nice RV parks but no resorts. Incredible boon docking even for a 40' bus. The Arkansas Valley and BV are really starting to be discovered in part I'm sure because of overcrowding in other places.

[Two_Jayhawks]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. We'll stick with CO but explore some other areas.

[Ivylog]

The only way I'll do RMNP is from Grand Lake. Like others I like further south like Taylor Park.

[Lauren]

We lived in Estes 1998-2003 and have been back (from Tucson area) only two times. Ten years ago we decided we would rather be where it is mentioned about - in the southwest part of CO - and will be back there for 6-7 weeks this year again.

Thom is right - stay at Riverview.

[Thom02099]

The others above are spot on. Finding a new destination can be very rewarding, particularly if you settle on the Upper Arkansas Valley. So much to see and do there, makes it well worth the additional time and miles, which are really not that much more additional.

Estes/RMNP are in my back yard, so to speak. I'm up there a lot. But I almost never stay in the commercial CG/Parks any more. It's usually inside Rocky at Moraine or Glacier Basin, or in the USFS CGs south of town in Boulder County. A bit of a drive to EP, but less frustration with the traffic and crowded/cramped CG/Parks in town.

Last time I did a commercial park was at the end of last season at Mary's Lake. Now run by the Town of Estes Park, they promised major infrastructure improvements. So far, I've not seen it, but they've only been in control a short time. Maybe this coming season will see some improvements.

If EP is still a preferred destination, consider Riverview CG and RV Park west of Loveland near the mouth of the Big Thompson Canyon. They've fully recovered from the devastation of the flood of 2013, and so practically brand new. Or consider Boyd Lake SP. Beautiful CG and it really is in my back yard (I'm on the "other" lake -- Horseshoe Lake).

Otherwise, it's looking like Elk Meadows may continue to be the only realistic game in town for you and rig the size you've got. Yeah, you can probably get in to the others, but no, you probably won't enjoy it.

[4runnerguy]

Busskipper wrote:

Two Jayhawks wrote:
Estes is our favorite close destination as it's really only a days drive from home. Only thing missing is we have not been enjoying the RV parks we have stayed. We mostly go back to Elk Meadow as our size has put a few others out of reach. Frankly we have stayed at other parks in Estes when we were 36' & 40' but it made little difference. Sites are always close, usually difficult to level, dirt sites, dusty, staff seems like they are doing you favor, etc. Wondering if anyone has any recommendations. I can't believe someone hasn't opened up something like Grizzly in West Yellowstone in the Estes area. That would force them all to raise the bar.

Sounds like you need a second location - Maybe the Collegiates and Buena Vista/Leadville/Crested Butte or Ouray/Lake City/Telluride

These are the go to spots, as they just get you away from the crowds, but still not too far from the world.

Take a look

Busskipper has it right. Check out the Upper Arkansas River Valley (Buena Vista, Salida, Leadville). Plenty to do, whether it's hiking, biking, fishing, rafting, ghost towns, jeeping, etc. without the huge crowds of EP. The people who work there live there, unlike EP where there are a lot of seasonal workers. More friendly and authentic. Downtown Salida has amazing shops and restaurants and music in the park along the river during the summer. BV is less developed (there's only one stoplight) but still fun. Leadville is quite historic and has a great mining museum. I'm a CO native and this area is still one of our go-to areas in the state. Only an hour further from your home than EP.

Indeed the area around Durango, Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride also has a lot to offer, esp. in the way of scenery. I think this area would have been a National Park or a Wilderness were it not for the mining in the late 1800's. Also close to Mesa Verde NP and other smaller, lesser known ruins. But it is more than a day drive for you to get there.

[Two_Jayhawks]

IDman wrote:
They are all full every night. As long as RVers keep going to those crummy RV parks, they have no reason to upgrade or build anything nice like West Yellowstone RVP. It is the same in Colorado Springs, with bumper-to-bumper tourists filling old, crowded, run-down parks with high prices.

I agree. We have family in Colorado Springs and Garden of the Gods CG used to be our go to. After last visit 4/2016 I crossed that off my list. Seems like new corporate owner has shoe horned more spots into park so sites are even tighter. Same old dirt and hard to level.

[IDman]

They are all full every night. As long as RVers keep going to those crummy RV parks, they have no reason to upgrade or build anything nice like West Yellowstone RVP. It is the same in Colorado Springs, with bumper-to-bumper tourists filling old, crowded, run-down parks with high prices.

[dodge_guy]

I agree. I did a lot of research on the Estes Park area. Everything I read said to avoid it. Nothing jumped out at me that said YES!

So I moved my destination down to Colorado Springs. A lot more to choose from. Yes it is farther south but there is a lot more to see and do. And I found the teviews much more favorable for the campgrounds around the area.

[Busskipper]

Two Jayhawks wrote:
Estes is our favorite close destination as it's really only a days drive from home. Only thing missing is we have not been enjoying the RV parks we have stayed. We mostly go back to Elk Meadow as our size has put a few others out of reach. Frankly we have stayed at other parks in Estes when we were 36' & 40' but it made little difference. Sites are always close, usually difficult to level, dirt sites, dusty, staff seems like they are doing you favor, etc. Wondering if anyone has any recommendations. I can't believe someone hasn't opened up something like Grizzly in West Yellowstone in the Estes area. That would force them all to raise the bar.

Sounds like you need a second location - Maybe the Collegiates and Buena Vista/Leadville/Crested Butte or Ouray/Lake City/Telluride

These are the go to spots, as they just get you away from the crowds, but still not too far from the world.

Take a look