RMNP Campgrounds

This is great information! Thanks

Ken, I agree with you in regards to Grand Lake; even though I lived in Estes as you know. And I think Grand Lake has come a long way in the last few years. Too bad the lodge shut down though; we stayed in a "rustic" cabin there several years back.

Estes is now - once they get truly back on their feet again - a tourist trap. But the Park facilities and adventures / opportunities make up for that. Well, kinda.

One other thing about the west side is that the approaches to the lakes and timberline are much longer hikes than on the east side. One reaches some great high alpine lakes pretty quickly out of the Bear Lake Trailhead. Not so on the west side.

But, I do like Grand Lake as a town better than Estes Park. Quieter, quainter, wooden sidewalks and right on the shore or Grand Lake. Grand Lake reminds me of what Estes Park was 40 or 50 years ago.

It may have already been posted but you can see all of them Here. Rocky Mountain National Park campgrounds

I think some of the comments against the West side of the park could lead people to avoid it. I've Volunteered there for 1 1/2 Summers and headed there tomorrow. I've had a lot of visitors say they are so glad they visited the West side. Timber Creek CG has lost their trees, but there is a lot to do on the West side. Some great trails, lots of animals, access to the Colorado River, etc.

Thanks.

4runnerguy is right. In addition, there is a reason the east side is so busy; that is where all the main attractions and things to do are. Just not that much to do on the west side and it is wetter and buggier.

tragusa3 wrote:
Lauren, Can you elaborate on your comment about the west side? I would have planned to stay there on a future trip.

I can't speak for Lauren, but I will say that the west side of the park around Grand Lake has been decimated by beetle kill. We used to go to the west side from time to time just to get away from the maddening crowds on the east side, but it's not a good sight anymore.

4runnerguy, I had expressed similar thoughts to the OP in a PM.

Typically I wouldn't like a campground without trees. However, with the beautiful mountain peaks all around, it gives Glacier campground a front row seat. Maybe we were lucky to have a site without others in front of us. When we sat on our site, there was hundreds of feet to the next camper between us and the mountains.

Lauren, Can you elaborate on your comment about the west side? I would have planned to stay there on a future trip.

When we lived in Estes Park we called Sept and Oct the season of the newlyweds and nearly deads.

It gets crowded in the summer and, if it were me, I would look to arrive the day after Labor Day.

Do NOT stay on the west side.