Good campground near Estes, RMNP??

08-15-2010, 05:43 PM

Hi,
Can anyone recommend a good campground in the Estes, RMN Park area?
Our "rig" is a Trailmanor 3124KB pulled by a F250 crew cab. We need a full hookup and being newbies at towing we probably would have troubles getting into a really tight spot unless it is a pull through.
We intend to use the trailer as a base then go on day hikes with the kiddos in the park.

This is only our second trip with the trailer. On our first, we stayed at a KOA in Il that was little more than a parking lot with a few trees, very crowded with RVs packed in like sardines. We would like to avoid that this time and stay somewhere a bit more picturesque and a lot less crowded. We'd be going sometime before the end of August.

Thanks for any suggestions!!

08-15-2010, 06:48 PM

Sorry I don't have a recommendation....but I am interested in what you find. Please report back if you don't mind. There should be some nice ones around Estes.

myersm · 08-16-2010, 06:52 AM

My wife and I were camping in RMNP last week... we stayed in the park at the Moraine Campground... it's about 6 miles inside RMNP from the town of Estes Park. We had no problem with our 3023 unit, the sites were plenty big enough for the TM and the TV, lots of trees, and the campground has it's own dump station (free) along with fresh water, toilet facilities, picnic table, fire ring, etc, etc. We paid $20 per night to camp there! We had herds of Elk roaming right through our campground and the adjacent meadows... awesome! The temps last week were 50 degrees to 70 degrees... no need for air conditioner...
There are sites for RVs and tents... but no full hookups! You must make a reservation... the campgrounds are very popular inside the park!! Go on line to make your reservation, and you can select a spot for an RV and the length you need. It also says whether it's a shaded spot, or not.
We saw some campgrounds just outside the park, and you are right, they look like parking lots, no trees, side by side... not my idea of camping!

**Bill** · 08-16-2010, 08:27 AM

There is a Jellystone Park on Rte 36 a few miles south of Estes Park. We have driven through it geocaching, and it looked OK, clean and kid-friendly, and quiet if you can get toward the back, off the road. Two summers ago, there was a TM parked toward the front of that campground all summer. I don't think it was anyone from this group. It really depends on what you want in the way of services, and where you want to be relative to RMNP, the tourist town of Estes Park, and the artsy town of Lyons.

RMNP is beautiful, and so is Moraine Campground. But be aware that there is a ton of hiking and kid-friendly stuff through the whole area. The mountains are just amazing! Consider hiking in the Twin Owls area, and up to Gem Lake at the top (!) of the mountain. Depending on the age of your kids, there is some fun and easy hiking up behind the Stanley Hotel, too.

If your kids are older, consider doing Long's Peak in Longmont. You will probably run into llamas (or are they alpacas?) being used by the Forest Service crews to replenish supplies at various locations.

Bill

**Northwoods** · 08-16-2010, 12:38 PM

We have always camped in the Park, but I was late in planning this year. They have taken loops out of the Morraine and Glacier Basin areas that can be reserved. They are now designated 'walk-up'. We didn't want to travel 900 miles and just take our chances on finding a site. We have reservations at Mary's Lake CG. It is now run and operated by Larimer County. Fees are $20 a night. Friends have camped there and have told us the sites are small, but all are drive through. We will be in the park most of the time, so are willing to have a spot to sleep. There is electricity at every site. All of the negative posts regarding this CG were posted in reference when it was under Private Ownership. We will be there Sept. 2 to Sept. 9. We rarely camp in CG with electricity so this will be a novel experience for us. There are shuttle busses to the Park and into town that stop at this campground. Good luck. Northwoods

08-16-2010, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myersm

My wife and I were camping in RMNP last week... we stayed in the park at the Moraine Campground.. We paid $20 per night to camp there!

Wow, that is a really great price and it sounds so peaceful. Too bad they don't have fullhookups. I could do without electricity, but with six people the Thetford needs dumped almost daily!! Someday we might work our way up to dry camping but right now we are just trying to get the hang of trailer camping instead of staying in a hotel or cabin.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

There is a Jellystone Park on Rte 36 a few miles south of Estes Park. We have driven through it geocaching, and it looked OK, clean and kid-friendly, and quiet if you can get toward the back, off the road. It really depends on what you want in the way of services, and where you want to be relative to RMNP, the tourist town of Estes Park, and the artsy town of Lyons.

RMNP is beautiful, and so is Moraine Campground. But be aware that there is a ton of hiking and kid-friendly stuff through the whole area. The mountains are just amazing! Consider hiking in the Twin Owls area, and up to Gem Lake at the top (!) of the mountain. Depending on the age of your kids, there is some fun and easy hiking up behind the Stanley Hotel, too.

If your kids are older, consider doing Long's Peak in Longmont. You will probably run into llamas (or are they alpacas?) being used by the Forest Service crews to replenish supplies at various locations.

Bill

Our kids are 12-18 years old. They have been hiking on our CO trips since the youngest could carry a tiny pack so DH and I will probably be the limiting factor in any hike we take

!
We were planning on hiking mainly in RMNP, but it looks like now I need to widen the area we were looking at. Sounds like there is a lot to choose from, hiking wise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northwoods

We have reservations at Mary's Lake CG. It is now run and operated by Larimer County. Fees are $20 a night. Friends have camped there and have told us the sites are small, but all are drive through. We will be in the park most of the time, so are willing to have a spot to sleep. There is electricity at every site. All of the negative posts regarding this CG were posted in reference when it was under Private Ownership. We will be there Sept. 2 to Sept. 9. We rarely camp in CG with electricity so this will be a novel experience for us. There are shuttle busses to the Park and into town that stop at this campground. Good luck. Northwoods

Mary's Lake was one of the campgrounds I saw on the net, but the negative reviews had me shying away from it. Nice to know it is under new management.

TexasCamper · 08-16-2010, 07:06 PM

I had posted a similar question, see thread for additional thoughts...
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=9790

We stayed at the Jellystone Park of Estes this past July, which is to the east of Estes Park. We ended up not using Jellystone's entertainment features since we were so busy at RMNP. I recommend paying extra $ for their premium sites. The "Premium Full Hookup" sites still require backing into them, but shouldn't be too hard. http://www.jellystoneofestes.com/
I suspect your teenagers may be put off by the "younger kid" theme at Jellystone.

We stayed away from camping within RMNP, thinking we couldn't survive without full hookups (we later discovered otherwise, see my other thread on breaking the full hookup habit!). But we're braver now and will stay in the RMNP next time, either at Moraine Park or Aspenglen.

There is a very large RV park (name escapes me) just outside RMNP's Beaver Meadows entrance, but it didn't look campy from our quick drive-by.

John

08-20-2010, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

...

If your kids are older, consider doing Long's Peak in Longmont. You will probably run into llamas (or are they alpacas?) being used by the Forest Service crews to replenish supplies at various locations.

Bill

Hmmm... Longmont is quite a ways from Long's Peak. Estes Park is much closer.

**Bill** · 08-20-2010, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lnussbau

Longmont is quite a ways from Long's Peak.

Quite true. Longmont (Long Mont, mont=mountain) was named* for Long's Peak, and since my daughter lived in Longmont until recently, and loved both the area and Long's Peak, I tend to think of them both in the same breath. Anyway, yes, anyone contemplating climbing Long's Peak (or any of the 14'ers), should consult a map.

*http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/about/history.htm

Bill

OneMoBear · 09-03-2010, 02:59 PM

Peaceful Valley and Dick Campgrounds (there couldn't be a good enough reason to name a campground Dick) are about 25-30 miles from Estes Park. The drive between the campgrounds and RMNP is gorgeous and although you are paying $17 a night for slightly more than dispersed camping they are both really, really pretty campgrounds with great hiking trails all around. I'll let the pictures tell the rest. The pictures of the creek were taken from our campsite. We'll be back!

Malinda