We Need 4th of July Camping Recommendations

June 25, 2010 12:09 PM

ProcrastinationFilter: We want to go camping next week somewhere within 3 hours of Denver. We've reserved nothing. We have a dog. Help!

Basic car camping with a tent. 2 adults and a teenager + a dog.

We're planning on arriving the 1st (Thursday) and staying until Saturday or Sunday. Looking for a spot with water that we can swim in or fish.

What are the possibilities of getting a spot at some of the 'walk up only' places? Does anyone have any recommendation of a place that might still have space?

posted by shew to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (5 answers total)

Have you looked around Buena Vista and Salida? That valley has some of my favorite views in Colorado, and there's the Arkansas River running through it, so even if you can't camp next to it, you could drive over and fish/splash around. Check out the Forest Service's page on the San Isabel National Forest. In general, I know Forest Service campgrounds are usually not too crowded on Thursdays--only fill up regularly by Friday afternoons--so you might have some luck just getting there early on Thursday and claiming a spot.
posted by colfax at 1:31 PM on June 25, 2010

Rocky Mountain National Park has some campgrounds that are first-come first-served.

You'd likely have to get to them real early in the morning though. Good luck!
posted by elder18 at 1:33 PM on June 25, 2010

You should be able to find a spot if you arrive early afternoon on Thursday. If I recall correctly, we camped in the Indian Peaks last year over the 4th of July and found the last walk-up site at Peaceful Valley/Camp Dick around noon on Thursday (Friday was the holiday). Generally speaking, the farther you drive from Denver, the easier it is to find a spot.

BV/Salida is certainly nice, but you (hopefully) won't be swimming in the Arkansas River--although fishing and rafting options are plentiful there. In addition to the Forest Service campgrounds, there are lots of awesome BLM sites right along the river--I know there are some good ones north of Buena Vista, but there are probably others near Salida as well.

I'm having trouble thinking of somewhere other than the Front Range to go swimming, given that fresh snowmelt isn't all that warm. I know Turquoise Lake near Leadville is a very pretty spot where you can camp right on the lake (I forget what the reservation/walk-up situation is), so you'd certainly be able to fish and take a quick (refreshing) dip.
posted by partylarry at 2:52 PM on June 25, 2010

No idea if there'd be space but Elk Creek Campground in Grand Lake is quite nice. I was there for a 4th of July a few years ago. Bonus: the town does a great fireworks display over the lake.
posted by Wordwoman at 5:03 PM on June 25, 2010

My personal favorite is looking for spots between Silverthorne and Steamboat springs. Lots of lakes and rivers that you can get right up next to. Go and get a topo map from a bait and tackle shop, REI, Garts, etc and find a nice little lake in the middle of nowhere and then check road access. Lots of forest roads show up on topo maps that are easily passable.

I wish I had some free time to get up in the hills for a weekend. :(
posted by Gravitus at 6:50 PM on June 25, 2010