Monica Parpal Stockbridge - Best Tent Camping: Colorado: Your Car-Camping Guide to Scenic Beauty, the Sounds of Nature, and an Escape from Civilization

For Jason and River

Best Tent Camping: Colorado

Copyright 2022 by Monica Parpal Stockbridge

Copyright 2012, 2007, 2004, 2001 by Johnny Molloy and Kim Lipker

Copyright 1999 by Kim Lipker

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

Published by Menasha Ridge Press

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Sixth edition, first printing

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Stockbridge, Monica Parpal, 1983 author.

Title: Best tent camping Colorado : your car-camping guide to scenic beauty, the sounds of nature, and an escape from civilization / Monica Parpal Stockbridge.

Description: Sixth Edition. | Birmingham, AL : Menasha Ridge Press, [2022] | Prior editions by Kim Lipker and Johnny Molloy.

Summary: With our local camping experts on your side, the very best tent camping in your state is only a quick read away. Hand-selected for their appeal to tent campers who love seclusion, beauty, quiet, and security, the 50 campsites described in each of the Best Tent Camping guides represent the best of the best Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022006480 (pbk.) | LCCN 2022006481 (ebook) | ISBN 9781634043014 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781634043021 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Camp sites, facilities, etc.ColoradoGuidebooks. | CampingColorado. | ColoradoGuidebooks.

Classification: LCC GV191.42.C6 M65 2022 (pbk.) | LCC GV191.42.C6 (ebook) | DDC 796.5409788dc23/eng/20220405

LC record available at lccn.loc.gov/2022006480

LC ebook record available at lccn.loc.gov/2022006481

Cover design: Scott McGrew

Book design: Jonathan Norberg

Text design: Annie Long

Cartography: Steve Jones, Kim Lipker, Johnny Molloy, and Monica Parpal Stockbridge

Cover and interior photos: Monica Parpal Stockbridge, except where noted on page

Proofreader: Vanessa Rusch

Indexer: Frances Lennie

MENASHA RIDGE PRESS An imprint of AdventureKEEN 2204 First Ave. S., Ste. 102 Birmingham, AL 35233 800-678-7006, fax 877-374-9016

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CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My heartfelt thanks go to the many park rangers, camp hosts, and fellow campers who shared their information and passion for these campgrounds. This includes the employees at Colorado Parks & Wildlife, the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and Rocky Mountain Recreation Company. Specifically, thanks to John Anarella, Mike Brown, Destiny Chapman, Sami Colvin, Jeremiah Martinez, Jack Mudd, Michael Petrarca, Duane Stegner, Jeffer Wingate, and Crystal Young. Many thanks to my supportive friends, family, and camping buddies, including Mindy Sink, Melissa Markle, Sarah Young, the DMAC crew, Carie Behounek, Christie Aschwanden, the Barbers, Lucy Beaugard, Eleanor and Vern Stockbridge, and Jacqueline and Marc Parpal. Most of all, thanks to my husband, Jason.

Monica Parpal Stockbridge

I would like to thank Johnny Molloy; the folks at Menasha Ridge Press; my friends and my family; and the helpful folks at the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and Colorado Parks & Wildlife.

Kim Lipker

Thanks to the following for their help with the original editions of the guide: Joe Mayer; Sam Berry; Becky Anderson; Kate Brannan; Paul Welschinger; Susan Webster; Margaret Albrecht; Bryan Delay; James Herbaugh; Pat Molloy; Bill Armstrong; Keith Stinnett; Bryan Hatfield; Michael and Nan Wolfenbarger; Nelle Molloy; Larry of Castle Rock; Beverly, Wilbert, and Craig Spieker of Castle Rock, who made me feel at home; Regi Roberts; John Cox; and David Zaczyk, master of the semicolon.

Johnny Molloy

PREFACE

I took on the exciting and daunting task of updating Best Tent Camping: Colorado in mid-2019. I was determined to bring readers up to speed on whats been changed, improved, and upgraded in the Colorado tent camping scene since this book was last published 10 years ago.

After exploring nearly two dozen campgrounds in 2019, I had big plans to spend all of summer 2020 camping. Then, two things happened. I found out I was expecting my first child. A few months later, a global pandemic upended life as we knew it.

Even as I was gearing up to visit campgrounds with my face mask and maternity pillow in tow, a statewide stay-at-home order doused my plans. Many state and national parks werent open to visitors that summer. Furthermore, Colorado suffered through the three largest wildfires in state history that year, scarring over 400,000 acres and affecting multiple communities, not to mention a few of the campgrounds previously included in this book.

Fast-forward two years. My child is thriving, and things in Colorado are looking a little more hopeful. My family and I spent much of 2021 adjusting to a whole lot of new normals, and we were very fortunate to spend a lot of time outdoors.

Most of the campgrounds listed in the previous editions of this book remain here within these pages, edited and updated to the best of my ability with the latest maps and logistical information. For this latest edition, weve also added color photos to help reveal some of the beauty each area has to offer. A few places were removed, due to either wildfire scarring, downed trees from mountain pine beetle infestation, or simply my preference for a more desirable spot. Generally speaking, I aimed to continue the original authors intention: giving the reader opportunities for a great camping experience near some of the states most incredible natural features and historic locations.

One major update is that all Colorado state parks now require reservations for camping. This new measure has faced mixed reactions: A reservation can be a nice guarantee youll have a spot in a time when outdoor recreation is gaining more popularity. Yet the booking process can be tedious. Youll need to think several months ahead, have internet or phone access, and act fast to get your preferred spot. There are still several campgrounds in this book that are fully or partially first come, first served, and a few that let you camp for free.

Looking back, this project gave me the chance to make some very special memories during a difficult time. My friend Carie and I hoofed it all the way up the hill at Staunton State Park Campground, then drank wine while watching a spectacular sunset. My friend Sarah made me a boil-in-a-bag omelet after a night spent at Golden Gate National Park Campground. My husband and I took our daughter on her first camping trip to Crow Valley Campground at Pawnee National Grassland, spoon-feeding her under a symphony of birdsong while my in-laws tended the campfire. My parents and I dipped our feet in Medano Creek at Great Sand Dunes National Park, and looked up in awe at the Milky Way from Alvarado Campground near Westcliffe.

A few of the people I met while exploring these campsites gently suggested that I leave their favorite campgrounds out of the book. They are concerned that, like many of Colorados most iconic places, they could be loved to death. Rightly so. The journey of updating this book was a stark reminder that its a privilege to be able to experience these awe-inspiring outdoor places, which are both rugged and fragile. Consider the next camper when you leave your site, and leave it better than when you arrived. Always make sure campfires are out cold before you leave or go to sleep for the night. Stash your food where bears and other wildlife cant get to it. Be courteous, clean, and careful, and maybe we can make these special places last for years to come.