From the plains in the east to the mesas in the west, and all in between, Colorado is the playground that’s long sought after by millions. Regardless of the season, and whether you prefer to arrive by rail, road and plane, millions of vacationers arrive every year to capture what is sometimes their once-in-a-lifetime memory of our breathtakingly beautiful state.
Colorful Colorado ~ a way of life.
Colorado high ~ a way of life.
Centennial State ~ declared statehood 100 years after the country was born.
Nil Sine Numine ~ “Nothing without God” our state motto.
Looking around, it’s all so understandable. What a glorious place we have here in Colorado! It’s healing. It’s inspiring. It’s rejuvenating. It’s captivating!
Camping in Colorado adds to the full Colorado experience. Nature is all around. Pause and you will hear birds singing. Smell the pine, the spruce and the fir. Look for the asters and coneflowers. Watch the aspen leaves shimmer in the breeze. Star gaze!
A typical Colorado camping trip includes these components. The campers rest beautifully, rise and shine to a new day, and then they head out for the entire day. After all, the campground isn’t the destination; it’s the lodging option. They return to the campsite after a day of Colorado’s entertainment: nature trails to mountain climbing, river rafting or kayaking, canyon zip lining, arts festivals, craft brewery tours, delectable cuisine, winery tours, and much more.
Upon their return to the campsite, they’re filled with smiles about their newly created memories. They kick back to star gaze and to heal from all that real world has thrown at them since their last vacation.
Certainly, there are some campgrounds that provide on-property adventures. Royal Gorge Cabins (Canon City) has rafting adventures!
With the Rocky Mountain National Park in their backyard, Winding River Resort has easy access to many off-property adventures, yet they also provide many on-property opportunities, such as horseback riding and fly fishing.
The very popular on-site service of renting a Jeep for your off-road adventures:
- Lake City’s Highlander Ranch RV Campground
- Ouray’s Ouray Riverside Resort
This saves you from needing to bring your own vehicle. Location Location Location … their guests enjoy the access to a variety of internationally acclaimed off-road trails, including Alpine Loop and Engineer Pass.
Certainly, some campgrounds cater to the on-property family entertainment. Especially so would be the Jellystone™ parks in Estes Park, Larkspur and Montrose, and the KOAs in Buena Vista, Cripple Creek (the world’s highest!), Estes Park, and Steamboat Springs.
Arrowhead Point Campground & Cabins, Dolores River Campground and Cutty’s Hayden Creek Resort have each created some family activities, and we’re sure there are others. Many campgrounds offer some special events, such as CanyonSide Campground’s Independence Day celebration. Still, for the most part, most campgrounds have, instead, aligned themselves with local opportunities. Most find the campground to be a peaceful scene during the day!
We suggest you ask your campground’s staff about nearby rafting companies, where to rent a kayak, or where to go for the best fishing.
Our Find a Campground page makes it easier to narrow the list of campground to those which best suit your preferences.
This publication is supported by funding from the Colorado Tourism Office, a state agency. Turn to Colorado.com for a comprehensive list of festivals, events, historic areas, itineraries, and community insight.
