Elk Creek Campground has been a destination camp for us but probably not for everyone. During the week, when it might be somewhat empty and quiet, there are moose to be seen wandering the campground. Grand Lake Golf Course, a real gem, is 1.25 miles up the road and offers superb golfing, an excellent afternoon rate and a nice restaurant for breakfast and lunch. Tennis courts are close to the golf course. Of course, there is an abundance of fishing in the area, hiking and Rocky Mountain National park with free admittance with a Golden Age/Senior Pass. The national park offers the chance to see elk, moose and other native wildlife. Grand Lake is pretty much a laid back town with several interesting shops and eateries. The campground has new owners as of 1 August. It offers cabins ( bring your own sheet/blankets or sleeping bags ), tent sites, nice showers, free wi-fi at the office and gravel (not always level – what do you expect, it is the mountains) RV sites. All RV sites are back in. Not all sites are FHU and 50 amp but it is usually 10+ degrees cooler in Grand Lake than Denver so the place fills up on weekends. And here is where one is exposed to the downside of this campground. Most of the weekend campers that come here follow the laid out rules ( 10PM quiet time, 5 MPH campground speed limit, not overloading sites w/people/vehicles, pick up after your leashed pets etc. ) but there has always been a special % that come here with the attitude that these rules don’t apply to them and we can do what we please because we paid for our site. This season, camp and county rules included a total campfire, firecracker and outdoor smoking ban ( was lifted in mid August ) within Grand County but these “special” campers were observed ignoring these rules creating a potential life-threatening fire hazard. The new owners live on site and we hope that they will correct these violations by showing these few inconsiderates the campground exit and telling them to find another destination for the future.Some additional speed dips are needed also. That said, come during the week if you want to have any chance of seeing wildlife in the campground. One can get a weak PBS station but no NOAA radio stations. Granby is 17 miles away and offers a City Market ( Kroeger /King Sooper connection ) grocery store with gas/diesel at discounted prices using their discount card. Their office store is becoming better stocked, the campground is improving because of the new owners and we plan on returning next season. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This campground has new owners and we were really pleased with our two week stay. The sites are not right on top of each other and have enough vegetation to make you feel like you are camping in nature and not staying in a concrete jungle. The staff was very friendly and the sites were well maintained. Although we were in a tent, we chose to stay in an RV site and will do so on our next trip out. The bathrooms, although a little dated, were exceptionally clean and the showers were the largest I have ever seen at a campground. The dish washing station was most appreciated and the laundry room was bright and clean. They are very pet friendly and do not charge a pet fee. To anyone that has issues with barking dogs or people being too loud after the 10pm "quiet time" rule, the owners do live on property and are more than willing to take care of those things if you notify them. We have stayed at a lot of campgrounds over the years and those are just things that seem to happen. The new owners were working hard while we were there sprucing things up and I imagine our next trip back the place will be even better. We camped here in a Tent.
Our site was in the back section of the park, w/e only, and took some really creative maneuvering to park our 32' 5th wheel. We ended up crooked to be able to let our slides out. Then there was hardly room to park the truck. No Wi-Fi at the sites, and the office was too far away to check out. Dogs were left outside while owners were gone, and the family group all around us visited until after 11 p.m. There just isn't much choice on this side of Rocky Mountain NP. There are new owners, local people, so maybe things will get better. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We stayed here for 2 nights and the new owners just took over that first night. During the 2 days they were cutting the grass and trying to make the place nicer then it was during the time a bank owned it. There are only 2 pull through sites. The bathrooms were clean but need updating. It's in a little bit of a valley and there were a few sites that had marshy grass. Great location to access RMNP. The first night we saw a giant moose only 50 yards from our site. We would stay here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Pleasant people and nice quiet place. Reasonably secluded sites. Handy for village and shops and lake. We enjoyed a couple of days touring around here. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is for sure a "campground", very rustic but we had full hookups. There is a rec room with a large TV and the internet works well there. The staff was very friendly, in contrast to prior reviews. Perhaps there are new owners. The location is great--close to the park, and possible to walk into town. We would stay there again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
My family reserved a tent site over the phone and site unseen. Comes to find out upon our arrival that you cant take your car to your tent site, you have to walk all of your stuff at least 150 feet to the closest site. After speaking with the staff about it they were rude and didn't care that we weren't happy. We didn't even stay, we left because of their attitude. We camped here in a Tent.
This is 2 minutes outside of the west side of Rocky Mountain NP. Sites have a lot of natural vegetation but it's a bit overgrown. Our site was mostly level but very small, truck barely fit after setting up camper. Building with laundry and showers was clean, but old and beat up. Camp store has almost nothing on the shelves. A quiet, average park. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a beautiful park unfortunately the staff is both rude and poorly informed. Their attitude is "so what if we quoted you the wrong rates over the phone and failed to tell you there is $7. pet deposit. We are full every night so we can charge what ever we please". They even told me it was my responsibility to check their website for the pet fee. There are quite a few other parks in the area. The public parks charge half as much, don't have pet fees, and have friendly well informed hosts who appreciate your business. I have posted several reviews on this site and this is my first and I hope my last negative one. I am 70 years old and I don't think I have ever been so rudely treated in my life as I was by their reservation people. Also if you need to cancel a reservation they withhold your entire deposit if you cancel two weeks in advance. Even if you cancel 3 months in advance they charge a $15 "processing fee." We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We just didn't "click" with this campground. Big rig "friendly": no. Big rig "accessible if you are careful: yes. Site level: no. Picnic table level: no, and no place in the site to put it, to make it so. Campground provided BBQ level: no. Water pressure: poor. WiFi: only at the rec room. This sites are well spaced generally, and ours had lots of shade. The park seems to be one that likes to add lots of extra fees, so for $50 a night, we will look at other options next time we want to visit the national park. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This campground went out of their way to spot our party of 4 large rigs, close together. We stay here often when in this part of Colorado, and this is the first time we have had to wait for a Moose to clear our site. What a great treat. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This campground has few sites for 40' motorhomes. Our site had 50 amp service, but the electric box was at one end of the site while the sewer location was at the opposite end. Our electric cord would not reach, but the staff provided a 50 amp extension which worked fine. The water pressure was low. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This campground is getting excellent reviews and deservedly so. It's less then a mile from the west side of the Rocky Mountain National Park and we had a cow and calf moose about 5-10 yards from our trailer: have the pics to show for it! They stayed in the campground for literally hours. They are very harmless and docile, providing you don't invade their space. The Wi-Fi is only available at the "rec room" but it is available. The restrooms and showers were immaculate. With all this plus good staff and private, roomy sites, have made this a great campground. It is expensive though. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
We just spent 12 days in this campground and had an absolutely wonderful time. The only reason I dropped it down to a 9 is because of the price. They charge $40 per night, then add an additional charge per child and also charge for your pet: quite costly! Other than that we did love it. Moose were there and we saw elk just outside of the campground everyday also. One of the most beautiful golf courses we have ever seen is just up the road from the park as well as Rocky Mountain National Park. This was our first visit to Colorado and it is such a beautiful state. The weather was wonderful even a little bit chilly in the evenings but, that is what we look for in an August vacation as we live in the desert. I would absolutely recommend this campground to everyone. It provided us with a vacation that we will never forget! We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Nice campground with sites spaced widely apart but required some maneuvering and leveling to park trailer. Wi-Fi is available only at the office: not at the site. The only problem with this campground is the cancellation policy. If a reservation is cancelled less than 2 weeks before arrival date, the entire deposit of $50 is forfeited. This happened with one member of our group who had to change their plans within 3 days of our arrival. Most campgrounds allow cancellation within 72 hours with no penalty. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This quiet campground has a lot going for it. It is just outside the “cute” town of Grand Lake Village and only a very short drive to the west entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. Campsites are wide and well separated both in distance and visually, and most sites look reasonably level. We spent three days in site RV-50 where we were unable to fully level our 45’ motorhome, but it was the last large site available. Our Verizon wireless card worked very well, but we had occasional variation in the electrical power at the site. As others have mentioned, this park is very popular in the summer, so try to plan ahead as far as possible. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a nice family oriented campground. We have stayed here several times over the last few years. The campground is rustic & has a feel of really being in the mountains. You can see moose wandering through the campsites. The staff is helpful and friendly. This is a very popular campground in July and the summer weekends. You need to make reservations in advance. We were lucky to get in for a few days because of a cancellation. Tip: plan ahead! Their ph# is 970-627-8502 & map location is further north & not on Shadow Mt lake. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
The WorkKampers were really nice & helpful! They make this a nice RV park!! When we arrived, the reservation and paper work were ready and correct. The site was spotless with a view. Lots of grass around us. Site was very wide but a little short. Baths and showers were very clean, especially considering the large group of tent campers that were not very respectful or careful about cleanliness in the bathrooms. Park has rec room, TV room, small trout pond, and an excellent dump station. We liked it and will go back! We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Nice campground close to town and Rocky Mountain National Park. Very friendly staff. A bit of overgrowth of grass around campsite and some standing water. But good shade and level site. Could not get Wi-Fi at our site. Limited sites for large trailers & 5th wheels. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
I had trouble getting my reservations for the dates I had wanted. The confirmation e-mail was wrong. I e-mailed three times to get the dates corrected to no avail. Finally another phone call and return call the dates were confirmed. Once there, we had a wonderful time, clean park, extra clean bathroom, shower and laundry facilities. We enjoyed the media and WI-FI center. Camp hosts were very accommodating and helpful. They just need to up-date the reservation system. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
June 2008
$38
We were lucky to even get a big-rig site here because there are very few in the park. The roads are dusty, but our water and electric site was fairly level. The wi-fi is only available in or around the office, so we set up our own dish. While we had been told that wildlife frequently walked right through the park, that didn’t happen when we were there. Instead, we got our fill of wildlife just up the road in Rocky Mtn. NP!!!! This park is conveniently located just outside the West Entrance to the park, and we easily explored it from this less congested area. We camped here in a Motorhome.
The site quality varies quite a bit from site to site. Some are spacious, others are very cramped. Hookups are sometimes hard to get to being placed in odd locations. Most sites have quite a bit of privacy. Staff was friendly but not conscientious about cleaning up litter around the park. All roads and sites are dirt/gravel and dust is an issue. It is a good alternative to boondocking at the numerous sites available in the Park and the nearby recreation areas. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a wonderful family campground close to outdoor activities of Rocky Mountain National Park and the village of Grand Lake. The campground & restrooms are spotless. There are Moose, Elk & Fox wandering thru the campground in the evenings.The new owner & his staff are very friendly & helpful. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is one of the nicest campground that I've been to. The toilets and the shower rooms were were very clean. During the Memorial Weekend, the restrooms/toilets and shower rooms were cleaned every 2-3 hours. The only thing that was probably an inconvenience to the tenters was the fact that the shower room was closed the last night we were there due to plumbing issue but since we camp there in a travel trailer with full hookup it was not an issue at all. The employees were very nice and very helpful. There's trails, creeks and a kiddie fishing pond on site. The kids were never without an activity there that they totally forgotten that they brought several movies with them in case they get bored. BBQ grill as well as fire ring are provided and were both very clean. The sites were mostly shady and the Pine trees as well as willow tree provided ample privacy. This campground is only 1/2 mile from the Grand Lake and there's a lot of things to do there too. I would highly recommend it and will definitely come back. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a one of a kind campground. It is beautiful with trees everywhere. All sites are back in, but truly unique. The sites are private with willow bushes and trees between them. We saw moose roaming the campground. We loved our stay at this nice campground. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We really like this campground and have stayed here many times. It is located just outside the western side of Rocky Mountain National Park. The sites are large and very private with a lot of vegetation in between. Some sites are more level than others but we have always been able to get level regardless of the site we were in. There is a playground and an arcade room but no pool. They have free WIFI which you can access in their rec room. They also have cable tv in the rec room. You can't get tv reception with your antenna but the campground is in such a great setting that we really didn't miss it. Grand Lake is a quaint little mountain town on a beautiful lake. There are some nice shops and some nice restaurants in Grand Lake. Great base camp to see Rocky Mountain National Park. One of our favorite campgrounds and we will continue to return again and again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
The rate is $25 for an electrical site, plus the $7 NFS day use fee. This is our second time here, the first being a few years ago before it was clear cut due to the pine bark beetle infestation. While I do wish the trees were still there, the 360 degree view of the mountain ranges with the lake in the foreground is in a word - spectacular. It is a few miles from Grand Lake and the west park entrance. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Gorgeous views of Lake Granby and the Rockies from almost every site in this National Forest campground. Verizon signal was usable. It's about ten minutes drive to the town of Grand Lake, otherwise there's not much in the immediate area. There was no potable water at the dump station when we visited, but some sites in the middle (toward the peak of the hill) have water and electric. Widely spaced sites and most are level. Overall, very nice. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a nice park with a very nice view of Lake Granby. This park is run by American Land and Leisure and the reservation process was a little disorganized. The camp host was very nice, but they do need to get their reservation signs out earlier so people don't come in and try to occupy a site which is already reserved. There are electric and water hookups and a dump station as you leave. The electric hookup sites are on top of a hill (a little windy) and you have a 360 degree view of the lake. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
The bark beetle has eliminated all shade from this campground. The lakefront sites do not have hook-ups. Most of the sites are small and a tad uneven. There is some road noise. West entrance to RMNP is about 10 miles. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This campground is situated on a rounded hilltop with beautiful views of the lake. It is open, no trees, no shade. All sites are angled back-in. There were limited sites long enough for our 30-foot travel trailer, and our site required 1 block to level. Restrooms with flush toilets and showers are a little old, but worked fine. There is a dump station. Good cell signal and our air card worked good. Friendly and helpful campground hosts, employed by Thousand Trails. Rate was $20 per night, plus $5.00 extra for the one row of electricity/water sites. Water was turned off for the season Sept. 28th, at which time the camping fee is half price, with no dump and only restroom left a vault toilet. A forest service day fee is also required, $5.00 per day or $10.00 for 3 days, we did not pay because our annual interagency pass worked, as does the senior and access pass. Convenient access to Rocky Mountain National Park, 8 miles away, and there is a boat launch. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We stayed here for 14 days, and it was a very nice place to explore the area. We traveled a radius of over 150 miles. The hosts were extremely helpful, gave good advise about the area and we enjoyed our stay. The rate reflects Golden Age Pass. The only complaint was on occasions, the hosts ignored loose dogs. Since The bark beetles have devastated most of Colorado, do not expect shade. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This campground is very nice if you don't need shade: all the trees are indeed gone. Vegetation looks like high desert scrub, not the forest you would have found here before the beetles. It is quite attractive though. The vegetation is low but healthy and pretty, and the views of the lake are terrific. The campground is situated on a rounded hilltop, which gives the uphill sites something of a terraced view over the tops of the lakeside sites. The breeze was stout but pleasant when we were here. I would expect this area to be pretty exposed in severe weather. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This was a beautiful campground, but while we stayed most all the trees were down or being cut down due to Pine Beetle. We were told that trees would soon be replanted. Our only real complaint with this campground was the showers. The water was very hard to predict. One time it would be super cold and the next time it would be so hot it would burn you. The bathrooms and showers could have been kept a little cleaner, but over all they were ok. The water in the showers was very hard to deal with though. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
One of the prettiest places I have ever camped. The restrooms and showers were just nasty. And the host was bugging us the whole time about little things about how and where to park. But it is a national forest so it was expected. If you have some sort of watercraft you will enjoy this place very much. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This campground is sort of a cross between a dude ranch and an RV park. There are lots of great activities for families: horseback riding, chuck wagon dinners and breakfasts, petting farm, fishing, etc. The park caters to horse owners and there are many sites with corrals for campers who bring their horses and ride the many trails. The park is bounded by the North Fork of the Colorado River and Rocky Mtn Natl Park. You can rent ATV's, go hiking into the Park, see moose: all without leaving the park. Sites with sewer are limited to about 5 or 6 near the front of the park and 30 or so in the back of the park in a meadow. The meadow sites were not attractive to us and we were lucky enough to stay up front. There's no mowing of grass so the sites tend to be overgrown. They were also uneven and tough to get level in our big rig. The roads are dirt and not well maintained; lots of pot holes and rough spots. Nevertheless, Winding River is well-managed, full of friendly staff and located in a beautiful spot. We stayed here in our big rig and would stay again. One note: If you forward mail to this resort, you must use General Delivery in Grand Lake as the Postmaster there will return mail addressed to individuals at Winding River Resort. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Convenient to Grand Lake and helpful staff. The power to the entire site was down without warning and internet access was unreliable. When it was up, it was good, but it went down and stayed down often We camped here in a Truck Camper.
Stayed ten days over 4th of July. Activities were great and nearness of Rocky Mountain National Park was outstanding as was the general setting. The FHU "meadow" was a dusty parking lot right on top of your neighbor. We opted for W + E site, which were more spacious (almost as dusty, though) and with a bit of a view. Dump station was handy enough and good. Laundry facilities were minimal with 2 washers and 2 dryers for 150 sites! As dusty as everything was, this was woefully lacking. Wi-Fi was almost non-existent. The staff was generally good with a couple of clinkers. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This park is hard to rate. The facilities are good, clean restrooms & showers with lots of activities including horses and ATV,s. The RV sites are close together while the other sites are very spacious. Also, the park needs about a train load of gravel. Our site was a muddy goo as were some of the roads. If they put some (lots) gravel down the park would be an 8 or 9 but as a muddy goo a 6 is generous. We will look for a different park in the Rocky Mountain National Park area. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We had a great time staying at this RV park. We rode horses, ate the pancake breakfast and had a great time walking are dogs around on the grounds. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. We would recommend this park and stay there again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This park has a rustic, ranch-type environment, which our family came to greatly enjoy. Kid- and pet-friendly. Set up for horse campers also. Very large spread-out park. The restrooms/showers/laundry toward the back of the property near the ATV rentals appeared newer than those at the office. Very nice and clean. Friendly and helpful staff. We had a minor repair request for our site, which was done quickly. This park has stables offering one and two-hour rides at a reasonable charge. Horses in good condition and the wrangler we had leading our ride was an experienced horse person and very good at taking care of the riders. There did seem to be a fly problem around the stable and the petting pens. We stayed in the full hook up area which did not have any shade and no privacy; however, it was not an issue for us because most people (including us) were gone during the day. Yes, there are no paved roads, which did get a little dusty (until a light rain). Due to this being a horse-friendly park, there would be horse droppings to dodge on the roads, but staff cleaned the roads regularly. And, yes, the pine beetle has done damage to the pine trees in this entire area of Grand Lake, but there is still lots of beauty to be enjoyed. We did not participate in the ice cream socials, wagon rides or pancake breakfast, but did attend the Sunday morning Cowboy Church which was a blessing. We would definitely stay here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Excellent staff. Lots to do. Nice church service. Chuckwagon breakfast is superb! SUPER clean restroom area. VERY clean campground. stayed over a week with no problems. Was able to receive UPS and FedEx shipments with no problems. Great for horse people. Secluded yet close to Grand Lake shops. Saw lots of elk and moose. Lots of hiking and backpacking options. Overall EXCELLENT!! Usually stay on Estes side of divide, but coming back here for sure. Great time for the whole family. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Overall we enjoyed our stay here. Saw moose & weather was fine. The park roads were rutted & potholed. Lots of mud. The FHU sites were large but unkept. Tall grass and lots of weeds. Restrooms & showers were clean & nice. Staff was friendly but they were rarely in our area to clean up sites. The Wi-Fi was pretty sad. Worked intermittently. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
The location,choice of hook-up types,and horse corrals are the main reasons to stay here. We did not like the lack of any real shade and the many uneven and muddy sites. Yes, you will see moose, but way too many ATV's bring you back to reality. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Very nice campground with sites a good distance apart. Very convenient location to Rocky Mountain National Park. Some shaded sites, but not many due to the large number of trees in the area that are dying due to the pine beetle. Restrooms were kept fairly clean. Showers each in their own little room, allowing for extra privacy. Staff extremely friendly and helpful. Moose frequently seen here! We camped here in a Truck Camper.
We arrived after driving through Rocky Mountain National Park. The directions were coming in from the south off of I-70, but the signage for the campground is good either way. The mile and a half road from 34 is in need of repair, and as is the road in the campground: frequently potholed and muddy. FHU sites are ample and surprisingly level. We had quite a bit of rain the first few days and it was muddy. To the camps credit, they got out the grader and did some work. Maybe all the horses are why they don't pave? The dead pines all over the area from pine beetles took the bloom off the rose for us. We were last here in '97 before all the devastation. We had family staying at the Grand Lake Lodge about 2 - 3 miles away, so we kept busy and enjoyed the area for six days. Grand Lake is a 10 - 15 minute drive and well worth the daily trip for us. Do not miss the Addams Falls. Breath-takingly beautiful!! Good FHUs, adequate if uneven cell (T-Mobile) and Wi-Fi reception. Rate reflects AAA discount. We would return, but not without watching the extended weather forecast first. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Fantastic location right next to the Rocky Mountain National Park with the Colorado River running right through the resort. A real ranch experience with horse stables and great rides. We chose the large sites in the forested section for the space between sites, 50 amp service, and the gorgeous wild flowers everywhere. There are some full hookup sites for long term stays at the back of the resort, but we were fine without sewer hookups for a week. Large elk meadow 1/2 mile away with herds daily. Great access to National Forest for off-roading or hiking. Had an adolescent moose walk right beside the motorhome one day but the best sight was the huge bull moose which calmly walked through the campground. You can call the sites: rustic. No paving or fancy patios, but picnic tables and fire pits and water faucets. This is our favorite type of camping. It is very much like a COE campground. Service was friendly, great breakfasts and ice cream. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Very friendly staff and the office is very well stocked if you need or forgot something. Very nice large sites, showers and restrooms. Nice to see a large amount of activities such as ice cream socials, breakfast on weekends, basketball courts and more. We camped here in a Tent.
The spots were fairly level with hookups and the resort is in a great location. However, we were backed up to a street, which was noisy at times. Lots of mud as it did rain every afternoon. Staff were nice and courteous. Clean restrooms. The resort is mainly ala carte from what I could tell, so expect to pay for your activities, including ice cream social. Prices were reasonable, though. It was very close to the south entrance to RMNP. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is a huge park. They have literally acres of space and cater to both horse-campers, RV'ers and tents. The setting is gorgeous right smack in the middle of a mountain valley with Rocky Mountain National Park on one side and National Forest on the other (you can literally hike into either directly from the park). The sites are on the rustic side (dirt only) and vary a lot in size/level and the park has been devastated by the Pine Beetle so not a lot of trees left (in fact most of the trees around Grand Lake are dead). But, there's plenty to do: horse-riding, playground, chuck wagon breakfast, hiking, animal farm (where you can "pet" piglets, sheep, donkey etc.). They're also extremely dog-friendly and you can walk your dog for miles in the park and around the National Forest. Plus, you can play in the river. We would definitely come back. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Turned on the wrong road at first: even with other review warning. Turn at the visitor center. Not at the Winding River Guest Ranch. Look for the sign the says Winding River RV resort. Camped in a meadow. Our site was very level. Could tell some were not. Make sure you have 30 amp connection. One of our party did not. Great campground. We did see moose walking by. Bring your hummingbird feeder. Birds are everywhere. Would stay here again! We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
The reason for the low rating is the unlevel spot and it's hard to get level and reach the sewer outlet. The staff went out of the way to make you feel that this is the place to be. Park is located right next to Rocky Mountain National Park. We will return. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We stayed here for the 4th and it was amazing. Moose and elk walk through camp like they own the place (which they do), and the stables was great. Nice horses, not nags, and nice guides. It's too bad that a lot of the area's lodgepole pines are dead due to pine beetle, but you still enjoy the awesome views. Having electric and water in such an idyllic setting was a treat. We stayed in sites E and F which were too cool, right next to a flowering meadow. Only downside was the fact that if you needed to go to the bathroom and did not want to walk around the pond, you had to use a port-a-potty, but they were mostly kept clean and non-smelly. 4th of July at Grand Lake was incredible but know that it will be an hour or too before you actually leave town after the fireworks. Patience is important there. Try Grand Pizza in town - delish. We had to complain after first night when the reunion going on at the next site turned into Winding River-palooza into the wee hours, but security drove by at least 6 times the next night and the palooza was much quieter. Will stay here again and again. FYI - when driving up the Park road, make sure NOT to turn at the sign that says Winding River Guest Ranch - that is not the same place. Just keep driving up the dirt road We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
September 2008
$36
Good location, border of RMNP. A lot of dead and dying trees due to beetle infestation. We stayed in what was called the meadow, which was a large field with hookups. Very unlevel, but able to move forward or back in our site to level up with the help of a few blocks. Staff were very good. Plenty of wildlife opportunities, along with horseback and atv trail rides. Adjoining national forest land on rear of campground. Would stay here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a nice park, but since we need a full hook up, we had to go all the way to the back of the campground. The sites were on a a large field of grass (not paved), no shades and our site was not level but with a couple of wood block we managed to get it levelled. The staff were pretty helpful. We made a reservation for 1 night and was thinking of spending an extra night but we changed our mind. There's horse corals around the campground and if you don't need full hookup, you can get sites that are nice and shady. We spent the night there so we could go to Hot Sulphur Spring (what a bad choice) since the owner of the Hot Spring hated children, and we had 3 under the age of 5 and a 12 years old. We should have spend more time at the campground instead. We will definitely come back to Winding River again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We stayed here 4 days. Staff was extremely polite and helpful. Liked the proximity to Rocky Mountain Park and the town of Grand Lake. The park is large and it feels spread out. The only bad thing is the huge amount of beetle killed trees. The view is 50/50 brown and green. We would likely stay again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We really enjoyed this campground. It does cater to horses, and we are not horse enthusiast, but kids loved seeing all the horses around. Park offers several social activities, pancake breakfast, ice cream social, hayrides. The dirt roads were a bit annoying and dusty also dirt roads were very rough. But all things considered we enjoyed it and would stay here again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Review Rating
[ 1 / 10 ]
July 2006
$32
One of the worst campgrounds I have stayed in. Muddy horse manure filled, pot-holed roads. Broken sewer connection at my site. About 100 cigarette butts in fire ring, counter person didn't know how to access wifi (couldn't get a signal right by the office anyway), might be nice for horse people. We payed for 2 nights then decided to leave as the grounds were so muddy we couldn't sit outside, we were right next to road with big trucks hauling rocks at high speed just a few feet from our site. They would not refund our second nights fee because our reasons weren't good enough. We left anyway rather than stay in this poorly maintained place. We camped here in a Truck Camper.
WR is situated beside the Colorado River (here, just a stream). The area is heavily forested with lodgepole pines. There were moose in the meadow this morning and hummingbirds were not shy about making themselves at home on our feeder. This weekend was our 3rd time to stay at Winding River. There are horses to ride and a chuckwagon breakfast ($5/person; AYCE pancakes, sausage [$.50 extra after the first 2 links], coffee, orange juice, and mostly good company). Some sites have their own pens for horses. There are some good tent sites, and they now have a field for RV's: parking-lot style. They also have some cabins. There are two sets of restrooms, 1 on either end, and 2 laundry rooms (although 1 was not working). This made for a long walk for those folks on the middle. There was also much horse-droppings everywhere, along with the associated aroma if the wind blew just right (and it did). The camp store had a little bit of food and a few camp supplies (you had to really look for it). Now it is mostly touristy stuff: t-shirts, sweats, jackets, books, cards, trinkets, etc. The road to the site was dirt (that's ok) but very bumpy. Looks like it had not been graded this year. When we arrived and took our site, we found it barren and treeless with large ruts made by a lumber truck. The trees had been cut down winter of 2005/06. The fire ring was about 50 feet in back of the site. The 'site' was somewhat level (only had to use 2 linx blocks) but barely wide enough for our PUP with slide-out and awning. This area of Colorado has been heavily infested with the Pine Bark Beetle, which has killed millions of pines. The campground had to cut down and haul out their infested pines. This is not something they could prevent. The management told us of none of this when we made reservations (4 months inadvance),and would not move us to a more pleasant site. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
August 2005
$34
This is the second time that we have stayed here. As stated, the roads are not paved. Also, there are not many full-hook up sites and some of the water and electric sites have funky hook up. But so what. You are camping at a very large facility just outside of a Nation Park in a relatively remote part of Colorado. If you want everything fancy, stay in Estes Park. Both times we stayed in the heavily treed area northeast of the entry (Site 43 this time and 41 previously). Beautiful. Moose walked right up to the trailer in the morning. But development is encroaching along the east boaundary and next time we will move to the area of Sites 60-68. Still treed but neighbors are a little closer. The headwaters of the Colorado River run through the property so bring your fishing rod. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Intially it looked pretty good. It may be fine for families in smaller sites and horse folks. The new area for motorhomes had great views in all directions, but the dirt roads soon became irritating. Not only campers but staff drive way above the posted speed limit and dirt flies everywhere and coats everything. In addition, site maintenance is non-existent - high weeds, etc. The owners seem to be focused on horses and let the RV portion just exist. Too bad, I thought it was going to be a great place but came to hate it by end of four day stay. Others may love it. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This campground has the potential to be a really nice facility. The pot holes and dirt road are the biggest drawbacks. The sites were just open spaces in the trees with water and electric hookups. We had a beat up picnic table and a fire ring. Some of the sites are hard to locate and there is no site maintenance. Just dirt and exposed tree roots. All of this said we are going to stay there again. The site we had was quite isolated and it was like a National Forest campground in that way. Not much noise and could only see two other camp sites. We don't have an need for the other facilitys except the dump station which is at the end of a very dusty, pot hole filled dirt road. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.