Leadville, Colorado - Halfmoon Campground

I learned my lesson on this trip about how important it is to reserve your campsite in advance. We naively assumed we would be able to find a place to camp on the way to Leadville. Unfortunately, every campground we came to, off the main highway, was full. In retrospect, this should not have been a big surprise for the middle of summer. By the time we found a site, it was well past dark, and we had to travel on some rough gravel roads to get there. The campground we found, called Halfmoon, was fairly remote, and had no amenities except an outhouse, but to our relief, there were many empty sites.

Leadville, North America's highest incorporated city, is a great destination and offers many activities for all ages. The scenery alone is enough to make you keep coming back. We enjoyed a relaxing drive around beautiful Turquoise Lake, just minutes from town. During the summer, Leadville operates an open air tourist train that runs along the top of the valley. The trip lasts about 2 1/2 hours and provides endless photo opportunities.

Downtown Leadville offers many options for antique shopping, visits to old fashion ice cream and fudge shops, and dining at a variety of restaurants and cafes. If you are interested in more athletic activities, Leadville also has sports and bike rentals. Also, hot showers can be found at the local laundromat on the main road into town.

Grand Lake, Colorado

This was the first of many camping trips to the Grand Lake area of Colorado, and getting there was half the fun. We crossed the Continental Divide and saw some of the most spectacular scenery in Colorado, including a moose that was just hanging out alongside the highway. The drive took us up and over Berthoud Pass and through the ski village of Winter Park.

Grand Lake is an ideal summer destination and offers a wide range of activities including hiking, camping, and boating. At the end of the day, relax along the waters edge and enjoy watching the sail boats drift by and the sunlight sparkle off the pristine mountain water. Grand Lake marks the western entrance to beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park, making this area the perfect destination for summer outdoor activities, as well as a base for day trips into the Park to view wildlife such as moose, elk, deer, and big horn sheep.

There are several RV campgrounds in the area, both private and State run. One of our favorites is Stillwater campground which sits directly on scenic Lake Grandby, just 7 miles south of the village of Grand Lake. This campground offers hot showers and many sites with both water and electrical hookups. There are no sewer hookups at the sites, but there is a dumpstation conveniently located at the campground. Camping amenities and groceries are just a short 10 minute drive into Grand Lake.

The views at Stillwater Campground are unbeatable as many sites are close to the water's edge or up on a hill that overlooks the campground and lake surrounded by the colorful Rocky Mountains. Visitors should be aware, though, that this area of Colorado has been one of the hardest hit by the devastating effects of the bark pine beetle. Vast areas of the surrounding forest are dead and dieing, leaving the hillsides covered with rusty colored pine trees. Many campgrounds, including Stillwater, have had to cut down most of their pine trees. Perhaps the only benefit this has provided is that there are more unhindered views of Lake Grandby, but at the same time, shaded camp sites can be hard to come by.

The town of Grand Lake still retains the charm of the Old West with its boardwalks and friendly atmosphere. Curio shops, restaurants, and ice cream parlors line both sides of the main street. Visitors have many entertainment options for the whole family including a community theater, boat rentals, swimming, putt-putt golf, bike and canoe rentals, and horseback riding.

If You Go:

Stillwater campground is approximately 100 miles Northwest from Denver, which is a scenic drive over the Continental Divide that will take approximately 2 to 2.5 hours. Roads are paved and well maintained and will accommodate even the largest RVs. Note, however, there are steep grades and hairpin switchbacks that require extra driving care.

Reservations are recommended, and they can be made through the recreation.gov website which also features an interactive campground map. Camping fees include: $19 (basic campsite), $22 (campsite near lakeshore), $24 (campsites with water and electrical hookups), $36 (double site). This campground is within a National Recreation Area, which has an entry fee in addition to the camping fees. Passes can be purchased on site and are one day ($5), three day ($10), week ($15) or annual ($30).

Kelly Dahl Campground

We camped at the Kelly Dahl Campground just south of Nederland, Colorado, for two nights. It is conveniently located close to Nederland for groceries and a few restaurants, and also close to Central City for gambling and dining buffets.

There is no electricity or water/sewer hook-ups at this campground, but the sites are surrounded by trees and well spaced. All-in-all, it is a great location that is easy to get to and that has convenient access to outdoor adventure like hiking, fishing, and 4-wheeling. If you are looking for something a little different from what an ordinary camping trip might offer, the diversion of the Central City slot machines and more dining options are just a short distance away too.

Rocky Mountain National Park - Moraine Park Campground

This is the 4th trip in the T@B, and we camped in Rocky Mountain National Park at the Moraine Park Campground. We arrived late, but fortunately we were able to find a spot because the T@B trailer is so small. All other "regular sized" sites were taken. We would have been out of luck, and, as they say, very unhappy campers if we had not found a spot.

It is still early in the season, so we are really appreciating the convenience of a heater - especially in the mountains at night. We hiked around Bear Lake, shopped and ate in Estes Park, and found a place in town to take hot showers.

It is beautiful this time of year in the Park. The crowds are absent and the scenery is magnificent, but, take a jacket -there is still snow on the ground in some places.

Garden of the Gods - Colorado Springs, CO

We spent two nights at the Garden of the Gods campground and toured the Colorado Springs area. We took in an antique glass show in Castle Rock, shopped the outlet malls, and visited an old theater in downtown Colorado Springs. One night we attended a chorale performance at a local church. This particular campground offers many amenities including full hook ups, swimming, and organized activities during the summertime, and it is located within city limits for convenient access. However, the sites are very close together, and you really get to know your neighbors whether you want to or not :-). Although it is a very nice and clean urban camping facility, it isn't the type of campground for folks who would rather be camping out in the middle of the forest.

The highlight for me was standing in the shadow of Pikes Peak and photographing the beautiful and odd-shaped, giant red rocks in the Garden of the Gods. So much to do and see in this area - we will definitely be coming back.

Estes Park - National Parks Retreat Campground

Anxious to get the trailer out on its first real camping trip, we took it to the National Parks Retreat Campground in Estes Park. It was early in the season, so we had most of the campground to ourselves. [Note: Since posting this entry, the National Parks Retreat Campground no longer offers camping]

It was only mid march and cold outside at night, so we spent the evenings inside playing board games and eating jiffy pop popcorn. One night we ordered a pizza delivered to our door, which was a fun and novel experience for us in a camper.

Estes Park is right on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park and many wild animals wander through the campground. We saw many herds of elk and deer this weekend.

What a fun little camper this is! It was a great trip, great fun, and we can't wait until the next one.

Making it Fit

Call me cheap, but I hate having to pay a monthly storage fee to have my brand new camper sit outside in the sun, snow, rain, and wind.

Although I knew it was a few inches too tall, I wanted to see if I could get the camper to fit in my garage (7' opening) by taking the wheels off and sliding it in on modified tire skates.

After much measuring and checking, and carefully lowering the trailer onto the skates, I slowly pushed it into the garage with just a fraction of an inch to spare. Once inside, the tires were put back on and the trailer was nice and cozy in its new home. Mission accomplished!

After I got the hang of it, I got to the point where I could move it in or out of the garage in about a half hour or so. I figured it was worth the effort, but, to be perfectly honest, by the end of the season, this exercise got really old.