Colorado’s renowned camping spots are in high demand, and securing your preferred campsite requires strategic planning. While it may feel premature to be thinking about summer adventures, national parks and forests, as well as state parks, open their campground reservations six months in advance…which means you need to book NOW to have a spot for this summer.
Travel + Leisure recommends the following as some of the best campgrounds in the state:
- Moraine Park Campground, Rocky Mountain National Park
- South Rim Campground, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
- Piñon Flats Campground, Great Sand Dunes National Park
- Fisherman’s Paradise Campground, Sylvan Lake State Park
- Silver Bell Campground, Maroon Bells Scenic Area
- Morefield Campground, Mesa Verde National Park
- Chatfield State Park Campground
- Mueller State Park Campground
- Oasis RV Resort & Cottages, Curecanti National Recreation Area
- Twin Peaks Campground, Twin Lakes
National parks and forests book reservations through recreation.gov, and state parks are accessed through the Colorado Parks and Wildlife camping website. There are other options for booking campsites – such as HipCamp.com for private campsites – or dispersed camping, where you set up your tent outside of a designated campground on land that is specifically for this purpose.