next april, i'll hit 62 and be able to get the lifelong national park pass. i'll also retire then too. I've been researching Colorado as i've heard that there's camping everywhere. the problem is the national park website is very vague at best. what i am looking for is national park campgrounds with showers, in colorado. if anyone has names of national parks that i can research, that woulkd help me out! i'm planning june of 2015, posibly july too depending on weather, money fun factor...
No advice on the campgrounds, but be aware that the Parks Pass only gives you free admission into the Parks or any other federal lands that have an admission fee. It gives you no discounts on camping.
If your interested in Rocky Mountain National Park between Estes Park and Grandby You would be best to make reservations for June, July, August, their camping can fill up fast . Go to their website and check it out. The place is jumping with people, most never leave the asphalt. Great hiking, sightseeing . There are many campgrounds nearby the park. There is National Forest land nearby that you can primitive camp for free(no water, electric or bathroom). it's snowed there into mid June however Trail Ridge Road is usually open(no promises) the first week of June.
National Park CG Forest Service CG BLM CG Plus some other Federal type CG. These Campgrounds are generally half price with your Senior Park Pass but not all there are some exceptions I believe. Admittance to the Parks are generally free with the Senior Pass My experience is that National Park CG usually have showers. And out west, where I live, most Forest Service CG are minamalist and do not have showers. Most often they just have pit toilets and drinking water.... but they are cheap. .
We just camped 2 days ago in the Chaco Canyon National (Historic?) Park. With my annual inter-agency pass the entrance was free and camping was 1/2 off.
Rocky Mountain National Park is the only national park in Colorado. Moraine Park Camp Ground is on the Estes Park side of Trail Ridge Rd. Estes Park is a bustling, busy place in the summer with tourists. I believe Moraine Takes reservations for part of the camp ground, first come first served for the rest. On the Grand Lake side is Timber creek camp ground. They had to clear cut the trees several years ago because of beetle kill. I don't think they take reservations there. Grand Lake can be very busy as well during tourist season. There are lots of accommodations on both sides of the Park. From dispersed camping to a variety of organized camp grounds, to some pretty nice motels. It's not Aspen or Vail or any kind of disaster like that with 5 star hotels etc, but still pretty touristy. There is a commercial hot springs with motel roughly 30 miles from Grand Lake called Hot Sulpher Springs. While Trail Ridge rd isn't the highest rd in North America (Mesquito Pass is) it is the highest paved road that doesn't dead end. Grand Lake is the largest "natural" body of water in the state, the rest are man made. I think it is also the deepest at about 300 ft. The water flows through a tunnel to Estes Park and down to the overcrowded cities along the front range. P.S most national park campgrounds fill up early in the day, sometimes as early as noon.
You are correct that with the Senior pass, the campgrounds and other amenities are generally half price. I didn't know that because this is the first year that we have had the Senior pass, and we never had discounts on the camping before that! So Yay!
Admission is free to national parks but the Forest Service charges half price for admission to some areas both in Georgia and Florida. This may have to do with concessionaires or recreation areas. National park and forest service campgrounds are half price. Campgrounds and lodging operated by a concession may not be. Mesa Verde is the first example of a concessionaire operated campground that comes to mind. I stayed in a forest service campground and while the high end sites (they had electric hook ups) were full, I did upgrade to a site with running water. It cost $6.00. The pass paid for itself the first time I used it at the St Augustine fort. I got a refund of admission fee and only paid for the pass. It was cheaper. National forests allow primitive camping in most areas with rules about distance from established campground, roads and maybe creeks. I worked one summer at Rocky Mountain and while I did some plumbing at the western campground, do not remember for certain if there were showers in the bathrooms. I seem to remember a hot water heater so it is possible. At Mesa Verde National park, another Colorado National Park, the showers are located outside the campground at the store and require maybe a quarter to turn on. Water is scarce in the west and even some commercial campgrounds do not have showers.
Can't believe I forgot about Mesa Verde. Not 62 yet so can't get the pass. but we buy the annual parks pass and get our use out of it. The thing that really pisses me off is that you can take 9 people in your van for one price. But the pillion has to pay extra on your bike!
Van vs. bike makes no sense? My senior card gets flashed as I/we go in, that's it. As for camping in CO; camp where you want in CO-some of the best campgrounds sure are not in the only NP (except when backpacking), so camp in many various other spots, then go to town every so often and shower at the laundromat before eating real food-or in a "private sunny rock spot" in a stream while hiking.
you guys have been a great help. no wonder i could only find reference to one national park in colorado! my plan is all next june, giving me a year to plan it.
Really? I've never experienced that, I use the annual pass and have never had to pay for my passenger.
Same here. We've been using the Parks Passes for about 5 years and have never had to pay extra for me as a passenger.
I rarely ride with a passenger on the back. The only times I have had to pay extra for them. http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/entrance-fees.htm So $20 per car load of people, Bicycles, pedestrians, MORTORCYCLES, $10 PER PERSON!
But with an annual Pass, it's different. Here is a quote directly from the Parks Pass site: What about motorcycle drivers who purchase an Annual Pass? An Annual Pass permits entrance for two motorcycles IF the two people who sign the pass arrive at the same time on two motorcycles, regardless of the number of people on each motorcycle.
ON Forest service and BLM land you can camp anywhere for free outside of campgrounds, trail heads and parks and monuments.. Of course the shower part is missingÂ… LOL
