Summer Camping 2015 | Small Home - Big Yard

Hecla Junction, AHRA

30 06 2015

Happy Independence Day! We’re bound for Ridgway State Park in southwestern Colorado. Along the way, we’ve stopped at the newly renovated Hecla Junction campground – one of six campgrounds that make up the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, a Colorado State Park. Located just north of Salida and next to the rafting pull-out for Browns Canyon, the campground offers 23 campsites in a beautiful, riverside setting. Each site offers a parking area, a graveled tent pad and a fire pit/picnic table area. There’s a vault toilet in the center of the campground next to a accessible site (#8). Access to this campground is a bit daunting, just 2.4 miles off of highway 285, there’s a short section of 12% grade. But, with school buses pulling trailers of rafts in and out all day, the dirt road is in good shape, and oiled to keep the dust down. The entrance to the camping area is unique, you traverse the boat loading zone, across the cement apron before turning into the camp sites.

Sites #1-#12 are riverside sites. We’re parked in site #9, beyond which the access road gets a bit tight, and might provide a challenge for turning, especially if those higher numbered sites were occupied. Sites #7 and #9 would be optimal for a dual-site arrangement with #7 providing very easy access. Site #3 is a 49′ foot site providing some of the best river views in the campground. Site #4 also shares this good river view. Upper sites #21/#23 would provide highest privacy and good views. After visiting Railroad Bridge and Ruby Mountain a few years ago, this campground has become our new favorite among the AHRA sites.

Tomorrow we’ll head south to Poncha Springs, make the right hand turn over Monarch Pass and be in Montrose with good friends for 1 night before moving to Ridgway State Park. More from there…

Sites #9, #10, #11

Hecla Junction Campground

Site #23

Site #21

Brown’s Canyon Pull-Out

Site #3

Site #4

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Tags: ahra, arkansas river, colorado state park, hecla junction, july 4th, salida
Categories : Summer Camping 2015

Laramie KOA

22 06 2015

We’re parked at the Laramie, WY KOA. After leaving Boysen Reservoir we traveled south through Riverton and on to Rawlins where we met I-80 to Laramie, about 250 miles total. This is a “Journey” KOA, close to the highway for an easy overnight stop. There are about 100 sites at this kampground, each with a bit of grass and maybe a small tree. The facilities are good and clean, as you’d expect for the somewhat higher price point at a KOA.

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Tags: koa, laramie, wyoming
Categories : Summer Camping 2015

Boysen State Park

20 06 2015

Upper Wind River, Site #72

We’re parked at the Upper Wind River Canyon campground at Boysen State Park in central Wyoming. After departing Glendo yesterday, it was about 3 hours across through Casper to Boysen. We along with friends are in sites #71 & #72, 2 of the 10 reservable sites in this campground. There are a total of 50 sites in this grove of cottonwood trees just below the dam. Water faucets are scattered throughout the park, but we only found one that was threaded and usable to fill our fresh water tank. There are also spotlessly clean toilet facilities.

Boysen Reservoir Dam was built around 1950, and replaced a smaller, lower dam originally built in 1908. An interesting aspect of the new dam was the relocation of an important rail line between Billings, MT and Casper, WY. Trains now traverse the canyon and dam through a 1.3 mile tunnel that runs under the bay near the marina and exits below the dam. In 1949, each mile of this unique rail line cost an estimated $1 Million. Nearly half of the entire dam building project of $28M was spent on 12 miles of rail relocation. POPULAR MECHANICS ARTICLE

On Friday afternoon as we arrive, the cotton is hanging like huge snow drifts piled in the trees. The slightest breeze made it feel as if we’re inside of a snow globe, except the “snow” was sticky and unpleasant. After sunset, the winds picked up and the cotton accumulated in sticky piles around our feet and coated many of the window screens. So sticky in fact, that a gooey mixture of cotton, leaves and small pebbles stuck in clumps to the bottom of our shoes and the outside patio carpet. Allergy sufferers were at high distress levels during these frequent “snow” storms. In fact, living up to the name “Wind River Canyon”; high, gusty winds picked up every evening between sunset and 10pm, howling well into the early morning hours.

On Saturday we decided to explore around the lake a bit, and get out of our cotton laden surroundings for a few hours. There are several water-side campgrounds near the marina just above the dam. Beyond, Tough Creek Campground provides an additional 65 camping sites, a large day use area and a boat ramp. The newest campsites, just at the end of the peninsula are completely under water due to a very wet spring in central Wyoming. However, these campsites (once dried out) appear to have an ideal lakeside location and fewer cotton wood trees. Returning to Boysen we’d like to check out sites in the upper 290’s, #295 and #296 look ideal.

After spending a somewhat sneezy 3 nights at Boysen, on Monday we’re headed home. We’ll probably make a quick overnight somewhere along the way. More from there…

Upper Wind River Canyon Campground

Boysen Resevoir

Tough Creek Campground

Upper Wind River, Site #71

Upper Wind River, Site #72

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Tags: boysen state park, wind river canyon, wyoming
Categories : Summer Camping 2015

A Quick Overnight at Lake Glendo

19 06 2015

Lake Glendo Sunset

We’re waking up in site #8, Two Moon campground at Glendo State Park. We’ve been in this cliff-side site so many times – from back with the boat, to the truck camper and now several times with the 5^th wheel. The news for Two Moon is that it has power! Recently they have added electric pedestals to about 15 sites on the outer loop. These were never premium sites because they have no lake views and are closest to the main road that crosses the dam. But, nearly all of these new power sites are full on this Thursday evening. In fact, there are only about 20% of all sites left, this place is becoming very popular. In addition to the new power sites, they have also added new water faucets scattered through the campground.

This is just a quick overnight on the way to Boysen State Park in central Wyoming – more from there over Father’s Day weekend!

Glendo Electric Sites

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Tags: glendo state park, two moon, wyoming
Categories : Summer Camping 2015

Boyd Lake State Park

6 06 2015

In a quick weekend to northern Colorado, we’re parked at Boyd Lake State Park, just east of Loveland, Co. We’ll attend a family reunion on Saturday and then make our way back home on Sunday. We’re parked in sites #148 and friends are in #146. These sites are at the opposite end of the campground from where we stayed last year. After walking the campground, we’d like to check out sites #31/#32 or #57/#58.

Site #31

Site #32

Site #57

Site #58

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Tags: boyd lake state park
Categories : Summer Camping 2015

Texas State Parks Recovering

31 05 2015

With torrential storms across Texas, by Memorial Day weekend over 50% of the Texas State Parks are reporting some amount of damage related to flooding. Over half of those parks are completely shut-down. During the early 2015 season we were at three of the parks that are reporting closures or some amount of damage.

At Bastrop State Park east of Austin, damage was severe as the earthen dam of Bastrop Lake failed and sent acres of water flowing through Copperas Creek. We were parked just along Copperas Creek on the 20th of April.

At Cedar Hill State Park just south of Dallas, not only has flooding been a problem, but there have been numerous tornadoes sighted near the park. The swimming and day-use areas have been inundated by over 13 feet of water. We camped at Cedar Hill on April 23rd.

Goliad State Park near Victoria, TX has seen rising levels of the San Antonio River, and currently have two of the tent-only campgrounds closed due to flooding. There are also several trails under water. We camped at Goliad on April 18th.

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Tags: bastrop, cedar hill, goliad, texas state parks
Categories : Summer Camping 2015

A Mundane Memorial Weekend

22 05 2015

As has become a tradition, we’re once again in Moab, UT for our “kickoff to summer” trip, this time over Memorial Day weekend. This is our 4th trip to the Moab area:

As in 2011, we’re once again parked at Horsethief Campground, a first-come, first-serve BLM area with 56 sites about 25 miles northwest of Moab. This campground wasn’t our first choice – instead we were headed to Ken’s Lake, a smaller campground of 31 sites on a small lake 10 miles south of Moab. But, even arriving early on Thursday we find all sites here full. And even at Horsethief, there were only a handful of sites available – we were lucky to find two across from each other.

Possibly it’s the disappointment that we were unable to get into Ken’s Lake, or maybe it’s the cooler weather with highs in the low 70’s, or the nearly constant threat of thunderstorms – but in all this has been a boring stay in Utah. We’re ready to find someplace new for early-season camping.

Hoosier Pass (11,542) near Breckenridge

James M Robb SP, Fruita, CO

Horsethief BLM Campground Site#34

Horsethief Coyote Pups

Horsethief BLM Campground

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Tags: blm, horsethief, memorial day, moab, utah
Categories : Summer Camping 2015

Cheyenne Mountain State Park

15 05 2015

Cheyenne Mountain State Park

Good morning from Cheyenne Mountain.

Perched on the side of the mountain that houses NORAD and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force base, this busy State Park is an urban oasis just a few miles from downtown Colorado Springs. Boasting 2700 acres, 20 miles of biking and hiking trails and 50 full service campsites along with 10 walk-in tent sites, this is one of the best State Parks Colorado has to offer.

With reservations for Friday through Sunday, we decided to arrive early on Thursday and were quite fortunate to end up in the very last site available, #36. In the northern end of Swift Puma campground, this back-in site provides views out over Ft. Carson at the base of the mountain and Colorado Springs spreading out to the north and east. This site has a fairly short and steep downhill approach that could discourage travel trailers and coaches with low ground clearance. On Friday we occupy our reserved site, #38, just on the other side of the Host site and designed with a longer and more level entrance and pad. All of the sites provide full hookups; sewer, 50/30/20 amp electric service and water. They each also have a picnic table and fire pit with a secondary water faucet.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park

All around the park are fire hoses that can be connected to the standard water taps. These secondary taps and fire hoses seem very forward thinking with the sometimes high risk of fire that can become a reality along the front range. We’re not more than a few miles from the Waldo Canyon fire that erupted in 2012 and the Black Forest fire of 2013 that destroyed nearly 500 homes making it the most destructive in Colorado history.

While we’ve been in the 5th wheel nearly 50 nights since we left for Texas in mid-March, we consider this our first trip of the 2015 summer camping season. Along with friends that are spending their first night in a new camper, we enjoy chilly nights, sunny mornings and rainy, windy afternoons and evenings at Cheyenne Mountain. But, it’s only 5 days until we head west to Moab, UT where the weather promises to be a bit more mild . More from there…