Looking for camping advice in Colorado

[borismkogan]

Hello. My in-laws and my family want to meet up somewhere near Grand Junction to do some rv camping and fishing. Ideally we want to stay in a state park so as to have more space around our camp sites. Need full hook ups too. Looking for lake fishing but can do stream too (not fly fish). Looking for end of July ish time frame. Any suggestions? TIA.

[High Desert]

This is the only state park camping I know of in the GJ area. Hope this helps: https://www.reserveamerica.com/campi...O&parkId=50069

[borismkogan]

Originally Posted by High Desert

This is the only state park camping I know of in the GJ area. Hope this helps: https://www.reserveamerica.com/campi...O&parkId=50069

Thank you!

[dbarr]

I think you’d be better off staying closer to Glenwood Springs.
The only thing in Grand Junction worth seeing is Colorado National Monument and that only takes a day or less to see.
My opinion of course

[HangDiver]

There's plenty of Lake fishing at Rifle Gap State Park/Campground, which isn't far from Grand Junction.

https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en...oiowCnoECAYQBg

[JohnD10]

A few miles east of Grand Junction...

Try Rifle Gap State Park.

Very awesome place!

There is a huge lake there and the Rifle River running through.

Took these there about four years ago...first campout with my then brand new truck!

[NO3putt]

James Robb state park would be a good choice and has FHUs.

[mkampling]

My 2 cents...
This is a beautiful SP. Sites are very nice, good bathrooms, beautiful area. The town is pretty too, with a nice main street feel. Unfortunately, the last few dry winters have added up and the water level was very low last fall-

Still a great area, with a couple of nice smaller state parks with waterfalls. I'd recommend, but you may have to take a drive for lakes or boats!

Kamp

[Scottnweeze]

Originally Posted by dbarr

I think you’d be better off staying closer to Glenwood Springs.
The only thing in Grand Junction worth seeing is Colorado National Monument and that only takes a day or less to see.
My opinion of course

dbarr is correct: GJ is OK, but it's not the prettiest part of the state. You're much better off near Glenwood Springs... particularly if your coming from the east, Glenwood Canyon on 70 will knock your socks off. I live about 20 minutes from GS on the Frying Pan River and it's an amazing area. Lots to explore, including Gold Medal fly fishing and some fantastic lakes and hot springs galore. Rifle Gap, as mentioned (NOT ELK CREEK!) or the KOA in Carbondale are two good choices if your looking for full hook up.

[67L48]

If you must stay in Grand Junction, then the Robb State Park is your only option for a State Park with Full Hookups. I have no experience there, so I'd recommend google.maps for some views or go over to Campsite Photos for site-by-site views.

If you go to Rifle for Rifle Gap SP, that is 70 miles. And, if you're going to do that, then keep driving right past Rifle Gap SP and settle in at Rifle Falls SP. Much nicer SP, but only has electric (no water/sewer). Trees, nice river, has the historical Rifle Falls, and a quick drive if you need to do lake fishing.

You can go a little farther to the Glenwood Springs/Carbondale area. Redstone campground is south of Carbondale. Power, no full hookups. Great river fishing. Incredibly picturesque location. You can visit Redstone Castle, too, or shoot over to Aspen. You're getting over 2 hours away from Grand Junction, though.

Alternatively, you can go south to the Montrose area and stay at Ridgway State Park. The sites on the lake are power only. There are some full hookup sites, but these are off the lake a bit, I think. This is also about 70 miles from Grand Junction. But, it's near Ouray and Telluride, both great mountain towns worth a day's visit. You are also close to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (a mini Grand Canyon), with is also worth a day's visit.

Ridgway and Rifle Falls have site-by-site photos at the same Campsite Photos site I linked to above. So, it's easy to check out those. I can also provide some pics of my experience camping there. I can share some Redstone pics, if you're interested.

If it were me, I'd head south to Ridgway SP. It's great.

Just be aware that CO jacked up our prices. Electrical sites went up by 50% ($24/night to $36/night) and the parks entrance fees went from $7 to $8/day.

Good luck.

[Scottnweeze]

...Alternatively, you can go south to the Montrose area and stay at Ridgway State Park. The sites on the lake are power only. There are some full hookup sites, but these are off the lake a bit, I think. This is also about 70 miles from Grand Junction. But, it's near Ouray and Telluride, both great mountain towns worth a day's visit. You are also close to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (a mini Grand Canyon), with is also worth a day's visit.

Could not agree more. Ridgway is in our top 5 for sure. Fills up fast however. There are three different area (we like the views from Elk Ridge), and there is a dump station right at the entrance.

[borismkogan]

Thank you all for taking the time to provide info! Tons of options and plenty to chew on to figure out where we should go! Really appreciate it and I’ll make sure to post here where we end up going! Thank you very much!

[Beachbourbon]

I’ve stayed at James Robb and really liked it. The only drawback is proximity to the highway. But of course easy to get to and easy to get on your way. We stayed in late August, and it was typical Colorado weather: cold and wet.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by Beachbourbon

I’ve stayed at James Robb and really liked it. The only drawback is proximity to the highway. But of course easy to get to and easy to get on your way. We stayed in late August, and it was typical Colorado weather: cold and wet.

Typical weather for August in Colorado is hot and dry...even in the mountains.

[CoMaddMax]

With the occasional afternoon thunder storm!

[67L48]

I'm assuming the cold/wet comment was sarcasm.

I'm going to make another plug for Ridgway. It's about 6 hours drive from where I live, which is too bad, because I really like it out there. In CO, you often have to choose between treed/forested camping and open/barren camping at a lake. Meaning, if you want reservoir/lake access, it often comes at the price of high-plains style camping. My personal preference is trees.

Ridgway is nice because it's a huge reservoir with all of those amenities -- water sports, swim beaches, fishing, scenery. But, it also has trees. Not tall pine trees. They are more shrubby juniper types, but they offer shade and privacy.

I've attached a few pictures to help you get a feel for the look of this campground. I added one of the swim beach and one of the overlook that was about 40 yards from my site.

I definitely prefer the tall pine forest camping, but I still really like Ridgway. I find the tree cover to be acceptable. The swim beach is a car ride, not a walk, from the sites, but still easy to access.

Good luck.

[CedarCreekWoody]

I also recommend Ridgway. Great place to fly fish too. Was a bit hotter than I expected in afternoon, but very enjoyable.

[Beachbourbon]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

Typical weather for August in Colorado is hot and dry...even in the mountains.

When we went through in 2014 it was cold and wet. We were surprised, and asked about it at a rest stop, at Hops & Pie in Denver, at Copper Mountain and grand junction. Everyone told us it was typical, so we believed them and that’s where we got this incorrect information. Sorry about that.

I’m glad to know we can add Colorado back to our camping plans! All this time we have been avoiding it, and i have been planning how to avoid it next summer on our USA trip. Wow.

[borismkogan]

Thanks everyone again for helping us out. Ridgway it is assuming we can book a couple of spots. Looks like they allow bookings within 6 months of arrival date so I gotta wait a few more weeks before I can lock this in. Appreciate everyone's input! Will provide an update on our adventure....

[fanrgs]

Ridgway SP does have FHU sites, but they are all in the campground below the dam. River fishing there, but you have to drive around on the highway to get to the lake or have any views. Like the others, Ridgway is our favorite Colorado SP, but we always stay at the Elk Ridge cg.

We have stayed a number of times at James Robb in Fruita and at Rifle Falls. We like both, but prefer Ridgway due to its proximity to Ouray and Telluride, the jeeping co-capitals of Colorado.

For more info on other campgrounds, not-to-miss sights, and possible routes, see my Colorado camping blog HERE.