One of the best things about camping is all of the options you have. There are fancy RV resorts charging over $100 per night for amazing views and amenities, as well as secluded spots in the woods where all you get is what you brought with you.
Types of Camping
All of my camping experience has been in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. If you live in other areas of the world, your experiences may be different. In the American Southwest, you have a few options for camping:
- Established campgrounds with amenities
- National and state park campgrounds
- Established camping in national forests or BLM lands
- Dispersed camping
- Primitive camping
They all have their pros and cons, and I go over these options in more detail.
Places I’ve Been
I’ll do a review of everywhere I camp, so use the map below to find locations.
Blog Posts about Camping Places
St. Vrain State Park May 2, 2018 - We stayed for a three-day weekend at St. Vrain State Park. A weekend spent camping is almost always better than a weekend at home, but we definitely didn’t pick good camping sites. A satellite view of the park makes it seem like the sites right next to one of the biggest ponds would be the […]
First of 2018: Jackson Lake State Park March 25, 2018 - We planned our first camping trip of 2018 six months ago, and it was finally here. There was always a chance we’d need to cancel because of snow but we got lucky. The roads were dry and there wasn’t any snow to be found on the plains for the entire trip, and then it snowed […]
Planning Ahead November 23, 2017 - You may shake your head and laugh, but I’ve already booked camping for April and May of 2018. Why so far in advance? Because spring is only six months away. A Year of Colorado State Parks 2018 will be my Year of Colorado State Parks. I’m going to get a State Parks Pass for the […]
Boyd Lake State Park October 30, 2017 - I bought my new motor home in Dallas on September 22nd, 2017, where I camped for a couple of nights Nyree, a friend who has moved there from Colorado. It was so nice to spend some time with her again. Then, I drove it to Amarillo to camp for a week and work. Then I […]
Ouray KOA September 14, 2017 - Sometimes, the light bulb that illuminates over your head when you realize something is so bright it’s blinding. This trip to Ouray was one of those times, for me. The campground was awesome, and I had a nice spot at the end of a row with open woods nearby. That was on a Thursday. On […]
Jumbo Campground August 16, 2017 - Now this is the life! As we were pulling away at the end of a week on Grand Mesa, we already couldn’t wait to come back. The mesa is a huge expanse of trees and lakes above Grand Junction, and the scenery is so different and cool. There are a lot of campgrounds, and the […]
High Country RV Park October 18, 2016 - We wanted to explore Uncompahgre National Forest, and Naturita was right where we wanted to have home base. But it’s a small town, and there aren’t many options. High Country RV Park was our best bet. It’s a vast, dry location with big spots. There is plenty of room between them. The owner is very […]
Sylvan Lake State Park September 13, 2016 - This is one of my favorite camping experiences so far. Sylvan Lake State Park is a few miles into the wilderness south of the town of Eagle, Colorado, featuring a gorgeous lake with mountains all around it. The campground is next to the lake, and my friends and I all found fantastic sites. There is […]
Lake George Cabins and RV Park August 16, 2016 - We had Lake George on our To-Do List for many years, but when we were looking for places to camp it proved to be difficult. We wanted a centrally located park near gas stations, and options were limited. We ended up at the Lake George Cabins and RV Park next to the highway. This wasn’t […]
Buena Vista KOA September 27, 2015 - I’ve had the pleasure of staying at the Buena Vista KOA a couple times. The first time, I was in a Kabin that overlooked the valley below. You had to walk around it to get to the door that faced away from the rest of the campsite, and the patio was there with a nice […]
