Free RV Camping -- US 34 (west of Loveland)

14,259' Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park

US 34 west of Loveland traverses the very scenic, miles-long, but very dangerous, Big Thompson River Canyon.  This was the canyon devasted by the July 1976 Big Thompson Flood and an only slightly smaller September 2013 flash flood.  I was an engineer in the Colorado Water Resources Division during the 1976 flood.  And, although retired, I volunteered with the Colorado Geological Survey in their study of the 2013 flood.  

However, this narrow canyon is also the primary gateway to Colorado's most spectacular scenic attraction--Rocky Mountain National Park.  At 12,183' above sea level in RMNP, US 34's 48-mile long Trail Ridge Road is the nation's highest US highway.  And the views of the 14,259' Longs Peak, named for the commander of the US Army's 1820 mapping expedition, from US 34 are worth multiple photos.  Because Rocky Mountain National Park is Colorado's most visited scenic attraction, US 34 deserves to be the first US highway discussed in my blog!

Of course, Rocky Mountain NP has multiple campgrounds that are very popular with visitors from all over the world.  However, this popularity means reservations many months in advance and at a premium cost.  For example, summer camping in RMNP's Moraine Park Campground was mostly booked up by March at rates from $35/night for non-hookup sites to $55/night for electric sites.  And don't forget that entrance into the park requires timed reservations between 9:00am and 2:00pm at a rate of a $2.00 reservation fee, in addition to the $30-35/vehicle park entrance fee (Free entrance for Interagency Pass holders). 

So, due to the objectives of this blog--FREE and low-cost RV camping along the mountain portions of Colorado's US highways--alternatives to pricey RMNP campgrounds and even more pricey private RV parks in Estes Park, Grand Lake, and Granby must be found.  Although there is no dispersed mountain camping along most of US 34 and no nearby BLM lands, there are US Forest Service lands and inexpensive campgrounds that will be discussed later.  One of those near Estes Park is Larimer County's Hermit Park Open Space SW of town, but just off US 36, not US 34.  The non-hookup site cost is equal to that for the RMNP non-hookup sites, but the reservations (1-800-397-7795) are generally much more readily available. 

To be perfectly frank, we haven't been to Estes Park or camped nearby in an RV in many years.  The entire east side of the park and its adjacent portions of the USFS Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest are too overrun with tourists and Front Range campers for anyone wanting to visit RMNP without huge crowds and long lines.  This is particularly true during the fall elk rut, when the town is overrun by an elk herd that fills the area around Lake Estes and creates miles-long traffic jams.

Our method of visiting RMNP is to drive I-70 and US 40 over Berthoud Pass, then US 34 from Granby to the park's West Entrance in Grand Lake.  This much less popular route also takes us right past our favorite USFS Arapaho National Recreation Area campground along US 34, Stillwater campground on the shore of massive Lake Granby.  Stillwater offers both non-hookup and electric/water, terraced, gravel campsites off paved roads with great lake and mountain views.  There are generally a few sites available during weekdays even in summer because some sites are FC-FS (non-reservable).  Rates range from $40/night ($20 for Interagency Pass holders) for non-hookup sites to $51 ($35)/night for electric/water hookup sites.  

Lake Granby and the mountains along the Continental Divide

However, there are several other nearby USFS-NRA non-hookup campgrounds that have slightly lower rates--Willow Creek Reservoir, Arapaho Bay on Lake Granby, and Green Ridge on Shadow Mountain Lake at $29 ($$14.50)/night.  All three, like Stillwater, have lake access and boat ramps, so don't forget your kayaks, canoes, and fishing tackle, with superb trout fishing added to your RMNP visit!  And the NPS Timber Creek campground in the beautiful Kawuheeche Valley, along US 34 on the west side of RMNP, is $35 ($17.50)/night.  If camped at Timber Creek, early risers may be greeted by the sight of a mama moose and her calf wading in the shallow headwaters of the mighty Colorado River.  All these USFS nightly rates still considerably beat the $75-105/night prices at the Sun Outdoors Rocky Mountains Resort in Granby.  

Enjoy your national park visit!  For additional info, see the US 40 section below, since US 34 ends in Granby at its intersection with US 40.