You’ll find more wagons, yurts, and vintage trailers at these private campgrounds. Check social distancing regulations and head to one this summer.
Boulder Adventure Lodge, or A-Lodge, is just up Boulder Canyon from Boulder and is a combination hotel, hostel, and campground. In addition to indoor accommodations, it has four tent campsites on wood platforms built into the slope behind the main lobby, and parking spots for campervans. All guests have access to bathrooms, showers, WiFi, craft beers on tap, and pleasant common spaces and games. A-Lodge also rents decked-out Mercedes Sprinter vans as part of activity-based packages that include nights in both the van and at the lodge. a-lodge.com
Dolores River Campground, near Cortez, is a family-run oasis in southwest Colorado, the perfect stopover between the Four Corners region and the San Juan Mountains. Stay in one of 78 tent or RV sites, or a yurt, cabin, vintage trailer, or covered Conestoga wagon. Bathhouses, laundry, a large common rec hall, food trucks, and social events complete the package. doloresrivercampground.com
Platte River Fort Event Center and Campground, outside Kersey, is an unlikely location on the plains (it’s a one-hour drive to either Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park, or Cheyenne, Wyo., and only 25 miles to Pawnee National Grasslands). In addition to tent/RV sites, a covered wagon, and a furnished farmhouse, there are six onion-shaped Lotus Belle tents on a grassy bank of the South Platte River, in a lush floodplain separated from the main lodge by a 1-minute drive past a small Longhorn cattle herd. platteriverfort.com
River Run RV Resort, in Granby, opened in 2019 as a “RV, camping, cabin rental, and glamping resort,” and is one of the most modern, amenity-filled campgrounds in Colorado. There are over 400 RV, camping and vacation rental options, including covered Conestoga wagons, yurts, “adventure tents,” and fully furnished cabins with kitchens. 888-814-7202.
Echo Canyon Campground is in the Royal Gorge Region, an unsung destination with rafting and scenic trains through the Royal Gorge itself. Premium tent campsites have views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, as do the luxury wall tents and modern, multi-level “cabins.” The canvas-walled glamping tents come with queen beds, luxury linens, blankets, pillows, and towels, plus picnic tables and fire rings. royalgorgecabins.com
Cover photo by Joshua Berman
