We had to rate this a eight based on location right outside the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, the mountain views, and the friendly work campers who checked us in with smiles and jokes and filled us in on useful local info. The campground itself shows neglect of a onetime very nice facility. The dinky pool was closed but looked liked it needed a lot of long deferred maintenance. Sites were eroded and uneven gravel with slope impacted weedy side yards. If you plan on spending most of the time away visiting Rocky Mountains National Park this is best choice from a very bad selection Estes commercial campgrounds. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Typical campground with gravel roads in large sloped field. Very helpful staff. Guided to campsite. Plenty of space between sites. Excellent view of Longs Peak from site F15. Tall pine trees in row F. Laundromat was very clean, large and inexpensive. Herd of Elk wandered through campgrounds one evening - rut season. Conveniently located near Rocky Mountain National Park Beaver Meadows entrance. Acceptable WiFi reception at site F15 with two antenae in campground. Camped with a 34' 5th wheel. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Review Rating
[ 5 / 10 ]
August 2008
$48
Where's the elks? From their website, you would think that elks everywhere in the campground. Wrong, we didn't see any elks in the area except at the RMNP. Good location but that's it. This is basically a big dirt parking lot. Yes, it would accommodate any size of rig but it's on a gentle hill. Extra kid? that would be $5 per night. Want 50amp? $3.50 extra. Cable is $2.50. We stayed four nights and the bill adds up quickly. If you stay in a tent, you get a fire pit but not for an RV site. What is the logic to that? The only thing we like is the heated pool, but it was so crowded during the summer. We camped here in a Motorhome.
First the positives: This campground is right outside the gates of the Rocky Mountain National Park. The campsites are long and relatively level with a reasonable amount of space between them. The view of the surrounding mountains is very beautiful. The bathrooms and the swimming pool are clean. Now the negatives: This campground is on the side of a hill, and there is no shade. My biggest complaint is that they advertised WiFi service and didn't provide it. If it weren't for this, I would have given eight stars, but since they advertised Wifi and didn't provide it, they only get five stars. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is basically a big field you park in with dirt roads, not even gravel. Any car driving through the park, stirred up a cloud of dust that floated through your campsite. The WiFi didn't work, the bathrooms were below average, and the bathroom/showers in the back were uni-sex. It is in a great location right by the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, and it has some nice views of the nearby mountains. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Best location for visiting Rocky Mountain National Park if you are not staying in the park. The front office seemed very hassled during our visit. They were having problems with the Wi-Fi and were very tired of answering questions. The sites are large enough for any rig. While the parking area is fairly level, the sides of the sites slope very badly, almost dangerous to walk on after dark. Easy in and out for any size rig. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Pretty much agree with last posted comments except that there is not a charge for the TV. If you have a 5er with back window as for Row G; then you get a great view of Long's Peak. Laundry is excellent. Lots of activities. Roads could use some improvement but no real big deal. The WiFi is terrible -- you are on and off and on and off. However, this is the best park in Estes. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We have stayed in this park before and it is our preferred park in the Estes Park area. Our rate ($43) reflects the Good Sam rate during peak season -- and it would be more for 50amp service or cable TV (check the web site). On the positive side -- The sites are further apart than the other RV parks, and that is the main reason we stay here. We have a 33' 5th Wheel and this is the easiest RV park to navigate, and there is plenty of room for larger rigs. The pool and hot tub are clean and well kept. The staff is friendly and helpful, and lead you to your site. The showers/bathrooms next to the pool are clean (there is another set up the hill that we didn't check out). This is the closest RV park to the Rocky Mtn National Park entrance. On the negative side -- Some of the sites are getting uneven and some have erosion which require more than "normal" leveling. Except for one row of sites, all sites are out in the open and therefore subject to the wind and dust. The wireless was very spotty -- ok at times but with numerous dropouts so as to make it very frustrating to use. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Read other reviews. I specifically asked about wifi before reserving. When we booked in, no mention was made of the fact that wifi was not operating nor had it been for some time. We really, really needed wifi for business. Not happy, should have informed us before check in as we would have gone elsewhere. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
The best thing about this park is that it is the closest park to the entrance to Rocky Mountain NP at Estes Park. Despite advertising the availability of wifi, I was told when we checked in on Sunday that it was not working. I was told that it would be fixed on Tuesday. I asked at the office on Tuesday morning and was told it would be fixed Tuesday or Wednesday. It still was not working when we left on Thursday. Obviously, wifi is not a priority item with this park's management. The park is built on the side of a hill. An attempt was made to level the individual campsites, but ours was not level. It seemed that each site was also occupied by a ground squirrel den. The squirrels were enjoyable to watch. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We were here at the end of the season, so most of the park's facilities were closed. There’s not much grass in the park - it was very windy and we felt like we were in a dust bowl. However, the park is located next door to the entrance of Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. The sites are gravel and ours was level, the cable and wifi worked great. The staff was very friendly and helpful and we were escorted to our site. The laundry room had plenty of washers and dryers and the cost was very reasonable. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is our second visit here, not a bad little campground! We did have some reservation problems, we booked a specific site several months in advance, but were put in a different spot on arrival. When I complained, they said it was all they had. No individual fire pits, but we could use our propane campfire. Was a bit windy, so be aware of leaving your awning out. Mini golf was fun as was the pool area. This place needs a little more staff supervision. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Park is at entrance to Rocky Mountain Park. Roads and sites are gravel. Good cable TV and WiFi. Nothing fancy, but excellent entry point to Park. Very helpful staff. We camped here in a Motorhome.
There is a reason why this campground is named Elk Meadows; that’s exactly what it is. The campground sits on a mountain meadow, however, there’s not much grass in most of the Rockies, so don’t get your hopes up. However, we saw elk in and around the campground just about every evening, so be careful when you are driving through the area. The park is located at the edge of Estes Park and it’s next door to the entrance to RMNP. The sites are gravel and ours was level, as were the three others traveling with us. The staff was very friendly and helpful, we were escorted to our sites, we were all parked together and the cable TV and WiFi worked great. After looking at most of the other campgrounds in the area, if you have a big rig, this is just about the only one in the area that will work. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this campground, which has a beautiful setting at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park. We had a gorgeous view out the window of our 5th wheel. We had a spacious pull-thru in the "G" row, which is on the west side of the park. Not all sites were as spacious. There was very little road noise and it was extremely quiet at night. The staff was friendly and efficient. Guests are escorted to their sites. We did not use the 50 amp, WiFi, Cable TV or the restrooms so cannot comment on those amenities. The pool and spa were closed and we did not ask why. We would return. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This park was very close to the entrance to the RMNP and had great views. There was a bit of elaboration on their website as to exactly what the campground offered. "Perks Coffee Bar" was just expensive cups of coffee you added your own sugar/creamer to, the ice cream and snack shoppe were donuts and a chest freezer with ice cream sandwiches etc. We spent a week there and hoped to sit in the hot tub at least one night due to the walking/hiking we were planning to do, but the hot tub was not functioning and had not been functioning for a while (and was never repaired during our week long stay). The kids enjoyed the mini-golf, small arcade and pool. We are accustomed to space in between our sites and this campground offered no space and no grass. We traveled with another family and when they opened their slide out and we opened our awning we were touching each other. The campsites are gravel and extremely tight, NO campfires, (except in the tent sites), only reason I can figure is because there would be a domino effect if one camper caught fire. I would not recommend this campground if you don't want to know your neighbors well and had planned on spending any time at the campsite, it's basically a place to sleep at night. There is a $2 a day cable charge and also a $2 per person charge if you have more than 2 people in your camper. We spent over $400 for 8 nights. We did find the staff to be friendly and helpful. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
View is spectacular, pull throughs are long and level, great base camp for doing the Rocky Mountain National Park and other activities around Estes Park CO. WIFI seems to work well, cable has a good picture. The only drawback is that access roads are dirt, but they are wide, 2 units can pass on each road, you don't see that in many places and sites are gravel that really could be redone. Infrequent trees, this is a sun spot. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We love the location, but the sites are not shady, they sit right out in the open. They are very busy though, as they are close to RMNP and Estes Park. Their wifi leaves something to be desired. We were right across the road from the bathroom where the antenna was located, and still had trouble getting connected. The pool is nice as well as the lodge. Think they take advantage though by charging $4/nite extra for over two people in the rv, and extra for 50 amp service. This is getting to be more common and I don't think it's right. You pay for a site with water, sewer and electricity. Most motels don't charge extra for your kids. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
The view of the Rocky mountains is great from most every site. The camp ground is a dump. Very tight and uneven sites, our door faced our neighbor's door and the electric, water and cable were between us. About 5 feet behind us was another RV. We made our reservations about 2 months ahead for 3 campers together and that didn't happen. The staff doesn't know the difference between 30 and 50 amp service or, don't care. The buildings seem to be in good repair but no attention is being given to the RV sites as they are going down hill in more ways than one. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We stayed here 3 nights and then moved to Colorado Springs, wished we'd stayed longer here. The kids loved the heated pool, horseshoes and the lodge for the ice cream. It was too dry to allow campfires, but the campground has a nightly fire by the office, great time to visit with other campers. We camped here in a Motorhome.
The park is in a great location - at the entrance to Rocky Mt. National Park. It is a large, well-run campground at the foot of the mountains on the outskirts of Estes Park, CO. There are a couple of shady sites, but most are in the sun. The hot-tub was not operational while we were there ("waiting for parts"), but the pool was nice and well used. The staff were very helpful and available. Evening programs (slide shows, music, karaoke, bingo, etc.) are provided almost every night. The city has a shuttle which stops at the campground and drops off most places in Estes Park. Restrooms are clean and well stocked. Many pull throughs and easily maneuverable by big rigs - most unit there were large motorhomes and fifth wheels, with a few smaller units and tents. The only complaint was that the WiFi was "hit or miss", available in the morning while in our rig, yet later in the day, one would have to go near the office and make the connection. We would gladly return to Elk Meadows. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
My wife and I are fairly new to the RV world. I wish all the campgrounds we have stayed at were of this caliber. The staff was pleasant and the facility was clean and well kept. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This campground is in a great location. Close to Rocky Mountain National Park, close to Estes Park for shopping. The staff is so helpful and professional. Pool, bathrooms, showers, grounds are all spotless and well maintained. From our experience, you can disregard the previous review regarding the bad roads. Yes, they are gravel. Yes, the facility is designed into a hill. We experienced a moderate rain one night while we were there and it was evident that the rain did create some small ruts and erosion in the roads. Within hours the next morning a park staff person had regraded all of the roads with a small tractor and the roads were in great shape by noon. I was impressed. We camped here as a family and loved it. Except for spoty wifi(which they are working to improve) you can't go wrong here. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Even though it was rather expensive, we spent several days in this park because it was the only one we could easily get our 40' motorhome into. The sites ARE close together and are in a terrace formation so you have a rig above and below you. When it rains, and it rains every day, whatever is in the site above you ends up in your site. Also, if the people below you are partying, it is like they are in your bedroom. The roads are very bad and that is because of the rain. The entire campground is on a huge slope and the water rushes down through the campground. One storm washed out a ditch 3' wide and 2' to 3' deep all the way down our row behind our rig. We could not have crossed it if we had to leave. The campground crew filled in the ditch which I'm sure washed out during the next storm. This problem has to be addressed with culverts or something. The sites were level. The pool was rather cool, but the hot tub was very nice. In the office they said they always have a problem with their WiFi and we were never able to connect. Some people took their laptops to the rec. room to connect, but the campground is very large and you shouldn't have to carry your laptop to the office if "free WiFi" is advertised. We would camp here again because it is the only park we can fit into in the area. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Big park but sparse terrain. Located on a sandy and rocky hillside. No shade trees on our side. Nice pool and playground. Laundry facilities clean enough and maintained and regulated (process kept moving on a busy day). Park offers evening entertainment that we did not participate in. Propane filling available. Management had some difficulty in helping with a request to change sites one over beside friends but eventually did work out. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
While this campground has beautiful views, it has, without a doubt, the worst streets and roads I have seen in 35 years of camping. The "streets" are not gravelled but are nothing but dirt and sand. The streets have huge ruts and washouts, and ditches run in front of many of the pull through sites. It appears that erosion is wasting away the streets but they are doing nothing about it. You could break an axle in this place quite easily. The wi-fi is useless. It reaches very few sites yet they claim they have wi-fi. Not true. Not a good place, but it could be with some work! We camped here in a Motorhome.
I have read previous reviews and disagree with the negative posts. My husband and I found ourselves in need of a campsite as the one I had booked at another campground was too small for our 29 foot fifth wheel. The staff at Elk Meadows was incredibly helpful and accommodating in every aspect of our stay. Yes, the roads are gravel (or dirt) however, it appears this area of Colorado at this time of the year was suffering a drought and it certainly wasn't the campground's fault that the area was dusty. I found the sites to be large enough and I would certainly not call it "rig-to-rig" close. The campground which we could not get into was "rig-to-rig" close. This was not. The views were reason we came to this part of the country and we were not disappointed. I would definitely come back again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
The folks running the park seemed a little "stand-offish". Don't know if they were tired, or had a long season or what. Site they gave us on Row G, was just dirt. They claimed it was premium. We requested a site across the road with a large pine tree, and it seemed to really put them out. Dog policy is very strict, but not enforced. Our dog on a leash 100% of the time, while others roamed freely. The extra charges for 50 amp, or cable TV a little insulting. $1.25 for a can of soda seemed a little high. However, probably the best area to stay since the competition was not close. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is a very nice RV Park. A little on the expensive side but about average for this area. The sites are large and level. We had ample room and did not see any sites where it would be difficult to put out an awning as indicated by a previous review. Also, the playground equipment looked new. This is the closest RV park to the Beaver Meadow entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park; easy to get into and out of. There are not very many trees, which we like because we have satellite TV and Internet. Most sites have a great view of the mountains. The people working here were very friendly and helpful. We will stay here again the next time we come back. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Elk Meadow campground is just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park. It was very clean, and staff was friendly and helpful. The activities and ice cream social was entertaining. The campground also offers Sunday morning bible reading which was nice for someone who doesn't know the area. From our site we could see the mountains with the eagles flying over it, which for us created a very relaxing time. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Very nice view from any campsite in campground. Restrooms and showers were very clean, nice and friendly people running the place. My biggest complaint is the size of each campsite and the lack of shade. It pretty much looks like a used rv dealership. No room to put out an awning. But the pool was brand new and very nice. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We arrived in early June when the weather wasn't great. The campground wasn't ready for summer visitors and there wasn't anyone around. The facilities are in good condition and the one staff person we met was very nice. Our biggest problem was the playground. It is in terrible condition and even had broken glass on the ground. We will not go back to this park because of the horrible playgrouund. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Don't be fooled by the photos, this campground is basically a grass parking lot, with rv's parked end to end and row by row. I guess you can see the mountains if you get away from your camper and walk to the end of the road. Sites are fairly close together; you can see into your neighbor's rig if you look out the window. Sparse, young trees. Staff kind of friendly but did not seem to like kids, were rather uppity. It was too cold in June to use the pool, but it looked nice. Very clean and nice laundry facilities. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Very close to RMNP entrance and a nice place to stay. Good pet walk area. Pretty muck open ground with fairly level gravel sites. Very nice people and a good view of the mountains from some sites. Sort of dusty though as the interior roads are gravel/dirt. Elk walk thru frequently. I would stay there again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 7 / 10 ]
1999
$23
A pretty nice campground, nice level spots with plenty of space between spots. Some limited shade, but pretty much open space. Can sometimes be susceptible to wind, but not as bad as other locations in Estes Park. Nice clean restrooms, well kept. Not much of a playground for the kids. Meeting hall available for large groups. There's a separate area for tenters, and you will likely see a lot of Elk in the campground! Staff is very friendly. Looks like they had a swimming pool at one time, but it has since been filled in -- too bad -- that would really add to this campground. We camped here in a 1999`
.
This was the closest RV park to the Rocky Mountain National Park, and therefore get a lot of business. It advertises itself as a "RV Resort" but I'm not sure why. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the park had reasonable amenities. However, the grounds were not very well cared for. Their was a poor excuse for grass growing randomly around the sites and it had not been cut recently. The roads in the park are dirt, and therefore any slight bit of traffic creates a dust cloud inside the RV. The sites were fairly level, but sparse gravel made them uneven to walk on. The sites are built on a terraced hill so many of the sites are very narrow. I had a site in the "A" row and there was not enough room to put a chair out next to the RV without being on the slope up to the next RV. When my awning was extended it was literally an inch from the next RV. It was close to the town and close to the National Park, but by no means a "Resort". The office wanted to charge me a premium if I wanted 50 amp service, and to hook up to the park cable. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Clean and friendly! Pancakes($) every AM, ice cream($) every PM. Free shuttle to many places including RMNP. Nice laundry facilities and wifi worked great. Beautiful setting. Staff knowledgeable and eager to answer all questions. Only downside is tight fit for some campers. Would return and highly recommend. We camped here in a Motorhome.
I gave them a 6 because of the positive attitude of the newer owners. Very nice people. The park itself is a parking lot. With my 39' rig I could extend my slides but nothing else...no chairs or awning room, unless extended into the road. Good location but too tight. Should have listened to previous reviewers. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Stayed here for the Fourth of July 2007. The whole campground is tight and they allow large rigs to park on the ends of the rows narrowing access to the interior sites. The staff member who escorted us to our site tried to get me to back into our site crooked. I was trying to line up on the timber dividers buried in the dirt. He insisted I back in crooked and became angry and left before I finished backing in. I got in straight thanks to my wife. We brought our dog with us. The dog run was approximately 20 feet wide and 50 feet long. There was a receptacle for the dog droppings. It was overflowing when we arrived and was even more full when we left the next day. We will not stay here again especially when there are far superior campgrounds further up the hill. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is not camping. If you want to camp like this, park in the Wal-Mart east of here where it feels like less of a parking lot. They literally have to help guide you into the spot as if they worked for an outdoor concert parking service or for an airport. The guy in the camper next to us listened to Radio Free Europe day and night and his antiquated camper emanated smells varying from some type of fried animal to stale "human-like" smells. Considering we never saw him and I have 2 little kids, it made me all the more nervous. Oh, don't let me forget to tell you, the campground is about 30 yards (literally) from US-34 which is the main artery feeding into Rocky Mountain National Park and the town of Estes Park. The hum of 18 wheelers rumbling by was constant. I was not the only disappointed camper as I noted many people either pulling in and then leaving as well as those making a quick exit in the morning. Add in the yahoos dancing on the picnic tables while downing copious amounts of wine coolers and this was possibly the worst experience of my life. From now on, any camping trip will no doubt include a lot more research on our destination. When considering a campground don't go here and thank your lucky stars as you drive by this place. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 5 / 10 ]
2000
$22
The sites were too close together, if you are going for solitude and peace and quiet this is not the campground for you. We camped here in a camper.
We came here to celebrate my son's birthday. We were very happy with our site and the host / staff were very helpful. The site is pretty close together but still have trees in between for some sort of privacy. There's plenty of activities for the children. My kids really enjoyed the Candy Bingo, the Toga contest, the ice cream man as well as the swimming pool. There's also a mini golf on site if the kids want to golf. The trails were pretty nice and if you get to go to the top the view is breathtaking. The rate is pretty high considering they don't offer cable TV and you have to pay for the WIFI connection. Other than that, we will definitely come back here. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We rented one of the park's travel trailers during our stay here which is why our rate is so high. The only negative I have is that it was on a steep hillside, but what did I expect...it's the Rockies! We drove by several other RV parks in the area and were continually pleased with our decision to stay here. It is in a convenient location and was quiet. There were plenty of activities for the kids and the pancake/french toast breakfast were way too convenient. We had a wonderful time. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Probably the nicest park in the area, very nice mountain view, only complaint would be the that the park is on a steep hillside, this is our park of choice for Estes Park area. We camped here in a Motorhome.
The staff was friendly. The ice cream cart that comes by was a favorite of our children. The activities are good for young children - although they can get loud at night. The swimming pool needed cleaning the first day, but there were a lots of people in it. The second day we went at an off peak time and it was much cleaner. Some of the sites could be hard to get to with a larger rig, the road we camped on was curvy and hilly. We did have lots of shade at our site. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
The staff is very friendly and the park, overall, is well maintained. The sites are not perfectly level and my neighbor had to use a shovel to dig a hole to level his 5th wheel. The road around the park is tight and a large RV would have problems; especially with the steep grade. The highway next to the campground is noisy but traffic is scarce after 11 PM. The kids really enjoyed the playgrounds. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
I would warn anyone against staying at this campground. Management has a funny way of deciding who people should "socialize" with and if they think you are doing too much socializing with the same group of people. You will be evicted! This is the truth. 3 couples who have spent 10 seasons out there have received "eviction" notices in the last week. So, apparently there would be no "group camping" as there seems to be an unwritten rule against long term friendships. As this park has an average of 20 empty spots per night, I hope they continue to do well, when many long time seasoner's pull out and they lose that revenue. Where is the owner? I guess she will figure out the damage her present manager's girlfriend is doing to her campground. We camped here in a Campground Cabin.
This park is a mixed bag. On the positive side, the folks who run it are very friendly, the sites on the river are to die for, the sites are level, the street is paved (although the sites are gravel), and the scenery is gorgeous as are the wildlife views (we saw three deer and two elk walking right in front of our motorhome the first two days we were here, and an otter in the river the next day). On the negative side, the entrance is a nightmare for big rigs if you take their recommended route on Riverside Drive. Instead, take the Morraine Street exit. Also, there is only one shower and one toilet to serve a large portion of the park down near the river, the wi-fi is absolutely horrible, and there is an extreme shortage of convenient dumpsters. I am writing this review on the wi-fi I am picking up from a neighboring campground. I would probably stay here again despite these problems. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We chose this RV park because of the negative reviews of the other parks. Some of those negative reviews were not accurate. Manor is occupied mostly by seasonal people, i.e. they are here for the summer. They do have a number of nightly or weekly sites available. Most interior roads are paved, unlike most parks in the area. The park has two major sections, the hill and the flatland. A hill site would be difficult to park a big rig. The spacing is typical for a private RV park. The seasonal people keep their site very neat and clean. The staff was very friendly and helpful. WiFi signal was strong in our space. Because of the hill ingress and egress to and from the park with a big rig isn't easy, but you only do that once. Spruce RV park is on the other side of the fence which is mostly open. We stayed here a week. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Nice Park and the only one with paved roads in Estes Park. Sites are on grass and are pretty level. A river runs through the park and is a great fishing spot. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We camped here as a result of our other choices for campgrounds being full. The checkin was excellent. We were towing a 25 foot car trailer and they allowed us to unhook and stow the trailer in a lower parking area. Everything was fine. We were guided into our pull through space. Nice cement slab w/ picnic table. Fire ring (yes,its an old tire rim). it provided for a couple excellent fires during our stay. Now for the unpleasant part. My sister-in-law, from Denver, came to stay with us a couple nights. We had told the managers she was coming and they were "OK" with her checking in later. She arrived, paid her additional fee and told the management that she needed directions to site 52. Fred told her that wasn't right cuz his trailer was in #52. Fred is a seasonal worker...Colorado in the summer and Mesa, AZ in the winter. Fred said he has been in #52 for several years..."That's his site." My sister didn't know what to say. She reiterated that we were in #52. Fred became rude and told her that he would not escort her to #52 cuz that was his site. Another worker asked Fred's wife, who was the check-in lady, what site they were in. She said #51. Fred just said "Oh." No apology, no admission of being wrong, just "Oh." Another employee escorted my sister to SITE #52. Fred's attitude and actions were and are not acceptible to us. I've also read other reviews of Mary's Lake Campground, where one of the workers is referred to as "the grumpy man". The owners need to counsel Fred to lighten up, or he should find other employment. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This campground is hilly and dusty. The sites are dirt. There are a few trees, but even the planters were fills with a only a few weeds. Prairie dogs lined the road and dumpster area. We only used the bathroom once and didn't check the showers. This area is close to the Rocky Mountain National Park. The hiking is wonderful and downtown Estes Park is beautiful with a wonderful river walk along the Big Thompson River. We enjoyed our stay but welcomed the gravel roads and trees at our next stop. People in town were friendly and helpful. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
I do not recommend this campground at all. We camped here with 6 groups and we were placed in a loop with 70s/80s numbers with the "basketball court" inside it. Its a joke, the "court" is just a very tiny slab of concrete, and the loop is just one big gravel pit. No joke! Its a gravel parking lot, the fire pits are old tire rims and useless for anything but a lousy fire as the wind is so strong you can't feel the heat from it anyway. The front office only told certain groups in our party about the wind and to not use their awnings, so the 2 of us who weren't told had ours ripped off by the wind the very first night. We've never experienced a night like that (the group as a whole) and it was extremely frightening. The wind was so bad, we waited all night for our pop-ups (all but one of us had them) to collapse on top of us. Nobody got any sleep at all that night other than the group with an RV. The office told me it was not all that unusual of a night if you can believe that! The sites are so close together that the RV party could reach out and touch their neighbors. There was a party down below where the sites seemed a bit nicer, that had about 30 people in it and they had a horribly vicious pit bull which was very unnerving for all of us to have to walk by each time we went to the bathroom. And speaking of that, you have to walk through other peoples' sites to get the bathroom, its completely unavoidable and uncomfortable walking directly through their campground. The bathroom was okay, but I heard a lot of complaints about the lack of regulated temperature in the shower. But a nice big bathroom with lots of mirror space and plenty of room for many women to get ready. Mary's Lake is pretty, but very small and for us was not good fishing at all. You walk over a 2-lane highway to get to it, if you have small children, definitely bring a stroller with good wheels for a rough terrain. Even for the parking lot you will be camping in as well! Overall this place is highly highly overpriced, and they should be charging closer to $10-15/night at the most, regardless of the hook-ups. We are avid campers, but try to avoid these KOA type campgrounds for exactly this reason. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
We have camped here every Sept. for the last 5 years. We find the staff to be friendly and helpful. We had a nice large pull-thru site with cement slab for picnic table. Beautiful views. Close to town and Rocky Mountain National Park. Mary's Lake is across the road and offers great trout fishing. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
First of all, we should have read the other reviews before we went to this campground. It would have saved us the drive, the time and meeting the very rude and belligerent staff. I know that I was late when I was looking for a campground with free sites 3 days before Labor Day. I thought I would give it a try. I read that this campground had a 3-day minimum but when they called me and told me that they had a free campsite they didn't mention it. I booked only one night. I booked the campsite for the regular rate of $27. We got there in the afternoon. At check-in the staff was friendly and the soon to be grumpy guy would show us our site. Getting there I immediately noticed that there was no picnic-table. The grumpy guy didn't have an answer for that. Further, we noticed that our campsite was far from flat. There was no leveled surface as all other sites on the campground had. I called the office and asked about the picnic-table. I also mentioned that our site wasn't leveled and that it didn't make sense that we paid the regular rate. At this point the lady mentioned that this was an overflow campsite (interesting to know!) and that there was a credit to be processed. We would only pay $20. I told her that a picnic-table is one of the most important things when camping. She told me that we would get a table but then we would have to pay the full rate. Once again I told her that this site isn't flat at all and paying the full rate wouldn't be justified. On the phone, she told me that this is all she could do. After waiting for the picnic-table to arrive (it was about dinner time) for over 45 minutes, we went to the office. Long story short, the whole staff insisted that this site was as flat as any other site and that if I got a table we would have to pay the full rate. Now comes the best part which proves the belligerent behavior. They threatened to call the deputy if I didn't stop complaining. Eventually we left without staying for the night. This campground is all but crappy. Already at the campground I said camping on a parking lot would be nicer. The campground operator is lucky to have the Rocky Mountain National park nearby. This must be an overflow campground. I'm sure that all other campgrounds fill up first. Rather visit some other place. We camped here in a Tent.
This campground is situated across the street from Mary's Lake. My son and his friend had a great time fishing here. Many locals come here to fish. The campsites are OK with no shade, but the views they offer from each site of the surrounding Rocky Mountains are beautiful. The pool, arcade for the kids, and laundry room well maintained. The staff was friendly and helpful locating places to see. There's a RMNP shuttle service pickup and drop off right in front of the campground. No need to drive into the park if you don't want to. The city of Estes Park is just down the street with many options for shopping and eating. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
I'll never stay in this campground again. The sites are narrow, it is dusty, and because of the closeness of the sites it is noisy. They advertise wifi, but the wifi (Linkspot) was so inconsistent that we never knew if we could access the internet or not. Would have checked out the next day but for their policy of "No refunds after check-in." Office staff was very inefficient. Stay anywhere else if you can! We camped here in a Truck Camper.
We stayed here in early June. The RV sites are all out in the open with no shade, and are all back-in. They are somewhat close together (look at the picture on their web site). On our row of sites, and it appeared similar on the other rows, the sewer connection was at the rear of our trailer, and was somewhat uphill. This made it very difficult to drain our tanks. The WiFi is through some 3rd party company and expensive -- so we didn't even try to use it. The staff was friendly, and they hosted an ice cream social one evening. The campsites for pop-ups and tents are much more inviting, since many of them are tucked back in the trees and boulders. Overall, this is just an "OK" campground since there are better in the Estes Park area. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We had reservations in this campground, but when we arrived after they closed, which they were aware of, we couldn't believe the condition of the whole campground. The campers and motorhomes were all over the place in what appeared no particular order. The whole place was nothing but different levels of dusty dirty ruts. We thought we were in a rv junkyard. When we finally found our site, we realized it was too narrow for us to back into. All of the sites were like this. We pulled out and found a parking lot to stay in the for the night. I called in the mornnig to talk to management. She was very belligerent, agreeing that it was a narrow site but we should have came to her trailer and spoke to her. We had no idea where that was we just knew we had no intentions of staying in a place like that. She told us she would not refund us our money for the night . Don't be fooled by the rating in the trailer life directory - this place is a joke. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 6 / 10 ]
July 2006
$28
We camped here for 2 nights on one of their rustic pop-up sites that had a couple of shade trees. We had reserved 2 sites as some other family members were camping with us in a tent and had no problem getting adjoining site. The view is nice but there is not much to do at the campsite. There is a small playground but the kids had more fun playing on the rock formations. The pool is small but still good on a hot day. The lake was a good walk away up a hill and across the street. The staff was nice and helpful. We had a good view of the RV area and it looked like a cramped parking lot with no shade. It kind of reminded me of a can of sardines. I would stay here again in a tent or pop-up where I could camp on one of their treed sites but would not want to come here in a longer trailer or RV where I would have to stay in the RV area. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Terrible camping park. Packed in like cows. Can barely get camper out if someone is parked next to you. Requested a pull-through 2 months in advance and when we arrived, were told none were available. Office staff was nice but workers were rude. Suggest getting a written confirmation on a pull-through with the camp site number. We will not stay there again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
The campground has a nice view but you are lined up like cattle in the sites. My biggest complaint is they dare charge 2 dollars per day extra if you run your A/C. They also charge 3 dollars if someone wants to visit you while staying at the campground. I found these charges irritating enough to warrent trying any other campground in Estes Park. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Beautiful view of mountains, but would not suggest anyone stay here for any length of time. Sites to close together, unlevel, and rocky. We made reservations in April as we were on vacation with friends and wanted side-by-side. They gave away our sites, wouldn't let us cancel, and had us down the road from each other. The staff is beligerent at best. The pool is way to small, although kept up nicely. Price is competitive, so that is not an issue. If you have young children, this is not a good stop. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Review Rating
[ 2 / 10 ]
2002
$25
Like other's have said, nice view. That's all there is. My family and I had spent a weekend there and for the most part hated it. The kids playground was inadequet at best. My kids had more fun playing on a small rock formations nearby. The swiming pool is tiny in comparison to normal sized pools. After our first day there, we were bored. There are no hiking trails or other nature type activities to take part in. The sites are cramped, I felt like I was in a Wal-Mart parking lot. This was the worst camping experience I have ever had. I will never go back. We camped here in a camper.
Review Rating
[ 3 / 10 ]
2001
$30
We were disapointed when we pulled in! Should be advertised as a RV parking lot. Does have nice view of the mountains but not much else. We camped here in a camper.
Review Rating
[ 3 / 10 ]
2001
$21
My wife and I went to this campground last summer. When we arrived a retired man showed us our camp-site, and tried to tell me how to park in the small area. From the start I got into a argument with this grumpy man, and he had the attitude it's my way or the highway!! I told him I'm leaving, and I wen't back to the office and I told the Manager that I want my money back. She gave me another site that was bigger , but because the other campers were so close, I damaged my pickup. I have a 31' Fifth Wheel. I told the owner of the campground about my pickup, and he said I quote "It's not our fa