Pass this one by if you can. It works for an over night stop, but barely. We saw many RV's come in and drive out, which is what we should have done. Sites are beat up concrete pads, very close together. Most of the sites were full of mud and water. It is spring, so that accounts for some of it, but most of the sites seem a little below ground level, so become mud ponds. The topping on the cake was when dumping the sewer, which quickly began spewing all over the ground from blockage somewhere down in the drain. Owner (I think) came out, looked at it, said he thought they "had fixed it" and offered us to unhook and move to another site. The place is for sale, and it appears the current owners quit any repairs or upkeep a long time ago. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is all about location. The view is amazing! It's not far off the highway but far enough that you don't get all the noise. The RV sites are behind the Budget Host Derrick Motel, it was very easy to get to but parking was a little confusing. We arrived after dark and that made it more difficult. We saw a sign with an arrow pointing left down a driveway to the other side of the motel that said "RV Sites 6, 8,10,12,14,16" and an arrow pointing right towards the RV parking area that said "RV Sites 5, 7, 9,11,13,15." The sign is very confusing because there is no more parking down the driveway to the other side of the motel. Looking at the way the parking was laid out in daylight I imagine that the sign had probably been moved a little so that it was pointing down the driveway to the motel rather than pointing towards the circle driveway around the RV parking. I believe that the sign was meant to tell you to pull into the odd numbered sites from the left and to pull into the even numbered sites from the right. We didn't realize this when we were parking but we figured it out pretty quickly and it was easy enough to move over a spot. All The sites are nothing more than a slab of concrete with hook-ups to the side. The slabs are literally right next to each other but are staggered kind of like a checkerboard. That's why it would make sense to pull in from opposite directions. If everyone were to park going the same direction there would not be enough room, especially with slides. Even with everyone parked correctly I will admit that it is a little closer than other RV Parks that we have stayed at but it never ended up being a problem for us. We had full hookups, 50 amp service, cable, a strong Wi-Fi signal, and good water pressure. There is nothing fancy about the park but it was clean, a convenient location, and a great value for the area. Trinidad is a beautiful little town and if we are ever in the area again we will stay here. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Not acceptable even as an overnight, we did not feel safe. Many transient type people coming and going at all hours of the night. Sites are overgrown and broken pavement is evident. Entrance is very steep, do not use the first entrance for coming or going. The only nice part was the friendly staff and the town is quite cute and historic. There was another CG behind another hotel off the same exit down the road (to the right rather then the left at the gas station) which we will try the next time. We will NOT stay here again We camped here in a Motorhome.
We stopped here for an overnighter (on I-25) and found it very acceptable. The sites are behind the motel and we were offered a continental breakfast in the morning. Nice. Everything was exceedingly convenient and easy to access. A wonderful Mexican restaurant to walk to, fill-up with gas right on the corner, and 5 minutes from the historic town of Trinidad. Yes, the sites were not level but we had lots of elbow room and a grassy lawn. We would stay here again for an overnighter but probably not for a longer term. I think these kinds of parks are great for they fill a niche for a fair price for RVers who just need a safe place to be for the night. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We used this state park campground as a one night stop over, and mid week the end of September, we had our choice of sites. We picked one at the top of the cliff overlooking the reservoir, put our chairs out between the bushes, and had a beautiful relaxing view. This park is just 3 miles from I-25 but is very quiet and peaceful. The sites are long, pretty level, mostly back-ins. The road through the campground is narrow with drainage ditches on both sides which makes backing a fifth wheel into some spots a challenge. We would stay here again if passing through. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
My family and I have camped here several times. We like it very much. It has big spacious spots. Friendly staff. We stayed there before they rebuilt the building for the restrooms/showers, and we didn't mind the bathrooms before. They were old, but they were clean. Now with the new bathrooms the park charges you not only to stay at the park AND the park pass, but now they charge you to take a shower as well. They should not charge a person staying in a tent so much if they are going to charge for taking a shower. Some people may not think that's a big deal, but going there for so long with the setup they had before to now paying the same for a tent site and with the addition of having to put in more money for something we got for free before is a little frustrating. I don't think that's going to stop us from staying there again because we do like the area. I would have given it 10 stars if it wasn't for that. We camped here in a Tent.
This park has only 4 full hook-up sites. The others are electric only with scattered water spigots. We camped in Site 1, which was full hook-up site near the office. The water pressure was very low, and the site was gravel and not particularly level. On the plus side, there is a very nice nature trail in the campground, and two nearby natural areas that offer good hiking and birdwatching. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This state park was VERY expensive at $28 for an RV site with electric plus the $7 entrance fee. The park had been updated with newer restrooms that were clean and close to most sites, but only 4 sites had full hook-ups. The loops are a bit tight, and some sites are not level, we chose one that was. The rules are not enforced. Neighboring dogs were not picked up after. Another group here was loud until nearly 12 a.m. We love state parks, but we would have been better off in an RV park with some shade and management for the price. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Would have rated 10, if only they had full hook-ups and WiFi. There are 3 spots on higher ground with full hook-ups, but the rest only had electric. The roads were excellent and it was easy to drive our motorhome around. The clerk at the office said it is a "dwarf" forest and the trees don't get more than 12 feet, although I saw a few that I'd say were pushing 20. Our campsite was on a bluff above the lake. The site was gravel and quite level. Easy satellite access since the trees were not too tall. Very open private sites, neighbors 30' away on all sides. Quite, beautiful and clean. They are strict about dogs always being on leash. I would have liked trash cans more available, as they request you use the dumpsters near the campground entrance which was a ways away to carry the "doggie bag" every time! I did have very good internet access using my ATT i-phone tether, with a full signal and 3G. The campground was very peaceful and beautiful, we loved it. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We've enjoyed our stay here. It's a beautiful setting up on the hillside overlooking Trinidad Lake. Not at all crowded this time of year. Our gravel site is level and large enough for our 25' Airstream. There are plenty of larger sites available. Our site is electric only. Power is strong and steady. Verizon service is a little sketchy out here, but no problem with a booster. Also no worries setting up a satellite dish. The horizon is wide open. Nice hiking trails and scenic overlooks abound. Pricing is a little steep. The $20 is base rate/day for the electric only site we're in. Add to that a $10 registration fee and an additional $7/day park parking pass and it quickly adds up. I am not complaining, however. If we intend to keep these parks open, I believe that we, the end users, should bear the burden of cost. We will stay here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This park has just gone through a major remodeling. Most sites now have 50 amp electric--even those which are much too short for any RV over 25 feet. Most of the sites had tent pads. There is a a large new shower house that serves both loops. It has handicap/family restrooms at the back. Only the handicap/family restrooms were open when I visited. There are 2 loops. The second loop, like the main restrooms, is closed off season. Colorado has great state parks. However, this one was a disappointment. The sites are short, lack privacy, and are difficult to get into. There may be a few real pull thru sites but the only ones I saw were just wide spots on the access road where the chance of being hit in the night by late arrivals is real. The paved access road is one lane wide with ditches on either side. It has been resurfaced. If the campsite opposite to mine had been occupied I could not gotten in to my site. The people who pulled in after me in a small motor home had to change sites because they could not get into the one they had been assigned. This park is very convenient to I-25 and gets lots of over nighters. There are other better state park options on I-25 than this one. Lathrop and Pueblo State Parks are much better choices to the north and Sugarite State Park in NM is just down the mountain. I was very disappointed in this park. I will not camp here again. The price of $11 is with an Aspen Pass. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is an exceptionally clean park. It's very quiet here with no traffic or train noise. The bathrooms were very new and clean. We had zero concerns, slept super, and look forward to returning here someday. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We stayed 3 nights in the park and found it to be very clean and well designed. Most all RV sites had electric [50A], none had water or sewer that we found. We were told that a few sites near the restrooms had full hook-up but we didn't see any. The restrooms and laundry were in like new condition having been recently remodeled. There is a brand new children's play area. Staff was professional. AT&T service was fair to poor, Verizon was good. The CO State Parks use a third party reservation system that you are charged $10 for the use of. Its a strange system in that you can't make reservations for less than 3 days out and the park personnel will only sell you a site if you are a walk up on the day you want to camp. The reservation system allows you to reserve a specific site for from 1 to 14 days. This makes it difficult to reserve a site in the near term for a week plus since most sites have a 1 or 2 day reservation sprinkled about, restricting longer reservations unless you can make them months out. The sites are away from the lake about 1 1/2 miles. Recreation is limited to a very few hiking trails and a kids playground. I would stay here again if the reservation system were more user friendly. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Colorado State Parks are often great and this one is good but not the tops. There are only a few sites with sewer hookups and the rest have just water and electricity. While they list access for up to 40 ft. RVs this can be a problem in many sites if you have to back in a long trailer (ours is 35 ft.). We were in site #15 and it was tight. The laundry and rest room building has been rebuilt in the last couple of years but there is some question about how often it is cleaned. We had no problems during our stay. There are nice hiking trails leading from the campground to the lake and the surrounding area. The boat launching area is at a different location but there are some parking spaces in the campground where you can leave a boat trailer over night. Colorado parks require a $6 entrance fee each day so if you are going to spend any time in them, consider buying an annual pass for $60 (out of state residents, lower in state). I-25 at Trinidad is being reconstructed and exit and entrance can be a challenge if you have a long rig or have never been here before.
We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
The Carpios Ridge Campground at Trinidad Lake State Park was upgraded about a year ago. It now has some large sites for 40' motorhomes. It also has a few full hookups, but most sites offer only 50amp electric hookups. So go in with your water tank full and your gray/black tanks empty. The campground has some really nice sites with lots of pines around them. A lot of the sites are paved. A reservation can be made through the state park's website - www.colorado.gov/parks - or by phone. There are pictures of each campsite on the website's reservation page so you know what you are getting. There is a reservation fee. Also, there is a park entrance fee for a tow vehicle. Even though there is only electric available at most sites, we would definitely go back. What a beautiful setting overlooking the lake! We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a very nice state park. Sites on the outside of each loop have decent shade but interior sites have very little. Only the sites next to the laundry/restroom facility have W/S. The shower timer seems very fast and water pressure is low. We would stay here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We stayed at the Carpios Ridge Campground. Sites 24-61 were closed for the winter. Four sites have full hookups; the rest have 50 amp electric. Mostly back-in sites, with enough roadway for big rigs to get in to most of those that are long enough. Some sites have paved parking pads, some are well-packed gravel. Their web site has a down loadable PDF for with a description of every site. Lots of trees. Elevation 6,300', so it can get chilly at night. The new building with showers and laundry was not completed yet while we were there, so those services were not yet available. There were only one or two other campers there while we were there. Weak Verizon signal. Sites are $20 for electric only and $24 for full hookups. Note that you must buy a $6 daily vehicle pass in addition to the daily campsite fee. That brought our rate up to $30. We would definitely stay there again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Carpios Ridge is a recently remodeled campground. The new laundry/restrooms were not yet open for use. The only pull thru is extremely out of level. Back ins vary in length, but many are long enough for a large rig. They appear to be reasonably level with adequate room to maneuver. Sites are generally spacious with lots of room between them. The campground is in a pinion juniper area with limited shade and several hiking trails starting across from the restrooms. Nights are dark and quiet. Rate quoted includes a daily pass. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We stayed at Trinidad on the way to Muller State Park. This is a nice park but the site we had was very tight. The site was very level. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Big sites. Good interior roads. Somebody was NOT thinking when laying out site power services. Many have hookups on the 'passenger' side instead of driver side so watch out. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Rural State lake area over looking a lake. Fairly decent overnight spot on way to Santa Fe, NM. About 3 miles west of Trinidad on State Rt. 12. Ranger patrolled. We camped here in a Motorhome.