Amazing campground in the middle of the mountains…read more We took a chance on this spot and we were lucky enough to snag the last campsite on a Friday at 2pm. Sometimes trips are hard to plan in advance, and we were ISO a spot with first come, first serve sites. Kudos to the universe for allowing the stars to align in our favor! + Along the Middle St. Vrain Creek + Two vault toilets located centrally between campsites + One fire ring (with grates) per site + Firewood available on property for $9 + Sizable tent pad, bear locker and picnic table + Walking distance to trailhead + Reservable and non-reservable campsites + 8 people allowed per campsite + Pets allowed We had an extremely enjoyable camping trip a few weeks back. Roughly an hour and a half from our house in Denver, Peaceful Valley Campground made us feel like we were thousands of miles away from civilization. For reference, the campground is about 8 miles away from the ever-popular Brainard Lake Recreation Area. We did experience some rain on Saturday afternoon which was a damper (pun intended). But because of that rain we were treated to the most spectacular rainbow and sunset. It was magical, just look at the pictures I got. The consensus was that we'd come back in a heartbeat next year. There's nothing better than going to sleep at night with the sound of a vibrant creek in the background. We're creekside campers and Peaceful Valley delivered an A+ trip for us!

This place is so awesome and very clean place we stayed on site #7 right by the river it was so…read morecool . The park host are very friendly people I recommend this place

I hate to give them gem away, but it is an amazingly beautiful campground!…read moreCons: booking a site on line costs $9 on top of the nightly fee - which you pretty much do, since it is usually booked. This year the walk in tent sites are closed due to hazardous trees (sound funny - but i went over and looked and yeah, trees down everywhere It costs $5 extra dollars to get into the lake per night. So a weekend is an additional $10 on top of your site fee and reservation fee. Snow - there was still some there in july and it could come again as early as august.. you never know! Bring layers and big boots for hiking! Pros: It is within walking distance to the lake. The views are absolutely amazing. All the peaks! The clouds and fog did seem to descend right on top of you, so be prepared to be wet occasionally Tons of hiking trails! Beautiful - did i mention that? Sites are well maintained, flat Fire pits are nicely maintained The roads are paved, potable water, vault toilets, but plenty around and they don't smell terrible! See you there soon!

We started off with snowshoes but, it wasn't necessary. We ended up switching to microspikes. About…read morea 1 mile in we encountered a moose on the trail. We tried waiting her out but, she was determined to eat from the trees right next to the trail. Therefore, we cut our hike short and went back. It is a beautiful area, there were no cars in the parking lot when we arrive around 8:15am on a Saturday morning.

I love this trail, and one of the reasons why is the end-as you finish up a great hike or ride, you…read morearrive near the parking area and there are some nice warm boulders by the river-take off your shoes, sit and feel the warmth of the sun radiating from the rock, soak your feet in the icy water...life is good. The trail starts at 8300 ft. From the parking area the trail travels a cushioned gentle slightly downhill roll through woods along the banks above the St. Vrain. Most of the first mile+ is cool and shady even in the summer and the smell of the pines fills your senses. For bikers, there are a few bumpy sections, not a lot. Further on you will get to more technical stuff when you reach a 4x4 road-plenty of steep and rocky. From 36 follow Left Hand Canyon to the fork, take right fork to Jamestown, go through Jamestown, follow to end of pavement, keep going about 1.5 miles

Tried to "check in" while we were there but alas no reception. But that is okay. :)…read more Hermit park is a nice little area to go and get away. It is usually fairly quiet. There are lots of trees and gorgeous views of various mountain peaks. This is around 50-55 minutes from my house (or more depending on traffic). This is a county owned park, so you either need a larimer county park pass. Or there is a $9 fee you can pay upon entering if you dont have that. The park is well maintained. There are trash cans at the trail head. Also cared for bathrooms. There is more than kruger rock trail in the park. There is also saddleback and limber trail as well. Kruger is most well known and also tends to be the busiest. The trails are clearly marked and very user friendly. Dogs are allowed here BUT they need to be leashed ;) This is a really nice area to head to when you want to go into estes but dont necessarily want to deal with the crowds of rocky mountain national park. They do close for a few months in the winter. They actually just reopened i believe march 1 for the season so just be aware depending on the time of year you are wanting to go. Current trail conditions as of today were snowy and dry on parts. if you keep going past kruger onto the limber trail on the other side of kruger then you start getting into some deeper snow and snowshoes may be advised. We did about a mile that way and then opted to turn back around. Because the first 2.5 miles were not like that we had opted to not tow our snowshoes with us though we did pack them in the car.

I recently hiked the Kruger Hike trail and really enjoyed it! First of all, it's dog friendly which…read moreis always a huge plus for me. It's just about 4 miles round trip, so it's not super long. It gains about 900 feet in elevation but never feels really strenuous. Last weekend there was snow on the trail, but it was well marked and easy to follow up to the top. When you make it to the end of trail, make sure to climb to the very top of the rocks. You have to do a little bit of scrambling to get there, but the views are so worth it! You get a fantastic look at Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. The location is great, just a couple of miles away from Estes Park, which is a fun place to stop after you hike. Our group (plus 2 doggies) had a great morning hiking Kruger rock, and would definitely bring other friends and family to check it out.

Our goal was to hike to Emerald Lake, and let me tell you... It was 100% worth it. On this 3.6 mile…read moreroundtrip hike, you'll also encounter Nymph Lake and Dream Lake. While they're both beautiful in their own right, neither one of them compare to the sheer beauty of Emerald Lake with the snowy mountains as a backdrop. As I said, it is a moderate hike. We started around 930am - would've been nicer to start earlier, but it still beat the full heat of the noon sun. There will be intermittent shade, but make sure you bring a hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water. We visited in mid June. Once we neared Dream Lake, we started encountering snow on the ground. I used hiking sandals, and I was able to do it in those - just be careful. That being said, with the amount of snow that was on the trail to Lake Haiyaha was completely un-doable in my shoes. Once you reach Emerald Lake, find a place to sit and just take it all in. I could've sat there all afternoon, just being at peace with nature. Absolutely gorgeous. To get to Emerald Lake, you'll need access to Bear Lake Road. Just be aware that Bear Lake Road requires a reservation SEPARATE from the reservation to the national park. There's a big lot at the trailhead, but it gets filled up. They do have a park & ride a few miles away with plenty of shuttles ready to bring you in. If you're able to make the hike, hiking to Emerald Lake is wonderful. The hike itself is gorgeous, and the final lake is beautiful. Plan it in your schedule, and you will not be disappointed.

After spending a part of my morning at Bear Lake, I decided to do this hike to Emerald Lake the…read moresecond part of the day. This hike starts at the beginning of the Bear Lake trailhead and is 1.8 miles one way (3.6 miles RT). I would say that it is a moderate hike that has some elevation climb to it. You will pass both Nymph Lake and Dream Lake along way. The views along the way are spectacular. Emerald Lake is nestled in between some mountains at an elevation of 10,111 feet. You can see Hallett Peak and the jagged spires of Flattop Mountain across this iconic alpine lake. In between the two mountains is the Tyndall Gorge. There were some small ripples in the water caused but a slight wind. Several people that hiked here jumped in and swam in the water. I ended up relaxing on a large rock and eating my lunch while enjoying the view. Emerald Lake starts at the beginning of the Bear Lake Trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park. To reach this trail, you must drive ten miles on Bear Lake Road after entering through the Beaver Meadows Entrance. There is a separate timed entry reservation that is required to access Bear Lake Road. If you are unable to find parking at the Bear Lake Trailhead, there is a free shuttle that you can ride to the trailhead.

Brainard NRA is stunning. I was surprised how fast the tickets go for this place during the summer…read moremonths - I went in mid September and the tickets for the morning times were fully gone within minutes after they dropped online a few weeks before I went Given RMNP tix go like that I was ready at 0900 for when they dropped, and actually within 1 min the 8-11a time slot sold out so I couldn't get it! But I did get the 5-8a slot which was fine. The area itself is very easy to find and navigate, and it is well maintained by the staff. When you arrive they do scan your day pass ticket and give you a pass to hang on your rear view mirror. The lot was plenty empty at Long lake trailhead (the start to get to Lake Isabelle) when I arrived around 0730. The day was fairly cool but not cold, and partly cloudy. It was absolutely gorgeous, the hike there was even more beautiful than the lake itself! I saw a moose along part of the trail too. The lake itself was surprisingly low, I'm not sure why the water level was that low but it looked much lower compared to the pictures/tiktoks I've seen online. That said, it is still very picturesque. There were lots of places to roam around the lake, and even tho it became SUPER windy when I got to the lake, I had a good time running around (but note - my nose was running like CRAZY, if you have allergies, come with tissues!). I did end up walking from long lake trailhead to the lake Mitchell trailhead and making the hike out there too; Isabelle is prettier imo but it was still a fun walk and the trailhead at Mitchell has plenty of parking too. There is a little trail, about 15 mins walk between long lake trailhead and Mitchell trailhead, although you do briefly have to walk along part of the road. Brainard lake itself is also lovely, I saw a moose hanging out right by this lake too!

I will start by saying this is one of the most spectacular hikes I've ever done . I am a local…read moreFloridian and I just couldn't believe my eyes . I did the Lake Isabelle hike, and I 10/10 recommend. You are required to make a reservation in advance to snag parking inside the park . They do have parking outside of the park but it is about 2 miles of walking into the park to start the trail . The only place there is wifi is the restrooms before you enter the park. Make sure to download QR code in advance because you will have no service . I definitely recommend going during summer because wildflowers are in full bloom . The hike I did was very moderate, it about 4.5 miles roundtrip . If you have paddles boards I would suggest bringing them ! They have a nice camping area where the lake is easily accessible . I saw a bunch of people paddle boarding !

This was an AMAZING campground for a trip to RMNP! We saw so many elk and mule deer right from the…read morecampgrounds majestically roaming free. It was truly magical. Our campsite was perfect and up at the far / left end of the campground site. We had picturesque views at all hours of the day. The bathroom closest to our campground was just the potty portion, but there was a full bathroom just down the drive with showers and sinks and such. Our fellow campers were kind enough to rescue our tents and pin them down with rocks while we were out hiking (thank you, kind humans!). Our whole experience here was wonderful, and I would definitely return next time I'm in the area. The RV spots to be fair (as other reviewers mention) were more lackluster. The tent sites, especially at the outer edges, are where it's at!!

Campground was very clean and check-in and camp store were great. Bathrooms are coin operated and…read morewere very very clean! The RV campsites were very close together and were not shaded. Neighboring campers dogs were off- leash and came over to our campsite.

We were driving around Estes and my husband had to make some business calls on our vacation. So he…read morestopped to do this by this lovely lake .. so I would have some place pretty to look around while he did some work calls and emails. I walked around with my camera .. and climbed the rocks .. the rocks here are porous. I am not a fan or heights and not a rock climber but the rocks here are easy to climb. there is a camp ground.

Great views and friendly staff, only downside is there aren't really any trees on any of the plots…read moretherefore not a ton of privacy and it can get pretty windy.

This campground is beautiful. The tent sites have designated areas where you can set up your tent…read more You are not allowed to stake anything into the ground elsewhere. Loop A has both RV and Tent sites which is fine if you dont mind the sound of generators. You can walk to sprague lake from this campground. Each site has a designated bear box for storing all your food and scented items. There are flush toilets and a designated dish washing sink. The bathroom have had soap available. Im not sure how often the restrooms are cleaned but Ive seen the same dirty bathroom sink for the last 3 days. Most sites can fit two cars nicely. They do sell firewood, ice (2.50), icecream and soda in a stand near the ranger kiosk. The older lady that works at the concession stand is very aggressive and rude. We wanted to get ice cream and approched the stand and asked if they had icecream because we had not seen the fadded chart on the door. she responded "thats what it says right there"... ok we asked for two crunch bars which were 2.00 a piece... 1 bar was open and I asked if I could please have a sealed one. She because upset and aggressively snatched the open bar and threw it back in the cooler. She then proceeded to charge me 4.00 for 1 bar with out giving me a replacement. I handed her the other bar in my other hand and asked for my money back. Pretty sure your not supposed to sell open food items to customers nor be aggressive and rude towards them. Buyer beware.

Family of 6 stayed in a loft cabin and had the best time! Our kids loved the activities and it was…read moreso nice to be surrounded by the trees and mountains. Everyone we encountered was very friendly! We will be back.

Positives: Beautiful location…read more Lots of kids activities. Great staff. Negative: Restroom/Shower bldg was disgusting! I probably will look for a different campground next Estes Park visit.