By:
Submission
From I-70 to the Empire exit, Highway 40, over Berthoud Pass through Winter Park and Granby. 2 miles west of Granby take Highway 125 45 miles to the east side of Rand. Take County Road 27 14 miles to Highway 14, go right to the park 3 miles. From Fort Collins: Take 287 to Highway 14 along the Poudre River 75 miles. When you hit the summit of Cameron Pass you are in the State Forest State Park. The Moose Visitor Center is 8 miles west of the summit.
Nice sites! Big enough to not see your neighbors. Great proximity to Lake Agnes. Had a mule deer walk through within 10 minutes of arriving. Woke up to moose literally right outside the tent both mornings.
Great campground. All the sites seem to have privacy by way of trees or distance from neighboring sites, or both. Also great views of the surrounding mountains. The tent pads appear to be new and the vault toilet was clean. We had deer and moose in our campsite. One downside was that you can hear the road on the hilll across the valley. It's not a busy road, but you can hear every car that passes by. Also, mosquitoes but that's likely seasonal. And during our stay in mid-July the water pump was out of order and we had to get water from the Ranger Lakes CG. Inconvenient but not a deal breaker.
Absolutely stunning views from Crags Campground. Weather was perfect day/night when we went in early July. Saw a few moose just past Camron pass on our way in. Would highly recommended spending some time up here to relax. Crags is one large loop with the restrooms at the start/finish. We had well water available. Bear proof trash cans were never full. CPW cleaved restrooms every morning, thank you!! Lake Agnes was only a 0.8 switchback hike and worth the view. Saw a marmot up there. Fishing was plentiful everywhere we went. Can’t complain about this camping trip!
We stayed here two nights. What a great experience! It's absolutely beautiful, comfortable and "mostly" quiet. We had everything we needed including firewood, handicap accessible restroom, and all the hiking trails and forestry roads one could ever explore in a three day visit. And foot access to RMNP. There are cool mushrooms and wildflowers abounding, and plenty of birds and chipmunks. Trucks occasionally go up and down Cameron pass at night, and can be hauntingly loud amid the silence of the woods. Other than that the valley is very quiet and sheltered from severe weather.
Bring some OFF Deep Woods, and if you know anything (other than a flamethrower) that repels horseflies, bring that too. Please do not vandalize the beautiful living trees, instead there are plenty of dead ones standing in this area thanks to spruce beetle.
This area is patrolled daily by park rangers. You need a permit to camp and have a vehicle inside the state park (two separate permits).
This is the CLEANEST campsite I have ever been in, no metal cans in the fire pits or anything, and no rowdy or messy neighbors. My only potential complaints at this time the water pump was broken and the road needs a bit of work. It's passable in a car and if you're used to 4X4 roads.
Each site is different with differing amounts of space. The interior ones on average have more room but are closer spaced, while the ones on the outside of are more spaced apart.
Those are the helpful details I can think of that won't ruin any cool surprises. Hike to Lake Agnes if you get the chance.
My boys and I really enjoyed this campground. Tent pads are currently being added by volunteers and it was nice to set up our giant tent on a flat pad. The sites, while fairly close together, are well isolated by trees. We could hear conversations in the night, but our neighbors were all courteous about keeping the noise reasonable and honoring quiet hours. There are fire rings with grills and picnic tables at each site as well.
Access road is rocky. I can see why trailers and RVs are frowned upon, but most cars and any SUV should be fine. My Toyota Highlander had no issues.
There is a single stall vault toilet at the entrance to the campground. Someone noted in another review that toilet paper availability is inconsistent, so bring your own to be safe.
We saw a few elk. No moose. Lots of Stellar's Jays, other birds, and squirrels.
It was a good outing. I would return to this site.
