Joanneellen

Hello,

My family, including 3 small children, will be camping in a pop up tent trailer this summer in Coloarado. We are unsure of which state park to stay at. We are hoping for a great view of the mountains and a really great beach for playing at. Could anyone make some suggestions? We will probably need to say within an hour of so of Denver unless that just won't give us the great beack.

Thank you.

starrs

What kind of beach are you looking for in Colorado?

Connie

Mueller State Park, just outside Colorado Springs is one of the most popular parks in the state. It has a great view of Pike's Peak, nice facilities and trails. No beach. I've camped in several areas of Colorado and the only other place I can think of with a beach would be Ridgeway State Park, between Ouray and Montrose. It's a reservoir and there is a nice beach plus boating facilities.

These two state parks are said to be the two most popular in the state. You will want to make reservations ASAP.

DebitNM

I seriously don't think of beaches and Denver in the same sentence.

http://www.coloradodirectory.com/idahosprings/

http://www.hikercentral.com/metros/19740.html

http://www.aa-camping.com/colorado-campgrounds.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Family-Cam...ver&id=3994572

tekwriter

If you camp in the mountains, you definitely won't find any place with a beach for swimming... the water is far too cold to do more than dip a toe into! A popular lake camping area is by Dillon Reservoir in Summit County, an easy hour's drive from Denver up I-70. Beautiful views and lots to do, but swimming won't be one of them. Very popular spot, so reserve as soon as you can.

There are some reservoirs in the Denver suburbs with camping and beaches, but even at those you won't find people laying in the water for hours... Check out Chatfield State Park and Aurora Reservoir.

Sue878

Mueller State Park is a nice park, but no beach for the kids.

There is Chatfield Reservoir State Park (outside Denver) it has a beach and boating and camping. Nice view of the mountains.

Joanneellen

It is proving tricky to find a beach. We were looking at Boyd Lake but have read mixed reviews. We could also travel further and go to Steamboat lake. I guess I am wondering if we will get a more intense mountain experience if we travel further from Denver. We are living in the Canadian Prairies so really want to camp feeling outside of the city with some beautiful views.

fmpden

You really need to spend some time studying the geography. We are a mile high and a long ways from any beach. Remember, water in any of the lakes in the mountains was snow 48 hours earlier. You have to be very hardy to swim in any of our lakes. It is common to sail in wet suits so you have a chance of surviving if you fall in. Obviously, the deeper you get into the mountains the more intense the mountain feeling. If swimming is important, I would suggest Glenwood Springs. A very intensive mountain experience -- Glenwood Canyon -- and a huge outdoor pool covering a city block HEATED by a hot springs. Lots of outdoor activity but no beach.

starrs

Use something like this to do a search for campgrounds in Colorado with beaches (or swimming)-
http://www.reserveamerica.com/

I almost posted about a campground in Durango that my kids loved when they were little. It has a creek running through it AND a swimming pool- and they were happy as good be with that combo. Colorado river and lake water are awfully cold!

Sue878

Boyd Lake is in the middle of a city north of Denver.

Chatfield is south of Denver; which I mentioned before.

Steamboat Lake is very nice in the mountains, but could be alot colder then staying closer to Denver. Could be warm, but you never know because of the weather. We went up and went boating and camping and a few of the people went in the water, not me though.

sam4ever

Cherry Creek State Park has pretty views and swimming. It is pretty close to Denver but has nice views of the distant ranges and the city is close enough for some other outings. There are a ton of beautiful campsites further away from the Metro area that you would get a better mountain experience. Several have water but on the hottest day of summer, you wouldn't want to swim because of how cold the water is.