Ridbergia tundra Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Best Campgrounds Near Estes Park, Colorado

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Estes Park is the eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, and the campgrounds surrounding it rank among the most sought-after in the state. Demand is intense — Moraine Park fills weeks in advance on summer weekends, and the park’s reservation window opens months ahead of time. But if you know what you’re looking for, there are excellent options at every level of experience and comfort, from full-hookup RV sites five minutes from downtown to backcountry tent sites deep in the park where you’ll hear nothing but elk.

This guide covers the best campgrounds within roughly 30 minutes of Estes Park — inside Rocky Mountain National Park, in Roosevelt National Forest, and in the surrounding area — with honest notes on reservations, crowds, amenities, and who each campground suits best.

Inside Rocky Mountain National Park

All campgrounds inside Rocky Mountain National Park require reservations through recreation.gov during peak season (late May through mid-October). They fill weeks, sometimes months, in advance. Book the moment your dates open — the reservation window for summer weekends opens in the spring and disappears within hours on popular weekends.

Moraine Park Campground

The best all-around campground in the park

Moraine Park is the largest campground on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park, with 245 sites spread across a ponderosa pine forest at the edge of a broad open meadow. It’s the most convenient base for hiking — Bear Lake Road is minutes away, and the meadow itself is one of the park’s premier elk-viewing spots, particularly at dawn and dusk during the September rut.

Sites vary in character more than most campgrounds. Some are tucked into dense timber with real privacy; others sit at the meadow edge with open sky and distant peak views. Request a site on Loop A or B for the best combination of shade and views. Loop D is more exposed but has electric hookups — the only hookups available in the park.

  • Sites: 245 (some with electric hookups in Loop D)
  • RV length: Up to 35 feet
  • Reservations: Required May–October; recreation.gov
  • Season: Open year-round (limited sites available first-come, first-served in winter)
  • Facilities: Flush toilets, drinking water, dump station, camp store nearby
  • Best for: Families, RVs, hikers wanting Bear Lake Road access, elk viewing
Ridbergia tundra Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Glacier Basin Campground

Best for tent campers and groups

Glacier Basin sits at 8,500 feet on Bear Lake Road, surrounded by subalpine forest with views up toward the Continental Divide. It’s slightly higher and cooler than Moraine Park, with a more wilderness feel despite being a short drive from the trailheads. The campground has a dedicated group camping area — one of the few in the park — making it a strong choice for families or friend groups traveling together.

The shuttle stop at Glacier Basin is one of the most useful in the park. From the campground you can board the Bear Lake shuttle and reach a dozen major trailheads without touching your car — a genuine advantage during summer when Bear Lake Road parking fills by 8 AM.

  • Sites: 150 individual sites, plus group sites
  • RV length: Up to 35 feet
  • Reservations: Required May–October; recreation.gov
  • Season: Late May through September
  • Facilities: Flush toilets, drinking water, dump station
  • Best for: Tent campers, groups, hikers wanting shuttle access to Bear Lake corridor

Aspenglen Campground

Best for a quieter experience near the Fall River entrance

Aspenglen is the smallest and least-known of the east-side campgrounds, with 52 sites tucked into a wooded stretch along Fall River near the Fall River entrance to the park. It doesn’t have the meadow drama of Moraine Park or the shuttle access of Glacier Basin, but it’s genuinely quieter and feels more removed from the crowds. The river runs alongside several sites.

Because it’s smaller, Aspenglen has a slightly longer window of first-come, first-served availability at the edges of the season — but in peak summer it reserves just as fast as the others. Worth considering for shoulder-season visits in late May or late September.

  • Sites: 52
  • RV length: Up to 30 feet
  • Reservations: Required May–October; recreation.gov
  • Season: Late May through September
  • Facilities: Flush toilets, drinking water
  • Best for: Quiet-seekers, couples, shoulder-season visitors

Longs Peak Campground

Best for summit attempts and serious hikers

Longs Peak Campground is tent-only and exists almost entirely to serve people attempting the 14,259-foot summit of Longs Peak, Colorado’s northernmost fourteener. The trailhead is steps from camp. Summit attempts typically begin at 2–3 AM to beat afternoon lightning — camping here eliminates the pre-dawn drive from Estes Park.

If you’re not summiting, Longs Peak is still a strong choice for accessing the Chasm Lake trail and other routes in the southern section of the park that are less crowded than the Bear Lake area. The campground is tent-only with no hookups.

  • Sites: 26 (tent only)
  • RV length: No RVs
  • Reservations: Required May–October; recreation.gov
  • Season: Year-round (limited winter availability)
  • Facilities: Flush toilets, drinking water
  • Best for: Fourteener hikers, serious backpackers, those wanting the quietest campground on the east side

Outside the Park — Roosevelt National Forest

If the national park campgrounds are full (or the reservation window has closed), Roosevelt National Forest offers several campgrounds within 30 minutes of Estes Park that don’t require advance booking for individual sites. These are managed by the USDA Forest Service and generally operate on recreation.gov for reservations, though some have first-come, first-served sites.

Olive Ridge Campground

Best first-come, first-served option near the park

Olive Ridge is the closest National Forest campground to Estes Park, located about 15 miles south along Highway 7 in a ponderosa pine and spruce-fir forest above the St. Vrain Creek drainage. It’s a solid backup when park campgrounds are full and a genuinely pleasant campground in its own right — quiet, shaded, and less crowded than anything inside the park boundary.

The campground is close to the Wild Basin trailhead on the south end of Rocky Mountain National Park, making it a useful base for hiking that section of the park. Wild Basin is significantly less crowded than the Bear Lake corridor.

  • Sites: 56
  • RV length: Up to 40 feet
  • Reservations: Mix of reservable and first-come, first-served; recreation.gov
  • Season: Late May through October
  • Facilities: Vault toilets, drinking water
  • Best for: Campers who missed park reservations, Wild Basin hikers, RVs needing more length

Camp Dick Campground

Best for a remote forest feel

Camp Dick sits in the Middle St. Vrain Creek valley in the Brainard Lake Recreation Area corridor, about 25 miles south of Estes Park. It’s farther from the park than Olive Ridge but offers a more secluded forest experience with access to Middle St. Vrain Creek for fishing and easy hiking through lodgepole pine. The surrounding Indian Peaks Wilderness is accessible from nearby trailheads.

  • Sites: 41
  • RV length: Up to 25 feet
  • Reservations: recreation.gov
  • Season: Late May through September
  • Facilities: Vault toilets, drinking water
  • Best for: Anglers, families wanting a quieter forest camp, Indian Peaks access

Backcountry Camping in Rocky Mountain National Park

For experienced backpackers, the backcountry permit system opens access to designated campsites throughout the park — many of them in terrain inaccessible to day hikers. Permits are required and can be reserved through recreation.gov starting in March for the upcoming season. Walk-up permits are available at the Backcountry Office in Estes Park on a first-come, first-served basis for the following day.

Popular backcountry zones near the east entrance include the Fern Lake corridor, Odessa Lake area, and the high-elevation sites above treeline accessible via the North Longs Peak Trail. Bear canisters are required in some areas — check the NPS backcountry guide for current regulations.

Tips for Booking Campgrounds Near Estes Park

Book the moment the window opens. Recreation.gov releases reservations six months in advance for most park campgrounds. Set a calendar reminder and be ready at 8 AM Mountain Time on the day your dates open. Popular summer weekends sell out in minutes.

Consider shoulder season. Late May and mid-September offer nearly identical scenery with a fraction of the competition for campsites. September has the added bonus of elk rut — some of the best wildlife viewing of the year.

Have a backup plan. If you arrive without a reservation, check the Backcountry Office for walk-up permits, check Olive Ridge for first-come sites, or consider a private campground in Estes Park proper. Several private RV parks in town stay open all summer with hookups.

Check road conditions. If you’re camping inside the park and planning to drive Trail Ridge Road, check the NPS road status page before heading out — the road closes with little warning in bad weather.

Things to Do While You’re Here

Beyond the campgrounds, the Estes Park area has no shortage of ways to fill your days — guided hikes, wildlife tours, whitewater, climbing, and more. Browse available tours and activities:

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