The Best Campgrounds in (and Near) Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most visited national parks in the United States. It’s definitely a bucket list-worthy national park, so you’ll want to spend multiple days at the park to see it all. If you choose to camp, you’ll want to know about the best campgrounds in Rocky Mountain National Park for your once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Ready to pick your campground? Here are the best campgrounds in (and near) Rocky Mountain National Park.

Things to Know About Rocky Mountain National Park’s Campgrounds

• If you plan to visit Rocky Mountain National Park in the summer, make your campground reservation as soon as you can. Rocky Mountain is one of the most popular national parks so campgrounds fill up far in advance. (If you miss out on a campground reservation within the park, check out the list of best campgrounds near Rocky Mountain National Park in the second half of this article.)
• Rocky Mountain National Park has implemented a timed entry reservation system to enter the park and to visit the Bear Lake area. However, having a campground reservation will allow you to skip getting one or both of these permits (depending on the campground’s location in the park). Learn more about using your campground reservation as a timed entry permit.
• Find out where each campground is located within the park on this map so you can create an itinerary based on your orientation in the park.

The Best Campgrounds in Rocky Mountain National Park

Here are descriptions of the best campgrounds in Rocky Mountain National Park so you can choose the ideal campground for you!

Can’t find a campsite in one of the best Rocky Mountain campgrounds? Try a service like Campnab which sends you alerts when a reservation is canceled and a campsite becomes available.

Glacier Basin Campground

Glacier Basin Campground is located on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park along Bear Lake Road. This part of the park is where most of the top hikes and highlights are found. Therefore, the location of Glacier Basin Campground makes it one of the best campgrounds in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The amenities at Glacier Basin Campground make it a top campground in Rocky Mountain, too.

There are 150 campsites which can accommodate tents and RVs up to 35 feet long. This includes 4 ADA accessible sites and 13 group sites. The group sites are various sizes that can host anywhere from 9 to 40 people depending on the site. None of the other campgrounds have group campsites, so Glacier Basin Campground is the best campground in Rocky Mountain National Park for large groups.

A major benefit of camping at Glacier Basin Campground is that the park’s free shuttle stops at the campground. The shuttle stops at popular spots such as Sprague Lake, the Bierstadt Lake trailhead, and Bear Lake to reduce the number of cars fighting for limited parking spaces. Whether you choose to take the shuttle or drive to these points of interest, it’s incredibly easy to access them from Glacier Basin Campground.

Campsites can be reserved up to 6 months in advance. Click here to reserve a campsite at Glacier Basin Campground.

Moraine Park Campground

***2023 UPDATE: Moraine Park Campground will be closed for a major construction project beginning late May 2023 through early Summer 2024.***

Moraine Park Campground is also on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park off of Bear Lake Road. It’s the closest campground to Rocky Mountain’s main entrance (the Beaver Meadows entrance).

Moraine Park Campground is one of the best campgrounds in Rocky Mountain National Park because of its scenery, its proximity to the park’s main attractions, and its amenities.

The campground itself is beautiful as its located in a valley with spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains and Moraine Park meadow.

This is the largest campground in the national park with 244 campsites. About 50 of the sites are walk-in, so make sure to pay attention to what type of site you’re reserving if this poses a challenge for anyone in your party. This campground’s sites can accommodate larger RVs than any other campground in the park with a size limit of 40 feet.

But perhaps the best thing about Moraine Park Campground is its central location to Rocky Mountain’s highlights. It’s close to Trail Ridge Road, the famous road that runs between the east and west sides of the park and offers stunning viewpoints of the park’s landscape. It’s also a short drive away from all of the popular attractions and trailheads near Bear Lake, plus nearby trails including Cub Lake and Fern Lake.

Visitors who camp at Moraine Park Campground can take advantage of Rocky Mountain’s free shuttle to trails in Moraine Park and the Bear Lake corridor to avoid the headache of finding parking in this busy section of the park.

Campsites can be reserved up to 6 months in advance. Click here to reserve a campsite at Moraine Park Campground.

Aspenglen Campground

Aspenglen Campground is the best campground in Rocky Mountain National Park for campers who want to stay close enough to the top attractions but be able to retreat to a quieter, less visited part of the park at the end of the day.

This campground is also on the east side of the park but about 20 minutes north of Moraine Park, closer to the Fall River Entrance.

Aspenglen Campground is the smallest campground on this list with only 52 campsites. This includes 13 tent-only sites, 5 walk-in sites, and 2 ADA accessible sites. Note that RVs up to 30 feet long are welcome at this campground, but the nearest dump station is in Moraine Park Campground.

As for things to do, the campground is a great place to see wildlife since it’s a less busy section of Rocky Mountain National Park. You can also explore nearby Deer Mountain or take a longer hike to lakes such as Lawn Lake and Ypsilon Lake.

Campsites can be reserved up to 6 months in advance. Click here to reserve a campsite at Aspenglen Campground.

Timber Creek Campground

Timber Creek Campground is the only campground on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. Its location make this campground better suited for visitors who are arriving from the west of the park or those who want to explore a less visited section of the park. (If you’re coming from larger towns like Denver and Boulder, the east side entrances will be closer to you.)

Since more people want to see and stay at the east side of the park, Timber Creek Campground may offer the best chance of snagging a campsite inside the park if you have a shorter window to plan your trip. We were able to reserve a campsite here for a Saturday night only 2 and a half months in advance of our trip.

There are almost 100 campsites here which can accommodate both tents and RVs up to 30 feet in length. Four of the campsites are ADA compliant.

Timber Creek Campground is right off the Trail Ridge Road so it’s a nice place to kick off your drive along this scenic, 48-mile road. Closer to the campground, explore the Timber Lake trail, Adams Falls, and the Holzwarth Historic Site.

Campsites can be reserved up to 6 months in advance. Click here to reserve a campsite at Moraine Park Campground.

The Best Campgrounds Near Rocky Mountain National Park

Didn’t snag a campsite within the park? Here are the best campgrounds near Rocky Mountain National Park. Just make sure to get timed entry reservations so you can enter the park.

Elk Meadow Lodge & RV Park

Elk Meadow Lodge & RV Park is a 30-acre campground in Estes Park, CO with great views of Rocky Mountain National Park.

The campground’s location is very convenient to access the park since it’s only 5 minutes away from the Beaver Meadows entrance.

The town of Estes Park has a FREE shuttle system that stops at Elk Meadow and takes riders to the Estes Park Visitor Center, from which riders can transfer to the national park’s hiker shuttle. This hiker shuttle take visitors to some of the most popular trails along Bear Lake Road.

Unlike other RV parks in the area, Elk Meadow has spaces for tent camping so it is more accommodating to a wider variety of camping styles.

To reserve a campsite at Elk Meadow Lodge & RV Park, call (970) 586-5342. If you’d like to request a reservation online, click here to request a tent site or click here to request a RV site.

Estes Park Campground at Mary’s Lake

The Estes Valley Recreation and Park District (EVRPD) operates two campgrounds in Estes Park. One of these campgrounds is across the road from Mary’s Lake.

The Estes Park Campground at Mary’s Lake is less than 10 minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park’s Beaver Meadows entrance.

There are 128 campsites including 7 ADA accessible sites. The campground can accommodate both tents and RVs up to 40 feet long. Note that this is a larger size limit than what’s allowed at the EVRPD’s other campground, so anyone travelling in a large RV would want to choose this campground over the other.

The campground at Mary’s Lake has many amenities including full hookup sites, drinking water, coin-operated showers, laundry, a playground, and a heated swimming pool.

Nature lovers will appreciate frequent wildlife sightings and the views of the Rocky Mountains beyond Mary’s Lake.

If you have time to spare at the campground around your tour of Rocky Mountain National Park, keep in mind that fishing is allowed at Mary’s Lake but boating and swimming are not permitted.

Campsites can be reserved up to 180 days (6 months) in advance. Click here to reserve a campsite at Estes Park Campground at Mary’s Lake.

Estes Park Campground at East Portal

The second EVRPD campground is Estes Park Campground at East Portal.

The East Portal campground is 10 minutes away from the Beaver Meadows entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park.

It’s smaller than the Mary’s Lake campground both in terms of the number and size of sites. There are 66 campsites, including 4 ADA accessible sites. Campsites can be used for tents and small trailers or RVs under 22 feet long.

The Estes Park Campground at East Portal has many of the same amenities as the campground at Mary’s Lake. But one major difference, other than the RV size limit, is that the East Portal campground is much more wooded. So if a shaded campsite is important to you, The East Portal campground may be your better bet.

If you have more time to explore the campground before or after your exploration of Rocky Mountain National Park, check out the Wind River Trail or East Portal Trail.

Campsites can be reserved up to 180 days (6 months) in advance. Click here to reserve a campsite at Estes Park Campground at East Portal.

Hermit Park

Hermit Park is a campground managed by Larimer County.

This campground is located about 15 minutes east of the Beaver Meadows entrance so it is another great place to camp for easy access to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Hermit Park allows both tent and RV camping.

There is a network of short trails at Hermit Park you can explore if you want to check out some less crowded hikes after hitting the highlights in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Campsites can be reserved up to 180 days (6 months) in advance. Click here to reserve a campsite at Hermit Park.

Stillwater Campground

Stillwater Campground is one of the best campgrounds on the western side of Rocky Mountain National Park.

This campground is in the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest on the shore of Lake Granby. There are several US Forest Service campgrounds on the outskirts of Rocky Mountain National Park, but I consider this to be one of the best for most national park visitors because it’s reservable and offers basic amenities like drinking water.

Stillwater Campground is about a 10-minute drive away from Rocky Mountain’s western entrance.

There are 129 campsites which includes spaces for tents as well as trailers and RVs. Many of the campsites are small and close together, but I typically don’t mind this when I’m just looking for a home base to spend my days in the national park. The short driving distance to the national park is much more crucial to getting to enjoy the park.

The campground’s amenities include bathrooms, showers, drinking water, and a dump station.

If you want to spend some time on Lake Granby, boating, swimming, and fishing are all permitted activities.

Campsites can be reserved up to 6 months in advance. Click here to reserve a campsite in Stillwater Campground.

Need more help planning your trip to Rocky Mountain National Park? Check out these related articles:

• 7 Places to Catch a Rocky Mountain National Park Sunset
• 10 Easy But Gratifying Hikes In Rocky Mountain National Park
• How To Plan A National Park Trip: 7 Tips For A Perfect Visit

As always, enjoy the outdoors responsibly. Leave no trace on all of your adventures.