Martyn
Bennett, Colorado, USA
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Thinking of doing a weekend up there. Anyone have suggestions as to the better campgrounds around the lake? Need a location that will allow us to take our dogs. Don't really care if it's dry camping but electric would be nice!
Thanks in advance! 
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cm
Dillon, CO USA
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Joined: 08/01/2002
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The only campgrounds around the lake are the US Forest Service campgrounds. contact the Forest Service office in Silverthorne. 970-262-3440
There are basically 4 parks. Heaton Bay on the dam road between Dillon and Frisco. Peak One on the Frisco Peninsula. On Swan Mountain Road on the south side of the lake are the Prospector Campground and the Loury Campground.
Only Heaton bay and Loury have electricity unless thay have added electricity at Peak One.
A problem may be that not all of the campgrounds will be open this summer due to the pine beatle tree removal. Last summer Heaton never opened due to the tree removal operations. It was announced in the Summit Daily reciently that Peak One would stay closed in May for tree removal and that the opening date was not determined yet. They kept saying that last year about Heaton Bay and it never opened.
The Swan Mountain Road area has been hit hard by the pine beatle so I would not be surprised it they are also closed the other two campgrounds for at least part of the summer.
Heaton and Peak One are the only campgrounds that are directly on the lake. The other two sit back from the lake.
Don't expect to camp in a pine forest any more. Most of the pine trees are dead from the pine beatle. In the campground area at Heaton Bay they removed probably 75 to 80% of the trees.
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Martyn
Bennett, Colorado, USA
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CM - many thanks!
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NGRRFan
Colo. Spgs., CO
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cm wrote:Don't expect to camp in a pine forest any more. Most of the pine trees are dead from the pine beatle. In the campground area at Heaton Bay they removed probably 75 to 80% of the trees. Thisa doesn't surprise me all that much at all. Pine beetles have done a number on a lot of the NFS in the state.
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Dashonthedash
CO
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I just got my August reservation for Heaton Bay cancelled for the second straight year. Has anyone heard that Heaton Bay will be closed this year?
Gary Shapiro
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Martyn
Bennett, Colorado, USA
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Dashonthedash wrote:I just got my August reservation for Heaton Bay cancelled for the second straight year. Has anyone heard that Heaton Bay will be closed this year?
Was unaware of that - we decided to skip it and try somewhere else. 
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Dashonthedash
CO
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I talked to Thousand Trails today, and was told that several sites, including the one I had reserved, had been set aside for the season for hosts and work crews dealing with the beetle problem. Most of the campground should be open for the season. I was able to reserve a site for the same weekend right next to the reservoir, although it isn't electric.
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NGRRFan
Colo. Spgs., CO
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Dashonthedash wrote:I talked to Thousand Trails Thousand Trails?? 
This is a NFS campground, what does TT have to do with it? Reservations are made through Reserve America.
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Dashonthedash
CO
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NGRRFan wrote:Dashonthedash wrote:I talked to Thousand Trails Thousand Trails??
This is a NFS campground, what does TT have to do with it? Reservations are made through Reserve America.
Apparently, TT manages the campground. I called Recreation.gov (ReserveAmerica), they told me the cancellations were made by the campground and they gave me a number with a 970 area code (Western slope). When I called the number, they answered "Thousand Trails", and they knew about the closures. Oddly enough, the person I talked to at Dillon Ranger District didn't know about this.
This actually doesn't surprise me, since TT manages most of the NFS campgrounds I have visited on the Western Slope.
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NGRRFan
Colo. Spgs., CO
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HUH...... That's a new one on me.
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