[mr_dove]

I'm looking to take up camping again. Its been a while and I've never done it since I moved to Colorado.

I don't want to do "car camping", which usually means driving to a camp site and pulling all your gear out of the car to set up camp.

I'd like to actually pack all my gear out to a camp site (at least a few miles). This usually gets rid of the possibility of any other campers. Not many want to walk.

I'm really thinking something akin to those who go backpacking out in the mountains, hiking out to a remote camp site away from civilization and other campers.

Anyone done anything like this? What are some good locations? A nice mountain lake or mountain stream would be nice so we didn't have to bring tons of water with us.

Tons of trails are not really needed. The bikes would serve more as transportation than recreation. I might do some riding during the day but I doubt that my wife would.

 

[FunkMaster]

A good place for your first time could be something like White Ranch. They have a few campsites that you have to hike too, but it is still a little organized and stuff. Jefco has another place that allows camping, I can't remember the name of it off hand, but I remember the rangers saying that nobody uses it (as in it's not even full on the 4th of July).

I know that's not exactly what you were looking for, but I wouldn't expect many people this time of year and it could be a good chance to see how heavy your gear is and stuff. I'm sure there are places you could camp on the Colorado Trail. Once you get 10 miles from your car the chances of running into idiots severely decreases.

 

[LordOpie]

Originally posted by mr_dove
This usually gets rid of the possibility of any other campers. Not many want to walk.

Brother, this is Colorado, tied for the healthiest state in the USA... you'll always have at least another group wherever you go. Last summer we went to places near Vail, Winter Park, Crested Butte and no matter how remote we thought we were, there was atleast 2-3 other groups. This was *hiking*.

Your bike to a campsite location sounds pretty cool and something I *want* to do very much. But then you'd have to camp along a somewhat established single-track.

If you really want to get away from people, you'll have to go bushwack and you'll need some good orienteering skills.

One of the best places to go and hardest to find is "Round Pond" in Rocky Mt. NP. You need leap-frog orienteering skills to find it. Heck, Rangers don't even know about it despite it being on the map. I mention it in case you do have good orienteering skills.

Other places would be between Fraser and Steamboat... lots of open land that's not quite as popular.

An easy to find, but strenous to get to place is the campsite that's used as a base to do Mt. Harvard and Mt. Columbia. There's a stream nearby and dedicated campsites, about 5-7? First come, first serve. I did it a couple years ago, but I think you can get there on mt.bikes. Tho I'm not sure if it's "allowed".

You can mt.bike to the top of Mt. Bross, tho I've not done it yet, so if there's a water source running there, that's a good option for overnighting with bikes.

Tip on filtering water: bring powdered tea, lemonade or something... get's ride of any carbon or iodine stuff.

hit up the library for some resources.

If you aren't good with a topo map, I strongly recommend staying on established trail systems.

Damn, I wanted to just bike this summer, but ya got me jazzed about hiking again

 

[SkaredShtles]

Originally posted by LordOpie
Brother, this is Colorado, tied for the healthiest state in the USA... you'll always have at least another group wherever you go. Last summer we went to places near Vail, Winter Park, Crested Butte and no matter how remote we thought we were, there was atleast 2-3 other groups. This was *hiking*.

Au contraire, mon ami. You simply have to go to places which don't show up in the guide books. And there are MASSES of them in our wonderful state. Heck, there are MASSES of them within 2 hours of Denver. During the week, I dare say you could easily find trails on which you'd see nary a person.

For example - my wife & I went on a 3-day backpack over the 4th of July several years back and we saw 3 other groups. Now to be fair, I'm discounting the people we saw within ~2 miles of the trailheads. They don't really count.

If you really want to get away from people, you'll have to go bushwack and you'll need some good orienteering skills.

This is excellent advice. And considering that probably 98% of the backcountry of Colorado has no trail system in it, there's lots of that, too.

You can mt.bike to the top of Mt. Bross, tho I've not done it yet, so if there's a water source running there, that's a good option for overnighting with bikes.

Ouch. Camping at 14K feet? Maybe if you're training to climb Denali......... There would be some nice campsites in Cameron Amphitheatre below Bross & Lincoln, methinks.

-S.S.-

-S.S.-

 

[LordOpie]

Originally posted by SkaredShtles
Au contraire, mon ami. You simply have to go to places which don't show up in the guide books.

haha! i noticed you didn't volunteer any places great backbacking locations are kept more secret than those illegal DH/FR runs :devil:

Originally posted by SkaredShtles
Ouch. Camping at 14K feet? Maybe if you're training to climb Denali.........

I wasn't suggesting camping at the summit of Bross However, if Mr & Mrs Dove want to do some 14er camping, I hear Sherman's pretty good.

 

[Morryjg]

You might look at Golden Gate State Park. It's close to Denver and has 'backcountry' camp sites that you could bike too. Granted, it will be a little busier than some but it is a really cool place and allows bikes on the trails. Just call up and reserve a backcountry site the week before you go. The time my wife and I went up there to backpack we were the only ones in the backcountry sites.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Originally posted by LordOpie
haha! i noticed you didn't volunteer any places great backbacking locations are kept more secret than those illegal DH/FR runs :devil:


I wasn't suggesting camping at the summit of Bross However, if Mr & Mrs Dove want to do some 14er camping, I hear Sherman's pretty good.

Simply going where everybody else ain't. Back when I through-hiked the Colorado Trail, I had several days when I saw NOBODY. Not a *single* other human. It was nice.

Those places are still out there..........

-S.S.-

 

[SkaredShtles]

Originally posted by Morryjg
You might look at Golden Gate State Park. It's close to Denver and has 'backcountry' camp sites that you could bike too. Granted, it will be a little busier than some but it is a really cool place and allows bikes on the trails. Just call up and reserve a backcountry site the week before you go. The time my wife and I went up there to backpack we were the only ones in the backcountry sites.

I'll bet during the week it's almost deserted.........

-S.S.-