Lory State Park is now open for back country camping. Please visit the parks camping page for additional information regarding the back county sites. Campsites are popular during weekends and may be booked. Please make reservations at cpwshop.com or 1-800-244-5613. Please observe social distance guidelines during your stay at campsites. Park visitor centers, picnic sites, playgrounds, and CPW Area Offices remain closed to the public at this time. All Colorado State Parks non-campground outdoor areas of parks, including trails, boat ramps, marinas and shorelines remain open. Please use cpwshop.com... Read More

You know what I love? Camping. You know what I don’t love as much? Paying as much as I would for a hotel room for a night! Luckily, there are plenty of free campsites in and around the front range, and we’ve compiled some for you to get you started!   West Magnolia Ridge 602-610 County Highway 132-W Nederland, Colorado GPS: 39.946961, -105.517587 Elevation: 8711′ If you can brave rough camping accessed by a currently washed-out road, you’re in for a treat. This site is near Nederland and many hiking trails with sweeping views of the forests and mountains. Pets are allowed, and... Read More

It’s almost summer, a time for outdoor activities including sleeping in the great outdoors.  Camping helps us refresh our mind and soul. There’s nothing better than seeing the wilderness wake up as the sun lights up the sky! Camping requires some preparation to keep you warm, safe, and healthy. If you are planning a camping trip this year, keep in mind these essential health and safety tips.   Assess your fitness level.  If you are planning a particularly strenuous trip, make sure you are fit enough to withstand the strain of the journey. You may want to consider working with a fitness... Read More

Begin Angry Outdoorsman. I am mad, but not near as mad as I was when I originally wrote this post last Wednesday.  You see, it has been over three weeks since the government shutdown started on December 23rd.  During this time most of our National Parks have remained open. Also during this time basic services have been halted—things like collecting entrance fees, guiding tourists, plowing the roads, cleaning toilets, emptying trash bins, and restricting access to certain parts of the parks.  Seven people have reportedly died in the parks during this time, which is actually less than the average... Read More

Hotel Luna Mystica Down in New Mexico at the foot of Wheeler peak and right next to the Taos Mesa Brewery Mothership stands a little-known hotel…if you want to call it that.  Hotel Luna Mystica is what they call it and it is an amazing place dotted with restored vintage trailers, campsites, and even trailer hookups if you bring your own. Trailer park? Not quite. At the risk of this place being overrun, let me tell you a little bit about it. The Best Winter Glamping Escape Close to Colorado Hotel Luna Mystica is an experience, to say the least, they have several restored vintage trailers... Read More

Let’s face it Colorado is beautiful in the fall but for some, it just is not their favorite time to camp.  While most days are absolutely beautiful and make great camping weather some days see 40-degree swings between the highs and lows and it can get pretty damn chilly at night. Maybe you read my article about the 7 features to consider when buying a winter sleeping bag and you bought that sleeping bag and you’re still cold.  Well, you have a few options, you could go back to California, Texas, or Florida because you clearly aren’t cut out for this state or… you know go camping... Read More

Whether you are planning on sleeping in your truck to catch that first chairlift, doing some late fall or winter camping, ski touring, mountaineering, or even snow caving, picking a good winter sleeping bag can be tough. There are a ton of options, and prices, and shapes, and features. Just going to REI can be overwhelming, to say the least.  So, I am going to break down what you need to look for exactly in order of importance. 1 – Price This gets listed first because everyone has a budget when it comes to buying gear.  You should know, however, that when looking at real winter sleeping... Read More

Well fall is definitely underway here in Colorado.  In fact it seems to have hit with a vengeance this year like it was mad summer even tried to show up.  But honestly this is a great time to camp. The mornings and nights get chilly sure but there’s not much better than waking up to a hot breakfast outside and I particularly like cooking with my cast iron dutch oven.  In fact I would say there is nothing better than breakfast period…and I am willing to argue that with you if need be. Regardless the following is a recipe I learned in scouts for a breakfast cooked in a cast iron dutch... Read More

This summer I had the opportunity to rent a 1989 FJ62 Toyota Land Cruiser from @blueoxoverland here in Denver.  Not just any Land Cruiser either as it was outfitted with everything I needed to make camp just about anywhere I wanted.  We are talking about everything from roof top tent to a cooler to 4×4 lockers on the wheels. Blue Ox Overland specializes in these rigs and has a fleet of 4 in varying colors and years but they are all FJ62s, one of the most iconic series of Land Cruisers Toyota ever made. Of all the outdoor experiences I had this year in Colorado this was by far the coolest... Read More