The Procrastinator's July 4 camping guide

By David Accomazzo, Rocky Mountian News

Published July 1, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Interested in camping this weekend? Better get moving.

Just about all of the camp sites in state park campgrounds are taken, but first-come, first-served sites are still available in some federal areas. Here's a primer on roughing it over the July Fourth weekend.

* Where can I find last-minute camping?

Today is the last day to make reservations in Colorado state parks, but just three parks still have camping space and each is pretty far from the Denver area.

Bonny Lake State Park in Burlington, near the Colorado-Kansas border on Interstate 70, has 115 spaces available because record-low water levels have made most boating impossible.

John Martin State Park, between Las Animas and Lamar on U.S. 50, has 62 sites with electrical hookups remaining.

Island Acres campground, off the Colorado River on the Western Slope east of Palisade, has five sites remaining.

The White River National Forest includes five campgrounds around Green Mountain Reservoir, located 10 miles south of Kremmling, on a first-come, first-served basis.

The campsites are Cow Creek North, Willows, Elliot Creek, Prairie Point and McDonald Flats. They lack electrical and sewage hookups.

Howard Scott of the Forest Service's Dillon Ranger District recommends that interested campers arrive as early as possible on Thursday.

The Arapahoe and Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee National Grassland, 1.5 million acres from the Wyoming border to Mount Evans and from the Williams Fork area to just east of Interstate 25, offers around 500 nonreservable campsites, said Leslie McFadden, who works at the area's visitor center. She expects them to be full by Wednesday or Thursday.

There are no open sites in Rocky Mountain National Park.

A few sites are open in other national forests, but they are going fast, according to the national forest reservation system.

* How much does it cost to camp?

State park campgrounds run from $14 to $22 a night depending on amenities and location. Reservations cost an additional $8. Some places offer electricity, water and sewage hookups. There is also an entrance fee of $6 per day.

In White River National Forest, Prairie Point and McDonald Flats run $10 a night, while Cow Creek North, Willows and Elliot Creek are $5 a car each night. Camping in Arapahoe and Roosevelt national forests and Pawnee National Grassland costs $10 to $22 depending on the site.

* What are some of the rules?

Leave fireworks at home; they are illegal all campsites.

Quiet hours are in effect at all campsites from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. or 7 a.m.

Only 3.2 percent alcohol is allowed in state parks and no glass is allowed on beaches. Only six people can camp at one site at a time.

Alcohol is OK in national forests but quiet hours still apply.

Most campgrounds allow fires in designated fire pits; just remember to put our fires correctly.

* How are pine beetles affecting campgrounds?

More than 1 million acres of lodgepole pines have succumbed to the beetle invasion, including trees in some campgrounds. In the Dillon Ranger District alone, at least six campgrounds have closed or had their opening delayed due to danger posed by falling trees.

* Where can I get more information?

* Colorado State Parks, see parks.state.co.us. Reservations can be made online or by calling 303-470-1144.

* National forests campgrounds, go to recreation.gov or call 1-800-365-2267.

* Arapahoe and Roosevelt national forest and Pawnee National Grassland campgrounds, call 970-295-6700.

* Dillon Ranger District at 970-468-5400 or www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/recreation/campgrounds/

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