Meeker Park Overflow Campground

[Jeremy Nix]

It was an interesting experience to say the least.  First off, camping in Colorado is a popular activity. While the point of camping (at least to me) is to get away from it all, find some peace and quiet... some seclusion. This is easier said than done in our state. This might not be news to some of you, but for me it is a lesson that I have learned this Summer. So far, we have had to downgrade to our second choice of campgrounds every time due to the high volume of campers. 

I left Denver at about 5:00 in the morning, intent on hitting the Olive Ridge campground... we were looking forward to the playground for our daughter. Olive Ridge is located just off Highway 7, right outside of Lyons, CO.  The combination of it's proximity to Estes Park and the holiday weekend meant the campground we wanted was full.  Seven miles down Highway 7 is the Meeker Park Overflow Campground  which is where we ended up.  

Colorado State Highway 7

The route was established in the 1920s. It began at Estes Park and traveled south to Lyons south to Boulder. It then continued to its terminus at U.S. Route 87 in Lafayette. The route was paved from Boulder to Lafayette in 1932 and from Estes Park to Lyons in 1936. In 1939, the route was extended southward to Brighton, where it met U.S. Route 6; this extension was paved by 1946.

 

It's a shame that the campground is located only 22.5 miles from the time I got on this highway. It's a gorgeous drive. If you love the drive as much as you love the camping, this is a great stretch of highway. 

 

The campground is a little more undeveloped as far as amenities go. There are 27 campsites, and they are all occupied on a first come, first serve basis. I arrived ahead of Maizy early Friday morning, and was able to secure spot #5. Right behind the welcome sign. It was one of only a handful of spots left. Weekday camping is looking more and more attractive to me as the season goes on.

#5 had it's ups and downs. It was a large site, provided plenty of shade, and had a restroom nearby. Since it was located directly behind the entrance, I got a lot of foot traffic. Folks asking me all the questions a campground host would be expected to answer. I drank a beer with a "traveler" which was his description of himself... a campground hobo if you ask me.  He came by trying to hitch a ride down into town for some "supplies" (a 30 pack of PBR).. since I couldn't offer him a ride, I told him he could have one of my beers if he wanted. We actually had a nice conversation, and he was on his way shortly after he finished his beer.  So if you don't like interacting with people, and you don't care for campground hobos, then I would say don't camp in Colorado near any major tourist destinations or during any National Holidays.  

Although we were right at the entrance, the site had some sprawl to it. Plenty of room for Penny to push her stroller around.... for hours and hours... and hours....

and swing on her cool swing that we set up on a lovely branch.... for hours and hours, and hours...

The restrooms were actually port-o-johns, which I just can't get comfortable with. There is something about waving to the guy that just came out ahead of you, then walking in and seeing his excrement displayed on the top of a huge pile of other people's excrement... I'd rather take a hike and dig a hole personally, but that's just me. Directly across the highway from the campground is a picnic area, they have vaulted toilets, so if you are willing to take a walk, you can at least avoid the port-o-john nightmare. 

This picture also represents spot numbers 1,2,3 and 4. The #2 spot is the campground hosts, the other three were occupied by a large party of about 8 cars and trucks. 

There is no water available here, so stop at Olive Ridge and fill up on that if you need it. There is also a general store a couple miles down the road, that offers free water, and public showers. 

The picnic table was huge, you could probably seat like 10 to 15 people easily at this thing. The fire ring was great as usual...  and of course spectacular scenery all around. 

I think it's worth noting that this campground is actually on the very border of the Roosevelt National Forest.  The Roosevelt National Forest began in 1897 as part of the Medicine Bow Forest Reserve. It was renamed the Colorado National Forest in 1910, and was renamed to honor President Theodore Roosevelt in 1932.

We spent 3 days at the campground, so naturally we ran out of ice and had to make a jaunt into Estes Park. We did a little shopping and sight seeing while we were there. Normally this would be a hassle, but since I was so worried about getting a site, we actually traveled seperately this time.  Maizy met me later in the new jeep. I named it the Imperial Stormtrooper because I'm a dork. Plus the white paint, and dark tinted windows just conjur up that memory for me. Stormtroopers are awesome looking. 

On the way into town, and just about 1 mile from the campground is the Saint Malo Chapel on the Rock. 

The Chapel on the Rock (officially, Saint Catherine of Siena's Chapel) is a popular tourist landmark in Allenspark, Colorado visited by thousands every year.^[1] The chapel is located on the grounds of the Saint Malo Retreat Center, the Catholic retreat center for the Archdiocese of Denver,^[2] near Mount Meeker. In 1999, Boulder County designated the chapel as a historic site.^[3]

Pope John Paul II prayed at the chapel during his visit to Denver for World Youth Day in 1993. Afterwards, the chapel received his personal blessing.^[1] The Pope later hiked in the surrounding woods and spent some time at the Saint Malo Retreat Center.

I'm not into the whole religion thing, but this is a pretty spectacular building.  

 

Estes Park on the 4th of July weekend is ridiculously packed with people. I loathed the fact that we ran out of ice once we were stuck in this traffic jam. I'm sorry but who wants to be in a traffic jam on a camping excursion? We couldn't wait to get out of town. On the plus side, Estes Park has a ton of shopping and cool restaurants, a winery, and a cool central picnic area with a playground for the kids. 

This Splitty does double duty as a billboard for Ed's Cantina in Estes Park. Awesome 

We took a snapshot of the Overlook Hotel on the way back. 

The Stanley Hotel is a 138-room neo-Georgian hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Located within sight of the Rocky Mountain National Park, the Stanley offers panoramic views of the Rockies. It was built by Freelan O. Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame and opened on July 4, 1909, catering to the rich and famous, including the Titanic survivor Margaret Brown, John Philip Sousa, Theodore Roosevelt, the Emperor and Empress of Japan, and a variety of Hollywood personalities.^[2]

The Stanley Hotel also hosted the horror novelist Stephen King, inspiring him to write The Shining. Contrary to information sometimes published, King was living in Boulder at the time and did not actually write the novel at the hotel. Parts of the mini-series version of The Shining were filmed there, although it was not used for Stanley Kubrick's cinematic version. The hotel and its surrounding lands are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[3]

The Stanley Hotel shows the uncut R-rated version of Kubrick's The Shining on a continuous loop on Channel 42 on guest room televisions.

A view from Estes Park.

What was supposed to be a run to get some ice, turned into a sightseeing tour of historic landmarks, a cool surprise that I was not expecting. 

Overall, the campground was an enjoyable experience. The roads throughout were a little rocky, but there are some great spots to camp in here. There is ample forest to explore, abundant wildlife to see, and cool towns surrounding it.  While it wasn't my first choice, and it was more crowded than I prefer...it was worth the visit.  Here are some pictures of more campsites, scenery, and shots of our experience.  Thanks for reading! 

Spot #10

The start of the loop. The VW Golf is in Spot #6. 

#12 with the sweet state flag, and the cool station wagon.

Rough roads in the loop.

A couple examples of our set-up in #5 

 

Heading home down Highway 7. I might just sneak back up there for a drive pretty soon. !

St. Vrain River

 

Miscellaneous photos from the trip:

Got some Pink Floyd gear for the bus in here. A good example of the type of shops on Main Street in Estes Park. 

I'm really having a difficult time with my video footage. My next experiment is going to be to strap the tripod to the passenger seat. I also need some extra memory cards. I'm always scared to just shoot as much video as I want, because I'm always running out of space on the memory card.  Time to invest in a new one. 

Penny is to camping, as a fish is to water... She loves it!  

Jury Rigged the bug screen with some velcro strips...turned out to be a nice temporary solution until I can get the right snaps installed.  you can also see alot of the body damage that comes with The Pig here... sometimes I wonder if the previous owner rolled this thing at one point, there is body damage around every corner. It almost makes me love it more. 

The contents of my upper cabinet. The left side is used for games and some random toys. The left side is for Mister Bo's dog stuff.  :) 

I was contemplating not adding photos like this, but then I realized, I probably read these campground reviews more than anyone else does... so if nothing else..they will serve as great memories for me someday. This is a photo of the inside of the cabinet we installed. Maizy is a masterful organizer. 

A view from a lawn chair. 

Views along Highway 7..

Love. 

Until the next time... Peace

 

 

 

[Dave Harder]

Great pics Jeremy and a Good description of your adventure!  I camped up there in the late 70's and was really secluded but a lot more people camping these days more camaraderie less solitude  Oh Well .  i am hoping to get to Red Feather Lakes this weekend leaving friday after work around  1pm

[Jeremy Nix]

Thanks Dave! We can't wait to see some pictures of your next journey!  I really like your thoughts on more camraderie and less solitude... a nice "glass half full" approach. I'm trying to be an optimist as well, but I have years and years of pessimism to chip away at... I guess it doesn't happen overnight! Thanks for reading. 

Dave Harder said:

Great pics Jeremy and a Good description of your adventure!  I camped up there in the late 70's and was really secluded but a lot more people camping these days more camaraderie less solitude  Oh Well .  i am hoping to get to Red Feather Lakes this weekend leaving friday after work around  1pm

[whc03grady]

Nice write up.

I wonder why that Dodge Caliber chose to drive all the way down to Estes Park to sit in traffic on the 4th of July.

[Jeremy Nix]

Yeah, a 15 hour drive from Montana to Estes Park. WOW. I guess Colorado really is a popular destination. :)