RV Parks In Denver, Colorado

For a metro area, the best camping here is surprisingly public. Cherry Creek State Park, about 15 miles from downtown in Aurora, has roughly 139 sites with full 50-amp hookups on paved, level pads, plus reservoir access and trails. Chatfield State Park, about 45 minutes south, runs around 200 sites, most with full hookups, and sits closer to the foothills. On the private side, Flying Saucer RV Park in Englewood and Dakota Ridge RV Park in Golden both offer full hookups with easy metro access, and Dakota Ridge puts you near Red Rocks. If you are arriving from the east on I-70, Denver East / Strasburg KOA makes an easy first-night stop before you push into the city.

Most of the notable options do. Both Cherry Creek and Chatfield State Parks offer full hookups with 50-amp power at the majority of their RV sites, which is unusual for public campgrounds this close to a major city. The private parks ringing the metro, including Flying Saucer and Dakota Ridge, all run full hookups at 30 and 50 amp. The one exception is Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood, a city-run campground with electric sites and a shared dump station rather than full sewer hookups, so it is the budget-and-simplicity option rather than the full-service one.

Expect a moderate-to-higher price band overall, with the state parks landing in the middle and private parks running a notch above. Cherry Creek sits in the $$ range, Chatfield edges into $$$ thanks to its reservoir-front sites, and the private full-hookup parks like Flying Saucer and Dakota Ridge are also $$$. Bear Creek Lake Park, the city-run electric-and-dump option, is the cheapest of the bunch at $$. Add the small cpwshop.com reservation fee for the state parks, and budget a bit more for any site during Red Rocks concert weekends or peak summer.

For Cherry Creek and Chatfield, plan on booking six months out through cpwshop.com if you want a summer weekend, especially one that lines up with a Red Rocks show. Both parks fill fast once the reservation window opens for peak dates. Private parks like Flying Saucer and Dakota Ridge are generally easier to book direct, but they too fill for big events and busy summer stretches, so do not wait until the week of your trip. Denver East / Strasburg KOA, being farther out on I-70, tends to have more last-minute availability.

Fall is our favorite here: clear, crisp weather, golden aspen color in the foothills and toward Rocky Mountain National Park, and noticeably easier reservations once the summer crowds thin out. Summer is peak season, warm and sunny with afternoon thunderstorms, but it is also when Cherry Creek and Chatfield book out fastest and prices sit highest. Spring is a gamble because heavy snowstorms can hit right into May. Winter is quiet and workable if your rig is set up for cold nights, since the year-round parks stay open even though the high country closes for ski season.

Yes, and Denver is a genuinely easy metro for big coaches. Cherry Creek State Park takes pull-throughs up to 80 feet, which covers essentially any rig and trailer combination. Chatfield handles rigs to about 45 feet. The private parks, including Flying Saucer and Dakota Ridge, both advertise themselves as big-rig friendly with pull-through sites. The one caution is not the parks themselves but the roads west of the city: I-70 climbs steeply into the mountains, so if you plan a side trip toward the high country, gear down early and watch your brakes and engine temperature on the descents.

Not really inside the metro itself. Cherry Creek, Chatfield, and the private parks are all reservation-based, and Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood runs on city reservations as well, so first-come camping right in Denver is limited. Your best shot at free or first-come camping is to head west into the national forest land in the foothills, where dispersed sites exist outside the paved, developed parks. Rules, access roads, and fire restrictions vary by district and by season, so check current conditions before you count on a specific spot.

I-25 runs north-south through the metro and I-70 crosses east-west, so most campgrounds are a short, straightforward pull off one of those two interstates, with I-225, C-470/E-470, and US-285 filling in the rest of the loop. Coming from the east on I-70, Denver East / Strasburg KOA gives you an easy first stop before you push into traffic. If your trip continues west, know that I-70 starts climbing hard once you clear the metro, so plan fuel, rest, and a brake check before you hit the grades.

Yes. Cherry Creek State Park runs a seasonal dump station, and Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood also has one on site for its electric-only campground. Most of the private full-hookup parks do not need a separate dump station because every site has sewer, but if you are dry camping or just passing through and need to empty your tanks, see our guide to RV dump stations in Denver for the full rundown of public and private options around the metro.

Denver itself sits around 5,280 feet, which is mild enough that most RVers barely notice it, but it changes things fast once you head west. I-70 climbs steeply into the mountains, so watch your engine temperature and brakes on the grades, and expect reduced power from gas engines at higher elevations if you continue toward the high country. The metro campgrounds themselves, Cherry Creek, Chatfield, Flying Saucer, and Dakota Ridge, are all at a comfortable elevation, so acclimating is not a real concern unless your itinerary pushes on toward Rocky Mountain National Park or the mountain passes.

Generally yes. Colorado state parks like Cherry Creek and Chatfield allow leashed pets throughout the campground and on most trails, and both have reservoir shorelines and open space that make for good dog walks between drives. Private parks in the area, including Flying Saucer and Dakota Ridge, typically welcome pets as well, though it is always worth confirming any breed or size restrictions and current pet fees directly with the park before you book, since private-park pet policies change more often than the state park rules.

A lot, which is a big reason people base a trip here. Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre in Morrison hosts world-famous concerts and has its own hiking trails through dramatic sandstone. Downtown Denver, including LoDo and Union Station, brings museums, sports, and a deep brewery scene within easy reach of the metro campgrounds. For day trips, Rocky Mountain National Park is about an hour and a half northwest with alpine peaks and Trail Ridge Road, and the Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway, about an hour west, is one of the highest paved roads in North America. Reservoir boating, fishing, and foothills hiking round out the closer-in options right from Cherry Creek or Chatfield.

It depends on what you want out of the stay. Cherry Creek and Chatfield are the better value for scenery, with paved level sites, reservoir access, and trails, and they handle big rigs without issue, but you do need to book roughly six months out for summer weekends. Private parks like Flying Saucer and Dakota Ridge are easier to reserve on shorter notice, sit closer to specific attractions like Red Rocks, and offer amenities like on-site Wi-Fi and cable. Our take: if your dates are flexible and set well in advance, the state parks are the better all-around value; if you are booking closer to your trip or want to be near a specific spot, go private.

For a metro area, the best camping here is surprisingly public. Cherry Creek State Park, about 15 miles from downtown in Aurora, has roughly 139 sites with full 50-amp hookups on paved, level pads, plus reservoir access and trails. Chatfield State Park, about 45 minutes south, runs around 200 sites, most with full hookups, and sits closer to the foothills. On the private side, Flying Saucer RV Park in Englewood and Dakota Ridge RV Park in Golden both offer full hookups with easy metro access, and Dakota Ridge puts you near Red Rocks. If you are arriving from the east on I-70, Denver East / Strasburg KOA makes an easy first-night stop before you push into the city.

Most of the notable options do. Both Cherry Creek and Chatfield State Parks offer full hookups with 50-amp power at the majority of their RV sites, which is unusual for public campgrounds this close to a major city. The private parks ringing the metro, including Flying Saucer and Dakota Ridge, all run full hookups at 30 and 50 amp. The one exception is Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood, a city-run campground with electric sites and a shared dump station rather than full sewer hookups, so it is the budget-and-simplicity option rather than the full-service one.

Expect a moderate-to-higher price band overall, with the state parks landing in the middle and private parks running a notch above. Cherry Creek sits in the $$ range, Chatfield edges into $$$ thanks to its reservoir-front sites, and the private full-hookup parks like Flying Saucer and Dakota Ridge are also $$$. Bear Creek Lake Park, the city-run electric-and-dump option, is the cheapest of the bunch at $$. Add the small cpwshop.com reservation fee for the state parks, and budget a bit more for any site during Red Rocks concert weekends or peak summer.

For Cherry Creek and Chatfield, plan on booking six months out through cpwshop.com if you want a summer weekend, especially one that lines up with a Red Rocks show. Both parks fill fast once the reservation window opens for peak dates. Private parks like Flying Saucer and Dakota Ridge are generally easier to book direct, but they too fill for big events and busy summer stretches, so do not wait until the week of your trip. Denver East / Strasburg KOA, being farther out on I-70, tends to have more last-minute availability.

Fall is our favorite here: clear, crisp weather, golden aspen color in the foothills and toward Rocky Mountain National Park, and noticeably easier reservations once the summer crowds thin out. Summer is peak season, warm and sunny with afternoon thunderstorms, but it is also when Cherry Creek and Chatfield book out fastest and prices sit highest. Spring is a gamble because heavy snowstorms can hit right into May. Winter is quiet and workable if your rig is set up for cold nights, since the year-round parks stay open even though the high country closes for ski season.

Yes, and Denver is a genuinely easy metro for big coaches. Cherry Creek State Park takes pull-throughs up to 80 feet, which covers essentially any rig and trailer combination. Chatfield handles rigs to about 45 feet. The private parks, including Flying Saucer and Dakota Ridge, both advertise themselves as big-rig friendly with pull-through sites. The one caution is not the parks themselves but the roads west of the city: I-70 climbs steeply into the mountains, so if you plan a side trip toward the high country, gear down early and watch your brakes and engine temperature on the descents.

Not really inside the metro itself. Cherry Creek, Chatfield, and the private parks are all reservation-based, and Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood runs on city reservations as well, so first-come camping right in Denver is limited. Your best shot at free or first-come camping is to head west into the national forest land in the foothills, where dispersed sites exist outside the paved, developed parks. Rules, access roads, and fire restrictions vary by district and by season, so check current conditions before you count on a specific spot.

I-25 runs north-south through the metro and I-70 crosses east-west, so most campgrounds are a short, straightforward pull off one of those two interstates, with I-225, C-470/E-470, and US-285 filling in the rest of the loop. Coming from the east on I-70, Denver East / Strasburg KOA gives you an easy first stop before you push into traffic. If your trip continues west, know that I-70 starts climbing hard once you clear the metro, so plan fuel, rest, and a brake check before you hit the grades.

Yes. Cherry Creek State Park runs a seasonal dump station, and Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood also has one on site for its electric-only campground. Most of the private full-hookup parks do not need a separate dump station because every site has sewer, but if you are dry camping or just passing through and need to empty your tanks, see our guide to RV dump stations in Denver for the full rundown of public and private options around the metro.

Denver itself sits around 5,280 feet, which is mild enough that most RVers barely notice it, but it changes things fast once you head west. I-70 climbs steeply into the mountains, so watch your engine temperature and brakes on the grades, and expect reduced power from gas engines at higher elevations if you continue toward the high country. The metro campgrounds themselves, Cherry Creek, Chatfield, Flying Saucer, and Dakota Ridge, are all at a comfortable elevation, so acclimating is not a real concern unless your itinerary pushes on toward Rocky Mountain National Park or the mountain passes.

Generally yes. Colorado state parks like Cherry Creek and Chatfield allow leashed pets throughout the campground and on most trails, and both have reservoir shorelines and open space that make for good dog walks between drives. Private parks in the area, including Flying Saucer and Dakota Ridge, typically welcome pets as well, though it is always worth confirming any breed or size restrictions and current pet fees directly with the park before you book, since private-park pet policies change more often than the state park rules.

A lot, which is a big reason people base a trip here. Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre in Morrison hosts world-famous concerts and has its own hiking trails through dramatic sandstone. Downtown Denver, including LoDo and Union Station, brings museums, sports, and a deep brewery scene within easy reach of the metro campgrounds. For day trips, Rocky Mountain National Park is about an hour and a half northwest with alpine peaks and Trail Ridge Road, and the Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway, about an hour west, is one of the highest paved roads in North America. Reservoir boating, fishing, and foothills hiking round out the closer-in options right from Cherry Creek or Chatfield.

It depends on what you want out of the stay. Cherry Creek and Chatfield are the better value for scenery, with paved level sites, reservoir access, and trails, and they handle big rigs without issue, but you do need to book roughly six months out for summer weekends. Private parks like Flying Saucer and Dakota Ridge are easier to reserve on shorter notice, sit closer to specific attractions like Red Rocks, and offer amenities like on-site Wi-Fi and cable. Our take: if your dates are flexible and set well in advance, the state parks are the better all-around value; if you are booking closer to your trip or want to be near a specific spot, go private.

Yes — there are free RV waste disposal options available near Denver.