Camping @ Crystal River KOA

Thus far, our camping trips in the Phoenix Cruiser have been within 30 miles of the house. We didn’t do this by design, but when it worked out that way, we figured that being near home as we worked on customizing the rig was not necessarily a bad thing. The actual reason for the close-in camping trips was mostly due to availability at campgrounds. We booked where we found space … three days here, three days there.

This trip, still short at just four nights due to campground availability and a previously made dental appointment, took us quite a bit farther ... about 240 miles. And, instead of heading west into the mountains, this time we headed north and then west ... our destination being Carbondale, Colorado, which is about 35 miles from Aspen.

We were both up by 5:30a, so getting on the road as planned by 8:00a was not an issue. In fact, it was 7:56a when we keyed in the access code to leave the storage facility. The temp was not yet 70F … that would be rising quickly. Wildfire smoke haze was present in the air, though not nearly as bad as it was when we went to Cheyenne Mountain State Park in mid-June.

Traffic on I-25N was decent ... perhaps even surprisingly light. It was the opposite in the southbound lanes ... construction related slowdowns. Instead of detouring off the interstate to take E-470, the express tollway on which tolls are currently being waived, we stayed on I-25N through Denver to US-6 and connected to I-70W from there. By 9:30a, we were on our westbound route, beginning the first of several climbs along our route. Our highest point today was 11,000+ feet ... according to RV Trip Wizard.

[By the way, if you subscribe to RV Trip Wizard and have not checked out the RV Life GPS app, you might want to do so. It integrates with RVTW to function as a GPS with directions on your device ... no more exporting from RVTW to Google Maps. And best of all, it’s free with your RVTW subscription.]

The only stop we made on today’s drive was at the Visitor Center in Georgetown. They had no Colorado state maps, but at least Mui got a short break. It was a busy place with a small parking lot, but we managed.

Once through the Eisenhower Tunnel, we had a 7% downhill grade for about 6 miles or so ... the steepest section of the road, with Bethel Mountain straight ahead. Got a glimpse of Dillon Reservoir where I am still hoping we might be able to get in before the camping season is over this year.

Overall, I’d say that I-70W is one of those rare interstates that passes through some amazingly scenic landscape. It made the drive very pleasant. Mui said it wasn’t a tiring drive because the scenery was so nice. Despite the up and down grades along the way, the Cruiser did well. Even the 8-mile two-way section on I-70 was OK, with the traffic flowing well in either direction.

The only real traffic we ran into was after we made the turn off from I-70 to Glenwood Springs on CO-82. To say that the town was packed would be an understatement. We might have to rethink visiting Glenwood Springs, and Aspen as well, unless we want to deal with the crowds … which we don’t.

After topping off the Cruiser at a gas station in Carbondale, we continued onto the KOA, which is located about six miles south, just off CO-133. While I checked us in and paid the balance due on our reservation, Mui unhooked the CR-V. In hindsight, he could have waited to do so at the site since we’re in a pull-through.

KOAs have never been a favorite campground of ours. Often too crowded ... too many kids ... and the sites too tight. But it was the only place where we found an opening. And that was only because we agreed to switch our dates to the holiday weekend. We prefer not to be camping during the major summer holidays because of the crowds, but in this case … well, beggars can’t be choosers.

This KOA surprised us ... pleasantly. For one thing, the sites are more spacious than the ones at most KOAs. While the campground boasts a ½-mile of river frontage, we didn’t get one of the sites that overlook the Crystal River. We’re in site 16, one row over. It’s not a bad site. We have shade on the patio in the shadow of the Cruiser, and there are a couple of trees that help with further sun protection. A fence line separates the patio from the road, so there’s a degree of privacy. Our neighbor on the patio side blocks their view of our patio ... and we can’t see them either. That’s good in my camping book.

The RV sites here are water/electric only … with “honey-wagon” service for long stays available at $10 a shot. We should be OK for the duration of our stay. At $50/night, this is an expensive campground. But we’re only about 20 miles from Glenwood Springs and 35 miles from Aspen, so the hefty tag is not surprising.

We were settled into our site by 2:00p … floors vacuumed and swiffered … things we brought from home put away. It was 95F indoors … 90F outdoors. But the patio — mostly in the shade and with a nice breeze blowing — was quite comfortable. So, aside from a quick walk over to a couple of open sites on the river to take a peek at the water rushing by, we spent the afternoon relaxing on the patio.

Not sure what we’ll be doing while we’re here. There are plenty of hiking opportunities, but I am still babying my foot after I did a number on it during the Catamount Falls hike. I did find a few scenic drives that look promising. We’re only at some 6,400 feet high in elevation, so if the forecasted temps hold true, it’s going to be quite hot here. We’ll play each day by ear.Read more