5 of The Best Places to Camp in Colorado

With overshadowing mountains, pristine lakes, valleys, and the totality of nature and diversity of wildlife one could ever hope for, the state of Colorado sure provides a great selection of the best camping locations in the world. Every twist and turn offer breathtaking views, giving everyone a chance to capture beautiful landscapes. So, where are the best places to camp in Colorado?

To make the most of your time in Colorado, better dedicate some time to research first before setting out. Plan your itineraries and the camping grounds you wish to stay beforehand.

Bear in mind that poorly planned trips frequently lead to crowded camps, unrelaxing environments, and an overall unsatisfactory camping trip.

The good news is that we’re here to help you out with your problem – we researched for you, so all you have to do now is to sit back, relax, read on, and pack your backpacks right after!

5 Best Places to Camp in Colorado

1. The Crags

Planning to go car camping? Look no further than the Crags! The Crags offer a multitude of exciting activities – from hiking, fishing, and trekking, to simply marveling at the primitive campground. Do check out our camping checklist for the ultimate car camping!

Pikes Peak, the mountain which holds the Crags, boasts an impressive backdrop to the entire City of Colorado Springs. Rising thousands of feet from the ground, Pike Peaks is a sight to behold as it beckons hikers, bikers, climbers, and sightseers to its majestic summit. The Crags, a famous hiking trail, is just as majestic as Pike Peak’s summit.

Camping here is like no other. The primitive campsite is deeply shaded with pine, aspen forests, and granite formations. It offers 17 spots for tents, small RVs, and small trailers. Adventurous backpackers can also find primitive backcountry sites near the Crags where a full 360-degree view of the Sangre de Cristo and Collegiate Peaks mountain ranges are waiting.

However, access to this area can be pretty tough. The roads are steep, narrow and winding. Trailer and motor homes are very much welcome in the campground, but we don’t recommend it. If you have the guts, make sure your vehicle’s up to the difficult task.

2. Camp Dick

Adjacent to Middle Saint Vrain Creek, Camp Dick, an old campground established in the 1930s, is an excellent location for anglers, mountain bikers, and pet owners who want to go some place where dogs can have plenty of places to run.

The scenic campground features a stunning glacial valley blanketed by mixed stands of towering forests, as well as an open meadow. The sound of the flowing water from the creek is relaxing, and it’s also an ideal place to take a dip on warm days or go fly-fishing as it’s abundant with trout, browns, and rainbows.

Some trails within the campground are open for hikers, bikers, horseback riders, and runners. Mountain bikers should take note that there are only specific trails for biking — only a few miles from the Buchanan Pass Trail are open for biking.

Additionally, off-road vehicle enthusiasts can also enjoy the long and winding Middle Saint Vrain and Bunce roads.

3. Buffalo Pass

Buffalo Pass, a once historic route, is approximately a 15-mile long stretch of dirt road which spans across the Park Range of the Rocky Mountains.

The scenic road is dotted with vegetation such as sagebrush, gamble oak, pine, quaking aspen, and spruce-fir forests. The elevated road is an excellent spot if you want spectacular views of the Yampa and North Park valleys below.

Because of the Buffalo Pass’ high elevation, it has become popular as a viewing spot for wildflowers which bloom in season, specifically from late June to early August.

The pass offers a few beautiful disperse camping sites with restroom facilities for cars, RVs, and tents. The campsites are on a first come first served basis, and they quickly fill up during the summer season so it’s best to be at the location the earliest you can.

Moreover, there are several hiking, horseback, and vehicle trails available in the pass that suit a range of outdoor activities.

As with most high elevation areas, campers should be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions. High elevations can cause discomfort due to the thin air and direct exposure to sunlight, so it’s best to bring your sunscreen at all times. Also, lightning storms often come during early afternoons, so campers should always be prepared for departure, if necessary.

Dead trees can also fall without warning so make sure your car or tent is far from them. Lastly, always be aware of your surroundings when you finally decide to visit this campground.

4. Guanella Pass Campground

Looking for some place uncrowded, melancholic, and serene but nevertheless, stunning? You’ll surely love the spirit that Guanella Pass reverberates. This place is the exact definition of “chill”. It somehow reminds us of our old childhood wagon days exploring trails and embarking on “ghost hunts”.

Guanella Pass spreads through two national forests — the Arapaho National Forest and the Pike National Forest. The pass is simply breathtaking! Prepare to be in awe of the marvelous forests and lakes below.

The autumn season which dawns from September and ends in early October seems to be the most favorite time to drive the pass. Golden foliage is falling everywhere, and both sides of the pass offer unique sceneries.

Because of the pass’ scenic and long trails, bikers, hikers, and campers flock to the area during autumn. Goers can also do some fishing at Georgetown and Clear lakes as well as those few lakes along the pass.

5. Mueller State Park Campground

Mueller State Park Campground is open year-round and boasts an extravagance of aspen trees and mixed spruce, a delightful sight for photographers and sightseers. The place also offers panoramic views of the Continental Divide and Pike Peaks.

The park has over 40 miles of trails suitable for hiking, camping, biking, and horseback riding. During the winter months, the iced trail becomes a popular attraction for snowshoeing and cross country skiing.

Due to the park’s 5,121 acres of aspen and conifer forests, wildlife has been abundant in the area. The forest is home to bears, deer, elk, fox, sheep, coyotes, and hawks. The Four Mile Creek nearby is also brimming with trout.

The enormous park offers a hefty number of 132 campsites, including 110 electrical sites for motor homes, trailers and tents. You’ll rarely find this site crowded with people but still, it’s best to reserve a campsite before going.

Final Thoughts

There you go, folks — 5 of the best places to camp in Colorado. But hey, those are just the tip of the iceberg, friends. Colorado is sprawling with campgrounds and “still hidden” gems. It’s up to you to explore them all! Anyways, no place can disappoint you in Colorado. That state’s like a nature paradise.

Hey,camper! What’s up? Have you been to Colorado? Where did you camp? Can you suggest other beautiful campgrounds there? Let’s chat in the comments section below! Don’t forget to share this post too. Cheers!

The post 5 of The Best Places to Camp in Colorado appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

The Perfect Crash Indicator Is Flashing Red

Authored by John Rubino via DollarCollapse.com,

What’s the last big toy you buy when things have been good for a really long time and you already have all the other toys? An RV, of course. A dubious thing to own if you already have a house, but when the good times seem likely to roll on forever, why the hell not?

And what’s the first thing you sell when you lose your job and your stocks are tanking? That very same RV. Which makes new RV sales a useful indicator of our place in the business cycle.

What does it say now? Here you go:

Notice the mini-spike in the late 1990s and the major spike in mid-2000s, both of which were followed by corrections. Now note the mega-spike from 2010 and 2016.

And how are things going so far this year? Well, the space is on fire:

‘The RV space is on fire’: Millennials expected to push sales to record highs

(CNBC) – RV shipments are expected to surge to their highest level ever, according to a forecast from the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.

It would be the industry’s eighth consecutive year of gains.

Thor Industries and Winnebago Industries posted huge growth in their most recent earnings report.

Those shipments are accelerating, and should grow even more next year, the group said. Sales in the first quarter rose 11.7 percent from 2016.

Much of the growth can be attributed to strong sales of trailers, smaller units that can be towed behind an SUV or minivan, which dominate the RV market. The industry also is drawing in new customers.

As the economy has strengthened since the Great Recession, and consumer confidence improved, sales have picked up, said Kevin Broom, director of media relations for RVIA.

Two of the major players in the industry, Thor Industries and Winnebago Industries, both manufacturers of RVs, reported huge growth in their most recent earnings report. Thor saw sales skyrocket 56.9 percent to $2.02 billion fromlast year. Winnebago’s surged 75.1 percent last quarter to $476.4 million.

Gerrick Johnson, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets, attributed much of that growth to acquisitions. Thor bought Jayco, then the No. 3 player in the industry, last June; Winnebago bought Grand Design in October.

Thor stock has experienced strong growth over the past year of almost 40 percent. Winnebago tells an even better story: Its shares are up 56 percent over the past 12 months.

“They’ve done massively well because they’ve made massively creative acquisitions,” said Johnson. “Wall Street didn’t realize how creative those deals were. Each quarter they came through. The RV space is on fire, and the demand metrics are quite positive.”

What we have here is another classic short. During the past couple of recessions, RV stocks plunged as everyone came to their senses and stopped buying $60,000 motel rooms. Based on the above chart that’s a pretty good bet to repeat going forward. Let’s revisit this play in a couple of years.

How This Idaho Oldtimer Constructed An Ideal “Underground Home for Less Than $50”

This guy never took to living conventionally, or really, having anything to do with the grid that he didn’t have to.

Mike Oehler is a veteran in the DIY homesteading movement –  writing the book on how he made his own underground home for cheap, less than $50 using found materials and his reservoir of ingenuity.

This house, dug into a hill and concealed underground, lends itself to camoflauge, self-sustainability, energy efficiently, prepping and survival.

Learn from his experience how to design for the best management of water flow, sunlight into your underground dwelling, and the best way to insulate naturally, and live as low cost as you prefer.

via Kirsten Dirksen:

Mike Oehler lived for over 30 years in an underground home that he built for $50 (and expanded for $500) on his land in Northern Idaho near the Canadian border. Now in his seventies his arthritis keeps him from hiking up to his home, but he continues to “write and proselytize.”

In 1968 like thousands of other San Franciscans hoping to go “back to the land”, Oehler bought property and began to build a homestead. After spending a winter freezing in a small cabin, he designed a home that would use the earth as insulation. With his first attempt he fell into the easy errors of what he calls a “first thought house”: a hole cut into a hillside with south-facing windows. Gradually he began to innovate with subterranean design, creating better ways for letting light in: among them “the Hollywood Wing”, “the Royer foyer”, gables and most-importantly the “uphill patio” (which also provides space for an earth-sheltered greenhouse). He also created an inexpensive, low-tech approach to basic design with what he calls PSP or Post/shoring/polyethlene. Mike Oehler’s “$50 & Up Underground House Book”: http://www.undergroundhousing.com/

Depending upon how you look at it, you could live out your dream, or prepare to survive a nightmare in relative comfort and security.

If it is build properly, it will maintain more regulated temperatures throughout the year than virtually any other structure.

If you’re flying under the radar completely, sod-covered roofs, tucked away hills on back-acre property, shrubbery and foilage in front of your major entrances and other simple tricks can help you blend in and remain almost literally undercover.

Yet, at the same time, natural light can be easily utilized for a home that does not necessarily need electricity, power or grid connections (that much is up to you).

Read more:

Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-by-Step Guide to Help You Through Any Disaster

The $50 and Up Underground House Book

Prepping Expert Joel Skousen’s The Secure Home

Elite Prepare to Hole Up in Luxury Underground Bunkers: “They Know Something The Rest of Us Do Not”

How This Man Converted “Underground Shelter Using a 20 Ft. Shipping Container”

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Author: Mac Slavo
Views: Read by 613 people
Date: March 10th, 2017
Website: www.SHTFplan.com

Copyright Information: Copyright SHTFplan and Mac Slavo. This content may be freely reproduced in full or in part in digital form with full attribution to the author and a link to www.shtfplan.com. Please contact us for permission to reproduce this content in other media formats.

5 Gadgets Tested In Real Survival Situations: “What To Carry, And What To Pass Over”

Do you have everything you need?

If you had to put back a handful of items from your bug out bag to make room other essentials, which would you choose to carry no matter what, and which would you put back as extra weight?

When compact and lightweight travel matters the most, you might consider a more serious class of multi-tools. With the prepper market exploding, and millions of people wondering what will happen if the economy crashes, or another Great Depression falls upon the troubled land of America, some serious thought has gone into what to carry, and what to pass over.

When the time comes to count on yourself, and little else, you want some well-thought out items that can cover all your needs – both those you considered in advance, as well as all the situations you didn’t see coming.

So, what should you carry? That’s up to you.

But these items speak for themselves. In this YouTube, the people at Zip HD purport to test each clever utility tool, addressing the gimmicks inherent in many similar items. If this video is persuasive at all, these are the next generation, evolved from a mere novelty categorization. Most of these items are made of rugged and reliable materials, an a variety of functions could be used over-and-over – improving upon past devices that would become too flimsy or tangled to put back into their proper place, or to count upon when they are needed most.

More and more, the multi-tool 13-in-1-style functions could actually be useful if needed in a true survival situation, and these preppers detail to pros-and-cons of items you might consider for your bug out bag.

You can find the products via the Zip HD page.

No two preppers will agree on the merits and drawbacks of everything you may need, or simply find useful. Simply acquiring everything, and as many items as possible, may not be beneficial either, and could quickly drain your wallet. Find items that can actually serve your needs, and that would match the surrounding environment you will be dealing with.

Of course, tools alone can’t guarantee how you’ll make it out of a dire situation.

Survival is about a mindset, a well-thought out and instinctively grounded individual who calculates ahead, minimizes risk, meshes with the environment and uses resources wisely.

You’ll need to improvise, make do and get by. It’s worth putting some thought into, because you never know what’s ahead.

A Step-By-Step Guide To Survive Any Disaster

Don’t Be Without These Prepping Essentials: “Survival Fuel You Must Have”

The Six Laws of Survival: Strategies For Beating the Worst Case Scenario

A Green Beret’s Guide to EMP: Practical Steps to Prepare for a “Lights Out” Scenario

“Micro-Homestead” This Modest Survival Shelter Could Save Your Life When It’s Time to Bug Out

It certainly isn’t much, but when you have nothing else, it could be all you need.

In many emergencies, bugging out may not be the best option. Certainly it is not the best choice for every SHTF situation.

However, there may be situations where you need to leave your home or dwelling, get out of the city while you can, and lay low until/if sense ever returns to society.

You Tuber Kevin Coy shows you what may be the lowest cost, least effort way to build a viable survival shelter – which could also have uses for hunting, camping, play, etc.

He’s calling it a “micro-homestead.”

For the millions of Americans who can barely make it to the next paycheck, much less invest in high priced gear, supplies and stocks, it may be much better than nothing at all.

Here’s the set-up he came up with:

Of course, there are many other options, especially for those who have the means to purchase, build and develop more ideal structures and set-ups.

However, at 8×8, this building could likely be built without permit or on-grid approval in most areas, and could at least serve as a temporary structure until your dream getaway is ready to go!

Prepping requires time, energy, mental and physical effort and especially the mindset to plan ahead, make sacrifices in the “now” and put valuable resources towards insurance for the future. Many will contemplate taking action, but fewer still will actually be ready when the SHTF.

But the first step in this direction may prove to be the most important one you ever make…

Read more:

The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-by-Step Guide to Prepare You For Any Disaster

The Six Laws of Survival: Strategies For Beating the Worst Case Scenario

Why a Prepper Homestead Isn’t a Good Plan for Survival: “Raising Your Own Food Takes Time”

Are You Prepared to Survive in the Wilderness Alone? “Natural Shelter, Blend In”

Here’s Where You Absolutely Don’t Want to Be “When It All Turns Ugly”

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Author: Mac Slavo
Views: Read by 2,428 people
Date: February 23rd, 2017
Website: www.SHTFplan.com

Copyright Information: Copyright SHTFplan and Mac Slavo. This content may be freely reproduced in full or in part in digital form with full attribution to the author and a link to www.shtfplan.com. Please contact us for permission to reproduce this content in other media formats.