Cheyenne Mountain State Park

[JudyJB]

This campground is a little expensive for a state park because it has full hookups and you also have to pay a park entrance fee for each day. Result is $26 + $7 per day, but well worth it for the view and being so close to Colorado Springs. Sites are very well spaced, also, so it feels private. Also, there are several loops and only a few campsites on each loop. Each site has a cement pad, plus a large gravel patio with fire ring, and a pea-gravel tent pad with loops so you do not have to pound in tent stakes.

There is a small store in the middle and a laundry with one front loading and two top-loading washers, plus three dryers. That is a real convenience when you have several loads to do.

I suspect it would also be cooler up here than down in Colorado Springs because it is higher. Need reservations, especially on weekends and during the summer, I suspect. I did find out that even if you have a longer rig than 30', if you have no toad, you can park in an "under 30'" space because they allow for an extra vehicle in the site length.

Here is my current site with the view in the back.




And the site I had a week ago for one night.


And the view of Cheyenne Mountain in the back with the blast doors showing by the white arrows.

[BarbaraRose]

Very nice! I bet that is pretty at night overlooking the city with all the lights. What are blast doors?

Have you been to Garden of the Gods? I love that place! And Manitou Springs is a cute little town to explore.

[JudyJB]

Cheyenne Mountain was/is a nuclear-proof bunker constructed during the Cold War. In the event of a nuclear war, the government could still retaliate because there were computer systems and a command center in the heart of this mountain. It was once very top secret.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyenne_ ... ear_bunker

[bfandlw]

What a beautiful site...enjoy!!

[bluepinecones]

Beautiful area. When I was working one of my favorite travel assignments was to Colorado Springs; worked the mountain some (those blast doors are impressive) and another space center in area. Love Garden of the Gods.
Are you going on up to Pikes Peak while you are in the area?

[JudyJB]

I was in Colorado Springs a few years ago and did the Pikes Peak trip so I will skip it this time.

How did you get close to the blast doors? I would like to see those a little closer.

[Bethers]

NIce! Hope you don't mind, but with all the review info, I'm moving this to the cg review room.

[bluepinecones]

Judy - Most of my working life was at high level security with Dept of Defense and either related to missile defense or military intel. I sometimes had business that got me inside there.

[kgandrud]

I was wondering, if you remember which two site numbers you stayed in. You also commented that all the sites have great views but of what: city or mountain? I am looking at staying while passing through on my way home in early August. So far I am enjoying "A Women's RV Forum" - awesome idea and inspiring!!

[JudyJB]

I think I was in #25, but all have views of the mountains, and nearly all of the city in the distance, especially at night. The campground is built on a slight slope so some loops are higher than others. Since the mountains are to the west, any sites on the east side of a particular loop are going to have one part looking down. (Gobbler Grove and Raptor Glen are higher than Swift Puma.) You can tell from the photos which these are because they sometimes have a fence at the back to protect toddlers. Actually, however, these are not cliffs, just slopes so I think they overdid it. Warning on some sites also.

Check it out on Google maps and also this site: http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks ... mping.aspx

If you look down on this site, you can click on the individual campsites and descriptions.

I reserved 43 and 44 for myself and my son's trailer for a grandkids reunion this June, because my son insisted his little ones would fall off the mountain, so these are up against the hill! (Will have two families and 5 kids under 9. Even the four-year-old should be smart enough not to fall down a hill, frankly.)

[BirdbyBird]

Yes Judy, they should be. But you told enough stories on that one group of GK to know that impulse control might not be their strong suit.....

[kgandrud]

JudyJB, Thank you for the reply. Just before receiving your reply, I did reserve site #25 for Aug 3. I had already been looking at a site that posts pictures of sites (CampsitePhotos.com) along with Google Maps and the reservation site pictures in order to piece together what looked like good options. I was very pleased to find out that the site I landed on matched your site picture (yeah!). Looking forward to checking out Cheyenne Mountain, even if it is only for one night as I am passing through on my way home from Buena Vista, Colorado to River Falls, WI. Maybe some other forum RV'ers might be at Cheyenne Mountain during the same date?

[JudyJB]

They have a very nice laundry room, by the way, with four or five washers and four dryers. That is unusual for a state park!

And yes, Birdbybird, impulse control is NOT one of my grandkids big suits! Somehow, however, I think kids ought to be allowed to fall down a hill once in a while. When we were kids, we were not so well protected, and turned out just fine because we learned to be responsible for ourselves.