Above collage (clockwise starting upper left): Green River Campground, Dinosaur National Monument, UT; Scout Mountain Campground, IA; Columbine Campground, CO; Picacho Peak State Park Campground, AZ.
Below collage (clockwise starting upper left): Tillicum Beach Campground, OR; Union Creek Campground, OR; Saddlehorn Campground - Colorado National Monument, CO; Matterhorn Campground, CO.
It’s once again time for the fave list. This past year wasn't a big mileage year for us. We camped in fewer spots than last year but managed to visit about 38 different campgrounds or RV parks (this doesn’t include Boondocking spots). As in past years, we liked most places, so creating a list with our top faves took a bit of thought. As said before, for the most part, we prefer public campgrounds, and that is once again reflected in this list.
Faves for 2016 (in alphabetical order)
- Columbine Campground, Carson National Forest, near Questa, NM – A quiet campground between Questa & Red River, NM, and easily accessible to restaurants, shopping & brewpubs in Taos. There are nice hiking options directly from the campground.
- Green River Campground, Dinosaur National Monument, near Jensen, UT – Some of the campsites are fairly spacious, while others are less. We got lucky and found one with access to the river from our site. Good hiking trails are available near the campground & throughout the monument. There's an outstanding visitors center with interesting displays on the grounds.
- Matterhorn Campground, Uncompahgre National Forest, near Ophir, CO – Lots of outdoor activities available with lakes & many trails nearby. This campground is a short drive to Telluride, which has a nice selection of restaurants, brewpubs & shopping.
- Picacho Peak State Park Campground, Picacho, AZ – This State Park is conveniently located between Pheonix & Tuscon. There are nice hiking choices, with some challenging options, in the park. The sites & restrooms were quite clean.
- Saddlehorn Campground, Colorado National Monument, near Fruita, CO - There's tons of eye candy in every direction & a good mix of hiking trails throughout the monument. Good dining & brewpubs can be found in Grand Junction & Fruita.
- Scout Mountain Campground, Caribou National Forest, near Pocatello, ID – Last time we were in Pocatello, we stayed at the KOA. This time we definitely wanted to check out Scout Mountain, and it was well worth it. Spacious campsites, but the mountain approach may be a bit of a challenge for longer rigs—a good variety of hiking trails available in the area.
- Tillicum Beach Campground, Siuslaw National Forest near Yachats, OR – While we on the Oregon coast, a major storm was approaching, and our only option was to find a place to hunker down. At this campground, we were lucky to score a site with an electric & water hookup protected in the trees while still offering a great view of the ocean. And a bonus was Mooch (an abandoned kitten) walked into our lives just before the storm.
- Union Creek Campground, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, near Baker City, OR - This campground has many spacious sites, with most offering electric & water hookups. Good hiking & biking trails from the campground and in the area.
Honorable Mention
- Firefighters Memorial Campground, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Ashley National Forest, near Dutch John, UT – We really liked our campsite. Still, we moved on because the area was gearing up for Pioneer Days and the campground was getting crowded and noisy.
