St. Vrain State Park is conveniently located just off of I-25 between Fort Collins and Denver, making it an easy trip to either of these cities.  We picked this location partly for its proximity to these cities but more so because of the 25 minutes to Boulder and an hour from the Estes Park entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.  It’s also just 10-15 minutes east of Longmont where you’ll find it easy to run all the errands that you might have.  

The worst thing about the park is the road noise from I-25.  We’ve stayed in louder places.  And honestly, the noise is consistent, so it hasn’t taken away too much from my enjoyment of the park.  Somehow the tranquility offered by the 604 acres of land and 152 acres of water split amongst nine surrounding ponds makes up for this noise.  Gravel paths around most of these ponds are perfect for dog-walking.  And what a view of the Rockies!  The colorful sunsets witnessed from St. Vrain State Park add considerable value to our experience.

There are 87 sites here at the park.  Forty-two of these sites (the north end of the park) have electric service (110, 30- or 50- amp) with centralized hydrants to fill freshwater tanks.  Rental rate for these sites is $36.  A dump station located on the way out of the park adds convenience for travelers.  For an additional $5, we rented one of 45 deluxe sites on the south end of the park. 

Deluxe sites are all a minimum of 50-feet pull-through sites which include electric (110, 30- or 50-amp), heated water and sewer.  All of the sites are large and arranged in such a way that they provide some privacy.  Each site offers a level concrete pad and gravel patio.  Sites come equipped with a sheltered picnic table and a fire pit circle with attached grill grate.  Camp hosts clean up after each camper’s departure leaving a very tidy site for the next renter. 

With the placement of utility services at our site (#48), we are forced to face the highway instead of the mountains.  Our gravel patio, however, faces a sizable grassy area and the mountains.  Many sites here offer patios on the pond side, and a few choice spots are on the pond side, and facing the mountains.  If we come back someday, we will try for one of these.  When we made our reservations in mid-July for late-September – early-October, there were very few sites available for the two-weeks we desired.  Reservations are accepted six months in advance.    

Not included in the price of the site is the cost of a state park pass.  Passes range from $8/day to $80/year.  With a total of three weeks planned in Colorado state parks this fall, we opted for the annual pass affixed to our RV.  At no additional charge, the park provides an additional temporary park pass for our toad. 

I’ve seen a few people here at the park for day use only.  Day visitors come for photography or fishing and don’t create any issues for campers as plenty of parking is available.  And with no overhead lighting in the park, they arrive after dawn and leave before dark.  Aside from birds, rabbits, and squirrels, I have yet to see other wildlife.  If you like to watch birds, however, this is a great place to see heron, osprey, eagles, and waterfowl. 

We’ve been more than satisfied with our stay here at St. Vrain State Park and would be happy to come back here someday.  And we will be relieved to get across the Rockies this coming weekend hopefully long before snow starts to fall.