One of the most popular campgrounds in Colorado will be open for recreation Wednesday after a frequently extended, two-year renovation closure, as Rocky Mountain National Park officials said Moraine Park Campground will begin taking reservations again on Tuesday. 

After a year of renovations, plenty of work remained at Moraine Park campground in the late spring of 2024. The overhaul included moving camping pads away from wetlands, more accessible sites, new drainage and water pipes, and more. (Michael Booth, The Colorado Sun)

Moraine Park Campground has about 240 spots for RVs and tents, and is the closest campground to the main Beaver Meadows entrance into the park from nearby Estes Park. The campground initially closed in 2023 for a major overhaul of everything from water and sewage pipes, to electrical hookups, to creating more disability access and moving some lower-lying pads out of wet ground. 

The project was supposed to take a year, then extended into the fall of 2024, before making final progress this spring. The east side’s other entrance just to the north, Fall River, has also been rebuilt, and the entrance station and employee housing on the west side of the park that burned in 2020’s East Troublesome fire have also been replaced. 

Moraine Park, with its views south to the fourteener Longs Peak, will have a soft opening. Limited reservations will begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday, for camping spots starting Wednesday through July 22, at recreation.gov. Park staff will test how the new water and sewage systems work under the limited strain before rolling out full reservations for the rest of the season. 

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Michael Booth is The Sun’s environment writer, and co-author of The Sun’s weekly climate and health newsletter The Temperature. He and John Ingold host the weekly SunUp podcast on The Temperature topics every Thursday. He is co-author...