Cascade (Colorado)

We love this campground! Have been coming here for over 11 years. Only wish that people would respect the reservation system. It’s there for a reason. Unfortunately someone was in our reserved space refusing to leave after we waited all day (1:30-6:00 pm) for them to return to the campsite and move.

Lovely Campground. Though it was quite busy. I couldn't believe it. The reservation situation is out of hand. Many people were angry that first come first served is not really a thing. Somehow people reserved those sites. It even happened to me. I wanted to reserve three nights. Could only reserve two as the third was listed as FCFS. I figured I'd go anyway but when I got there someone had reserved the two nights immediately after me. Shouldn't have been possible according to recreation.gov. Though I knew it wasn't the hosts fault. Sheila was so sweet. The person after me canceled and I was fortunate to stay on the dates I wanted. Many angry people drove through that campground cursing about no FCFS. It's awkward. Anyway, the toilets were mostly clean. Water was available (though quite yellow). People were generally well behaved at night. Firewood was expensive at 10 dollars a bundle so stop elsewhere locally and bring your own. There is no service at all (Verizon).

Lovely Campground. Though it was quite busy. I couldn't believe it. The reservation situation is out of hand. Many people were angry that first come first served is not really a thing. Somehow people reserved those sites. It even happened to me. I wanted to reserve three nights. Could only reserve two as the third was listed as FCFS. I figured I'd go anyway but when I got there someone had reserved the two nights immediately after me. Shouldn't have been possible according to recreation.gov. Though I knew it wasn't the hosts fault. Sheila was so sweet. The person after me canceled and I was fortunate to stay on the dates I wanted. Many angry people drove through that campground cursing about no FCFS. It's awkward. Anyway, the toilets were mostly clean. Water was available (though quite yellow). People were generally well behaved at night. Firewood was expensive at 10 dollars a bundle so stop elsewhere locally and bring your own. There is no service at all (Verizon).

Clean campground, friendly host, clean bathrooms.

Clean campground, friendly host, clean bathrooms.

Jake, our campground host, was truly the best host we've ever experienced in 4 decades of camping!!! He was always checking on vault toilet cleanliness and supplies, checking in with campers, getting new arrivals an open site, cleaning fire pits immediately after a departure and more. Cascade has always been a fav but Jake and his dog, Carrie, added so much to making our experience there even better!

Jake, our campground host, was truly the best host we've ever experienced in 4 decades of camping!!! He was always checking on vault toilet cleanliness and supplies, checking in with campers, getting new arrivals an open site, cleaning fire pits immediately after a departure and more. Cascade has always been a fav but Jake and his dog, Carrie, added so much to making our experience there even better!

Good points
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I stayed in site #12. Large site and lots of privacy from surrounding sites. Nice shade with lots of trees with even a couple good spots for a tent if desired. I was able to string up my hammock. Site is level, only needed about 1" of lift, and was easy to back into. There is a bathroom nearby (pit toilet) as well as potable water to fill up a bucket or jug. The Chalk River is literally across the street and can be heard from the campsite, which was nice. Mt Princeton Hot Springs are about 4 mi away and would make a fun daytime event. Restaurant is expensive, but there is a small mini-mart to get cheaper food. St Elmo Ghost Town is about 10 mi up the road and is another thing to do.

Bad Points:
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Site #12 is literally right on the road. Maybe 50' from the trailer. This road is quite popular as it's the main way into St Elmo Ghost Town as well as a lot of off-road trails for vehicles. So you have lots of people driving large vehicles towing ATVs from about 6:30 am until 8:00 pm. So, very noisy during this time. Also, if my kids were still small, I probably would have tried to move to another site. Unless you watch them like a hawk, they could easily wander onto the road and the vehicles would not see them in time as there is a ton of vegetation blocking the view around the curve. The speed limit on this road is probably 35/45 mph but people drive faster.

Cell Service
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I have Verizon but only had 1 bar or service. This didn't matter as I couldn't get texts, data, or calls. I had to drive back down the road about 6 mi past Mt Princeton Hot Springs before I could text, call, or get data. I didn't care too much because I like being away from all that, but some people do care.

June ‘24 was my 3rd summertime trip to Cascade. The campground hosts have all been efficient, though some were more friendly and helpful. In 2020 I camped 5 nights in Site 20. Last year I camped 6 nights in 21. This year I chose Site 18, and stayed 8 days.

They have all been great sites, but 18 was perfect for me. It’s very handy to two restrooms, the water pump, and dumpster. Many don’t like it’s proximity to the road, but I did not find the traffic intrusive, and I was camping solo with a Harley-Davidson and small pop-up, so I was outside at all times. It’s definitely close enough to the creek and Cascade Falls that you can hear it all day and especially at night. One afternoon I had two does show up on my site momentarily, before they saw me and scampered across the road to the safety of Chalk Creek. I had plenty of shade, but also had good morning sun on the site to recharge my solar battery which powers a CPAP machine, plus the little things.

I highly recommend Cascade!

Good points
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I stayed in site #12. Large site and lots of privacy from surrounding sites. Nice shade with lots of trees with even a couple good spots for a tent if desired. I was able to string up my hammock. Site is level, only needed about 1" of lift, and was easy to back into. There is a bathroom nearby (pit toilet) as well as potable water to fill up a bucket or jug. The Chalk River is literally across the street and can be heard from the campsite, which was nice. Mt Princeton Hot Springs are about 4 mi away and would make a fun daytime event. Restaurant is expensive, but there is a small mini-mart to get cheaper food. St Elmo Ghost Town is about 10 mi up the road and is another thing to do.

Bad Points:
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Site #12 is literally right on the road. Maybe 50' from the trailer. This road is quite popular as it's the main way into St Elmo Ghost Town as well as a lot of off-road trails for vehicles. So you have lots of people driving large vehicles towing ATVs from about 6:30 am until 8:00 pm. So, very noisy during this time. Also, if my kids were still small, I probably would have tried to move to another site. Unless you watch them like a hawk, they could easily wander onto the road and the vehicles would not see them in time as there is a ton of vegetation blocking the view around the curve. The speed limit on this road is probably 35/45 mph but people drive faster.

Cell Service
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I have Verizon but only had 1 bar or service. This didn't matter as I couldn't get texts, data, or calls. I had to drive back down the road about 6 mi past Mt Princeton Hot Springs before I could text, call, or get data. I didn't care too much because I like being away from all that, but some people do care.