Rocky Mountain National Park to Leadville, Colorado and
Sugar Loafin’
RV Campground
Part 3 of Our Colorado Odyssey
July, 2006
Facilities & Fees
Campground Name: Sugar Loafin’
RV Campground
Campground's Website:
http://www.leadville.com/sugarloafin/
Mailing Address and Phone Number:
303 Highway 300, Leadville, Colorado 80461
719-486-1031
Last Visited: July, 2006
Number of sites (Total):
Tent Sites (Water only): 27
Water & Electric; Pull-Thru: 1 Back-In: 25
Full Hook-Up; Pull-Thru: 11 (2 w/50 AMP service) Back-In: 31 (9 w/50 AMP service)
Big Rig accessible: Yes
Shade trees: Yes
Waterfront sites: Yes (Creek)
Swimming Pool: No (There is a city indoor pool available)
Hike/Bike Trails: No
Fishing: No
Boating: No
Other: See “Body” of Review
Clean restrooms: Very clean! Clean showers: Very clean!
Pets allowed: Yes (normal rules apply)
Tents allowed: Yes
Fires/Grills allowed: Yes
Family type: Yes
Nightly rate $: $25.90 to $36.70 per night (buy 6 days, get the 7th free). Some extra charges may apply and prices shown do not include tax. Park has what I would call a liberal “cancellation policy” and all “extra” charges seem reasonable.
Overall Rating (1=poor 10=excellent): 9 (DW says “10”. A heated pool would make it a 10+ for me).
Pictures:
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/Albu...&a=32288343&f=
Due to limited capacity, pictures associated with this review may only be available at the above link for a short time. If you find that the link is no longer active, feel free to contact me via “Private Message” and I will do my best to e-mail the related pictures to you.
Our Trip:
OK, guys and gals! Here we go with Part 3 of our 2+ week tour of Colorado. Those of you who have been with me from the beginning know how we got this far. Those of you joining at this point can follow the link below to find out where we have all been (Kind of like looking out the back window of dad’s car as he drove down the highway. Go ahead and admit it. We all did it as kids).
http://wildtexas.com/talk/parks-natural-areas/rocky-mountain-n-p-colorado-odyssey-part-2-a-1216.html
Have really had an outstanding trip to this point and I sure was glad that the trip was less then half over by the time we left Rocky Mountain National Park. As I mentioned a few thousand words ago, DW and I haven’t been on an extended vacation for way too many years. Our longest vacations are usually a week plus one day, and that will include any travel time. This trip kept us away from work for one day short of three weeks! As I sit here and begin writing this part of the review, we’ve been home about a month. None the less, I find that I am still “living” on this trip and hope that I will continue to do so for many weeks and months to come.
Friday, Day 9: We’re back on the road again, headed south for Leadville. As promised in Part 2, I’m going to pass on a tidbit about getting out of Rocky Mountain National Park through Estes Park. I described in Part 2 how we entered the park by coming west on US Highway 34 and then turning south onto US Highway 36 after driving through Estes Park. I also mentioned how attempting to return via that route while pulling a trailer would force you into a very difficult right turn. To avoid this and still exit the area via Estes Park, on leaving Moraine Park follow US Highway 36 north until it joins US Highway 34 at the Deer Ridge Junction. Bare to the right and continue until you reach the “T” in the road (about 2 miles). If you turn to the left at this point, you will be heading for Old Fall River Road (a very bad idea if you are pulling a trailer and also illegal). Turning to your right will put you eastbound on US Highway 34 and will shortly bring you to the Fall River Visitor Center. This will take you out of RMNP and a couple of more miles will bring you into Estes Park, avoiding a nasty turn.
From this point, you have a number choices as to which way to go. Our run was only a bit over 150 miles and started by us heading south on US Highway 36 to Boulder where we picked up County Road 93. We continued south past Golden and onto US Highway 6. This allowed us to connect with Interstate 70 where we headed west. We were now treated to a run over Loveland Pass (just shy of 12,000 ft) and a drive through the Eisenhower Tunnel before we exited the interstate at County Road 91 near Copper Mountain. Now it was just a 24 mile run south to Leadville, joining US Highway 24 just north of town. I must say that the drive over Loveland Pass was not difficult but it was quite long. The truck handled it as well as it handled Raton Pass and for this I was thankful. I still had Wolf Creek Pass to conquer but that’s another story for another day.
Once in Leadville, you can reach Sugar Loafin’
RV Campground by proceeding south about 2/3 the way through town. Turn west on 6th. Street and connect with County Road 4 after about ˝ mile. Now follow County Road 4 for about 3 miles. The park will be on your right shortly after you pass over the Arkansas River. If you approach Leadville from the south on US Highway 24, turn west onto County Road 300 at mile marker 180. Pass over the railroad tracks and the Arkansas River and then turn north onto County Road 5. Follow County Road 5 for about 2 miles to the park.
As I believe I have mentioned before, DW and I have nearly no experience with camping in private parks. As a child, DW camped with her parents in many private parks. Time has made these experiences invalid in judging what is offered now. Together, she and I have only stayed in one private park. This was down in Waco, Texas about 30 years ago. We were “tent” camping at the time and felt that the place was more like camping in a city park. Very nice but not my idea of “camping“. Between that and the many stories I’ve read concerning private parks, we have just tended to stay away from them. Just figured “public” campgrounds fit our paradigm better. I still believe this to be true but after spending a few days at Sugar Loafin’, I find myself being a bit more open minded about the idea of private parks.
We arrived at Sugar Loafin’
RV Campground in the latter part of the afternoon. It took us little time to get checked in and assigned our sites. When “T” made our reservations, he had requested a pair of “side by side” pull-thru sites and was assured that they would attempt to supply these. Unfortunately, they were not able to do this but did give of Sites 44 &45 on the back row. This turned out to be even better as this gave us a good bit of privacy. These sites also rendered great views of Mounts Massive (14,421 ft.) and Elbert (14,433 ft. ; highest point in Colorado).
After checking in and being assigned our sites, the owner’s daughter walked us back to ensure we found our sites and were pleased with them. Now being that DW and I have camped almost exclusively (until this point) in “state” and “Corps” parks, we found this unusual. When the owner’s daughter offered to have someone back our rig in for me, I about went into shock! Have never had that happen before but found out from “T” that this was pretty normal for “private” parks. I did turn down the offer, with thanks, as I was sure I could handle it. Received the same offer when we arrived in Lightner Creek in Durango a few days later. Didn’t surprise me as much this time.
We got both trailers backed in and hooked up with little difficulty. Since it was getting a bit late, we decided to stay near camp and just enjoy the evening. One thing we did do was take part in daily “Ice Cream Social” held at the Park Store every evening between 8 and 8:30. For $1.50 per person, you can have as much ice cream as you’d like. The only requirements are that you bring your own bowl and spoon and that you can not leave the store and then return for more. They offer three flavors each night and the choices appear to vary. They also offer a slide show of area pictures after the “Social” but we found that we were too tired to stay for this.
Sugar Loafin’ is well above the expectations of both DW and myself. From many descriptions I have read, I was afraid we might find this park to be crowded and confining. Though the sites are closer then one would expect in a public campground, they are in no way crowded. Spacing between sites is good, leaving more then sufficient area for the picnic tables and firerings that each is equipped with. They are level and most, if not all, appear easy to get into as the main park road is sufficiently wide. Our site was dead level “side to side” and close enough to level, “front to back“, to need little adjustment once unhitched from the truck. The sites that our two rigs were assigned to were very deep, allowing easy parking for the rather long truck that DW and I drive. This appeared to be pretty common for all sites that I looked at. Our sites were surrounded by grass and of all things, flowers! It would seem that the park staff holds off on cutting the grass enough to allow the wild flowers to grow and bloom. A wonderful switch from the dirt and gravel that I’ve grown accustome to in most parks.
As stated in the “Facilities & Fees” section of this review, amperage rating and sewer hook-up varies depending on the site chosen. Utility hook-ups are properly located at each site and everything functioned as it should. Park water pressure appeared sufficient for the demand and remained steady. Also, water taste was quite acceptable. We saw no need for bottled water for drinking.
There are 27 “water only”, tent sites in 4 areas around the north and west sides of the park. All are quite spacious and come equipped with picnic tables and grill/fire rings. Of the 4 areas containing these sites, I believe my top choice would be West Side Tent Camping area (Sites “G” thru “R”). These sites are set back behind the “Office/Store”, on the far side of a small creek. The area is well shaded with tall pines and very picturesque. Have a few pictures of this area that I will include.
Having camped in many “state” and “CORPS” parks, I have become accustomed to park stores being of little or no use. If they are “open” at all (usually weekends only), they tend to carry little you really want and what they have sells at exorbitant prices. About the only exception I’ve seen to date is the park store at Inks Lake State Park, Texas. Well, I found another. The “Office/Store” at Sugar Loafin’ rates right up there with the store at “Inks”. They have a sign out front that hangs with their “General Store” sign. This is a smaller sign that reads “GENERALLY WE DON’T HAVE IT,-----BUT ASK ANYWAY”. Cute but I found this to be less then true. The Park Store is well equipped with many of the things that you may come up short on from tent stakes to fishing gear. They also have bulk LP fuel for those who need it. I understand that they also rent mountain bikes and electric heaters at prices I would call reasonable. Store shelves are well stocked, clean and neat and the store is well light. Best of all, there is always someone around to “…ASK…”, as the sign suggests. Connected to the “Office/Store” is a game room housing a fireplace, pool table and a number of coin operated video games. Not something that interested us but very nice for those who are and could be a great retreat on a rainy day.
Just to the northeast of the “Office/Store” you will find Shower House #1. Shower House #2 is located just north of Site #19. Never entered Shower House #1 but #2 was kept immaculate at all times with a more then sufficient supply of hot water. This building also housed a coin operated laundry and included an outside sink for dealing with some of those messier chores that come up while camping. At the front of the park there is a playground for the kiddos and a horseshoe pitch for the older kids. Near the park entrance you’ll find the ubiquitous “dump station”. All in all, the park is well equipped and Don & Edith Seppi (along with their staff) do a great job of taking care of their guests.
The first 2 parts of this saga were laid out in a “day to day” format to make the trip easy to follow. The time we spent at Leadville covers Friday, Day 9 through Monday, Day 12. During this time we were occupied with different activities that do not lend themselves well to a “day to day” format. For this reason, I’m going to abandon it for the balance of this part and will probably pick it up again when I begin the review of our time spent in Durango, Colorado.
During our three days in Leadville, we spent some time in town, enjoying what it had to offer. Leadville’s history is based on mining and though there is little of this activity going on now, the roots of the town’s past are still evident. Town lay out, building structure and even spacing of the homes reflect mining influence. The people of this area have taken this history and attempted to make it interesting for the tourists who come here not only in the summer months but also in the winter when skiing is a major industry. For a good overview of Leadville’s past mining fame, I would suggest a tour of The National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum. We spent about three hours there, learning the history of mining in the Colorado mountains. The museum is housed in a 70,000 square foot Victorian style school house dating from 1899. The building is filled with displays of hand tools used by miners, dioramas giving the history of mining and Leadville plus numerous bronzes that I found exquisite in detail and form. There is also a “walk through” mine that will give you a good idea of what mining must have been like around the turn of the century. As I said, we were there for about three hours but I could have stayed much longer and look forward to a return trip. Here is a site reference that should give you all the details that you may need should you wish to visit the museum:
http://www.mininghalloffame.org
As I mentioned above, mining has influenced the development of the town of Leadville. This is very evident in the housing immediately surrounding the downtown area. As you drive the neighborhood streets, the first thing that may strike you is the proximity of one house to the next. Having grown up in a big city, I am accustomed to the idea of houses being built close to one another. But no where else have I ever seen houses built as close as they are in Leadville and still not share common walls. When I asked about this, I discovered that these lots were based on old mining claims with dimensions of 25’ by 100‘ deep. Thus the sizes of the lots governed the maximum sizes of the houses. Apparently, the idea of a shared common wall never occurred to the original builders, leading to very narrow gaps between the homes. I find myself wondering how maintanance is performed on these houses with outside walls so close together. I have included two of these homes in the picture associated with this review.
Also noteworthy about the housing around the downtown area was some of the architecture and decorating ideas employed. There were many small ideas added to these homes that make them very attractive and interesting. I have included two of these in the pictures for this review. One is a very striking eyebrow window and the other is a fence made of skis. Hope you find them as interesting as I did.
Downtown Leadville boasts many stores, restaurants and bars. We did not have the time to investigate them all but did look into a few of the ones that caught our attention. One place I really enjoyed was Buckhorn Sporting Goods at the corner of Harrison Avenue and 7th. Street. This place carries a great deal of merchandise for those who may wish to fish the area lakes and streams. They also carry an array of other types of sporting goods plus odd hardware and some clothing. DW couldn’t pass up buying a pair of matching jacket/sweaters for the two of us. Bit expensive but they are very nice and about the only souvenirs we purchased for ourselves. I found this store to be fun to poke around in if for no other reason but to see what I could find.
Another nice store was Hundley’s. Guess you could call them the “Fudge Emporium” of Leadville. They are located across the street from Buckhorns and specialize in that choclate treat that none us of seem to able to pass up. They have waaaay too many types of fudge for me to describe so I’ll just give their web site below and you can see how good your will power is:
http://www.hundleysfudge.com/
Hundley’s also carries a wide range of books and gifts. DW wanted a book about Leadville that she would have never purchased for herself. She wouldn’t even let me buy it for her until I decided to call it an early birthday present. Worked out great and we’re both happy!
A couple of blocks south of Hundley’s, at the corner of 5th. and Harrison, you’ll find Western Hardware Antique Mall. The building houses the goods of 30 dealers and DW and I truly enjoy places like this due to the wide varity of things you can find. I must say that Western fits what we expect of an antique mall. The selection of merchandise is varied and presented very well. We did find a number of things that interested us. Being unfamiliar with local pricing for goods such as this it’s hard to judge value. We found prices that caused us to quickly lose interest. Not sure how “dickering” would have gone but found no one around who was able to change prices. I hope you fare better if you visit this establishment.
Even though there are large number of restaurants in Leadvile, we only had the time to sample the Golden Burro Café. We stopped there for lunch and had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated. “T” & “M” had said that it would be worth the wait and I’ll agree that it was. Food and service were both very good and pricing was about average for a restaurant of this type. It appeared that there were a number of “locals” there and this is usually a pretty good sign. Give it a try for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They also offer a full bar. Golden Burro is located one block north of Buckhorn Sporting Goods at 710 Harrison. Check the site below for other offerings from the Golden Burro Café.
http://www.goldenburro.com/
The city of Leadville has a number of other treats that we did not have the time to experience. DW and I are both looking forward to a return visit with more time for exploring the town itself. Until then, our small sample will have to suffice.
While staying at Sugar Loafin’, we could hardly pass up the opportunity to examine Turquoise Lake and the camping facilities it included. The lake itself is a 1,800 acre body of water just west of Leadvile and Sugar Loafin’
RV Park. The lake is a part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project that was constructed to move water from the western slope of the Rockies to the eastern slope. This water is channeled for municipal/domestic use as well as irrigation for over 280,000 acres of the Arkansas Valley. The lake is fed by the Charles H. Boustead Tunnel and is retained by the Sugar Loaf Dam, a 2020 x 135 foot, earth filled structure. For those so interested (like me), here’s a site that will give you all the particulars about the lake and the project.
http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/fryark.html
The site below will supply details concerning the dam.
http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/dams/co01669.htm
Activities on and around the lake include picnicking, boating/fishing and camping. There are two boat ramps available and some 300 camp sites contained within 8 different campgrounds. These campgrounds are scheduled to offer full service between June through September. I did find it stated that this may vary depending on the weather. Facilities at each campground vary but none are equipped with “power & water”, save “host” sites. All have drinking water, toilets, picnic tables and fire rings. Dump stations are located near Molly Brown and Printer Boy campgrounds. All but 2 of the parks accept reservations, Belle of Colorado and Tabor Campgrounds are the exceptions. We did not have the time to explore anything near the full range of camping opportunities at Tourquise Lake. The small percentage that we did check was very nice. Sites are good sized and spaced well. Shade is abundant in most areas that we saw. The campgrounds we looked at were clean and well maintained with very clean restroom facilities. At this time camping fees are $15 per night in all campgrounds except for Printer Boy Group Camping Area which has a variable rate. About the only thing that would slow our return for some camping would be the lack of “power & water”. Would truly love to return here some day to spend some time as a “park host”. By the gracious permission of Marshall Hall at Wildernet.Com, I am able to offer the site below to “fill out” any information on Turquoise Lake that I have missed. Thanks, Marshall!
http://areas.wildernet.com/pages/are...COLRTQ&cu_id=1
I have also included some pictures of the lake in the photo link referenced above.
Well, I believe that this about wraps up our three days at Leadville and Sugar Loafin’
RV Campground. Really had a great time and I’m looking forward to a second trip to this location in a few years. There are many places and activities that we just didn’t have the time or the right weather conditions to explore. There are a number of antique dealers that we did not have the time to visit. Also, there are town tours available for those interested in the history of the area. Other activities include Jeep/4X4 tours, white-water rafting and a railroad trip on the Leadville Colorado & Southern RR. All these and more could keep DW and me busy for a good bit of time. Of course, when we return we will be staying at Sugar Loafin’! A very nice park and someone will have to go a long way to beat it.
On Monday, Day 13, we all packed up, hooked up and hit the road for Durango, Colorado. “Part 4” of this odyssey will pick up here, as we drive from Leadville to Durango. Turned out to be quite a drive.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this and will hang in with me for the last part of our trip. We had more great times and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you. Until then and always,
Happy Camping!
Note: Information and site references contained in this review were current as of this writing. I apologize for any errors you may find and will attempt to correct them if notified.
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