Because of the pandemic closings, our New Mexico plans were cancelled so we opted for additional time in Colorado. This campground proved to be a good choice!
Although Trinidad is on the front range of the Rockies, the park and lake are in a nice. mountain setting just to the west.
Our chosen site was occupied by another camper, (his reservation error), so we had to wait a bit to get him moved around.
Because the campground is above the lake, the views are quite nice.
Narrow roads to the camping pads and parking could be a challenge for some big rigs.
The exterior pads in the loop are paved and interior are gravel.
There is a new shower building with clean restrooms and shower area.
Park Map
What we liked / disliked
Notes
The park has a number of nice gathering spaces available including an amphitheater.
Park trail maps need painting!
We had a very nice space and some Good Neighbors to chat with during our stay!
Well, the year has started with changes for all campers… Many State Parks, National Parks and local campgrounds are closed or closing due to the Covid 19 pandemic. We have had some reservations cancelled already and are looking at what options will be available to us as the year progresses.
In the mean time, keep your social distances in check; your hands clean; and keep your DNA to yourself as much as you can!
Weather – Warm one day, cool and comfortable for February!
Facilities
Park Map
The park is in a busy industrial area of Laredo near the airport.
The park was originally a county park and transferred to the State Park system about 20 years ago. There was a pool but it has been filled in and is no longer in use.
The park is maintained and fairly clean.
What we liked / disliked
Notes:
There was very little activity in the park so it’s fairly quiet except traffic noise.
Road noise significant in the AM. Camp area 100 is closest to the highway and appeared to us to be the noisiest. Areas 200 and 300 have another small ridge between them and may be quieter.
Laredo is a very industrialized area with manufacturing and U.S. assembly common to many boarder cities. As such, there is a lot of traffic and aggressive driving!
Nice size parking areas with some hard pack areas. The pads are reasonably level with a few exceptions that might require 4-8” of leveling material.
This is a desert area surrounding the lake so the flora and fauna are reflective of this climate.
Trains run somewhere nearby… all night with grade crossing horns.
There are several large group areas, a playground and assembly areas.
A simple birding map is available and we enjoyed seeing birds not as common to our home in central Texas.
Each pad has a covered picnic table and fire pit.
The trails are simple and shared with mountain bikes.
The showers and restrooms were clean.
We took a trip into the historic downtown which is only 20 min. away. The San Augustin Cathedral was closed for major renovations… (this fact was not noted on their website). Call ahead when you make your visit to see if the construction has been completed.
Bring bird seed and enjoy the birds as they visit your feeders. Our nice neighbors had a seed hanger and attracted several Green Jays.
We saw a red-tailed fox one afternoon and a gray fox one evening. The lake brings the water birds and wading birds too.
This is a simple set up with a wide open parking area. Easy back in spaces for all sizes of RVs and trailers.
There are covered picnic tables ( sun shade only) with grill stations but no fire pits.
Camping pads are fairly level hardpacked chip rock.
You’ll be close to your neighbors with very little privacy.
The sound the Gulf is nice and relaxing, about 200 yards from the camping area across a sand dune.
The camp area has a new shower and restroom facility which was quite nice… however, the weather changed on the last day of our stay and the open air design made the facility quite cool for showering!
The park visitor office is in a temporary building following hurricane damage.
The beach is clean with dumpsters and picnic tables at the drive-on areas. There is a protected area where cars are not allowed.
The park is close to gas, groceries and restaurants.
The Corpus Christi Naval Air Station and Coast Guard air station aren’t far and aircraft fly along the beach all day and into the night!
Our site
Beautiful sunsets
Protected beach area
Storm brewing
Reddish Heron
A happy crab
Nueces County – Bob Hall Pier – Is a fishing pier near a clean beach area. The County will nickel and dime you for everything, be aware… $2/person, $2/pole (4 pole limit per person), $2/cast net, $1/ person for seniors 65+, $1/ pole for seniors 65+, $1/ cast net for seniors 65+, etc. We understand it stems from the County owing $750,000 to the Fish and Wildlife Services.
Bob Hall Pier
pier
Brown Pelican
Brown Pelican
Too much?
Padre Island National Seashore
Padre Island map
The Padre Island National Seashore is excellent! Extremely quiet and only a few fisherman and campers.
It is well worth the drive on the beach. We drove south about 7 miles and passed 2-3 cars.
Some shaded pads are available. (Use Google maps to view the area and the state park camp site maps to choose a site when making reservations.) The pads are asphalt and fairly level.
Clean bathrooms and showers.
Park Map
What we liked / disliked
The park has a couple of nice drives. Skyline Drive has wonderful views and places to join into the trails.
The Indian Lodge was under some reconstruction while we were there, however, some services were open and available.
Trails look maintained and marked well. There is a CCC trail that goes from the campground to the top of an overlook with an impressive 360 view on one end and a view of Fort Davis on the other.
The McDonald Observatory is 12 miles west of the park and worth the visit! If you can join an evening star party you will enjoy and appreciate this dark sky location. (See photos below). Tickets are available online.
This is a very dog friendly park with some great hikes for you and your four legged friends.
The town of Ft Davis has the basics… and seems to be transformed into a ‘lodge town’ where the old hotels and buildings are being brought back to life. I refer to this as a history lesson that has turned to B&B with coffee…
Other than the park views and trails, there is very little to do and sights to see in this area… but a great place to stop on the way to or from Big Bend National Park!
This park had three small full service areas with gravel pads and parking spaces. The park also has a huge open area that is graveled for dry camping.
The camping area overlooks lake and Rio Grand River. One of the other guests mentioned they visit in Spring and Fall to see the migrating birds fill the lake.
There were clean restrooms and showers.
This is a very accessible camp site, just off I-25, yet far enough not to be bothered by highway noise.
Park Map
What we liked / disliked
The spaces offered limited privacy and were fairly close to one another but each had a covered picnic table and fire ring.
Very few areas had any shade other than the cover on the picnic table.
McDowell is on the top of a plateau NorthEast of the Phoenix area and North of Fountain Hills.
The pads were packed gravel and asphalt and in great condition. All the sites were level and accessible.
Each site is spacious with fire rings and tables. We assumed the additional space was provided for privacy as there are no trees and shrubs to provide plenty of space between neighboring pads.
Park Map
What we liked / disliked
There is a covered playground and fun ‘snake slide’ for the kids, (see photo below)
The bathrooms and showers were clean with hot water.
The trails we walked were maintained and in good shape even after a couple of significant rains.
This park is located east of Gallup, NM next to the Church Rock Post Office.
The office is disconnected from the campground by the rodeo arena and event center. You will need to visit the office, (even if you have pre-paid your reservation), to obtain a key for the restrooms. The bathrooms were clean, but need repair.
The park is primarily “perma-campers” living in their RVs and travel trailers with a few overnight campers like us.
Park Map
What we liked / disliked
The ‘pads’ are dirt and sand areas with power and water hookups.
None of the available sites were very level.
The park is next to Pyramid trail and Church Rock and has some nice hikes available.
There were trains running at regular intervals, so don’t expect too much peace and quiet at this park!
It is clear that the campground has a lot of use for all the Gallup events and rodeo grounds… and therefore a lot of hard use by the temporary residents.
The camp area had clean restrooms and free showers with plenty of hot water!
The camp sites are at the bottom of the canyon and very quiet. Because we were at the bottom of the canyon, there was also no cellular service but a couple of Amarillo TV stations available that kept us informed about the weather.
We were in the Juniper area that had spacious pads and easy entry / exit. There was a mix of pull-through and back-in sites.
Park Map
What we liked / disliked
“There’s a hole in Texas!” This is a big park, like most things in Texas… The Palo Dura Canyon area is second only to the Grand Canyon in Arizona for canyon size in the the US.
It was dry during our visit and the conditions were a bit dusty. The flies were a pain…
Wildlife – tarantula, road runners, armadillo, deer and turkeys.
Trails for all users – easy hikes to some scrambles and bouldering for the climbers. The trails were dog friendly, although that may change with the amount of dog poo left behind by not so smart dog people!! Take water and bags for your dog!
The Trading Post had supplies for the things you forgot and tourist stuff to commemorate the visit.
Photos
After Palo Dura Canyon, we headed west of Amarillo past the Cadillac Ranch to the halfway point of Route 66 and then on to the Petrified Forest and Painted Dessert.
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