“under the stars in the rockies”
Overview Glacier Basin Campground (8,500 feet) is adjacent to Estes Park in the awe-inspiring Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. From lush valleys to craggy peaks with elevations reaching over 14,000 feet, visitors are provided opportunities for countless breathtaking experiences and adventures. Scenic driving, hiking, backpacking, fishing, horseback riding and wildlife viewing are popular activities in the park.Recreation Rocky Mountain National Park has 355 miles of hiking trails that range from flat lakeside strolls to steep mountain climbs. Visitors enjoy the park's various lake trails (Bear Lake, Cub Lake, Mills Lake), waterfall trails (Adams Falls, Alberta Falls, Ouzel Falls) and summit trails (Deer Mountain, Twin Sisters Peaks, Flattop Mountain). The park offers some unforgettable scenic driving routes, including Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road. Trail Ridge Road reaches 12,183' above sea level and is America's highest continuous highway. It climbs above the park's evergreen forests to its windswept alpine tundra, where visitors enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the surrounding peaks and valleys. Driving along the historic Old Fall River Road is like motoring through an earlier era. Constructed in 1920, this steep, one-way, uphill, gravel road punctuated by switchbacks, quietly leads travelers from Horseshoe Park through the park's wilderness to Fall River Pass, 11796' above sea level. Several visitor centers are within the park, offering ranger-led activities, education and history about the park, and seasonal nighttime programs. Facilities Glacier Basin Campground contains several group and family tent-only sites, as well as RV sites without hookups. Each campsite is equipped with a picnic table, fire ring with grate and tent pad. Roads and parking spurs are paved. Flush toilets and drinking water are provided. Rocky Mountain National Park's free shuttle bus stops in the campground, which is also across the street from Park & Ride, the park's main shuttle system hub. The shuttle system provides access to many park trailheads throughout the Bear Lake corridor and to the town of Estes Park. Due to a pine beetle epidemic, all the trees in the C Loop, D Loop and the Group Loop have been removed, leaving little to no shade in these areas. However, the tree removal has opened up beautiful views of the mountains.Natural Features A pleasant mix of Douglas fir, Lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine and the occasional Engelmann spruce, forests the campground, offering equal amounts of sun and shade. Grasses, shrubs and seasonal wildflowers fill the open meadows. Wildlife is plentiful in the park, and while mule deer and the majestic Rocky Mountain elk are the most commonly seen, black bear, coyote, bighorn sheep and moose inhabit the region as well. Nearby Attractions The town of Estes Park lies just outside the park's main east entrances, and is a short drive from Glacier Basin Campground. Dining, shopping, rafting, fly fishing, horseback riding, and golfing opportunities await. Lake Estes offers boating, sailboarding, and fishing.
Reviews of Glacier Basin Campground
13 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 5G
Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on September 29, 2023AT&T 4G/5G
Confirmed by 5 users | Last reported on July 15, 2022T-Mobile 5G
Confirmed by 2 users | Last reported on August 14, 2019Reviews
This is a really nice campground in the Rocky Mountain National Park with fantastic views. We were expecting most of the camp sites to be wide open with limited trees due to the pine beetle infestation that hit the area pretty hard, and that was the case for the C and D loops, but the views from those sites was spectacular. Our site (A015) was on the end of the A loop where there are still plenty of trees to provide some shade but still nice views of the mountains. There was a mix of sites stacked pretty close together and some with enough space to provide a little privacy. The only reason I don't give this a 5 star review is that there were quite a few sites that were pretty close to each other. Our neighbors were not too close, and there was nothing behind us but a hill with young pine trees and a trail halfway up. The campground was pretty quiet and the bathrooms were kept clean. At the entrance to the campground is a shuttle stop where you can catch a ride down to the Estes Park visitors center or up to Bear Lake and several stops in between. All in all, this was a pleasant surprise and definitely worth returning to.
Nightly Rate: $26.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: A015
RV Length: 24 ft
RV Type: Class C
Stayed here 2 nights in early September. We had a great experience. The facilities were nicely maintained and there were elk roaming the campground at night and in the morning. Would definitely return here. Boosted, we got 3 bars Verizon 3g and 2 bars ATT LTE. Neither were usable for anything more than checking email.
Nightly Rate: $26.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: D131
RV Type: Van
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T
T-Mobile
Nice campground & good site. Plenty of bathrooms that were very clean. Crowded - every site was booked. Sites are pretty close together.
Nightly Rate: $26.00
Days Stayed: 4
Site Number: B058
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon
Nice pad for tents and roadside for our teardrop trailer and cars. Beautiful location with spectacular views. I think we were at 9500 feet.
Nightly Rate: $5.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 30, 31
Cell Coverage Rating
T-Mobile
Great location if you can get a spot. We got lucky to get a spot because it was the last night they were open for the 2019 season. A very nice & friendly park ranger got us checked in and we had a nice stay. The weather gear can get extreme with thunderstorms in the afternoon and heavy rain. Definitely plan ahead at this side of the park for reservations as they do not like walk ups and most likely will be full. Estes Park has some rv parks but they are all $50+ per night and no BLM or overnight parking anywhere nearby. This campground is a great spot and has lots of wildlife. Wish we could have stayed two more nights but they close this campground too early and all others in the area were full. They should leave open until weather gets bad to relieve the congestion and frustration of trying to find a place to park for the nights
Nightly Rate: $26.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 149
RV Type: Class C
Checked in here 8 28 and departed 9 02. The Golden age pass gets the NPS entrance fee waived. Dry camping only. Loops A and B have lots of trees. Loops C and D have very few trees. The trees made solar power questionable, but we did not need it. Sites can be challenging for big rigs. Our site was a pull thru site next to the road with limited space for the slide out. We did not feel comfortable leaving our living room slide out over night or when we were not at the camper. If size is a concern, check the map carefully when booking. There are also regulations for generators. No cell service.
Nightly Rate: $26.00
Days Stayed: 4
Site Number: A039 loop A
RV Length: 30 ft
Hard to over rate this National Park. While popular, the campsites are well spaced. Due to CV-19, some sections were not open. There are (unofficial) places for off-leash dog walking, and trails for every ambition. Fly rods are encouraged. If you head to the summit, take advantage of the turnoffs along the way. We received a warning for going too slowly and obstructing traffic. The road defines "steep", "curvy" and "breathtaking". We camped at Glacier Basin Campground (NPS Campground) in a Motorhome.
Nightly Rate: $20.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: B034
RV Length: 26 ft
RV Type: Class C
Open flat sites but many are small as frequently seen in NPs. Nice bathrooms . Great access to NP hiking . Wish they would stay open after 9/15 if weather permits but they close CG on 9/15 . Site had tree stumps that were annoying . Good dump station.
Nightly Rate: $10.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: -
RV Length: 23 ft
RV Type: Travel Trailer
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T
Well maintained sites & campground as we've come to rely on at NPS-run places. Bathrooms were clean and had soap. Water available but no electric hookups and no showers. From one end of C loop you can walk to Sprague Lake, which was a nice pre-dinner mini-hike. Site B060 was a little sloped. Definitely a range of shade levels - the ones around us had some nice shade. Super convenient to be able to hop onto the park shuttle and get to trailheads without worrying about parking!
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: B 060
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
We had a very nice wooded pull thru site. The A and B sections have trees while the other sections are void of trees and open to wind etc. Well maintained and clean. Campsite pass provides access to all the other areas of the park without a reservation. About 8 miles to Estes Park.
Nightly Rate: $25.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: A18
RV Length: 20 ft
RV Type: Travel Trailer
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 5G
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Glacier Basin Campground
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Check In
- 1:00 PM
- Check Out
- 12:00 PM
- Group Tent Sites Count
- 13
- Last Nightly Rate
- 15.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 35 ft
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 5.0
- Max Length
- 27 ft
- Max Stay
- 7
- Season End
- Dates Vary
- Season Start
- Open Summer Only
- Sites Count
- 160
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Full Hookup
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Pull Through
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Tent Sites
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Dump Station
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Big Rigs
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Open Seasonally
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Age Restricted
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Boondock
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Cabin Sites
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Dispersed Sites
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Equestrian Sites
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Firewood
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Fulltime Residents
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Group Tent Sites
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Laundry
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Mobile Homes
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Permit Required
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Potable Water
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Propane
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Public Water
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Reservations
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RV Sites
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Sewer Hookup
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Showers
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Sites
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Standard Tent Sites
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Trailer Permitted
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Water Hookup
Campground, Restrooms
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