Red Rocks Parks and Amphitheater near Morrison, Colorado, draws concert-goers, tourists, and geology enthusiasts to its eroded sandstone formations and open-air event venue. Visitors with tents and travelers in recreational vehicles can choose from a handful of campgrounds within a short drive of the park offering secluded or fully supported campsites from which they can explore Red Rocks and the surrounding Rocky Mountain foothills.
Fundamentals
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, owned and operated by the Denver Parks and Recreation Department, includes a natural, acoustically pure performance venue set between two large red sandstone formations southwest of the city. It has hosted acts including the Beatles, the Grateful Dead, and U2, whose "Under a Blood Red Sky" album and video recorded the band's concert at Red Rocks. The amphitheater also hosts a popular Easter Sunrise Service every year and serves as one of Colorado's official welcome centers, according to the park website.
Avid fans of the Grateful Dead, Phish, or Widespread Panic fill nearby campgrounds when the bands play multi-day concerts at Red Rocks. The park prohibits camping within its boundaries.
Bear Creek Lake Park
Located just a few miles south of Morrison, the City of Lakewood's Bear Creek Lake Park offers camping opportunities for tents, recreational vehicles, and those who want to sleep in a yurt. The 47 campsites fill up on a first-come, first-served basis from April through October. The Indian Paintbrush campground includes a water fill-up station, showers, toilets, and electric hookups, according to the park's website.
The park's 14-foot diameter camping yurt accommodates up to four adults and includes bunk beds, chairs, a table, and an outdoor fire ring. The yurt in the summer of 2010 rented for $30 per night with a $50 refundable deposit, according to the park website.
Buffalo Campground
The Buffalo Campground includes 41 sites in the Buffalo Creek Recreation Area southwest of Morrison and Red Rocks. In addition to being a short drive from Red Rocks, Buffalo Creek provides access to the Colorado Trail, other hiking and mountain biking trails, fishing streams, and the Lost Creek Wilderness Area, according to the Public Lands Information Center. The campground opens in May and closes in September,. It accommodates recreational vehicles up to 22 feet in length and has a concessionaire on site, but water may not be available, according to the Public Lands Information Center website.
Recreational Vehicle Parks
The full-service Dakota Ridge RV Park in nearby Golden, Colorado, accommodates even large vehicles in its landscaped campsites. The park east of Red Rocks has added wireless Internet service and a fitness room in 2010, according to its website.
The Clear Creek RV Park, owned and operated by the City of Golden, includes 22 full hookups, three tent campsites, restrooms, showers, and a laundry facility, according to its website.
Chief Hosa Campground
The Chief Hosa Campground along Interstate 70, several miles northwest of Morrison and Red Rocks, no longer allows camping for concert-goers but is open from May to September for other campers, according to its website. The campground includes 35 sites for recreational vehicles and 26 for tents. Fees vary depending on the length of stay, use of electricity, and number of people or vehicles. The campground, which opened in 1913 as "America's First Motor-Camping Area," lies within the City of Denver's Genesee Mountain Park.
Member Comments