To date, one of our favorite summer hiding spots has to be Stillwater Pass National Forest outside of Grand Lake, Colorado, and within spitting distance of Rocky Mountain National Park. The area had daytime highs in the 70s and overnight lows in the 40s making this the perfect free spot to beat the summer heat.
What to Expect at Stillwater Pass
Stillwater Pass has a unique blend of scary and super-easy campsites right off the well-maintained service roads. When we initially rolled in we saw several, thankfully occupied, spots that had long and deeply-rutted “driveways” leaving us a little worried about finding a good spot for Tad Cooper. About a mile from the end of the pavement, we found a fork in the road and parked the bus, dropping our toad to scout.
On the left fork is a large parking area for OHV staging, as well as some vault toilets. The right fork has several miles of wide gravel road with plenty of accessible camping on either side. On our first visit, we found a “pull through” spot another half mile in. The spot was easy to get into and had great cell signal and solar. The only problem was, being so close to the OHV area, OHVs were constantly going up and down the road. Also, there was a rig parked next to us that appeared to be abandoned, except on the weekends when locals came in and camped around it, using the rig as a “space holder.”
On our second trip, we wanted to go a little further back and found a spot about 2 miles further on, which while a little tight to get into, was fairly secluded. Both spots had lots of great hiking trails near them, and plenty of room for the kids to play and explore.
Mom’s Note: This lovely little spot is the source of one of our scariest bus stories to date. Dad doesn’t remember because he was driving the bus, but the rest of us saw our bus tilting at a crazy angle as one side of our back tires sank into the ground! This soft spot could not have been predicted by us; our bus is 16 tons and we don’t have anything else that comes close to this. Anyway, our bus started tilting and I did a quick check to make sure both our kids (who help spot so we don’t run into anything while trying to park) were well out of range. Even our water tank started leaking! Luckily, one side of our back tires (the steer tires) remained on firm ground and we were able to get the bus out and stable again. We filled the sinkhole with big rocks and gravel and made sure to stay out of it on our way out.
Amenities Near Stillwater Pass
To our delight, the city of Granby has an honor box donation-based dump and fill station next to Kaibab Park. For groceries, the City Market in Granby has decent prices, if a little sparse on stock when it comes to produce. Do not try to use General Delivery at the Granby Post Office, though, as the postmaster does not allow it and is very arrogant about it. Grand Lake, however, will accept General Delivery.
The town of Grand Lake is also nearby and has an adorable assortment of shops and restaurants. So whether you’re looking for a boutique gift and a massage or to explore the alpine tundra, Stillwater Pass is the best launching point for two weeks of your summer season.
