You’ll find camping accommodations to suit your outdoor style at Golden Gate Canyon State Park 18 miles south of Nederland. Reverend’s Ridge Campground in the park has a limited number of sites available in winter that include electrical hookups and a camper services building with hot showers, laundry and flush restrooms. You can strap on snowshoes or cross-country skis and stay at one of four shelters or 20 tent sites in the backcountry available on a first-come, first-served basis. For the less adventurous, book a camping cabin or yurt at the park.
Rocky Mountain National Park provides winter camping just 28 miles north of Nederland. Timber Creek Campground is closest to the western entrance, situated along the Colorado River at 8,900 feet in elevation. Nineteen of its 98 sites are available for camping during the winter on a first-come, first-served basis. Further into the park, Moraine Park Campground has 77 winterized family sites and a group camping area situated in a ponderosa pine forest overlooking Moraine Meadow. Both campgrounds are available on a first-come, first-served basis from October through April.
Pine beetle damage and extensive drought conditions have left Colorado’s forests tinder dry. In winter months, you are usually free to build a fire providing you use "leave no trace" ethics and carefully ensure your fire is completely out before leaving. In Golden Gate Park, Stage 1 fire restrictions are common, allowing you to build campfires only in metal rings provided at your campsite, or to barbecue using charcoal briquettes. High fire danger can ban fires altogether, so it is a good idea to carry a propane stove in your camping gear to use for cooking and boiling water. Summer wildfires can quickly alter the landscape, so check with your campground host or a ranger to ensure the campground where you intend to camp has not suffered fire damage or is in not in the potential path of an existing blaze.
Bears and mountain lions are common in the mountains surrounding Nederland. Bears will usually hibernate from late December through early April, but snowfall and temperature greatly affects their habits. When camping at either end of the winter season, pack your food in airtight containers and store out of sight in your RV or at least 100 feet from your tent. Avoid sleeping in clothing that may retain food smells from your meals. If camping near fire-damaged areas of the forest, keep in mind that wildlife are more likely to seek human sources of food to replace the natural sources damaged by fire. Keep children and pets near you at all times to prevent triggering the predatory instincts of mountain lions which do not hibernate in winter.
