Moraine Park Campground (8,160 feet) is located in the Rocky Mountain National Park, near the Beaver Meadows Entrance on Highway 36. It features beautiful views and countless opportunities for breathtaking experiences and adventures. Scenic hikes, backpacking, fishing, horseback riding and white water rafting are some of the most popular activities enjoyed by the Moraine Park visitors.
Moraine Park Campground Facilities
Moraine Park Campground contains group and family tent-only sites, several walk-to tent sites and RV spots. Each site includes a picnic table, a fire ring and a tent pad, with no hookups for RVs. There is a dump station and near the check-in entrance and bear boxes all over the campground. Flush toilets, drinking water and a cleaning station are only provided at Loop A. Loops B and E have vault toilets with no water.
You can also bring a solar-heated shower bag to hang in the stall facility at Moraine Park Campground (Loop A). There are showers available in nearby communities, we found rates as cheap as $2 for 6 minutes.
Note that there is no phone service in Moraine Park Campground, but there is service as soon as you get on the road toward Estes Park. If you would like to charge your phone on the trip, I highly recommend this Solar Charger. We clipped it on our backpack during our hikes and it kept up to 3 electronic devices fully charged!
Are you going to the Rockies? Here are a Few Useful Links You should check out:
- Camping Gear You Need for Your Trip to the Rockies
- Camping Packing Checklist
- Rocky Mountain Hiking Tips for Beginners
- Best Hiking Trails in the Rockies
- Day Hike Packing List
Moraine Park Campground Fees
The campsite fees are about $26 per night and a $20/day or $70/vehicle per week entry fee. You can check pricing and make your reservations here.
Traveler’s Tip: Be sure to book as far in advance as you can, the campground can fill up months in advance during the summer! During the winter the campground is open-all-year-long and some sites are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Moraine Park Campground Recreation
Rocky Mountain National Park has 355 miles of hiking trails that range from flat lakeside strolls to steep mountain climbs. Visitors enjoy the parks various lake trails (Bear Lake, Cub Lake, Mills Lake), waterfall trails (Alberta Falls, Ouzel Falls) and summit trails (Twin Sisters Peaks, Flattop Mountain, Mount Ida).
The park also offers some unforgettable scenic driving routes, including Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road. There are several visitor centers within the park, offering ranger-led activities, education and history about the park, and seasonal nighttime programs.
Nearby Activities:
The town of Estes Park is just outside the park and is a short drive from Moraine Park Campground. You will find many dining and shopping options if you would like to spend a lazy day walking around. You could also go rafting, fly fishing or horseback riding!
Traveler’s Tip: If you are worried about packing all of your groceries for a full week of camping in Moraine Park Campground, there is a couple of grocery stores in Estes Park. Safeway offers a really affordable and great selection of groceries, which you can reach in under 10 minutes from your campsite. I know, we spent a full week camping, but we went out to town for groceries every couple of days!
Related: More Tips for Your First Trip to the Rocky Mountains
Moraine Park Campground Ranger Information
When you enter the park, you will be given a park newspaper. It will tell you the schedule of the ranger programs. There are plenty of ranger-led programs about various topics, including photography, wildlife, and astronomy. It’s a really fun way to learn more about the park!
Enter your kids into the junior ranger program. There are activity booklets for different ages, and you can pick up the books at the visitor centers. Once they complete the booklet, they take an oath and become an official junior ranger! It is a fun way for them to learn more about the park and enjoy the trip even more. If you’re not sure what activities or hikes you want to do while you’re in the area, talk with the volunteers at the ranger station by the entrance! They give some wonderful suggestions and are a lot of fun to talk to!
Moraine Park Campground Weather
Choose the right season to visit Rocky Mountain National Park to be ready for the weather, road closures, and crowds. We visited the park in early August and the weather was perfect for hiking, but it was very crowded and parking was very difficult. If you go earlier in the summer, be ready for some snow at higher altitudes. The trails can be harder to hike, but it will not be crowded and you will get to see breathtaking views of snowmelt waterfalls. Not all roads and trails will remain open, so be sure to check the Rocky Mountains Current Conditions page for updates.
Use the Free Shuttle Service
From May to October, the park runs a shuttle service and you can get as far as Bear Lake and Moraine Park all the way from Estes Park with just one transfer! In the summer, parking lots can fill up as early as 6 am, so using the shuttle service might be necessary for you to get to the trail head. Just don’t forget to check when the last shuttle leaves to prevent being stranded.
Moraine Park Campground Wildlife
Wildlife is plentiful in the park: the campground is filled with birds, squirrels, chipmunks and other small wildlife. There is also a herd of elk present many mornings in the field below the amphitheater! Bring your camera!
Traveler’s Tip: You can purchase wood/ice, plus soda and ice cream every day from 5:30pm to 8:30pm every day. Prices: $2.50 for Ice $5.50 for the wood.
Moraine Park Campground Review
We really enjoyed our experience at the Moraine Campground! It was my first time camping in tents and it was a lot of fun! I saw a lot of families with kids at the campsite, but it got really quiet after 10. Some of my favorite features about the site are the beautiful clear sky with millions of stars, proximity to Estes Park, amazing views and abundance of wildlife.
Tell Me: Are you planning to go to the Rockies anytime soon? Let me know in the comments below!
