Winter is the time when most campgrounds across the northern third of the U.S. shut down due to snow and subfreezing temperatures. But growing numbers of campgrounds are open in winter, both to accommodate travelers and winter recreation enthusiasts as well as people who are working from their RVs. Some parks offer extended stay campsites for RVers in winter, while others offer a mix of RV sites with or without water.
Kampgrounds of America (KOA) has an online listing of its campgrounds that are open in winter. But outside the KOA network, it requires a lot more research to find out not only which campgrounds are open in winter, but which ones are suitable base camps for winter recreation enthusiasts. To streamline your planning for RV trips in snow country, GoRVing.com has identified more than 50 campgrounds across the country that can serve as base camps for your winter recreation pursuits. We’ve sorted them by state to make them easy to find. They include:
(Photo courtesy of Roberts Resorts, Village Camp Flagstaff)
Colorado
- Base Camp at Golden Gate Canyon at Black Hawk: Located at 9,230-feet, this campground has no running water for RVers at this time of year, but restrooms and shower facilities are available. The campground also offers 12 cabins. Nearby winter activities include skiing and snowboarding at the Echo Mountain Echo Mountain and Eldora Mountain ski resorts, scenic winter drives along the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, and gambling in the nearby communities of Black Hawk and Central City.
- Canyon View RV Resort in Grand Junction: RV enthusiasts can use this park as a base camp for downhill skiing day trips to Powderhorn Resort or to enjoy cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing atop Grand Mesa.
- Garden of the Gods RV Resort in Colorado Springs: This park, which has views of Pikes Peak, complements its RV sites with rental accommodations. Nearby attractions include the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center, which offers scenic 300-foot sandstone rock formations, hiking and mountain biking trails as well as a wide variety of organized activities for people of all ages, including arts and crafts activities, nature and history hikes and geology hikes for kids. The campground can also be used as a basecamp for visits to downtown Colorado Springs and to the scenic and historic mining towns of Cripple Creek and Victor as well as Manitou, which is famous for its hot springs. The road to 14,115-foot Pikes Peak is also open in winter, but sometimes closes briefly based on weather conditions.
- Lake John Resort in Walden: This 8,200-foot, family-owned campground has an ice fishing contest every January. The park also rents out ice fishing huts in six-hour increments. The ice huts can be rented with or without ice fishing equipment. Portable heaters are also available for rent, although no overnight sleeping is allowed in the units. The resort offers RV and tent sites and furnished rental cabins with varying numbers of beds. The cabins also feature kitchen and bathroom facilities. While ice fishing is a big attraction here, other nearby activities include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. The resort is close to Delaney Butte Lakes, Big Creek Lake, Cowdrey Lake and the many alpine lakes of the Mount Zirkel Wilderness as well as the Grizzly Helena Trail. Steamboat Ski Resort is about an hour away.
- Middlefork RV Park in Fairplay: Situated at 9,900 feet, this campground is only 23 miles from Breckenridge and within an hour and 15 minutes of several other major ski resorts at Keystone, Copper Mountain and Vail. A dump station and water are available during the winter months, but no water and sewer service is available at that time at individual campsites.
- Oasis Durango RV Resort in Durango: This Roberts Resorts park is 25 minutes from Durango Hot Springs and 40 minutes from Purgatory Ski Resort. Park amenities include a hot tub.
- Ouray Riverside Resort in Ouray: Winter visitors include RVers and park model campers wishing to attend the annual Ouray Ice Festival and Competition, which is slated for Jan. 18-21. The event takes place at the Ouray Ice Park, a site in the Uncompahgre Gorge where more than 250 sprinklers are used to create awe-inspiring walls of ice. The Ouray Ice Park contains over 100 manmade ice and mixed climbs, 11 distinct climbing areas and more than three miles of vertical terrain. The Ouray Ice Festival features interactive and educational climbing clinics and ice climbing competitions as well as food, music, and nightly dance parties. Skiers and snowboarders also use Ouray Riverside Resort as a base camp for excursions to Telluride Ski Resort or to enjoy backcountry skiing and snowshoeing.
- Palisade Base Camp in Palisade: This campground with frontage along the Colorado River complements its RV and tent sites with rental cabins and cottages as well as two country home suites. Unlike many campgrounds, this park offers winterized RV sites with water.
- Red Mountain RV Park in Kremmling: This campground attracts its share of skiers, snowshoers, and ice fishing enthusiasts. While the park does maintain some full hookup sites even in winter, many winter recreation enthusiasts like to dry camp in their RVs and use the park’s restrooms and showers.
- River Run RV Resort in Granby: This resort maintains a small number of RV sites during the winter months. The resort’s park model vacation rentals are also available year-round. Winter activities include skiing and snowboarding at Winter Park, 25 minutes away, and the annual 3 Lakes Ice Fishing Contest, Jan. 26-28, at Lake Granby, Shadow Mountain Reservoir and Grand Lake. The annual contest is the longest running ice fishing tournament west of the Mississippi River.
- Tiger Run Resort inn Breckenridge: Winter recreation enthusiasts in Colorado often stay at this 9,600-foot resort near the historic mining town of Breckenridge, which is close to several popular ski resorts, including Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain, with Vail being about an hour away, depending on road conditions.
- Snowy Peaks RV Park & Rentals in Buena Vista: This park is open in winter and serves as a base camp for RVers who enjoy skiing and snowboarding at the Monarch and Copper Mountain ski resorts.
- Steamboat Springs KOA Holiday in Steamboat Springs: This campground can serve as a base camp for a variety of winter activities from skiing at nearby ski resorts to snowmobiling, snow tubing and winter horseback riding at Saddleback Ranch. Steamboat even has a winter carnival Feb. 7-11 with parades and ski jumping competitions, among other events.
- Westerly RV Park in Durango: This campground, which is across the street from Durango Hot Springs, offers sites for RVs and is often used as a base camp for skiers and snowboarders bound for Purgatory. Families also enjoy taking their kids on winter train rides on the historic Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad up to Cascade Canyon.
(Photos courtesy of Lake John Resort)
Kansas
Indiana
Maine
- Colonial Mast Campground in Naples: Winter guests at this park can snowmobile right from their campsite or spend the day ice fishing or cross country skiing on the lake or downhill ski at nearby Shawnee Mountain. The park also offers a swimming pool and hot tub.
- Wilderness Pines Campground in Monticello: This park maintains five RV sites in winter for dry camping for travelers as well as ski, snowshoe, snowmobile and ice fishing enthusiasts who want to enjoy the snow trails and lakes in the area. This campground is also a popular venue for snow sledding enthusiasts.
Maryland
(Photos courtesy of Sno-Trac Village)
Michigan
Montana
New York
Oregon
- Mt. Hood Village RV Resort in Welches: Located outside of Portland, this resort is a popular winter basecamp, with the Mt. Hood Skibowl just 13 miles away and the Mt. Hood Adventure Park being just another two miles down the road.
(Photo courtesy of Oasis Durango RV Resort in Durango, Colorado)
Pennsylvania
South Dakota
(Photos courtesy of Park City RV Resort, Park City, Utah)
Utah
- Park City RV Resort in Park City: This park, which is owned by Roberts Resorts, is only minutes from three world class ski resorts, including the Olympic Park ski jump. Park amenities include a heated pool and hot tub.
- Salt Lake City KOA in Salt Lake City: This campground caters to ski and snowboard enthusiasts who enjoy the slopes outside of Salt Lake City in the winter months.
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming
- Terry Bison Ranch in Cheyenne: This ranch has a 43-site RV park that’s open for dry camping in winter. Activities include horseback riding and a train ride across the ranch to view a bison herd in the snow.
