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My girlfriend and I camped in the Moraine Loop of the Arapaho Bay campground in early August. We arrived on a Monday and left that Wednesday. There are three loops in this developed USFS campground: Big Rock, Moraine, and Roaring Fork. From the book we were using as a guide, Roaring Fork was said to be the best but it was booked solid. Next best was Moraine Loop, which was wide open. We had our pick of camp sites and were able to reserve the best site in the loop, according to the book.
A view from the top of the moraine above our site:
Our campsite (33 I think) was above the road at the base of a small moraine. There were a couple small foot trails leaving from the campsite to the top of the moraine that offered nice views of the campground. The tent pad was very level, the picnic table was very clean, as was the grill on the fire ring. The entire campground was very well kept. The camphost was very nice and even gave us a topo map that highlighted the nearby hiking trails and snowmobile trails. Both Moraine Loop and Roaring Fork Loop border Granby Lake, Roaring Fork has a boat ramp. Power boats are allowed on the lake.
Nearby is Monarch Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, which has several hiking trails. We hiked a loop around the lake which was very nice. A view across the lake:
The next day (Tuesday) we started to hike Roaring Fork trail, but quickly realized it was more then what we could handle. It rises quickly and the terrain is very rocky, the trail is very narrow as it switch backs up the mountain. We didn't get very far before we had to admit defeat and start back down the trail. I did manage to snap one picture of Granby Lake from the trail in between chugs of water and heavy breathing:
http://www.ilikecoconuts.com/albums/...1293.sized.jpg
After that, we decided to check out a trail we passed on the way in called Doe Creek. Looking at the topo map (many thanks to our camphost for that map!), the gradient looked much more on our level. So we made some PBJ's, filled our Camelbacks and Nalgene's with cold water, and headed out. It was a great hiking trail that swayed through fields of wild flowers and aspen forests. We got a few miles into it when the clouds started rolling in, time for our mid afternoon shower! We turned around and headed back to the trail head. Here's a shot from the Doe Creek trail:
http://www.ilikecoconuts.com/albums/...1297.sized.jpg
From there we headed to some pay showers that we passed the day before. The showers were clean, well kept, and the water was hot! It felt nice. The clouds continued to roll in but the rain was very slow to come. The sky was getting darker and darker, it didn't look like this was going to be one of those quick showers that disappears as quick as it appears. So we headed to Grand Lake to see if we could rustle up some dinner now that we were clean and presentable.
Before we found a place in Grand Lake, the skies opened up. We found a Mexican resturant that was very good. The rains let up on the way back to the campsite, we were greeted with a nice rainbow as we turned towards the recreational area:
http://www.ilikecoconuts.com/albums/...0121.sized.jpg
The next morning we had a fox come within twenty yards of our camp site, very cool! We saw plenty of wildlife while roaming around this area, including an eagle, some deer, a marmot (my first marmot!), and some geese. Here's a host of the fox fleeing:
Nearby towns include Granby and Grand Lake.
All in all I would give this campground a big thumbs up. We did notice that most of the sites were reserved for the up coming weekend, so I would recommend camping there during the week for a more peaceful experience.
http://www.reserveusa.com/jsp/common.../newindex.html
My girlfriend and I camped in the Moraine Loop of the Arapaho Bay campground in early August. We arrived on a Monday and left that Wednesday. There are three loops in this developed USFS campground: Big Rock, Moraine, and Roaring Fork. From the book we were using as a guide, Roaring Fork was said to be the best but it was booked solid. Next best was Moraine Loop, which was wide open. We had our pick of camp sites and were able to reserve the best site in the loop, according to the book.
A view from the top of the moraine above our site:
Our campsite (33 I think) was above the road at the base of a small moraine. There were a couple small foot trails leaving from the campsite to the top of the moraine that offered nice views of the campground. The tent pad was very level, the picnic table was very clean, as was the grill on the fire ring. The entire campground was very well kept. The camphost was very nice and even gave us a topo map that highlighted the nearby hiking trails and snowmobile trails. Both Moraine Loop and Roaring Fork Loop border Granby Lake, Roaring Fork has a boat ramp. Power boats are allowed on the lake.
Nearby is Monarch Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, which has several hiking trails. We hiked a loop around the lake which was very nice. A view across the lake:
The next day (Tuesday) we started to hike Roaring Fork trail, but quickly realized it was more then what we could handle. It rises quickly and the terrain is very rocky, the trail is very narrow as it switch backs up the mountain. We didn't get very far before we had to admit defeat and start back down the trail. I did manage to snap one picture of Granby Lake from the trail in between chugs of water and heavy breathing:
http://www.ilikecoconuts.com/albums/...1293.sized.jpg
After that, we decided to check out a trail we passed on the way in called Doe Creek. Looking at the topo map (many thanks to our camphost for that map!), the gradient looked much more on our level. So we made some PBJ's, filled our Camelbacks and Nalgene's with cold water, and headed out. It was a great hiking trail that swayed through fields of wild flowers and aspen forests. We got a few miles into it when the clouds started rolling in, time for our mid afternoon shower! We turned around and headed back to the trail head. Here's a shot from the Doe Creek trail:
http://www.ilikecoconuts.com/albums/...1297.sized.jpg
From there we headed to some pay showers that we passed the day before. The showers were clean, well kept, and the water was hot! It felt nice. The clouds continued to roll in but the rain was very slow to come. The sky was getting darker and darker, it didn't look like this was going to be one of those quick showers that disappears as quick as it appears. So we headed to Grand Lake to see if we could rustle up some dinner now that we were clean and presentable.
Before we found a place in Grand Lake, the skies opened up. We found a Mexican resturant that was very good. The rains let up on the way back to the campsite, we were greeted with a nice rainbow as we turned towards the recreational area:
http://www.ilikecoconuts.com/albums/...0121.sized.jpg
The next morning we had a fox come within twenty yards of our camp site, very cool! We saw plenty of wildlife while roaming around this area, including an eagle, some deer, a marmot (my first marmot!), and some geese. Here's a host of the fox fleeing:
Nearby towns include Granby and Grand Lake.
All in all I would give this campground a big thumbs up. We did notice that most of the sites were reserved for the up coming weekend, so I would recommend camping there during the week for a more peaceful experience.