Campgrounds at seven Colorado state parks will have delayed openings this spring because of deep snow cover in the state’s northwest region.
Four of the affected parks are near Steamboat Springs, where the current snowpack is 33 percent above normal. Two are on the Western Slope and one is west of Fort Collins near Walden.
“Staff at each state park will continue to monitor and work to get campgrounds open as soon as they can do so safely and without damage to the area,” according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “However, CPW anticipates these campgrounds will remain closed until mid-May.”
CPW’s statewide spokeswoman, Bridget O’Rourke, confirmed that those seven parks are the only state campgrounds likely to have delayed openings. They are: Steamboat Lake, Pearl Lake, Yampa River and Stagecoach state parks in the Steamboat area; Sylvan Lake State Park, near Eagle; Vega State Park, on the northern edge of the Grand Mesa; and State Forest State Park, 25 miles southeast of Walden.
“Anyone with a camping reservation whose site will not be available will be contacted directly from the park two weeks prior to the start of your reservation,” the CPW release said. “Anyone with a camping reservation from April 1 (until) mid-May at the impacted parks can also contact that park for additional information and next steps.”
