CLICK HERE for FULL video about Clear Creek Reservoir and Wenzel Ridgeline Tent!!
Nothing in this world can beat an amazing campsite in a picturesque location, but how often can you luck into one of those right?? When traveling it is few and far between than you are fortunate enough to find these types of locations but I wanted to find my own oasis while traveling though Colorado and managed to do just that at Clear Creek Reservoir located just north of Buena Vista.
Campground Review:
When searching in the area just beyond the frozen slopes of Aspen and Leadville, I found a series of listed campsites all located on lands which allow free camping. I am not one to pass up a good free campsite or at least a good look at one, so I made the trip and found as the snow subsided and the grounds became increasingly more green that the weather was shaping up to be very pleasant for tent camping.
As I finally turned onto the unpaved road I cringed in fear of the road condition in my small car but also was optimistic based on what I had seen from other campers. The road a mixture of clay and old gravel turned out to be a little bumpy but nothing major and after passing the lake and wrapping back toward the backside of the water I noticed the small sign for dispersed camping.
I had found the location from a person who is a full time RVer and so I knew the sites would be large enough for a decent sized rig, but I was so surprised how much room really was there! Wrapping alongside the shoreline of the creek are campsites scattered at various distances. The campground on a Wednesday had a handful of campers, of which I couldn’t even find them til I really started driving through the far side of the campground and they all seem to have collected along that bank due to large shade trees.
I opted for a site on the right hand of the entry in a large open space near the base of the Colorado Trail hill which goes through camp. There were a number of established looking campsites with river rock fire rings and large portions of the area cleared of scattered rocks or limbs. I had very little work to do to prepare my tent site before just setting up.
The campsite does have a single vault toilet. It is located on the side nearer the tree line in the more open area to the right of the camp. While this was a little far for me compared to my usual wants at a campground which offers any amenities, I was glad to give up a few hundred yards for a much better view alongside the river.
The sites are very basic, you will have to literally bring everything you want with you, no tables or lantern hooks, no electricity, not even trashcans! Sometimes with views like these it is all worth it. If you enjoy a good primitive site or can be sustainable off grid in your camper this is perfect.
The waters here are icy cold from the snow melt and provide a great contrast on a warm day. They are clear and when the occasional fish does happen to pass you see it easily, though they do say you are more likely to catch fish in the lake itself.
I was elated to see the wildlife in the area throughout the day which included some very cute prairie dogs, a very curious humming bird who was very impressed with my pink shirt and some beautiful songbirds.
CLICK HERE for basic fishing Information at the Clear Creek Reservoir
**TIPS: **
- There is no cell service for AT&T at this campsite, I you are needing to make any important calls you will need to drive about 3 miles away from camp to sustain signal. I advise dropping a pin if you have a friend of family member you check in with before you come to select your site.
- Remember your firewood if you are wanting to have a fire. There are several sources for your fire starters but none really for your actual campfire.
- Pack Out Everything!! There is NO trash collection at this site and since it is such a beautiful free site it is important that we remember to keep it clean and able to be used by the next person.
**Product Review: **
As a Dyrt Ranger upon occasion I am given the opportunity to try out a new piece of camping gear and provide a little feedback on my experiences. I was in the market for a smaller tent when I sent a Wenzel Ridgeline 3 Person Tent. 50 inches in height this would be a good solution for many small tent needs and allow comfortable sitting up and crouching while inside. It also seemed the 7 x 7 size would easily meet the needs I might have, typically I like to use a 3 man tent for 2 people to provide some room for comfort since I travel with friends often.
Something I was most excited about with this tend is the Lite Reflect System. This is a fancy way to say that the tent has a mesh basket which clips to the top panel inside. You can place your headlamp of a small light inside this basket and it shines upward to create a reflection which illuminates your entire tent. This is a ver thoughtful addition to a design to help allow more livable space in a tent at night when you need to be able to see. This means that now instead of being stuck with your headlamp blinding another person or only being able to see a small portion of your tent without having to ransack through things, this technology would allow you to alleviate both of these issues.
With any new tent there is a learning curve to assembly. The poles on this tent were easy to snap together and after spreading the tent out I was able to feed them through to prepare the hoisting process within a matter or 2 minutes or less.
The problem for me came when the poles were such a tight fit within one of the corners that I was nervous to snap it in place. This was not entirely the actual fits fault however, a small breeze had started to come through and pushed on the back of the tent, the only window zipped closed and not venting. This created shifting of the tent against the pole and it made for a little tricky snap on that last corner. Had the wind not have come along I would have had the entire tent up in less than 7 minutes.
After fully securing the tent with the tent stakes the winds continued to blow, but the tent remained in tact which allowed me to comfortably stay throughout the evening. Sometimes I have noticed when a tent feels like it has a bit higher clearance it can get whipped around a bit, but this tent seemed very secure.
TIPS:
On a windy day it can be a bit more difficult to assemble this tent solo. The tent can easily catch wind and make it a bit harder to set up. While it can be done, it will take a bit of patience and creativity securing the tent base. My suggestion is to place items inside the tent before erecting the poles on a windy day.
The base of the tent is very durable but on a cold or rainy night it can still gather condensation. To prevent this lay a tarp down before placing the tent.
