Campsites of the Trip

Toilets: Vault & Portapotty
Water: Handpump Hydrant
Showers: No
Cost: $8 in Cash at paystation
Staff: None that I could tell
Run by: Nebraska State Parks

No Reservations, No Picnic Tables

Sutherland Reservoir is a Nebraska State Recreation Area with several campsites. There aren't assigned individual sites, and there is not a campground host (as far as I could tell.) Everything there is honor system, pay by cash in an envelope at the entrance. There was a storm blowing in when I was there, so I didn't stay near the lake. The place was quiet, for the most part. It was really just a stopover about 12 hours away from St. Paul, where I could stay inexpensively, just sleep, and get up in the morning and start driving again.

Recommend: Good for a quick overnight

Toilets: Vault
Water: Potable taps
Showers: No
Cost: About $24 Reservable Online
Staff: Campground Host
Run by: Forest Service

Prospector Campground is on the south eastern side of Lake Dillon near Breckenridge and Frisco, Colorado. It is right on the bike path that I intended to ride while I was in Summit County. The view is stunning, but there is little shade. Much of the trees were removed due to a disease. There is a way to walk to the lake shore, but contact with the reservoir is not allowed. I especially loved the way in which I could just wander away from my site and find myself totally alone in an alpine field, staring at a beautiful range of mountains. The sunset and the sunrise were beautiful at both.

Recommend: Yes

Toilets: Flush
Water: Tap near bathrooms
Showers: Yes
Cost: $30
Staff: Fully Staffed
Run by: Aramark

Mesa Verde's only campground is privately run. It is inside the park, but Aramark is the organization that manages it. It is a very large campground, with sites that look like fairy castles. My site was about 6 steps down from the road into a house-like canopy of scrubby oak. There are nice tent pads and picnic tables.

Pros: Great sites, flush toilets, individual showers are private and lockable

Cons: Aramark doesn't seem to be taking great care of the place. The showers are dark and creepy. The camp store is lacking and too expensive. The staff weren't particularly kind.

Toilets: Flush
Water: Potable taps
Showers: Yes
Cost: About $18 - $24
Staff: Fully Staffed
Run by: Park Service

This one was my favorite campground! The sites were huge, beautiful, and quiet. Despite the busyness of this place, I never felt crowded or like people were observing me too much. I booked a site on the edge of the campground, and my site simply opened up onto the forest. I was also joined by deer for dinner here, too. The North Rim is only open from mid-May to the end of October. It is cool and comfortable, and there is a camp store. The fire ban was lifted just before I got there, so I enjoyed a campfire for the first time on the trip. If one books way, way ahead, you can get sites right on the canyon rim. 

Recommend: Definitely

Toilets: Flush
Water: Tap near bathrooms
Showers: No
Cost: $18 - 24
Staff: Campground Host
Run by: Park Service

Fruita Campground was quiet compared to the campgrounds that were full of international travelers. The cliffs of Capitol Reef tower above the site and glow with the setting sun. You can go and pick fruit in the orchards as you please. Deer wander the grassy sites. 

Pros: Quiet, serene, and gorgeous

Cons: No showers, sites were close together and small

Toilets: Flush
Water: Potable taps
Showers: No
Cost: About $18 - $24
Staff: Campground Host
Run by: Park Service

This site has incredible, beautiful views. As I usually try to do, I got a site at the edge of the campground. I could see the entire valley--basin, bathtub?--from my picnic table while I ate dinner. Far off, there were sawtooth mountains that had clouds clinging to them night and day. Over night, though, a storm blew in and that cliff face was incredibly windy. The tent blew in on my face most of the night, but again, in the morning, clouds clung to those mountains in strange reverse colors.

Pros: Beautiful views, quiet and comfortable

Cons: Lots of wind, and the auto flush toilets were extra trigger happy and loud

Toilets: Flush
Water: Tap near bathrooms
Showers: No
Cost: $18 - 24
Staff: Fully Staffed
Run by: Park Service

Glacier Basin was one of the few places in Rocky Mountain where I could reserve a site beforehand. It was busy, and I remember mostly crawling into my sleeping bag to absorb the book I was deeply invested in. Mountain storms rushed in and I wasn't able to stay up to sit by the fire. The campground has trouble with bears, so I was extra careful with my food, but I never did see evidence of a bear. Luckily, everyone was being respectful of the rules laid out by the NPS.

Camping Cabin
Toilets: Flush
Water: Potable taps
Showers: Yes
Cost: $60
Staff: Fully Staffed
Run by: KOA

On the way back from Colorado, an enormous rain storm blew in and seemed to be spinning over Nebraska. I opted not to set up the tent, and I got a camping cabin at a KOA on my way. It was a bit of a pricey choice, and I might have been better off in a hotel--but I still did get to cook my dinner. Best of all, I took a really long shower after being in sites without them for a long time. This helped me get ready to go home. Their tent sites were more or less under water, so I don't think I'd recommend this for tent campers for anything other a stopover.