Pawnee Campground at Brainard Lake, CO

We camped at the Pawnee Campground (10,345') in the Brainard Lake Recreational Area. This is a favorite destination only an hour's drive from Boulder, CO, in the Roosevelt National Forest. It is popular with hikers because it offers a large number of trails at a variety of difficulty levels. One afternoon we took a moderate, 3-mile hike up to Lake Isabelle and had lunch in the shadow of Shoshoni Peak. The scenery is spectacular in this area, so be sure to bring your camera and hiking shoes if you come.

Buena Vista, Colorado

We traveled to beautiful Buena Vista, CO, on this late summer trip, about 130 scenic miles southwest of Denver. There are many RV campgrounds in the area, but we chose a KOA campground just outside the edge of town. This was one of the nicer KOA's we have stayed at. It sits atop a hill overlooking a broad valley with stunning views of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness as a backdrop.

Molly Brown Campground - Leadville, CO

Leadville, Colorado, and the Turquoise Lake area draw many tourists for summer festivals, boating, canoeing, fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. During our stay, Leadville was putting on its annual "Boom Days" celebration, which features a variety of fun events for all ages, including a car show, a street fair, races, and colorful townsfolk, many of whom are dressed period costumes. We had almost as much fun watching the people as we did sampling the food and shopping at the many festival booths.