Last updated: 14 Oct 2021
(303)-659-6180
17180 E 136th Ave
Brighton, CO 80601
Scrambling for a vacant RV site on the outskirts of Denver proved to be a challenge, more so than in any area I’ve visited yet. Finally found a weeklong cancellation at the Barr Lake RV Park in Brighton, CO. I don’t think they have a dedicated website – I found them through the Good Sam Club website.
The two best things about this RV park were the semi-fenced-in playground that several youngsters used from morning till night. One even wore a sheriff’s badge and “shot” towards me with his squirt gun when I didn’t put my hands on-demand (I was carrying a laundry basket).
The other perk was the location. The gorgeous Rocky Mountains framed the view to the West wherever you drove, and Rocky Mountain National Park was an easy 60-minute drive. Barr Lake State Park, a day-use park, was only 6 miles away, and I birded there 3 times during my stay.
Within a mile was a new shopping complex, complete with a Super Target, Lowes, Home Depot, medical offices, fast food, and dozens of other name-brand stores. I did my grocery shopping at Super Target and used the Starbucks gift card a few times.
The downside was the noise. I-76 runs adjacent to the park, just beyond these dead stumps and the last row of trailers, and traffic runs non-stop. Train tracks run next to the interstate, and every 90 minutes or so, day or night, the conductor signals the train’s approach. The new medical facility, complete with an Emergency Room, has ambulances coming and going. Bring earplugs if you like to sleep at night.
This park will do in a pinch, and features a convenience store in the office, laundry rooms, and advertises wi-fi (although I never could connect to it via iPhone or PC). The staff ranged from nice to downright surly. Brighton’s Anythink Library is only a 10-minute drive away and was so welcoming and progressive that I returned several times to use the wi-fi and even got a library card, which will enable me to download audiobooks and stream movies and music.
Brighton is part rural, part hipster with a lot of Hispanic influence, and a Polish sister city. Pam Tillis was scheduled to do a concert there in August. It was a fine place to land first during my travels in Colorado.
