Your *free* Weekend Camping Trip

We love camping, and free camping at a beautiful reservoir with trailheads to wonderful, wildflower filled hikes and summit lakes are something we all love even more! My camping trip from a couple of weekends ago was just too magical for me not to share with all of you to experience yourself, so I've planned a weekend camping trip for you all that surely won't disappoint.

Location - Meadow Creek Reservoir

The directions for this location should come up relatively easily when putting the name of the reservoir right into your apple or google maps, but double check to make sure that it's the correct reservoir. Directions (from Denver) should start you off heading West on I70, then taking 40 West another 43 miles before turning onto 83, which leads you to the res by forest road.

Match up your map with the one I've provided to compare the areas if you're unsure that you have the correct location.

Where you're camping.

BOOM! You're at the reservoir. You'll know because of the large body of water on your right side at the top of the hill next to the dam (you literally can't miss it). Now to find a camp spot! The initial driveway/parking lot next to the garbage bins on the right as the road comes to a split is camping, yes, but not the kind we like. There's a fee to camp here and you'll be up close and personal to your neighbors ghost stories and screaming children.. so let's skip this part to get to the nature homes. When you see the garbage bins, head left up the forest road a bit more. Here, you'll find a wild amount of FREEEEEEEEE camp spots, available first come first serve to your choosing. *NOTE* the entire drive around the reservoir is maybe a couple of miles, tops, but check your map while you're driving along the road to find the hidden gems that are actually very close to the water, despite the trees' wooden curtains trying to hide such secrets. If you're not familiar with dispersed camping/boondocking you'll notice that these "campsites" are more so pull offs/drive ways into the woods where a small/medium/large clearing will be at the bottom or along the side depending on the area. There's a few camping areas where the trees open up to a field next to the water on the far East side of the reservoir, which are super great for a group but have to be snagged before the weekend crowd arrives, so make sure to get there asap.

Activities please.

A couple of things to remember on this trip:

• Floatation devices (paddle boards, floats, tubes, noodles.. literally any water toy)

• Fishing poles - this reservoir is packed solid with fish, woohoooo! Go wild and have a heyday, just remember that you must have your valid fishing license handy dandy for the ride.

• Firewood - we love some free firewood, but because of the popularity of this place, the grounds have pretty much been wiped clean, so maybe grab a bundle or two on the way in just to be on safe side.

Let's go Hiking!

Y'all know this part is my favorite, so take a stroll down the road from your campsite and work up a solid appetite for that campfire hot dog you'll be scarfing down at the end of the day with no regrets after getting a solid hike in. Columbine Lake Trail, a 6.3 mile and 1,046 ft elevation gain hike takes hikers an average of 3 hours to complete. This hike is rated as moderate and is honestly great for everyone who can handle the milage. The elevation gain can be slightly tricky at times as it's not entirely a nice and steady uphill climb, but the ending is very much worth it, I promise. You pass beautiful meadows opening up to the valley where the reservoir lives, a ridiculous amount of wildflowers, and possibly stumble upon a moose or five, like we did (PLEASE don't approach these animals.. they literally will kill you. Educate yourself on what to do if you come across an animal in the wild before hiking if you're unaware of what to do if approached by a certain species).

Time for a real meal.

Heading home after a long, hopefully enjoyable weekend, you may find yourself hungry for the taste of food prepared and served to you by honestly anyone else, as long as you're not the one doing the cooking and cleaning, so let's fix you up. Before heading up and back through the pass, be sure to check out the Winter Park Villages for a memorable mountain town experience. Stoneys is a great spot to stop and grab the best burger and waffle fries in town, hands down. Be sure to tell them that Mads sent you and say hello to the family for me. Don't forget to grab some ice cream on you way out from the local spot down the strip!

Hope you all have the best weekend! Be sure to take plenty of photos and to tag @MoveW.Mads on instagram so I can see how your vacation went also!