state forest state park

A great place to take a break and enjoy Colorado. The visitor center is helpful and polite with good advice on wildlife in the area. We saw moose just down the road in 2011. Take the time to see it. You won't be sorry.

Go to the visitor center, it's a lot of fun! Lots of places to hike right around the visitor center, and the park is larger than you think.

We visited State Forest State Park last week (on a snowy day). The drive from Winter Park to Walden was beautiful and scenic, especially with fresh snow on the ground, mountains and trees. We arrived at the park and we were practically the only ones there besides some loggers. Unfortunately due to the snow many of the roads and trails were not visible. Fortunately we had a jeep, but not knowing where the roads were located, gave us an uneasy feeling for continuing. Everything I read prior to our trip and visit indicated this is one of the best places to see wildlife. Unfortunately for us, we only saw a few chipmunks and birds. There is a $7 fee for entering the park. We will return to the park when in the area again.

We weren't sure what to expect for our first camping in Colorado. It's a little sad to see so many trees lost to the beetles, but that's outside of anyone's control. We camped in the fall and stayed at the Bockman campground which was nice and quiet. We enjoyed the chipmunks and grazing cattle. And at night, we saw more stars than we knew it was possible to see.If your goal is to get away from it all and just be in the mountains, this is a good option. They actually have sites available many times due to being a bit farther from the front range. The drive to get there is beautiful. Just be aware that the small towns even remotely close don't have all that much available, so bring your food and firewood supplies with you whenever possible. :-) Though, you can cut your own from all the trees on the ground already.We will definitely return, this time for longer so we can go look for moose as well.

We stayed in the Bochman campground which is more secluded than the others in a travel trailer. Although the campground does not have any shade due to the pine beetle problem in Northern Colorado, there are scenic views of the mountains which makes for a picturesque place to stay. We loved our site #316. Plenty of fishing, hiking, atvng, to do in the area. Loved our hike up to Lake Agnes. There are no shower facilities and contrary to what I had read on another post, the KOA nearby will only allow those staying at KOA to use their shower facilities. So keep this in mind. Would love to go back someday.

If you truly like to get away from it all (like I do) Colorado State Park is wonderful. I have been here a handful of times over the past 2 years and am never disappointed. Campsites expire at noon so it's best to arrive before to pick out your spot. Wonderful dispersed sites with no indulgences that put you smack in the middle of a nature wonderland. During my last visit I saw my first bear while coming back from fishing, arrived at my campsite to find a giant bull moose and several deer surrounding my tent. Bathrooms are generally well kept. Just remember to stock up on anything you may need before arriving as the nearby towns do not offer much in the way of supplies. Beautiful scenery all around! Great hikes and ATV trails. I would avoid the Ruby Lake destination. Hike is gorgeous but is merely a pond you stumble on after a very steep, highly elevated hike.

Very pretty place to visit, but bring a lot of bug spray for mosquitos, and especially Deer Flies! It is fun to visit, but the bears are very , very, well acquainted there with the campers! I do NOT LIKE BLACK BEARS in or around our camp, or tent! The best is to stay in a cabin in that area, or a metal camper, but you still have to watch where there is any food for them to smell, and DO NOT BROIL ANY STEAKS ON GRILL OR CAMP STOVE, or you will have many visitors at night!!! They also go crazy for bacon smell!! When we go there we only eat in town, and never bring any food into our campsite. That way we play it safe, and they can go over to the other campers, and avoid us! Sorry, but I am honest. I always feared having to run from tent, or anywhere with my granddaughter when she was young. O would recommend adults, and older children to this area, as this is known for BEARS !

State Forest (as it's called) is a step up from the other ones. It's large to start with... and lots to do. Moose sighting is common. I saw three (3) before 8:00 in the morning as wasn't looking. I will upload pictures later. It's adjacent to Rocky Mountain Nat. Park, which also has a lot of moose. Fishing is great also.. even if unknown for it. Trout is easy to catch and plenty of places to fish from the bank. Locals go here often - a good sign. Many good trails and plenty of campgrounds. They have an excellent Visitor Center (south entrance) and can give you all the details. Lots to do here, so be prepared to spend a couple of days at least.

Went here to see moose, did not see any moose and spent 4 hours in the park and drove many miles on dusty, bad gravel and dirt roads. If you want to camp, you have no services and everything is out in the open, no shade. Was not impressed, a lot better parks in Colorado.

We loved our experience camping in the Bockman loop of State Forest State Park. It was quite difficult to find at night, but well worth the effort. I would definitely suggest knowing where you're going before heading out, because our GPS was of no help. We didn't see any moose, but we heard one on the second night. We loved how secluded the Bockman loop was and were happy that we stayed there instead of near the reservoir as that area was quite busy. Make sure to bring drinking water, because there is none available in the Bockman loop area.

I camped for two nights in cabin #4 at State Forest State Park. The cabins are located on the shore of the Michigan Reservoir, and all but cabin #3 have decks that overlook the water. The cabins are small but comfortable, with three single beds, a double bed and a double futon. There are wood burning heaters in cabins #4-6, with wood provided by the park for heating the cabins. In the summer months you can drive directly to the cabins. Cabin #4 is located near the vault toilet. A water hydrant is located closest to cabin #4. There is a KOA right outside the park gates with a store that sells ice and wood and groceries, although the prices are steep. The park is breathtaking, with amazing wildlife. I saw deer and moose and the birdwatching was great. The lake is stocked with fish and there were a lot of boaters, canoes and kayaks enjoying the beautiful scenery. The downside of the campground was definitely the vault toilet. Although the facilities in other state parks I have visited have been very clean, this one was not. The vault beneath the toilets is nearly full, which is gross. The toilets themselves are filthy, covered in waste, and smell so foul that visiting them was a gag inducing experience. I saw rangers visit and "service" the toilets multiple times, but they remained as filthy as the first time I visited. Other than the filthy bathrooms, which they hopefully will clean soon, the park was amazing.

I live close by and love to visit the SFSP. It's got some great trails for hiking and horseback riding. American Lakes trail along the Michigan ditch is a favorite. The Moose Visitor Center has a great little gift shop with lots of interesting items in a small space and if you want to see wildlife this is the place to go. Rarely disappoints. Moose can be seen in the willows behind the visitor center, at the top of Cameron Pass and around the Michigan reservoir.

My first time in Wladen, Colorado. We were there snow shoeing, a beautiful view, nice people, I'll never forget this huge experience. Be sure and stop by the Moose Visitors Center, absolutely gorgeous! We saw moose, a red fox and there were a lot of birds. The mountains were beautiful. I'd like to come back to this gorgeous park.

We traveled through the area after visiting RMNP. I had always wanted to check this park out, and I wanted to see some moose. I didn't expect a lot of the park to be forested because of the beetle kill, but I guess we should expect more of it in Colorado. I didn't expect to see cattle grazing throughout the park either. We did get to see 3 moose in the park that day, down along a creek. The visitor center was real nice and informative.There are a lot of people who come here just to camp and ride there ATVs, so expect to see 4wheelers and dune buggys on the roads. Looked like some descent hiking trails that I didn't have time to check out, except for a short distance.. Cabins and yurts available to rent year round, with very limited/rustic accomodations.Looked like a lot of camping spots, nice views of the mountains and lakes.

One would think that the Colorado's, State Forest State Park would be a model of the scientific and effective way to manage a forest in a pristine area.One would be wrong.Apparently, letting thousands of acres of dead pine trees stand as a constant threat of horrific forest fires to come, is a shining example of the State's forest. To be sure, the devastation was caused by pine beetle kill, but somehow, allowing foresters to come in and harvest trees before the debacle became hopeless is not a "scientific" solution.After viewing miles of the state's forests, one can only assume if they can't handle the job, nature, and a raging forest fire will.