Colorado’s campsites are booked up for Memorial Day weekend as outdoor enthusiasts don’t seem to be dissuaded much by the recent torrential rains.
While high water and high-country snow and left threats of flooding in many areas of the state, all U.S. Forest Service and state park campgrounds remain open.
“We’re booked pretty solid,” said Matt Robbins, spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “Our top 15 parks are absolutely full.”
Robbins said that although there have been some cancellations at their sites, Parks and Wildlife is expecting full campgrounds as eager nature lovers quickly snatch up any spots becoming available.
“We’ve had lots of people calling and looking,” he said. “I think by 9:30 a.m. (Friday) we had 100 people already.”
The Forest Service says its campsites are scheduled to have few vacancies as well.
Chuck Quinn, who works in the service’s Golden regional office, said most of the rainfall that’s been saturating Colorado has been limited to the Front Range, leaving popular areas like the White River National Forest less inundated.
“Once you get over the Continental Divide, the rain is looking less frequent,” he said.
Nonetheless, Quinn encouraged campers to bring protective gear just in case — including tent flies, rain boots and jackets.
Among the most notable road attractions that will be closed for the weekend are the and in Rocky Mountain National Park. Both are traditionally opened on Memorial Day weekend.
Along the Front Range, some parts of Chatfield State Park have been restricted whose waters are 6 feet above the normal level.
Areas around Bear Creek Lake Park remain closed as the reservoir hit 45 feet above normal Friday. The record there is 50 feet during the September 2013 floods.
Organizers of Brews and Views in Littleton have canceled the event, and Fairplay’s popular Old West Days has been canceled for this weekend and may be rescheduled for Fourth of July weekend.
There has been so much rain that Water World in Federal Heights pushed back its opening. “It is with soggy hearts that Water World announces the delay,” the water park said.
Despite the damp effects, the Colorado Tourism Office says it isn’t expecting any major economic downfall, according to spokeswoman Kirstin Graber.
Graber said no hard predictions were made for the holiday weekend, but she feels confident Colorado’s wide range of tourism offerings will give travelers and patrons options outside of places shuttered by this month’s storms.
“We’ll only know after the fact,” she said with optimism.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
