Cheyenne Mountain State Park

This was a very beautiful,full hookups campground. Well spaced out paved lots on the side of the mountain that gave us a perfect view of Colorado springs and the high plains. Nice hiking right from the campground and easy access to Colorado Springs for sight seeing and shopping. Overall quiet except for the amazing sound of trumpet playing at sunrise and dinner from the nearby base.

The pros: Extremely clean and really lovely surroundings, especially at sunset/dusk. You can hear Taps played every night at 10:00 p.m. from Fort Carson. Pretty easy access to Colorado Springs and all that that entails. Sites seemed well-spaced throughout, and definitely were in my loop (The Meadows). Staff were friendly, which isn't always the case in our state parks.

The cons: Surprisingly bad Verizon signal considering how close you are to Colorado Springs. I had to use a booster to get viable internet for working. Also, while I loved hearing Taps played at night from the nearby Fort Carson, I didn't quite love the 6:25 a.m. wake-up call as much. Limited access for walking dogs - they say dogs are allowed on trails in this park, which is technically true, but the good hiking trails are humans only. Dogs are only allowed on the trails in the campground itself, not the cool hikes in the area. Though, you're not TOO far from Garden of the Gods, not to mention the amazing Bear Creek Dog Park.

Many sites have nice views out over the flatlands but some do not. Look carefully at google earth if this matters to you.

It’s nice that everything is online for reservations. But stuff books up many months in advance. So book early.

Good cellular for Verizon and ATT.

Full hookups. Nicely maintained sites. Some are very close together but not all. Some pull through and many back in. Seems to be immaculately maintained. Everything is crazy tidy and clean.

There isn’t much Boondocking in the wider area unless you get into the mountains an hour or more so if you need to be in the Colorado Springs area this is a good bet though it’s a 15 minute drive into town though there are shopping resources within five minutes.

Small laundry facility. No camper shop any longer.

Lots of trails.

Stayed 9 27 19. Great state park and campground. Full hookups. Spacious, level, concrete sites. Great views. Even though sites are close together, they are separated by small oaks and pines. The check in process is a little confusing if the gate attendants are not there. The Colorado state park fee is $8 and can be paid thru a machine by the gate house. Great roads up the mountain side to campground. Great hiking trails around campgrounds.

Great trails, deluxe restrooms, highly developed campsites. Colorado park system seems to pride itself on how much it can "improve" nature, and then be quite happy to charge accordingly. Personally I'd prefer fewer curbs, concrete, and signage over what nature has created. That being said, this place is fancy and the dramatic broadcast of reveille and taps at sun up and sun down, reverberating off the mountainside is kinda awesome.

Date of stay: Mar. 11-19, 2019

This is a newer, beautiful park. The sites are all very large and well-spaced. The facilities are immaculate, the staff is friendly, and there are miles of trails in the park. It is the perfect spot for visiting Colorado Springs, Garden of the Gods, Pike's Peak, and all of the other recreational areas or city attractions and amenities. The park is situated on a hill that overlooks the city, and the twinkling lights at night are pretty. You can hear reveille played from Fort Carson across the highway from the park in the mornings. There is plenty of OATV.

You will pay for all of that greatness, however, as Colorado State Parks are expensive as state parks go. There is a site price, a reservation fee if you book online, and a daily per-person fee of $8 (which you can mitigate if you get the annual pass, and you should if you plan to stay longer than a week in Colorado state parks during a year.)

During our stay, there was a Bomb Cyclone (record-breaking wind gusts and freezing temps) and the rangers came around ahead of time to be sure everyone was stocked up and ready. The following day, they were out as soon as possible to sand and clear the park roads. It was great service!