Sinks Canyon State Park

We had such a lovely stay at Popo Agie campground. We lucked out rolling in at 3:30 Friday afternoon to snag one of the best sites, #3. We were worried traffic might be loud from the road above but the river drowned it out. Sites 3-5 sit on the turnaround, which was actually perfect for our kids to have a little paved cul-de-sac to ride scooters, bikes and play games. Well-kept with daily fire pit cleanup crews and close by nature walk and hike - we did the 3-mile hike to the Middle Fork Falls with our dog and 2 kids - spectacular! Nearby Lander was a bonus, the 15-min drive to town was nice to have, especially with the Gannett Grill for lunch, ice cream shop, and Cowfish (Lander Brewing Co) which ended up being one of the best dinners we’ve ever had. This was such a great camping trip for us - a best kept secret amongst Colorado campers for sure, we'll be back!

When I checked the website to make a reservation, it appeared all of the sites except the yurts were booked. In a panic, I booked a yurt for two nights. We were surprised that upon arrival that many sites were empty. The ranger at the visitor center explained that the website was very confusing; the only reservable “sites” are the yurts. Since others are fcfs, check our all the sites carefully as not all are level and some barely have enough room to park a car. Some back up on the river, which is nice. Our yurt was nice and clean. There is a mattress cover on the bed, which was not expected. A table and three chairs was a nice touch. You are expected to clean the yurt before departing. All sites/yurts have easy access to several trails (walking) but you do need to drive to see the Sink/Rise. Pit toilets and no hookups. Water pumps are available.

The Popo Angie River rushes down the canyon, until it comes to a cave and diverts underground for a quarter of a mile before rising to the surface again. Many trails make for good hiking.

The campground is kind of molded into the landscape which leads to odd shaped sites with weird sizes of parking pads. Very few sites are suitable for RVs over 25 ft. Toilets are clean vaults. No plugins available.

Fees are $6 for Wyoming residents--$11 for all others.

Stayed at the Popo Agie Campground (in the state park) for a few impromptu nights during the week in the middle of July, 2017. Arrived just past Noon on a Wednesday and we managed to grab the last available large site (there aren't many!). There is plenty of camping further along the road, or even more up the many-switchbacks-road.

Pros:

• Lovely campground in the canyon in the middle of a riparian area by the Popo Agie River.
• Excellent trails near-by - both hiking and mountain biking.
• Very quiet all day, with minimal road noise.
• Multiple water spigots available, though with no hose coupler.
• Good Verizon signal strength with an external antenna (-75dBm as reported by my Cradlepoint). Decent speeds most of the day, but seems to slow down considerably between 1PM and 4PM. Jumped between 1x, 3G, and LTE on my iPhone.

Cons:

• The Camphost occupied the best site, number 7 backing onto the river, just in case you're looking to snag that one.
• IF YOU HAVE A LONG TRAILER DO NOT DRIVE PAST THE NATURE TRAIL PARKING AREA - IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO BACK OUT OF THERE, AND HARD TO TURN AROUND IF THERE ARE CARS PARKED IN THE CUL-DU-SAC
• Site was very listed side-to-side, and we couldn't fully level our trailer with the equipment we had (Anderson levellers). Need to invest in more leveling options.

The previous review by Jen & Q was very thorough and helpful. We camped in site #5 in the Popo Agie (pronounced po - po- shuh) Campground. We think we lucked out with nabbing the best site of all, it was simply beautiful here. Just an FYI... the dead end sign is no longer there and we saw many rigs that had to back up back down the hill because they could not turn around in the small cul-de-sac at the dead end just past the yurts, restrooms, and host site. We drive a Dodge Ram and pull a 28ft trailer.... we barely made the turn around in the cul-de-sac. No reservations here and it filled up every evening, so plan accordingly. There is firewood available at the host's site, with donation appreciated. There is a free dump station on Buena Vista Drive next to the Lander Public Works. The showers at the Community swimming pool on 9th Street are only $3.00, are very clean, and well worth it. (FYI - the men's showers are open so to avoid theft, it would be wise to bring your own lock and use the lockers that are available. A man lost his wallet, keys, and pocket-knife while we were there.) The hikes here are beautiful, especially the hike to the middle falls. The Thai Chef restaurant in town doesn't look like much from the outside but has delicious food. We love Thai food and the massaman curry was the best we have had. We also ate at the Lander Brewery & Gannett Grill where we had a delicious, gourmet pizza. We just loved it here and definitely plan on returning in the future. If you are ever here on the 4th of July, don't miss the parade, rodeo, and fireworks in town!

We spent less than 24 hours here but really enjoyed our stay. The sites are small and relatively close together but in a beautiful setting. There aremany trees and boulders so each site is different and it feels more private. We stayed at the Popo Agie campground which has pit toulets and no hookups.

My plusses / highlights:

• small sites so there were mostly tents and small campers. No noisy big rigs.
• great nature trail with a suspension bridge path over the river
• viewing the sinks where the riverdisappears into a cavern
• viewing the trout pool at the rise where the river returns out of the mountain. 20-30" trout were a first for me! No fishing allowed btw.
• nearby town of Lander for stocking up or eating out - really cool vibe.
• tent sites available at each campsite. Makes it nice if you have a mixed group with tenters and rv campers
• recycling station at the campground

Minusses

• center closes after labor day, missed out on the displays and info

I stayed at the Pogo Agie Campground in the State Park. There is another State Park CG (Sawmill Canyon) but would probably not fit more than a very small trailer and is actually more suitable for tent camping. For sites that are off the main travel route, I really recommend sites #3-6. Not all of the sites will fit a trailer and are better suited for just a small van, Class B, or a tent (see picture for site dimensions). In addition, yurts are available for rental.

Sites #3-6 are at the end of a cup-de-sac. You would have enough space to turn around with a larger trailer (<28 feet) if no other cars are back there, so it's better to park and go check out on foot. Or if you are staying at the Lander City park, come out the day before to check the sites. But if you have a spot in mind, come out early in the morning especially if a weekend.

As for hiking there is a 1 mile nature trail that is very nice and a 4-mile canyon trail leaving from the campground that will take you thru Sink's Canyon NF CG and back. It's a fun loop that will provide several places for river access for the K-9. One of the most popular trails, is the Middle Fork/Fall's trail. It is about 1.5 miles (one-way) to the Falls but well worth it. It is pretty exposed trail, so if hot, start your hike early in the morning. There are also trails further up in the National Forest but again may not be accessible due to snow fall until mid-summer. Also an interesting visitor's center.

There are several other campgrounds in the area, but during late spring, roads may not be open for access until late June. Always can use this as your base for a few days to check out the other campgrounds.

No dump station here, but there is one in Lander near the Forest Service Ranger Station. Showers available for $3 at the local pool on Ninth Street. There are nice, newer vault toilets and water pumps (no thread if I remember correctly). When I needed water, just filled cans and manually filled up Fresh water tank.

Limited Verizon service, usually just Extended but occasionally would get 3G. A little better service connection near the Visitor's Center.