camping in mueller state park
Colorado

Hiking and camping in Mueller State Park

When we first got to Colorado, we wanted to get out of the city as quickly as we could. However we had some difficulties finding a nice campsite not too far from Denver, which also has tent sites because we didn’t really want to get stuck between RV’s with our tent. Eventually we found a small state park and so we ended up hiking and camping in Mueller State Park, just about a 45 minute drive from Colorado Springs.
 
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Arrival in Mueller State Park

Upon arrival we were pretty excited as this would be our first night camping in Colorado in the middle of bear country. We checked in and drove up to our campsite. As it turned out, it was about a 5 minute walk from the parking lot and beautifully located with an awesome view on The Rockies to the west. We were right in the middle of the woods with mixed spruce, fir, pine and aspen trees. While unpacking and carrying as much as we could at once from our car to our campsite, we learned that the other tent sites were almost empty. Perfect!
 
camping in mueller state park
 

It’s cold …

We had a simple dinner, enjoyed the sunset, got really cold (the elevation was 2.850 m. above sealevel) and … went to sleep. We were knackered since we hadn’t even been in the US for 24 hours and had already seen Denver, the Air Force Academy and Garden of the Gods that day. Despite the fact we were exhausted, we still had  a restless night. It’s strange for us Europeans sleeping in the wilderness like that, having to think of all that you pack in your tent and all that you shouldn’t pack in your tent. And considering bears. It’s just something we are not used to at all!
 
The next morning we got up early and packed up our stuff. Time to stretch our legs and head out for a hike to warm up for the coming days. The trails were extremely well marked and shorter than they looked like on the map. We first hiked out to Geer Pond and then went back to the road and crossed to Peak View Pond, with magnificent views of Pikes Peak and the surrounding mountains.
 
We paid just a couple of dollars for the night here and had a lovely time. It was quiet on the campsite and the location was just stunning. Sure, we knew we were going to see much more impressive sceneries while driving up to Aspen and the rest of the Rockies. However it was a pleasant place with well maintained hiking trails and gorgeous views of the mountains. We would have loved to stay here a little longer.
 
 
hiking in mueller state park
 
camping in mueller state park
 

Our tips for camping in Mueller State Park

– If you are planning on camping in Mueller State Park with a tent, take campsite #64, it has great views. However, bear in mind that it’s at least a 5 minute walk from the parking lot and you will have to carry all of your stuff back and forth.
– The showers are good, you have to pay for them but that’s well worth it after a long day.
– As always, be bear aware and make good use of bear proof bins.
– The park is at an altitude of almost 3.000 meters above sea level. If you come from lower altitude, take it easy and realize that you may get a headache or even feel sick because of this. It also cools downs pretty quickly at night so we were rather cold.
 

8 Comments

  • T Crank

    I can’t believe I found your Pinterest post! This year I decided the family would do some hiking/cycling this summer in Colorado but did to want to go up north. Found this State park on the web and after much contemplating book a three night stay at Muellers, tent site 64!!! I am so glad to read that you liked your site. Can’t wait till this summer. Again thanks for your post.

    • anto

      Yay, happy to hear you found us. I’m sure you will have a great time in Mueller State Park, if not you can always blame us. It’s truly a wonderful place. Enjoy!!!

  • VRK

    May I ask when you did this camping trip? We’re hoping to go mid-late June and wondering whether it will be warm enough to be camping. Many thanks!

    • anto

      Sure! We were here early June, so you should be fine! Just remember it’s quite high so bring enough warm clothes for at night and a warm sleeping bag, too. Enjoy and let me know if you want to know anything else!

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