The tent is up and a small fire is cracking in the ring; above you, millions upon millions of stars shine. Even the crisp breeze that’s triggering goosebumps on your arms and legs is cause for a smile. If for nothing else, it will soon make your warm sleeping bag all the more enticing; once you put down that one last s’more, of course.

    Nights like this, spent camping in Colorado’s National and State Forests and Parks, can easily become some of summer’s finest. But, like so many of the best weekends, the ones spent camping take preparation.  Sure, you can just throw a tent and some snacks in the back of the car and head toward the mountains, but that won’t guarantee a great camping experience. Wise adventurers begin planning months in advance by picking a location—based on factors like site access, group size, experience and ability.  And, when the trip is still weeks out, the prepared turn their attention toward an assessment of the gear they have and what they might need. Then, with just days until the car pulls out of the driveway, the organized take that seminal trip to the grocery store, leaving enough time to fit it all in the back of the car or, even better, into a backpack.

    For those who haven’t done it before, the process can be a little overwhelming.  Fortunately, from Denver, picking a location should be easy—the 44 Colorado State Parks alone hold 4,375 public campsites—and yet, because there are so many options, deciding where to go can be more difficult than setting up a new tent in the dark.  Beyond the State Parks, Colorado is also home to 50 National Forests and Parks and Wilderness Areas as well; and all together, there are enough campground options to fill a lifetime of summers spent outdoors.  But for the novice and the experienced alike, there may be no better place to camp this summer than the biggest park of them all, the 265,828-acre Rocky Mountain National Park.

    Each year, roughly 3,000,000 people visit Rocky Mountain National Park, located just 75 miles northwest from Denver. That number alone can give the impression that campers are likely to have the hum of a generator keeping them awake at night or, worse, experience the disappointment that comes with arriving at a campground only to find every last spot already taken. However, at Rocky Mountain National Park, there are 575 car accessible campsites spread over five campgrounds. Two of those campgrounds (Moraine Park and Aspenglen) require reservations in 2009, ensuring your spot is there when you arrive. Step off the paved road a little and there are another 267 backcountry campsites available for use via a permit system that often requires a reservation as well. (Permit and campsite reservations began on March 1st and can fill quickly for some of the busier weekends each year.)