EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE the Airstream gods smile down and surprise you with not only a serene mountain lake at 8,000 feet, but the best campsite in the park!
When we began our full time journey a couple years back we landed at a sweet campground in Oregon where we met an interesting young man, a smokejumper, from Colorado. He’s got to know the best campsites, right! When I asked his favorite place to camp in Colorado, he immediately said, “Pearl Lake”. The name stuck with me and over two years later it was now on our radar. However, we didn’t know how popular this state park was, nor how small, with only 38 sites. After a few weeks of trying to grab a site that worked for our 30′ Silver Palace, one became available, I quickly grabbed it and we set our direction south.
We rolled north out of Steamboat Springs about 40 minutes to just a few miles before the blacktop ends (literally!) and a dirt road brings you into Wyoming. Here, Pearl Lake State Park with it’s dirt road and sites tucked into the trees, was absolutely what my soul needed, but to then find our spacious site was right on the lake was over-the-top! We set up dry camp for the week in our self-contained Airstream with 54 gallons of fresh water and enough solar on top to keep to keep the lights on. My motto has always been, ‘When the site is perfect, showers are definitely overrated!’, and this one did not disappoint.
Over the week we visited south of Pearl Lake and the Clark Store which is a combo community gathering spot/restaurant/post office/liquor store with a hand scooped ice cream shop and wood-fired pizza pies on the weekend. What more could you need? Well, there was a stand up paddleboard/kayak vendor on the shores of Pearl Lake which gave us an opportunity to float as often as we wanted. Our site, just steps from the lake, is perfect for those traveling with water toys.
Hahn’s Peak off the bow
A Saturday visit into Steamboat Springs and I enjoyed the weekly Farmer’s Market where I ran out of energy before making my way around the entire market, it was that big. The town of Steamboat Springs has retained a bit of its western feel, but has definitely grown since Jim and I skied the mountain in 1996. What was once a sleepy western ski town has swelled into quite a summer destination and it was easy to see why with its shops, restaurants, breweries and outdoor activities galore. Colorado is always on our radar and someday we may return to Pearl Lake, but the memory of that beautiful campsite will keep us going until then.
Camp Dawg 