LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — A popular campground in Rocky Mountain National Park will be closed until early summer of 2024.
The Moraine Park Campground, located on the east side of the park, will be closed beginning in late May while the campground undergoes a major update.
Work being done will include rehabilitating aging water, wastewater and electrical distribution systems, the National Park Service (NPS) said. The project will improve drainage and move about 15 campsites, which regularly flood, out of wetland areas. Accessibility to those sites will also be improved, RMNP said.
Currently, powerlines in the campground are above ground. Those lines will be buried during the project. NPS said this will reduce system damage caused by snow, wind, falling branches, electrical hazards and wildfire. Electric hookups will be added to about 60 RV campsites, RMNP said.
The project will also rehab the ranger station, replace the campground entrance kiosk and improve the area around the campground's dump station, RMNP said. A new camp host site will be added and electrical service will be updated, park officials said.
The Moraine Park Campground is open year-round and has 244 campsites, making it the park's largest campground. It's also RMNP's most popular campground, hosting more than 30,000 campers every year.
Funding for the project
The project is being paid for by the Great American Outdoors Act. The Act's National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund, which receives revenue from energy development, provides up to $1.9 billion per year for five years to make enhancements in national parks and other public lands, NPS said.
RMNP said the rehabilitation is vital because the campground has not been updated since it opened in the 1960s.
There may be impacts that affect the Moraine Park Discovery Center along with some temporary road closures that may impact portions of Bear Lake, Moraine Park and Fern Lake roads, RMNP said.
More information on the project can be found here.
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