Fort Collins North/Wellington (Colorado) KOA review

     We recently stayed at the Fort Collins North/Wellington KOA campground in Colorado.  As is typical for us, we had an extended stay at the campground.  This visit was two months long.  We arrived in early May and left in early July.  We settled in and started to feel very at home, and also became very familiar with the campground.

Pros

*The campground is conveniently located just off of I-25 and only 15 minutes from downtown Fort Collins.  Access on and off the interstate is easy.

*The sites are large and pull through with plenty of room to park your vehicle as well as RV.  We had room to park our 40’ fifth wheel, Suburban, and F-250 pickup, with room left for a picnic table, BBQ grill, toys, my garden, and the kids’ bikes. The sites are very spacious and are all full hookups with wi-fi and cable.  They cost $40-$45/night. 

*The premium sites have a concrete pad to park on that runs the full length of the site, as well as an attached concrete patio that leads to a grassy yard.  The standard sites have dirt to park on, and grass in the yard.  All the sites have plenty of shade trees.

*Tent sites are available (with and without electric service) as well as camping cabins.

*The recreational facilities are plentiful. There is a pool, a fun playground, a large grassy field to play in, a volleyball court, a horseshoe pit, a basketball court, bikes for rent, and a covered pavilion for picnics.  There is also a recreation room with a large screen TV, games, books, and coffee. 

*The Kamper Kitchen is covered and has stove tops, sinks, and picnic tables.  For parties or tent campers, the Kamper Kitchen is a nice option to have.

*Campfires are allowed at each site, though fire pits are not provided.

*The showers and bathrooms are available 24 hours a day, are free, and clean.  There is a handicap accessible shower/bathroom, too.

*There is an on-site laundry room that is open 24 hours a day.

*The office contains a store that is stocked with food necessities as well as gifts, souvenirs, and quick fixes for your RV.

*Propane is sold on site, and is reasonably priced.

*For those traveling with horses, there are covered stalls with a paddock, as well as a very large grassy pasture where the horses can run. 

*The office will accept packages and mail sent to you while a guest at the campground.

*The views are beautiful. To the south the campground over looks huge pastures full of grass and tall trees.  To the west you have views of the Rocky Mountains.  The sunsets are spectacular!

*The campground is located out in the country and is very quiet.  At night the stars shine brightly up in the sky, the wind whistles through the pines, and you can hear crickets in the adjoining fields.  It’s a very serene location.  I loved going on walks late in the evening and just soaking in the peacefulness. 

Cons

*Mosquitos!  During the summer months, the mosquitos are everywhere.  We would have to cover ourselves in bug spray just to spend a few minutes outdoors.  The early evening hours are especially bad for mosquitos.

*There are quite a few flies.  We became militant about keeping our doors closed.  The kids would open the door to go out, and I’d be yelling for them to shut the door immediately.  This did help immensely with keeping the flies outside of our RV. 

*Just up the road from the campground is a large stockyard.  As you may or may not know, stockyards stink, and this one is no exception.  The smell of cattle and manure is quite strong at times, especially after a summer rainstorm.  I grew up in the country and the smell doesn’t bother me, but for those not accustomed to the smell, it may be annoying.

*After a rain the interior roads and dirt sites can be quite muddy.  This summer we have had a lot of thunderstorms, so it has been more of an issue.  However, the mud does dry up very quickly once the sun comes out again.

*The laundry room is small and does not have an adequate amount of washer and dryers for the size of the campground.  This was compounded by one of the washers and one of the dryers being out of order.  I do not know how long it was out of order, as we have a combo washer/dryer in our RV so rarely have to use the campground laundromat.

*The after-hours entrance to the bathrooms, showers, and laundry is around the back of the office.  I was scared to go back there by myself late at night, and was glad we did not have to use those facilities.  If we had, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable without taking someone with me. 

    Despite a few negatives, our overall experience at this campground was very good.  We will definitely be returning here many times.  The Fort Collins North/Wellington KOA is a great place to stay while visiting the numerous attractions in this area.  One tip: Be sure to call ahead for a reservation if you plan to visit in the summer.  There were quite a few nights during our stay that the campground was entirely booked.