Lathrop State Park — Attraction in Colorado

I had high hopes and honestly think my trip could have been great. To start, the campground is pretty and well taken care of, but the restrooms smell horrible, and a slight breeze carries the smell across the entire campground. And then there's the park rangers. First interaction was fine, I had a question and was treated in a professional manner. Later on that day was a different story. Our group was out at the swim area having a good time. No alcohol or drugs, just enjoying the water. Someone in our group had a paddle board, and let me use it. Never done a paddleboard before but I surf and wakeboard regularly. I went 10 yards outside of the swim area and then was just sitting there enjoying my time. A few minutes later, I get called over to the side by the park ranger. Im thinking I wasn't allowed outside the swim area. As I am paddling to her she starts with "where are you from" in a bitchy voice. I tell her up north. Her next question thru me off. "Do you not watch the news" I take a second, very confused and say "no not particularly" she looks displeased that I dont and tells me "well you probably should, there have been 6 drownings and all of which the people weren't wearing there life jacket. So I am giving you a citation" I try to explain i didn't know and the paddleboard wasn't mine but she was not in the mood to listen, telling me "there are signs posted all over and you should have looked up the rules before coming to this park" I walked around trying to find this sign she spoke of and found 1 facing away from the parking lot and away from the swim beach. From my car to the swim beach there was no signs except one that stated I couldn't have glass, and kids under 13 needed an adult. When I was given the citation I told her about the no signs to which she gave me a nasty look and started getting emotional. Almost in tears. She went on to tell me shes tired of pulling dead bodies from the lake and that's why she is getting emotional. After all of this she walks back to her truck and sits inside facing away from the beach. If you were so emotional and tired of pulling "dead bodies" (which i looked up and couldn't find a single death since 2014 at this lake) then how about you post more signs and stand or park closer to the swim beach so you can let people know before going out there. The second ranger also put his hand on his gun when I tried explaining the signs. The two park rangers are absolute jokes who in an emergency situation, would not be able to save anyone's life. I hope you never need them to help you and I hope you never have to interact with them. Officer Ives I hope you read...

We pulled into the visitors building and was singed up quickly. We bought a season pass because we love colorado $70 and you save $7 entrance fee. As we drove in and just beyond the sign for yucca campground the road takes a sharp dip. This is almost like a rollercoaster feeling. As you drop you will see a small reflective sign. Just beyond this reflector is a 3ft concrete wall that is kind of hidden by weeds. We came about 2ft from hitting it. At this point the lake is on the left and you go back up. My humble opinion is this needs a caution sign. We had a giant pull through site with awsome Vista's. In the distance you could see hogback ridge. This is one of their trails. This was the most awesome 3 hour hike ever. It starts off flat but then starts to ascend. You quickly realize this is no easy trail. As we switchbacked up it got more and more challenging. Several times we thought about turning back. We continued and on several occasions we were on all 4's with the dog going through crevices in the rock. We were a little worried the dog could not get through some of these spots.I told my wife he might have to wait for a team of falcons I spotted in the area lol.their were at least a couple occasions that we could not identify the trail. I had to scout it out to find a marker. We ran into somewhat of a situation when some people came by with 2 dogs and we're standing on a ridge with our dog jack. Their was no room on eather side. We managed to get by without any issues. The hike down was just as challenging. If you go take plenty of water and a backpack with some energy food. Go early. You will not want to be stuck up their at night. The sites varied is size with mostly pull throughs. Our site was not level but we expect this and its ok. This is rugged landscape so we don't expect level. Sites are mostly electric and water is community. No sewers on site. If you are in B loop the dump station is right outside the entrance. Depending on your rig you may or may not make the turn in. You may have to swing through A loop. All in all very doable. The electric boxes were in very good condition and this looked consistent throughout the park. All in all a good experience. We...

I wish I could rate this five stars. We enjoyed our stay at this campground. There is a phenomenal hike that has spectacular views if you get a chance. We stayed on the Pinon B Loop. There were some very friendly, nice people staying on that loop, there were also some very loud, obnoxious people staying on that loop! Getting to sleep was a little hard as people continued to make noise hours after quiet hours started. I wouldn't ding a campground based on how people behave though. The issue that had me give this place 4 stars is that the cost doesn't reflect what you get. First, I thought pay showers were a things of the past. I am obviously wrong, but if a campground has pay showers they should let you know that when you book the site so you can be prepared (and why are there only 2 bathrooms for so many campers!!!). I have never stayed at a campground where you have to pay the fee for the night and the day use fee (although I have a friend who told me they have had this happen to them before)! If you are camping of course you will be using the campground during the day! It's ridiculous and feels like double dipping. If Colorado really feels like they need to charge more, just put that in the price of the campsite. Also, you can't call it a Voluntary Donation if you are required to pay it (it was just $1)! Again if you want the extra dollar for "conservation" purposes just add it to the bill. We left a beautiful place feeling a...