Estes Park Campground at Mary's Lake — Hotel in Estes Park

If only I could give them 0 stars, then I would. However, in order for me to put this review, I am forced to give them at least 1 star. This place treated us very poorly. Upon arriving, I was shocked at how this campground looked as a whole. It looked like a dentention camp to an extent. The camps and RV's were very approximately close to one another, with no room for any privacy. You could even see people literally doing it. So not classy! I don't understand how people come back here or even enjoy the stay here. You could have a tent in your backyard with fire, and boom! you have camp Mary. THIS PLACE IS DEFINETLY NOT FOR REAL CAMPING!! Had I known what I have known prior to coming here, I would have not booked this place. Houses nearby, lake drying up, the pool here looks cheap, and you can see the road and people driving by...like what? This campsite is indeed third-rated rubbish. With how much they charge, you would expect some good courtesy from the staff, but nope. The staff were rude and not friendly either. Might be because we were such young diverse group of friends. We requested for change upon arriving and seeing our camp location, but was told to pay more to change for just one night, and change the base camp again for another night. I am not migrating again and again in the same location. That's absurd!! Listen to the complaints of the people here. Instead of staying here, one should rather camp at their house. It's no difference really. I had sand/gravels all over and inside the tent, as well as on my air mattress. It was total chaos of sand dunes inside. We arrived in the evenings, set our tent up, and started grilling our food. Or in Zenda's word.."partying". For one, we were not partying for I was exhausted. And according to Zenda. the manager, we were up till 3am. Correction, we were not!! I woke up right at 3am to take my medicine, and I do know that all of us were in bed before that time. The morning after, Zenda approached us like we were criminals, and told us to "scoot" out of here. Excuse me, is scoot even a word? How can anyone be so disrespectful towards their customers? Also, why are we asked to leave, but the neighbor next to us was blasting country music at night? Did you assume that was us too? We asked to speak to the higher up. However, Zenda stated that she was the higher up, and no one was above her. HA! I heard this place is ran by the city now. So, she is way above her head. I have never encountered such an unpleasant person until now. I even asked her to speak nicely, and she didn't have to be such a jerk about the whole situation. But, she kept speaking to us impolitely, asked us to say sorry and feel sorry. I asked her to leave and that we will depart as requested, but she stared at me dumfounded. The whole time, she stood there for an apology. Well, sorry that you are so miserable and had to be such an arse about everything. I had to ask her to excuse us multiple times to be heard. In addition, we were given 20 mins till 11am to leave. It takes time to pack. Also, she recommended us a forest to camp on. I didn't even know where to begin at that point. The atrocity of Zenda was uncalled for. You could have approached us in a different manner. It doesn't hurt to be nice to people. I am not upset that I got asked to leave the premises, but rather how we were treated bloody awful upon arriving till end. I am glad we left this nightmare. We went to Rock Mtn National park to camp, and oh boy! the customer service was far par. It was amazing on how good we were treated, and with such great courtesy from the park rangers to the ticket counter. Our mannerism was the same as on camp Mary, and we got compliments for being clean and loved by the park rangers. We should have camped at the rockies instead of being so traumatized by Zenda.The manager needs to learn how to take criticism well, and not be defensive or justify for how poorly she treats others. All the people who gave negative reviews here are great campers, but the problem lies with how this place is managed. Just...

5 stars – One of the best campgrounds, the best if you reserve the best sites.

TL:DR – Cannot beat this price, all of the con’s can be made up for, but the pro’s are breathtaking and magical. None of the con’s bothered me, and the insane views for the low cost makes me rate it at least 5 stars.

Pros Amazing views. Pick a site in the back along the perimeter such as Site 71. The backside is a beautiful view of the valley, beautiful mtns, cabins (but little light pollution) and the sky. Since that part is in the valley, there are no trees so it really is more like a 360 view. Picture 1 is of the valley, but looks more impressive in person. It is so breathe taking with breakfast. If you get a site further inward, you may not have a completely unobstructed view, but most of the campsite is layered so you have some impressive view. Amazing staff. I met probably 8 workers. All friendly, polite, kind, respectful. Made you feel welcomed and that they were doing their most to make sure you were having a great chat. Not entirely sure, but it seemed like these folks chose this job because they enjoyed it Free corn hole (which they deliver to your site) and heated public pool. Dog friendly. Could be a con if you’re allergic, but it was very nice seeing good boys everywhere Actually enforces quite hours / camp rules. Story at bottom of review. A over sized extremely loud late night partying neighbor was polite dealth with 4 times starting at the beginning of quiet hours and they maintained their authority until they left at midnight after threatening to call the police Near downtown. We would hit McD’s for a sandwich, charge our phones, laptops, access email with their wifi or whatever. We like disconnecting but we all don’t have that luxury always. Very unique stores, fun free events on the green. Location. Relatively close (20mins) from bear lake, and all of the Rockies is just insanely beautiful. Also there is a small hill at the edge of the road some people walked the trail up to sit and read and enjoy the view. There is a lake across the street, but it’s an artificial beach so not as pleasing. Clean bathrooms. Cleaned + stocked each day. Such a huge plus. Okay showers. Not the best in terms of temp control, but there is some control. Also, the changing room is attached. Decent store. Classic souvenir shop, but it does have a nice supply of necessities or foods so pretty convenient. Lots of wild life. Could be a con, but I loved watched the deer/elk migrate across the valley. Graceful, really close to the tent. Variety of birds to watch. No bear sightings as of 5/27/18. Although they only have black bears, having no bears is better in my opinion. Price. Damn cheaper than New England campgrounds that’s for sure. $35 for 6 people. Clean fire pit grills

Cons Few trees / hot. Not all sites can have hammocks, it gets really hot sometimes, and very easy to get sunburned Wind tunnel.If you’re not very well staked in, you’re tent and your belongings are sailing down the valley. High winds make it hard to have fires Popular. Book in advance. Rocky tent base. All tents are basically placed in dirt/rock mix. Not the most innately comfortable, but flat and drains water. Bring a pad. It also may be hard to place stakes at times. Get rocks for those. No outlets/Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi isn’t an issue since most campgrounds don’t have it. Not sure if the main building does (because I remember seeing it pop up once) but definitely not the sites. In many other campgrounds each site actually has an electrical hookup. Restricted size sites. Coyotes howled each night for about 10...

Upon arriving and checking in, the staff was welcoming and informative. The campsites for tents allowed us to fit two tents(you're only allowed to have tents on a cement gravel block, so bring plenty of padding!).

It is a very well-maintained campground, and the bathrooms and showers are very well-maintained. If I remember correctly, it is about $3 for a shower (using quarters, but there is a change machine).

We had family stay in tent sites and RV sites. At these sites, you are very close to other campers/RVs. The tent sites are an excellent, comfortable distance apart.

The pool is well-kept but a tad small for the number of people who flock to it. This wasn't a big bummer for us, but it's worth noting.

They have a little store/shop that sells basic supplies. Of course, it is more expensive than the average store, but it's there if you need it! They do not sell alcohol in the store, but there is a decent liquor store up the road from the campground.

I ultimately did not care for the one thing: CONSTANTLY being watched. At one point, my partner and I sat at the picnic table, chatting and being watched. When I waved and said hello, there was no response…. They just drove away a bit and sat. It made us feel pretty uncomfortable. I understand and appreciate maintenance, security, and following rules, but that was weird. Something similar happened multiple times during our two-night stay… yikes. It made me want to figure out how to lock my tent. It just gave me the creeps.

Anyway, nothing wrong happened—no harm, no foul. But I did see some campers get pretty irritated with it. So, if that's something that would make you blow your top off, I'd avoid it.

Our nights were quiet, which I appreciated. They have fire rings so you may have a campfire, and wood is also sold at their shop.

Each site has a locker for food, so that was nice (we saw no bears, unfortunately, and thankfully at the same time! 🤭)

Ultimately, my rating is based on my experience alone. This is a very family-friendly place, and the sites are well cared for. The views are lovely (except for the eyesores people call mansions on the mountainside), but they disappear at nightfall, and the sky is BEAUTIFUL. In my opinion, a couple of nights there was more than enough.

I would camp here again if...