Construction on Loveland’s newest campground has begun, and the community can expect to experience the newest outdoor spot in 2022.
The Sky View Campground, located on the northeastern side of Carter Lake west of Loveland along County Road 31, has been in the planning and design phases since 2017 when it was unanimously approved by the Larimer County Commissioners in the Reservoir Parks Master Plan. Since then, preliminary designs as well as location reviews have been completed and construction has officially begun.
“It is very exciting,” said Dan Rieves, Carter Lake district manager. “The need is great for more facilities.”
The $1.9 million, 6-acre area will be the first campground in the county to cater to large groups, according to the county’s website. It will consist of 15 paved campsites divided among three pods, accommodating up to 120 people.
“It is a unique offering, at least for Larimer County,” said Daylan Figgs, director of the county’s Department of Natural Resources. “Before it was very difficult for families to camp together. This way it makes it so much easier. It is a different style of camping we are adapting to and I think it is important for families to take advantage of that to stay in an area together.”
According to the county’s website, the design of the new campground caters to “groups looking to camp together for reunions, special occasions and other events.”
Sky View will also be able to accommodate both RV and tent campers because it is fully paved. The paved site will also make the campground more accessible to individuals with mobility challenges and, according to Rieves, will enhance the longevity of the area as more campers use it.
“It means there are 15 more families every weekend that have an opportunity to camp in the Carter Lake area,” he said.
“It is great the way the county has put in the time and effort to really thoughtfully design this campground,” said Alex Castino, regional officer of the northern Front Range for Great Outdoors Colorado, one of the project’s funding partners.
Future campers also can expect a group pavilion, electric hook-ups, water hydrants, restrooms and communal fire rings.
Rieves said that in the planning stage the county looked at its current selection of camping locations and noticed a need for a large campground for bigger groups.
“We really manage all of our properties … with a portfolio concept,” he said. “We don’t have to supply the same exact type of experience at all of our different properties. Group camping is something we saw as being underserved.”
The campground is considered a “capital improvement project” that will be funded partially from visitor day use and camping fee revenues collected at Larimer County parks and open spaces alongside funding partners, including Great Outdoors Colorado, the Bureau of Reclamation and Friends of Larimer County.
Castino said Great Outdoors Colorado, which invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to “help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces, provided over $475,000 to the project.”
“The demonstrated need in the community for these amenities (is there), with the pandemic and folks getting outside more frequently, (and) we have seen a statewide increase in demand for camping and outdoor amenities,” she said.
Construction began in late May and is expected to run through October. Completion is slated for this fall and the grand opening is expected in spring of 2022.
Rieves said that for the first phases of construction, the community can expect to see a great deal of land preparation and leveling out.
“(At first) it will look like a big dirt project,” he said. “Almost overnight, once you get to that second tier construction, it will shape into a campground real quickly.”
Rieves also said the location of the to-be campground will also help the timeline stay on track. He said that because the site is separated from high-use areas and not an integral throughway for any other facilities, construction can continue rapidly.
“It is real exciting to have a place we can do summer construction on and not have it be disruptive,” he said. “Normally we really push our contractors into a late fall, winter or early spring construction. To have a project that is sequestered by itself for construction season should be very beneficial.”
Castino said that the project will bring more opportunities for people in the community to safely and responsibly love the environment around them.
“I know we have all been craving that togetherness in that last year, and this is an opportunity to do it in a safe way, outside and mixed groups potentially,” she said. “(They) can have fun with each other without worrying about potentially infecting your family and those around you.”
Along with the funding partners, Figgs thanked the community who has continued to use county camping amenities.
“It is great to give back that way,” he said.
Rieves said that as the construction continues and works towards its grand opening, the newest spot will fill a need that has not been met by other county facilities.
“It is really one of the last campgrounds that will be built in the Carter Lake area,” he said. “It is the last building envelope we had identified. It is kind of a first and kind of a last; it is the last campground we will build (there) and it is the first of that model.”
