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Morefield Campground, located inside the national park (less than 5 miles from the entrance), has group camping areas in addition to 250+ campsites spread out among loops:
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All of our time in the campground was spent in the Ute Loop where all that we saw was clean and appeared well cared for, even as the camping season was ending. While the two ladies bathroom stalls in the "comfort station" were clean, we didn't have the opportunity to see the men's facilities (nor the showers in the camp store building). The campground is located in a canyon of oak trees and reportedly is filled with blooming wildflowers during the spring. Although we didn't see any during our stay, wild turkeys apparently roam through the canyon as well.
Aramark advertises Morefield Campground as a "full service village", yet we did not get to take advantage of the services offered due to our end of season stay. The only time that we spent in the store was at check-in and unfortunately it was not the best experience. I got the impression that the employees were unhappy that their jobs were ending as the season ended and they therefore had negative attitudes, gave curt responses to questions and were, quite frankly, rude. Because of our less than positive experience, I had no desire to return to browse through the groceries, camping supplies and souvenirs, nor to tour the laundry and shower facilities. If we do return in season, I hope to try out the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast at the Knife Edge Cafe.
As far as things to do during a stay at Morefield Campground, there are plenty of options right in the park. With over 5,000 different archaeological sites and 40+ miles of roads on which to get to them, you can easily spend a day, several days or much more exploring Mesa Verde National Park. Some of the many options include:
Signs posted throughout the camp loops provide an abundance of historical information which can even make your time in the campground an educational experience.
At the $40.00 nightly rate for full hook-up RV sites at the tail end of the 2018 season, the camping cost for our two nights totaled $84.16 including all taxes and fees. (Rates have since increased to $45.00 per night for full hook-up sites and $33.00 for "dry sites" plus taxes and fees.) The additional per vehicle fee for entrance to Mesa Verde National Park is now $25.00 for up to seven days (waived for those with a valid National Parks Pass).
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For anyone who is considering camping in the few off-season days that the campground is open, fees must be paid separately and cannot be paid until the season ends. All off-season camping is primitive and available only on a first-come, first-served basis.
During our visit, all campsites that we saw appeared clean and included either a fire pit or barbecue grill (or both) and a picnic table. The roads through the camping loop where we stayed were paved and both tent pads and RV parking sites were gravel. For RVers choosing to dry camp, the park does have dump stations available at no additional cost.
We made our original reservation just under three months before our arrival. Due to a glitch in the online system, reservations were not being accepted for the final night of the season so we had to call in to add the additional night. (We spoke to Jill on the phone and she couldn't have been more helpful!) Upon our arrival at the camp store to check-in, we were assigned site 157 in the Ute Loop for our two night stay.
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Back-in parking at our relatively level site was very easy, and since we had reserved a full-hook-up site we had on-site 30-amp electric, water and sewer as expected. Site 157 has a picnic table and a nearby grated fire pit. Although there are lots of trees in the camping loop, our site had no nearby trees to provide shade nor to hang our hammocks.
Warnings about bear sightings and how to prevent them are prevalent in the park. From a review of policies at check-in to bear-proof dumpsters and signs posted on picnic tables, we couldn't say that we hadn't been warned! (While I would have loved to see a bear from a distance, the only "wild" animal sighting that we saw while in the campground were some deer.)
We had no cell or data service with either Verizon or T-Mobile nor any broadcast TV reception during our stay. We were able to access the free WiFi offered by the park and found the speeds to be mediocre.
We were among the last few campers to leave from our loop and we could definitely see that park services were being shut down for the season. We actually left a day earlier than we had originally planned for a number of reasons:
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Scott immediately realized that when he turned on our water, the water input selector was on "tank fill" versus "city water" mode. He immediately flipped the selector valve, but soon there was water flowing out of the sealed bottom of our RV. Ugh! It was almost dark, it was cold and we were on the road with another four weeks of travel planned before returning home.
Although it was impossible to diagnose the issue at the time, what we realized was that with the water input selector in tank fill mode, the tank overfilled and eventually something popped. Even though we had a water pressure regulator, the pressure and flow was too great so we either broke a fitting or busted the water tank. Figuring out the problem was going to mean taking apart the RV which would have to wait. We just hoped that we had water connections at the campsites we had reserved for the remainder of our trip!
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Additionally, there are plenty of other places within the boundaries of the park to get some exercise and see some pretty cool sites. There are shorter walks to overlook points, ranger-guided hikes through cliff dwellings, bicycle trails and so much more.
Also, check back this weekend to read Big Boom in our RV Fresh Water Tank! (and What We Did), a follow-up post to the loud pop that we heard during our stay at Mesa Verde.
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