Discussion thread
This campout is the longest running annual gathering of Geocachers
in the Rocky Mountain Region! It draws primarily from Colorado, but
has brought cachers from other states as well as another country.
We've brought cachers together from Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska,
Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, Wyoming, and Germany. Let’s
see how many more states and countries we can have
represented!
This year the 4th of July is on Saturday, so we're planning a
shorter event. The official dates are Friday, July 3rd through
Sunday, July 5th. Your hosts will arrive on Thursday, July 2nd and
you are welcome to arrive anytime - just make reservations to suit
your schedule. This campout is right at the south end of Colorado
Springs, so even if you have to work on Friday you can still arrive
well before it gets dark.
Event Schedule (tentative):
Friday evening: 4th on the 3rd celebration sponsored by the
Park. Fireworks, hot dogs, and music in the amphitheater.
9pm Nightcaching
Saturday Morning: Pancake breakfast provided by your
hosts
Saturday Late Morning: Adults hike, Kids activities
Saturday Afternoon:Geo-Foxhunt
Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Accuracy Contest
Saturday Evening: Potluck dinner
7:30pm - Awards Ceremony and prize drawing around Sax Man's
campfire.
Tickets for the drawing will be sold throughout the weekend.
Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.
Sunday Morning: Clean up your camp area and find some caches
on your way home.
This campground is at an elevation of 6,300 ft so temperatures
remain warm in the summer (80's-90's likely) but there is always a
chance of afternoon thunderstorms to cool things off. We will need
shade structures since tall trees are scarce in this area. There
are restrooms and showers (yes, showers!) at this campground. There
is also a play area for the kids.
RV sites are priced at $22 per night; walk-in sites are $14 per
night. There is an $8 non-refundable reservation fee required by
the park for every site. If you are staying for 2 nights, RV sites
will be $52 including the fee and walk-in sites will be $36. I am
planning on camping Thursday night as well, so my price will be $74
for 3 nights (RV site). A valid Colorado State Park pass is always
required on every vehicle that enters the park. This is in addition
to the camping fees. If you don't have an annual pass (good at all
Colorado State Parks), the price per day is $6 so be sure to add
that to the above camping prices.
Reservation info:
Reservations are a must! The
online campground reservation system "goes live" on Sunday,
March 1st. If you want a campsite this year, you will need to be
ready to reserve your site on this date.
We have no control over how the reservation system operates - it
is first come, first served and not even your hosts have an
advantage or guaranteed site. We are trying to fill the "Swift Puma
campground" with geocachers. Site numbers to try for are: 18-28 and
35-44. These are all RV sites (full hookups with 50amp electric,
water, and sewer) and include a picnic table and a tent pad. Some
sites may have room for two cars instead of an RV in case you want
to share with another cacher but there is a strict limit of 6
people per campsite. These campsites will be available online on
Sunday, March 1st or over the phone on Monday, March 2nd. I highly
recommend booking online because it's a day earlier than you can do
over the phone.
If you have a tent only and are not interested in an RV site,
sites 29-34 are "walk-in" sites for that purpose. These sites
include one parking space next to the restroom building and are a
short walk away (less than 500 feet). These sites include a tent
pad and a picnic table and are a few dollars cheaper than the RV
sites.
Update: The Meadow Group campsites (just down the hill from Swift
Puma) are not available online and can only be reserved at the
Cheyenne Mountain State Park Visitor Center. You can make
reservations at the park (in person) on Sunday, March 1st. Let them
know you are with the geocaching group.
As always, more details will be added as the event gets closer.
Please put this event on your watchlist if you want to receive
updates.
Campground Map (will be updated as reservations are
confirmed)
