This last weekend we decided to take an impulsive trip to Colorado to go camping and fly fishing. We always have a box ready to roll with just about everything we need to camp! So all we have to do is grab our gear, fill the cooler, and head on out!
We went to John Martin Reservoir which is right outside of Lamar in Colorado. It was about a 4 hour drive from Pampa, TX.
We got a reservation on our way to John Martin Reservoir, they had plenty of openings so it wasn’t difficult to reserve.
One thing that we learned the hard way, was that there were NO TREES anywhere around us at the park. We were right by the lake and James and I like to sleep in hammocks. With no trees, that became difficult. We turned our car into a full sleeping set up. It was surprisingly comfortable.
We had a blast though! We made a fire and enjoyed the evening. The lake was beautiful. We got glow-in-the-dark collars for the pups and let them explore the terrain. They loved it!
In the morning we hiked with the dogs down to the lake and let the pups play in the water. They loved it! They are obsessed with the frisbee and love to swim! We then packed up and headed down to BJs in Lamar and grabbed a bit to eat.
We wanted to do some fishing and so we went to North Gate Park which is a little pond next to the Arkansas River. It was a pretty popular place but we were really looking for a spot on the river.
Though we looked online we still couldn’t really find a place to fish along the river in the area. We are still new to finding places to fish in southern Colorado. However…our purpose in our last minute trip was to spend time together and get out of the house. We enjoyed every moment. Though we never ended up fishing this go around, we ended having an adventure. Playing with the pups, fire with the stars, hiking to the lake, good food, laughs and talks… this trip ended up being exactly what we needed. We can’t wait to come back!
In order to camp in Colorado, it is important to keep a few things in mind:
- All camping parks are reservation only. You can make reservations here. Most parks are about 11-20$ a night.
- In order to camp in Colorado at a state park, you also have to have a vehicle pass to park and use the facilities. A daily pass is usually between 8-11$ but an annual pass is 80$. We love camping/fishing/backpacking in Colorado so for us, an annual pass, is beyond worth it.
- If you get a fishing pass you also get a SWA (state wildlife area fee) stamp on the license.
- Fishing and Camping in Colorado can be expensive. However, the parks and fishing is hard to beat. If you invest annually in the passes, then the trips end up paying for themselves if you go enough. We try to go a few times a month.
Wood Family Garden 