RV Rental Near Lory State Park in Fort Collins, CO

Every spring, usually right around the time the Ponderosa pines on the Timber Trail start greening up in late April, I get a string of calls that all sound roughly the same: “We want to camp at Lory — can you just have an RV ready when we get there?” The answer is yes, and it’s honestly one of my favorite deliveries to set up. Lory State Park sits tucked against the foothills just west of Horsetooth Reservoir on the south end of Larimer County, and getting a rig dialed in at the Arthur’s Rock Campground loop before a family rolls in feels like the right way to experience this place. If you’ve been thinking about a Lory State Park RV rental, here’s what I know from delivering out here regularly — the turns, the site lengths, the seasons, and the spots worth your time.

What Camping at Lory State Park Actually Looks Like

Lory has two developed campground areas: the main loop near the park entrance and a smaller group-accessible area deeper in. The sites in the main loop are reservable through Colorado Parks and Wildlife and fill fast on summer weekends — I’m talking fully booked within minutes of the reservation window opening on Recreation.gov, especially for Friday and Saturday nights in June and July. The sites are pull-through or back-in depending on which one you land, but I’ll be honest with you: this isn’t Horsetooth’s Inlet Bay with long, roomy pull-throughs. Lory runs on the shorter side for many sites, and there are low-clearance branches and tight turns on the access road that matter when you’re driving a 30-foot trailer vs. a compact camper van. That’s one reason I always ask callers upfront what size they’re envisioning — because matching the right rig to the right site loop makes or breaks the trip.

When I deliver a rig out here, I come in off US-287 through Fort Collins, head west on County Road 54G toward the Soldier Canyon area, and approach the park from Lodgepole Drive. The entrance road narrows, and the turn into the campground loop requires a measured approach — I’ve learned to swing wide early or you clip the gravel berm on the inside. For towable trailers on the larger end, I strongly recommend we talk about your specific reserved site number before delivery day, so I can confirm the rig I’m bringing will fit without drama.

Why I Deliver RVs to Lory State Park Instead of Guests Driving Them In

This is the question I get most from first-timers: “Can’t I just tow it myself?” You can — but Lory is not the easiest shakedown run for someone who’s never towed before. The county road leading to the park has a couple of pinch points where oncoming traffic forces you tight to the shoulder, and the campground access road has that one hairpin turn I mentioned. When I deliver and set up, you arrive at a campsite that’s already level, already connected to the available hookups, and already configured so you can walk in and start your trip instead of spending your first two hours figuring out why the stabilizer jacks are uneven.

We handle the drop-off and the pickup, which means you’re genuinely camping — not project-managing an unfamiliar vehicle. That’s the whole point of the Fireside RV Rental model here in the Northern Colorado market, and it’s especially worth it at a park like Lory where the hiking starts essentially the moment you step out of camp.

The Best Time of Year for a Lory State Park RV Trip

Northern Colorado’s Front Range shoulder seasons — late April through early June, and then September into mid-October — are genuinely my favorite windows for a Lory delivery. Here’s why: the summer crowds at Lory peak hard in July and August, the afternoon thunderstorms that roll in off the foothills can arrive fast (I’ve seen them build from clear sky to lightning in under an hour while I was setting up a rig out here), and the heat on the exposed ridgeline trails gets real above 5,500 feet. May and early June give you wildflowers on the lower slopes, manageable temperatures in the 60s and 70s, and campsite availability that doesn’t require an alarm set for the 7 a.m. reservation window.

Fall is special out here. The scrub oak along the Westridge Trail turns a deep burgundy-red in late September and October, and you’ll often have the park nearly to yourself on a weekday. Nights drop into the 30s by mid-October, so when I set up an RV in the fall I always confirm the rig has adequate furnace capacity and I walk guests through the heat settings before I leave — it matters at elevation, even at Lory’s relatively modest 5,300-foot base elevation.

Winter camping at Lory is possible but limited — CPW does sometimes keep a portion of the campground accessible, but road and site conditions vary significantly. Call me before you book a January or February stay and I’ll give you an honest read on whether it makes sense.

What to Do Once You’re Based at Lory

Lory State Park’s trail system is the main draw, and it’s genuinely excellent for the Front Range. Arthur’s Rock — the 1,780-foot-gain out-and-back that tops out at the park’s namesake granite outcrop — is the signature hike, and the views north toward the Poudre Canyon and south toward Horsetooth Rock are worth every step. I send first-time Lory visitors there first, without exception. Plan two to three hours and start early on summer days before the exposed upper section gets hot.

From your campsite you’re also in prime position for everything else the Northern Colorado outdoor corridor has to offer. Horsetooth Reservoir’s Inlet Bay boat launch is a short drive east on Horsetooth Road — paddleboards, kayaks, and fishing are all right there. The Cache la Poudre River canyon (CO-14 heading northwest from Fort Collins) is about 25 minutes from the park entrance if you want a day of whitewater or fly fishing. And Rocky Mountain National Park is a 45-minute drive west on US-34 through Loveland — entirely doable as a day trip from your Lory base camp if you have a timed entry permit sorted.

For evenings, Old Town Fort Collins is about 20 minutes east. New Belgium Brewing and Odell Brewing are both within blocks of each other on Linden Street — the kind of stops that feel earned after a day on the Westridge Trail loop.

Practical Details for Your Lory State Park RV Rental

Here are the things I walk through with every customer before we confirm a Lory delivery:

• Reserve your campsite first. Colorado Parks and Wildlife reservations open on a rolling window, and Lory fills fast. Lock in your site on Recreation.gov before you call me about the RV — I can’t hold a delivery date without a confirmed site reservation in hand, and nothing is worse than having a rig ready to roll with nowhere legal to put it.
• Know your site number and its dimensions. Lory’s site sizes vary enough that the right rig depends on where exactly you’re parked. When you book, write down your site number and I’ll cross-reference what fits comfortably without overhang issues.
• Hookups are limited — plan accordingly. Lory is not a full-hookup resort. Electric hookups are available at select sites, but water and sewer connections are not at every site. Fresh water fill and dump station access are available in the park. I’ll prep the tanks on delivery and walk you through the onboard fresh water system before I leave.
• Rig size matters on this access road. I generally recommend our mid-size rigs for Lory — something in the 24–28 foot range tends to be the sweet spot for the campground layout. Larger Class A units can work on certain sites but require a conversation first. Reach out before you assume any size is fine.
• Book 4–6 weeks out for summer weekends. Memorial Day weekend, the Fourth of July week, and Labor Day book out fast. I’ve had customers call me the week of a holiday weekend hoping to get a rig — sometimes I can make it work, but availability is not guaranteed. The earlier you call, the better your options.
• Weather prep is real, especially in spring and summer. Afternoon thunderstorms along the Front Range foothills are a near-daily event in July. Your RV is a safe and comfortable place to wait them out — but know that the Arthur’s Rock trail and any exposed ridgeline should be cleared well before early afternoon during monsoon season.

How to Book Your Lory State Park RV Rental with Fireside

The process is straightforward. Get your Lory State Park campsite reserved through Colorado Parks and Wildlife first. Then give me a call at 267-225-0951 or shoot an email to [email protected] with your site number, your arrival and departure dates, and how many people are in your group. I’ll recommend the right rig from the fleet for your specific site and group size, confirm a delivery window, and take care of the rest. On delivery day, I’ll drive the RV to Lory, position it on your site, level it, connect whatever hookups are available, walk you through every system onboard, and leave you with my number in case anything comes up. Pickup at the end of your stay works the same way — I come to you.

Questions about inclusions, specific amenities, and what’s stocked in any given rig vary by unit, so ask me directly — I’d rather give you an accurate answer for the actual camper you’re renting than a generic list that may not match.

Ready to get started? Browse the fleet to see what we’re running in the Northern Colorado (NoCo) / Front Range area right now, and check out our full guide to campgrounds and RV parks across the region if you’re still weighing your options — Lory is a great choice, but we cover everything from Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake to the Poudre Canyon and beyond. Call or email anytime, and let’s get you out to the foothills.