Camping / showers near Buena Vista

[719BR]

I'm going to be doing some stuff in the Sawatch and am hoping to have a base camp near BV, and I'd prefer to stay outside as opposed to a hotel. Two questions:

If I car camp in the Horn Fork basin, say along the road to the Harvard TH, will I have any issues?

Also, I'll be out and about for several days. Are there reliable public showers available in BV? It looks like I've found some at a laundromat, but I've had experiences before where the showers seem to be perpetually out of order.

[LURE]

Dispersed camping is allowed pretty much all along 365, provided there is a place to pull off. No camping at the trailhead.

I'm not sure about public showers. However, even though it's a chunk of change there's always the princeton hot springs. In my mind since it's combined with a nice hot springs soak it's a worthwhile way to get refreshed and cleaned up. Or just pull off and rinse for free in the Arkansas...

[dwoodward13]

There are showers at the community center on Main Street, I think they are coin operated. I typically just use the river . I've never camped along the road to Horn Fork, but I highly doubt you'd have any issues.

Also note that if you are going up there this weekend, there's a big music festival and its likely to be pretty crowded in the area.

[719BR]

There are showers at the community center on Main Street, I think they are coin operated. I typically just use the river . I've never camped along the road to Horn Fork, but I highly doubt you'd have any issues.

Also note that if you are going up there this weekend, there's a big music festival and its likely to be pretty crowded in the area.

Ha! I'm going mid-September, so no worries about the festival. As I get older, I like the hot shower instead of the cold rinse. And, I just don't feel good about leaving my soap/shampoo residue in the river.

[cougar]

It's been 5 years, but there was a coin-op shower at the riverfront park at the east end of Main St inside the restrooms - I think $1 in quarters. Pretty close to the school and rec center. If you want to camp close to there and town (vs at/near a different trailhead each night), there are good free BLM sites just across the river at Turtle Rock and the nearby area (some even have porta-potties), less than 5 minutes from center of town and the showers. Desert scrub landscape vs. forest, but milder overnight temps for late summer. I found this combo to be great for basing myself close to town, and was pretty quiet on a Sunday + Monday.

[dwoodward13]

The showers cougar mentioned are the ones at the community center. One thing to keep in mind, is I know at some point the city closes them for the off-season. I wouldn't be surprised if that date was after the Labor Day holiday...

[TravelingMatt]

Not Bunie, but the rec center in Salida was $6 the last time I used it. Also you have all the hot springs if you want to splurge a little.

There are oodles of RV parks around there too, and it's hard to imagine them not letting you shower for a few bucks. Hell, you can probably poach one.

[Candace66]

I've showered before at the BV laundromat. Including a few times last summer. They seem to keep them functioning, but cleanliness is another matter! I'd highly recommend flip-flops.

I've never used the coin-operated ones near the river.

Best option is to drive a little south then east to the KOA campground off the 285. Last summer, I think it was $5 to get a shower. Definitely a cut above the laundromat showers. KOA has signs exhorting you to limit the length of the shower, but no one is keeping track. You might want to give them a call to check on price, hours, etc.

[Rollie Free]

Lala Laundry in BV on the main drag. Has distinctive fake palm trees out front. 5 dollars for 10 minutes.

Edit: These are private showers, plenty big. Sounds like the better deal for only 5 bucks.

[Hammbone1231]

I used the showers at the BV laundromat across from the grocery store this past August. I agree with candace's assessment that flip flops are a pretty good recommendation. There are separate showers for the men and women. The men's side has three stalls with an open door to the rest of the laundromat, small bench, clothes hooks, low walls that you can peer over. I wasn't completely comfortable leaving my valuables out in the open so my shower was quick. The water was hot and did its job of getting me clean. The shower is $8 coin operated and only accepts dollar coins. So make sure you get those from the change machine near the showers if you choose this option. Otherwise you're wandering over to the grocery or convenience store to get dollar bills and retry.

The next day I was in downtown BV wandering around near the river headed for "South Main" and stumbled on the showers near the skate park. I didn't do any recon on price or conditions, but would also suspect that they may be seasonal.

Someone told me, while I was using the laundromat shower, that there is a community center nearby with showers for $8. They made it sound more like a gymnasium / locker room experience with access to hot tub and other amenities. I have no intel on that location or experience, but it certainly sounded more attractive than what I experienced at the laundromat. Not knocking the laundromat service and convenience. I was just too tired after having come off Elbert to pursue other options.

[appleseeds]

I used the laundromat shower about a month ago and it wasn't the cleanest but it's still great if you've gone several days without one. Just make sure you have cash for the coin machine. The community center hours were limited (closes by 5pm most days and it's not open on Sundays) so that wasn't an option.

[Candace66]

I used the showers at the BV laundromat across from the grocery store this past August. I agree with candace's assessment that flip flops are a pretty good recommendation. There are separate showers for the men and women. The men's side has three stalls with an open door to the rest of the laundromat, small bench, clothes hooks, low walls that you can peer over. I wasn't completely comfortable leaving my valuables out in the open so my shower was quick. The water was hot and did its job of getting me clean. The shower is $8 coin operated and only accepts dollar coins. So make sure you get those from the change machine near the showers if you choose this option. Otherwise you're wandering over to the grocery or convenience store to get dollar bills and retry.

This sounds a lot different from what I remember.

There were two (or three?) small rooms, each with a full door you could close and lock from the inside. Within each was a shower stall, bench or chair, and a sink. Also, I recall them being $5 for 10 minutes, as Rollie stated, not $8.