Camping / showers near Buena Vista

[Hammbone1231]

Dammit!! You're right.. My experience was at the laundromat in LEADVILLE across from Gringo's, convenience store, and grocery store. Totally my bad!!!

[Rollie Free]

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.

Sounds like the same one. Two large private showers in their own locked room, no stalls. I was just there on Friday by coincidence. I am not an expert nor do I hang around traveler showers. (For some reason felt the need to make that point)

They weren't totally gross which in this genre makes them four star.

[nunns]

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.

dwoodward13 is correct about the public showers. There are 2 per restroom. They are coin operated; 4 quarters for 2 minutes. If you aren't too picky about stuff they are perfectly fine; we use them every time we camp near Buena.

I just read some other posts; I can't vouch for whether or not they are open after Labor Day.


Sean Nunn
Raytown South

[Candace66]

Dammit!! You're right.. My experience was at the laundromat in LEADVILLE across from Gringo's, convenience store, and grocery store. Totally my bad!!!

I've used that one (in Leadville) before too. Another option in Leadville is the Lake County Aquatic Center on the west side of town.

Since we're on the topic... Best place I've ever gotten a shower while "dirtbagging": The Gunnison Rec Center! I had a nice, big bathroom all to myself. Sink with big vanity, bench along the wall, toilet, and a shower stall. And the place looked brand new.

[JQDivide]

[ Best place I've ever gotten a shower while "dirtbagging": The Gunnison Rec Center!

And has a great pool!

Another option... Salida Hot Springs Pool... you can pay for a just a shower. Not sure the cost.

[huffy13]

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.

I have camped at Chalk Creek Campgrounds in Nathrop, just south of BV. Clean showers and restrooms, tends to be a little crowded on the weekends, but most of the folks are friendly and most adhere to quiet time rules as best as possible. The only issue I had is that it is right off the highway, so road noise is there if you get a tent site on the west side of the campground.

I've also stayed at the Heart of the Rockies campground just west of Poncha Springs. Again, clean restroom/shower facilities, but a little more rugged and fewer trees for shade around the tent sites. But all the folks we encountered there were super nice and I would still stay there again.

[asbochav]

I've showered at Chalk Creek CG rather often. Most of their campers are elsewhere then and they clean showers around lunchtime, so if you get there early afternoon you get sparkling clean showers. They also let you drop off trash, and fill water containers, great value for $5. Call first but it's always worked for me.