After much anticipation, campers are returning to one of Colorado’s most highly sought places.

After a closure that spanned two summers, Rocky Mountain National Park has announced reopening Moraine Park Campground.

Moraine Park is the biggest, most popular campground in one of America’s most-visited national parks. In 2023, the 240-plus sites for tents and RVs were barred while crews started what park officials called “a critical infrastructure project” aimed at replacing water and electrical lines serving the campground and facilities beyond. The project also called for improving drainage, replacing tent pads, upgrading walkways and parking areas and adding wheelchair-accessible sites.

Camping reservations are being rolled out on a limited basis. At Recreation.gov, sites can be booked now through July 22.

“Before additional dates are released, out of an abundance of caution, park staff and contractors will be testing the new water and wastewater systems to ensure they are working properly to keep up with expected demand,” read a post on Rocky Mountain National Park’s social media.

Moraine Park Campground has annually hosted about 30,000 campers, park spokesperson Kyle Patterson previously told The Gazette. She had expressed hope of the campground reopening in 2024, after a year of construction.

“Unfortunately, the contractor’s production in the field has not matched the contractor’s schedule,” Patterson said, citing “typical delays associated with weather, differing site conditions and design-related issues.”

The additional summer of closure meant an estimated $1.3 million in revenue lost for the park, she said.

“The funding supports a wide variety of park programs that are impacted due to this loss,” she said. The park’s nonprofit supporter, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, “has prevented these impacts from being widely felt by park visitors,” Patterson added.