Glamp out, rock out along the Poudre river

Northern Colorado camping gets an upgrade at resort connected with iconic Mishawaka music venue

By Steve Graham

Riverside Colorado may ruin camping for you.

I have spent many summer weekends in a tent alongside the Poudre River or at State Forest State Park. Then I spent a warm spring morning touring the Riverside Colorado glamping resort with owner Dani Grant.

The well-appointed glamping tents, cozy tiny homes and colorful cabins made pitching my own tent and sleeping on the ground far less enticing. 

Riverside Colorado is on the Poudre about 30 minutes west of Fort Collins and five minutes east of Mishawaka Amphitheatre. Affectionately known as “the Mish,” it is consistently rated one of Colorado’s best outdoor concert venues. In addition to indoor and outdoor stages, the Mish has a large and popular restaurant and an outdoor snack bar. 

Grant owns both businesses, which have a symbiotic relationship. Mish attendees fill the resort after concerts, and Riverside guests have meals at the Mish. The businesses also are planning some weddings, corporate retreats and other events this year, said private events coordinator Gary Duvall. He helped organize the first on-site wedding last year, and the Mishawaka has also hosted weddings that saw the wedding parties stay at Riverside. 

Duvall also appreciates some of the uninvited guests — such as the rams who witnessed a polar plunge dip last year. 

“There were bighorn sheep that came down on the rocks right there by the river,” he said, pointing at the Poudre. “... and every once in a while there’s a bear that wanders through.” 

Duvall appreciates the serenity at Riverside, but said the resort can be full of people and energy when a popular band plays at Mishawaka. 

“There’s a little bit of a party atmosphere,” he said. For example, he said Riverside sold out before tickets went on sale for Lane 8’s 4-hour DJ set in June. Other summer concert nights also sold out quickly at Riverside this year.

Dani Grant | Photo by Steve Graham

Rock yourself to sleep

With very limited on-site parking, the main option for most Mish concertgoers is a shuttle arriving from Fort Collins before the show and returning after the last song. For Riverside guests, a dedicated shuttle runs to the Mish on demand, allowing guests to arrive late or leave early on show nights.

Riverside had a soft opening in July 2024 and slowly ramped up last year. Grant expects the first really busy summer for Riverside this year, as well as some full shoulder season weekends.

“We’re just now getting the name out there so that people recognize that there’s actually a place in the Poudre Canyon to stay,” Grant said. “Historically, it’s a campground or Fort Collins.”

She said both Riverside and the Mish rely on the location and personalized customer service. 

“The music industry is a very complex situation with a lot of monopolies and a lot of big gorillas,” Grant said. “...The only reason we survive is because of this canyon and the river and the reputation. So we’re known for good hospitality.”

She said she rented a Harley for Xavier Rudd when he played a show, and she hooked up Les Claypool with a fly fishing excursion. In turn, Mish headliners have played campfire sessions for VIP guests at Riverside.

Raft in, raft out

Rocky Mountain Adventures, a Fort Collins rafting company, also can entertain Riverside guests. Grant partnered with the company, which brings several levels of whitewater adventures to the resort.  

“We offer Riverside guests a convenient, exciting, and intimate way to explore the Poudre River,” said RMA co-owner Kyle Johnson. “The property has great access to the river, trails and the Mishawaka. (It has) excellent accommodations and amenities, and the staff at Riverside are excellent people who love what they do.”

There is an additional perk to rafting through the Mish and Riverside. 

“They’ll take people to concerts because the rule at the Mish is you don’t need a ticket if you raft in,” Grant said. “But you have to raft out. … People can raft in and park their rafts out there and come grab a beer, watch for 15 or 20 minutes, and then take off.” 

Grant also has a partnership with fly fishing outfitter Liar Flies. One of the owners was in a band that Grant helped promote in her former job at a Fort Collins music non-profit. Now Liar Flies does classes and retreats at Riverside. 

“I only fish with them because that’s the only time I catch fish,” Grant said, laughing. 

For additional recreation options, the on-site van will shuttle guests to trailheads and other sites within a five-mile radius of the resort.

Other potential events for this year include a gourmet campfire cooking class and yoga retreats.

Riverside Colorado is on the site of a former mobile home community that had a negative reputation among some neighbors. The trailer park and the amphitheater were both accused of overcrowding and mismanagement, but Grant said the Mish is now “their crown jewel, their pride.”

She said neighbors enjoy seeing Riverside’s colorful tiny homes, and they patronize the general store in the lobby and the coffee shop in a converted Airstream. Grant said she is committed to carrying grocery staples including bread, eggs, milk and butter at reasonable prices, and offering discounts to canyon residents.  

“It’s really one of my commitments to the community,” she said.