Established Camping
Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co)
About
National Forest
Rio Grande National Forest
Overview
Big Meadows is located in the San Juan Mountains in south-central Colorado, about 11 miles west of South Fork. The campground is lightly wooded with spruce trees, creating a beautiful meadow atmosphere. The Rio Grande National Forest spans 1.86 million acres in south-central Colorado. The Continental Divide runs for 236 miles along most of the forest's western border, presenting a myriad of ecosystems from alpine desert to dense wilderness.
Recreation
An accessible fishing pier, located on the north shore of the reservoir, allows anglers to cast for rainbow, brown and brook trout. Hunting, boating and hiking are also popular pastimes. Hikers and horseback riders will enjoy the 6-mile Archuleta Trail. The trail accesses the Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado's largest wilderness, which boasts the headwaters of dozens of major streams and rivers that feed into the Rio Grande and San Juan rivers.
Facilities
Each site has a campfire ring and picnic tables. Drinking water is available. The nearest dump station is 13 miles away, and a boat ramp is located on the north shore of the reservoir.
Natural Features
The campground meanders up a mountainside above Big Meadows Reservoir in a series of loops. As a sub-alpine region, the campground gets more rainfall than the opposite side of the lake, resulting in plentiful wildflowers and aspens surrounding the campsites.
contact_info
For facility specific information, please call (805) 434-1996.
Nearby Attractions
The surrounding area has plenty to keep visitors busy, with attractions like Great Sand Dunes National Park, Native American ruins, remnants of the Spanish Conquistadors and gold rush ghost towns. The Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Ranges are laced with trails for avid hikers.
Location
Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) is located in Colorado
Directions
From South Fork, Colorado, take Highway 160 for 13 miles west, turn onto Forest Road 410 SW, and go 1.8 miles to Big Meadows Campground.
Address
13308 WEST HWY 160
Del norte, CO 81132
Coordinates
37.5380556 N
106.7961111 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonPoor
- AT&TGood
- T-MobileGood
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
Features
For Campers
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Pull-Through Sites
- Big Rig Friendly
picnic
In fact, the location of the forest area has been much improved and expanded to become an attractive tourist destination. It's easy to see more convenient travel routes. I think this might be a good place for a group picnic https://minicrossword.io
Clean and serene!
Let me start by saying we are tent campers. We stopped at Big Meadows in hopes of doing some fishing w our 13 and 4 yr old. The campground was a bit off the highway and we saw countless waterfalls along the way to the campground entrance Immediately upon getting to our site my heart sank because I realized our site didn't have a tent pad. I think I was so excited to find a site close to the water that I missed that. We were able to make due, but I DONT recommend this site for a tent. Its a shorter, back in site with a little path down to a bridge. Gorgeous view. Upon walking around, I saw numerous sites, including site #5 that had a tent pad, that would be much more preferable if youre a tent camper. Now, the most impressive part of this campground is its bathroom on the lower level loop. Although a pit toilet, its should win an award because of its cleanliness. Firewood is 10$ a bundle here. Several people fishing. Friendly hosts drove by a couple of times.
Beautiful Site
Beautiful campsite with awesome lake. There is a lot of traffic but it is not overwhelming. Really enjoyed our stay