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Established Camping

Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co)

Big Meadows Reservoir Campground, near Del Norte, Colorado, is a fantastic spot for those looking to immerse themselves in nature. With its picturesque views of the lake and surrounding mountains, it’s a prime location for camping, fishing, and simply soaking in the serene atmosphere.

This campground offers a mix of tent and RV sites, with many campers praising the spaciousness and privacy of the spots. Visitors have noted the cleanliness of the facilities, especially the pit toilets, which have been described as “the cleanest” some have ever encountered. Firewood is available for purchase, making it easy to enjoy cozy campfires under the stars.

For outdoor activities, the nearby reservoir is perfect for fishing, with many campers reporting successful catches. There are also beautiful trails leading to waterfalls, providing great opportunities for hiking and exploring the stunning scenery. As one happy camper shared, “The scenery is phenomenal,” making it clear that the natural beauty here is a major draw.

While the campground doesn’t have electric hookups or showers, the friendly hosts and well-maintained sites more than make up for it. If you’re looking for a peaceful retreat with plenty of outdoor fun, Big Meadows Reservoir Campground is definitely worth a visit.

Description

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.

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.

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.

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (805) 434-1996.

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Location

Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) is located in Colorado

Detail location of campground

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

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Boat-In
    Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Unknown
  • Verizon
    Poor
  • AT&T
    Good
  • T-Mobile
    Good

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Pull-Through Sites
  • Big Rig Friendly

Drive Time


Reviews

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4.5

out of 5

15 Reviews

Reviewed Oct. 18, 2024

Nice

The sites are spacious and well-maintained, providing a perfect blend of privacy and community. Area Code The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, making check-in a breeze.

Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Sep. 20, 2024

Place where THOUGHTS gets its peace

I recently had the pleasure of staying at Big Meadows Campground, and it was an unforgettable experience! From the moment I arrived, I was struck by the stunning natural beauty surrounding the campground. The sites are spacious and well-maintained, providing a perfect blend of privacy and community. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, making check-in a breeze. Other then this you can find me here!
https://www.carmatec.com

Reviewed Nov. 13, 2023

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

Month of VisitMarch
Reviewed Jun. 16, 2023

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.

Site3
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Amber , June 16, 2023
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Amber , June 16, 2023
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Amber , June 16, 2023
Reviewed Aug. 3, 2022

Beautiful Site

Beautiful campsite with awesome lake. There is a lot of traffic but it is not overwhelming. Really enjoyed our stay

Site44
Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Jun. 28, 2021

Fantastic Canpground!

Beautiful little campsite far from any road or city disturbances. Campsites are very well space, camp hosts were fantastic, and the bathrooms were the cleanest I’ve ever been in. The reservoir and nearby waterfalls are beautiful as well. Fantastic campground!

Site45
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed May. 28, 2021

Relaxing spot with lake and waterfall access

This camp ground is fantastic! The camp hosts were extremely friendly 2021 is their first year here and everything is extremely well maintained, the pit toilets even smell like apple Haha. Make sure to show your America the beautiful pass or senior pass for half off sites. Large lake in view of most all camp sites. Be sure to take the trail to cascade falls near the back of the camp site. Would camp here again!

Site15
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Severen B., May 28, 2021
Reviewed Jun. 28, 2020

Hidden Gem

Great campground all around. The Reservoir has some of the best fishing we have found. We caught our bag limit every time we fished. The campground is nicely treed and the spaces are more private than most. The vault toilets are the cleanest and nicest I have ever seen! Be advised that if you are in an RV, you must bring your own water. There are no water hook ups, only to fill containers. There is trash service, but no electric or dump station. There is a really nice trail around the lake.

  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Kathi V., June 28, 2020
Reviewed Jun. 25, 2020

Fantastic vacation

I couldn't ask for a better place to go visit! Right off the bat, the scenery is phenomenal. It's everything we wanted in a Colorado vacation. The mountains were spectacular. The water was cold and clear. It was perfect. To start, we stayed in site 38. It's pretty far back off the water, but it feels so cozy and private. It's a level site that works for a shorter trailer or popup. It's close to the drinking water and bathrooms.

Let's talk bathrooms for a second. I was nervous having never used a vault toilet. The camp host does an excellent job of cleaning! I was pleasantly surprised. There was air freshener so it wasn't smelly at all.

As far as activities go, there's a short hike to a waterfall that's easily accessible to the base. If you're feeling adventurous, it's fairly easy to climb up to the top. So fun! My 8 year old LOVED this and begged to go back. There's also a two mile trail around the the reservoir. We didn't walk the trail because we ran out of time, but our campground neighbors did, and they enjoyed the views. As well, on a clear night, you can see so many stars. It was cold at night, but well worth bundling up to watch the sunset and check out the night sky. Star gazers, this will be right up your alley.

If you're looking for additional activities in the area, we visited Treasure Falls and Lobo Overlook. Both were a short drive, and easily done with kids.

Overall, this was such a great trip.

(For interested parties, there was limited cell service with AT&T and T-Mobile)

  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Steph C., June 25, 2020
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Steph C., June 25, 2020
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Steph C., June 25, 2020
  • (9) View All
Reviewed Jun. 16, 2020

Happy to be back here!

Great views of the water. Sites are nicely distanced. It was cold and windy during our stay but the scenery made up for it. Campground is nicely taken care of and the host was helpful. Can’t wait to come back!

  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Rebeca H., June 16, 2020
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Rebeca H., June 16, 2020
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Rebeca H., June 16, 2020
  • (10) View All
Reviewed Aug. 14, 2019

We went back!

Loved it so much the first time that we came back! For the best views, make sure to book in the lower loop. We stayed in site 11. Not the best views of the reservoir but decent. You can hear the waterfall. Campground sites at close to 10k feet in elevation. Keep that in mind. We enjoyed a great little hike around the reservoir plus amazing fly fishing the next morning. Can’t wait to get back!

  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Rebeca H., August 14, 2019
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Rebeca H., August 14, 2019
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Rebeca H., August 14, 2019
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Jul. 13, 2019

Beautiful site

Views of the reservoir are so beautiful! We stayed on site #8. Nice size, slight views of the water, it was nice! The fishing was great, the hiking was nice, the bathroom is impecable! Kudos to the hosts!!!! We will be back in August.

  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Rebeca H., July 13, 2019
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Rebeca H., July 13, 2019
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Rebeca H., July 13, 2019
  • (10) View All
Reviewed Jul. 13, 2018

Remote feel with beautiful scenery

National campground with spectacular views of mountains and lake. Some secluded campsites but most have a view of the lake. Most of the Pine trees were hit with the Pine beetle, some still remain along with all the Aspen trees, even with some Pine trees lost this place is Beautiful!

Site28
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Charles B., July 13, 2018
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Charles B., July 13, 2018
  • Review photo of Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) by Charles B., July 13, 2018
  • (10) View All
Reviewed May. 19, 2018

Very popular campground

Good fishing and hiking. Campground is very popular so not the best spot if you're looking for quiet mountain camping, but still a fun, safe family campground. On the other side of Wolf Creek Pass is Pagosa Springs with fun activities, good food, and several great breweries. Oh, and the famous Hot Springs! The big, popular hot springs are cool, but across the street is a lesser known Overlook hot springs. Very affordable and usually under utilized. It is also next door to a wonderful restaurant called The Lost Cajun. Big Meadows is a good campground but I like it most for it;s proximity for rafting, fishing, hiking and rock hounding.

Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Jul. 14, 2017

Big Meadow was a 4 outta 5

I was here with 3 other adults last Summer. The "attendant" was an odd duck who really worried about me understanding how the online reservation rules worked, even though the place was empty. Then about our 3rd day there, his camper and all his stuff left... like he just up and quit! Beautiful place though... lake is popular with locals.

Month of VisitJuly

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How much does it cost to camp at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co)?

    Camping at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) can cost between $99.00 and $103.00 depending on the site.

  • What is the max vehicle length at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co)?

    Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) allows vehicles up to 60 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co)?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co), although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) does not have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co)?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is poor, AT&T is good, and T-Mobile is good.

  • How hard is it to get a campsite at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co)?

    Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co). If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co), try setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

  • Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co)?

    There are 47 campsites at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (south Central Co) and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts