Sits above the dunes. Also has very clean restrooms with showers to attempt and get sand off.
My family and I made our first trip to The Great Sand Dunes this year. The campground had lots of amenities and was in a great location. This was our first RV trip and we found the RV spots were pretty packed in together. But they are all in 1 line, the view was great, and bathrooms are really close. This is a great place to stay a couple nights.
Incredible views and close proximity to Great Sand Dunes National Park make this campground a must stay. Site 33 was close to the extremely clean bathrooms and perfect for our group!
There are around 90 primitive tent only campsites here in addition to a couple dozen RV sites, cabins, and a mini lodge.
$25/night for a tent only site, but the location to the park can’t be beat and the fee includes two showers (unlimited time).
Some sites have picnic tables (not in the best shape) and all have fire rings.
The general store is open from 8am-8pm, along with the restaurant. Everything was pretty reasonably priced and the food was good. They also rent boards for surfing the sand dunes.
The view of the sunset and Milky Way were priceless. We would definitely return.
We loved this camp site! It was our first time to tent camp in Colorado and it was great. Several sites to choose from. Some have views of the dunes, some are more secluded. Bathrooms were clean. Very spacious tent site with a fire pit. Our tent sleeps 6 and we had no trouble fitting in the spot.
We came down from North of Medano Pass through the dunes, planning to camp in the dunes but got down too late to buy a permit from the visitor's center and the Pinon Campground was full. The only other close option for overnight camping is the Oasis. They charged almost $40 for 3 people, one night. We slept sloped and over a ton of large rocks - there weren't any other spots. They are racking in the money at this location, you'd think they'd at least spend the money to level the grounds and put in some sand/remove the rocks. I'm thankful we only stayed for one night.
The actual Oasis store/restaurant on the other hand was super convenient. We had dinner and breakfast there and albeit a bit expensive, still good and all of the staff was super friendly. We also rented a board for the dunes which was easy.
This place charges PER Person, including kids, which is extortion! We were charged $36 a night for a camp site that was in terrible shape. We actually drove into town to buy a rake so we could clean up all the trash left around. We were also told because they don't have metal fire rings, fires we're not allowed during a class 1 fire ban. Seems that with the crazy rates they charge, they could upgrade the sites with this feature. We also were appalled with how costly everything was at the store. $3.75 for a 10lb bag of ice. $20 for a board rental and due back by 7 (you can really only be on the dunes in morning and evening so much of the day you can't use the boards). I have definitely stayed in fabulous campgrounds with less amenities for less cost. Unfortunately, they have a captive customer base because Pinon Flats are always full. So in conclusion, if they continue to charge such high prices for their sites, clean them up, upgrade the fire pits and then maybe the cost would be worth it.
Everyoneeryone working at the Oasis super friendly! They sell just about everything you might need or want, and you can rent boards at reasonable prices for the whole day. The showers, bathrooms, and laundry are immaculately clean, and spacious, and there's a potable water accessible everywhere. Unfortunately, tent campers can't access the swimming pool, but the showers stay warm so it's enough to get clean, eat dinner, and go straight to sleep! Campsites are close enough to respect neighbors' privacy but the trees keep everyone shaded and also far enough apart to be quiet. There are big, black ants running around all over the place, but they don't bite…they'll just crawl all over you in you sit still along their path. The trees also drip sap randomly, we noticed, but it wasn't a bother.
The roads are really rocky. The views are really pretty. It was nice to find a campsite with a shower after 2 nights without one.
The campground itself was ok. The views were great, the facilities were nice, clean, and extensive (they have a laundry room, restaurant, and gas pumps in addition to typical facilities), the sites could have used some maintenance though; some trees needed to be trimmed, tent sites could have used some leveling, roads needed to be scraped. While I frequently camp in, and enjoy, primitive sites with all the above issues, I don’t particularly enjoy paying $20 a night for a primitive level site in a developed campground. The campground, with at least 100 sites, was quite full when I arrived around 7:30 pm on a weekday. I stopped at the restaurant/store to enquire about camping and was told by a teenager manning the counter that it was past the security booth and then said nothing more, so I assumed I payed and got a map at the booth. After driving through the booth and realizing no one was there I continued on to find a site and set up before headIng back down to pay only to realize the store closes at 8:00. Not a big deal for me personally, but the campsite could have lost money if I weren’t an honest person due to the incompetent attitude of their staff. My suggestion is to arrive early in the day if possible and save your time and money by camping at one of the free primitive sites in the park. The morning after camping, I drove up the mountain on the primitive road and passed many empty campsites. You do need a 4 wheel drive, high clearance vehicle to reach them and need to reduce tire pressure to 20-30 psi, but the views are so worth it! (just a note: the rangers suggest filling them back up once past the sand but DON’T. It is a very rocky climb after the sand and you could easily pop a tire!) One of the rangers told me all the campsites along the mountain road are free and from a glance they looked better maintained and more comfortable than the Oasis campground! Just make sure to take water as they are truly primitive, with just a fire ring and bear locker.