Best Tent Camping near Arboles, CO

We came for a mid-week getaway to test a new tent. Camp hosts were friendly and we almost had the whole loop to ourself with some great amenities running water in the bathrooms and showers included for only $10. We had views of the lake, but not so close as to hear any of the boats. good tent sites and some shade from juniper trees.

The quieter side of Navajo Lake State Park, this is a nice, clean campground with pull through and tent sites (elec and non) close to Sims marina. Nothing spectacular and a bit remote, so not a place I would seek out necessarily. Keep in mind that this requires a little more driving to get to, so if you’re just passing through, be mindful that it’s ~17 miles from highway 64.

Pros:

• Quieter, seems less crowded than reg marina side of park
• A good mix of pull through and tent sites with plenty of room to drive in. Tent sites are multi level in a few cases (tables and pits are a short level below parking spot)
• Lake views for some spots (seem to be partial as trees do block some parts of view)
• Reasonably spaced, not super private but that is pretty much any paid campground
• Cleanish bathrooms and pit toilets, a little smelly on our visit and had no soap to wash hands (not in peak season, so think campgrounds are a little understaffed with no camp host until mid may)

Cons:

• A bit of a haul/remote if you’re just stopping through on way west through NM

Campground features shady sites that will accommodate big rigs. If you are tent camping you might feel surrounded, but most spaces are so far apart, we never heard a peep from our neighbors. Overall the campground was well run with super clean bathrooms in each loop. 15 minute drive to town makes this a great home base to explore Durango and the Animas Valley.

Arrived at Last Resort and immediately fell in love with this campsite. Site was well maintained and level. You didn’t feel like you were on top of one another at the tent sites. Staff was friendly and occasionally checked up on you, to make sure your stay was pleasant. Will be returning for a longer visit for sure.

We enjoy tenting in relatively primitive national forests and usually avoid private campgrounds. But our friends recommended Last Resort on the River, and we were pleasantly surprised. The tent sites are separated from the RV sites in a forested area along the river. We shared a campsite on the river that had lots of trees and plenty of room for two tents and a canopy. Several other tent sites are carved out of the brush along the river. This makes a very nice setting with lots of privacy. The sound of the river is soothing and there was very little sound from the road. 

It was a short walk to the amenities of the campground. There is a picnic shelter where we sat out a rainstorm, a very nice bathhouse for showering and washing dishes, as well as a comfortable indoor sitting area and another outdoor area with chairs and a fire pit. Ice and firewood are available at the office. Rich delivered them to our site. There are also some ice cream treats there and a few snacks. There is a fishing pond and a volleyball court. The rabbit hutch would have entertained the kids, if we had any with us. 

There is no cell service, but the wifi was excellent and reached our campsite on the river. My wife was able to participate in a Zoom meeting from the picnic shelter where there was a convenient electrical outlet for her computer. 

Rich is continually upgrading the property. He was very responsive and always willing to help. We highly recommend this campground.

It's OASIS RV Resort & Cottages now, as you can see on Google Maps: https://www.myrvoasis.com

We've just stayed there and wouldn't go back. The location is very close to Durango but right off the highway so it's noisy. It was a noisy experience in general with large families partying every night (apparently they got warned by the hosts but that only helped one night), and loud music blasting in the washrooms 24/7. Some of the tent sites are mixed use, they come with electricity but the don't have a nice level gravel pad for the tent. Hosts seemed nice, facilities were very clean. Paper towels in the washrooms would be nice, or even better a hand free kickstand to open the door in times of Corona!

We only stayed one night but would definitely come back. We had a nice large tent site right by the river. No trees on this site but the view and the river made up for that. Scenery was great and we had a number of great conversations with some of the other campers. Camp hosts were very friendly and the facilities were pretty nice. There were porta-potty’s half way to the wash house but they were clean and didn’t smell too bad and they saved us from having to walk another few minutes. We had some noisy neighbors but they quieted down once we asked. We paid $27 for the one night.

We reserved 3 campsites for July 2018 back in Jan. 2018 before the change of ownership. The daughter-in-law, Brandi, that checked us in was very nice. The next day when our other 2 families showed up to check in both were over charged. For one we had a tent site with 2 adults & 2 children = 4 total which is the number of people allowed in the site. However we were charged an extra $60 for 2 children. On the other tent site we reserved, they are a family of 5, 2 adults, 3 kids ages 8, 3 & 1 = 5 total. When they were checked in they were charged an additional $30 for the extra child. However their website reservation states children kids 0-4 FREE which there would be no additional charge. We walked back to the office to explain that perhaps there was a mistake made. The first things out of the owner's mouth "DON'T WALK THROUGH THAT PATH WAY AGAIN, IT'S A PRIVATE AREA" with the rudest tone I have ever heard. There was no civility or politeness about her. (There were NOT any signs saying private or don't walk.) When we pointed out that we think there was a mistake made we were rudely told NO there isn't by the owner. I then showed them receipt and my email confirmation with the price difference and she continued to vehemently disagree and kept cutting me off before I could finish explaining. We left the office knowing we would dispute it with our credit card company since their website said one thing and the owner is making up charges.

The location is nice, the sites are very close together and can feel very cramped. The playground is a little run down. The prices are extremely high! BEWARE of the owner, her temper and her overcharging.

Then there was the flash flood, the mudslide and the major gas leak on the 3rd day and we had to walk out in knee deep mud with just what was on our backs. We will see if we get a refund for the 3 nights that we couldn't stay at the campground.

It’s a good campground. It’s just a little dated. We stayed at Tiffany Loop, 027. Some of the tent sites at that loop need some attention (the barrier fence was down and the site overgrown ). Our site was just fine for what it was. Nice sized parking spot that we backed into. Gravel pad with (uncovered) picnic table and fire pit. There was a grassy spot where we placed our tent. Lots of sticky prickly grass around so watch your little kids :) the water is down behind the camp sites , down a steep hillside. We were not able to explore the water as we had to leave early due to sick kids but there were lots of boaters, pontoons, and house boats out there and we were planning to rent something! At Tiffany Loop, there are flushing toilets, a sink, and coin showers that are all clean! At Rosa Loop (a short drive ), there are coin showers, flushing toilets, and coin laundry services. It is very hot and sunny during the day so I’d bring a shade tent too! There are cabins at Tiffany loop as well.

The Last Resort is a lovely RV Park and campground on the Blanco River off Highway 84 between Chama, New Mexico and Pagosa Springs, Colorado. There are full RV hook ups in the loop and partial hook up by the river. The Bunk House is a small cabin with a queen bed and electricity. Many great tent camping sites. There is a nice Bathhouse with a full kitchen, bathrooms with showers and a coin operated washer/dryer. They are open year round, free wifi and pets welcome. There is a small store with ice, sodas, snacks, fishing tackle, RV supplies, and toiletries.

This is our 3rd summer at the Last Resort. It's a very laid back place with 2 playgrounds and plenty of activities for kids - horse shoes, volleyball, tether ball, etc. They have a nice 4th of July celebration, potluck dinners and camp fires. There are often horses (and a goat) on the property and plenty of space to take a nice walk. This year, we saw a lot of Canada geese and there are also chickens and ducks. We really love watching the many hummingbirds and hanging out by the river. Lots of campers like to fish or float down the river on inner tubes.

Well maintained, beautiful and friendly hosts make for a wonderful place to stay.