Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Basalt, CO

I cannot thank Leslie, Frederick and Tom for their support with my RVing needs! We ended up staying an extra night--such a lovely campground with special touches at every site. If we visit again, I would definitely request a back-in site along the river! Just walking along the river pathway was breathtaking! The dog park is huge and has fun obstacle course activities to encourage interactions with pets. Everything about this KOA is great! We took a day trip to the Iron Mountain Hot Springs (fun!) and to the Rifle River water falls (an easy little hike but WOW! Cool water falls and caves to explore!) Come visit this KOA! You won't be disappointed!

The drive from Basalt was stunning as only Colorado can do. The whole area was so scenic and beautiful and the water is a two minute walk away. The campground is covered in beautiful shade trees and grass and the ring round through it is paved. The campground hosts, Bob and his wife, keep the area immaculate. The restrooms are strategically dotted around the campground circle and and a quick walk from any camp site. They are well maintained several times a day and don't have showers. You can take your dogs as long as they're kept on leashes and you can take them on your little hikes, they'll love it. We were totally thrilled that there was a mule eared deer doe who was not shy and casually grazed under the trees at the edge of our campsite, totally ignoring us and allowing our 7 year old grandson to sneak up to get a closer look, within 20 feet of her. It made his day! I wish they would update their website photos to portray the beautiful scenery, trees and grass. The website photos show few trees which almost made us choose somewhere else. We will be back, maybe next year!

Let’s just start with the only downside- this campground is not near Glenwood. It’s about 20-25 miles into Glenwood Springs from here. So just know that going into it and everything else is great.

Now onto the awesome campground itself. The people are really friendly and the spots are perfectly level.

Our spot was right on the river which is beautiful. The campground maintains nice grass in the area, fire pits and picnic tables. The park is an all encompassing RV resort. There is a splash pad, a bbq/ picnic area, a trail around the river, a nice store, a pool, a dog park and to top it off big grassy areas to play in. It’s a very nice park.

I would also recommend checking out Rifle Falls (video attached) and Rifle Gap State Park which are both nearby!

Spotless bathrooms and sites! We were only passing through and needed one night to stay. Arrived after office hours but late arrival registration was easy and we got a site no problem. Showers and bathrooms were spotless. Dog walk and park were also very clean. Nice to see since many “dog walk areas” are filthy and people don’t clean up after their pets. Not the case here!

Some spots close to the road but it gets quiet at night as Independence pass is not heavily trafficked after dark.  It is in a great location, close to Twin Lakes but also all the hiking up the pass.  All first come first serve.  Pets are allowed, we had our dog with us.

first place I went camping in Colorado and I loved it so much I paid for an extra day. it rained on the last day but it was still wonderful. felt lost in the mountains and loved it

After driving 4-10 hour days from Canada in our 16’ travel trailer, staying at Harvest Hosts, we decided to stop here to prep and regroup for the next leg of our journey. Full hook ups allowed us to flush our water systems, recharge all batteries and devices, and wait out some seriously nasty wind, like lift the trailer right off the ground wind (well felt like it I swear!). The place is super clean, easy to access, has great views and a helpful staff. Pet friendly with a small off-leash dog area even. Looks good for families too with a pool and water park, playground. Wifi was good and cell service at 2 bars. Not cheap but easy access to supplies and touristy spots.

Easily one of my favorite places to camp in Colorado! It’s a must stay every year for me. Killer views, great hiking, beach days and a peaceful location.

Campground offers easy trails, fishing, great waterfalls and friendly staff. Would recommend the walk in sites for tents. Is pet friendly which was a plus. There are two other state parks nearby and a fish hatchery. Trails range from gravel to mud (especially behind the waterfall), check out the caves and more!

Ashley here with The Dyrt. I want to extend a warm welcome to your host, Greg. Life on their ranch includes horseback riding, guided white water rafting, fly fishing excursions, zipline adventures, mountain biking, and as much down time as you need. This is the perfect experience for everyone from families to couples to solo travelers. This is a working ranch, so no pets please. Book your stay today and leave a review here!

This area is beautiful with access to Halfmoon Creek and tucked away under groves of pines. It’s just over a half-hour drive from Leadville so if you ran out of supplies or just want a better breakfast than oatmeal with boiled water, you’re in luck. There’s designated fire rings and many of the campsites can fit multiple cars if you decided carpooling wasn’t an option. When I camp here again, I will definitely be looking for campsites that are away from the road a bit more. There’s a few that are down a modest hill closer to the creek. The reason for this is this area is super popular for hikers climbing Mt. Massive and Mt. Elbert. (The tallest and second tallest peaks in Colorado) You will experiences cars driving through late at night and even super early in the morning to get to the trailheads. I’m talking starting at 3:00am…I know because my tent was blasted with headlights from numerous cars rolling through. Be aware if you bring kids or pets as well because some cars do not drive through at a respectful speed. Overall it’s a great place to camp, especially if you need a quick weekend getaway.

Gore Creek Campground is a true gem of the National Forest Service. If you are looking for a great boondocking location that is close to great trails and breathtaking views, this just might be the place for you. The entrance to the campground is ~2 miles off of I-70 Exit 180 on Bighorn Road. Only 10 minutes from Vail Village and 25 minutes from Frisco.

We stayed in Site #8, which provided plenty of room for our 22’ travel trailer and pickup. The sites each have a large picnic table and fire ring.

Pit toilets are spread through the campground and were very clean and well maintained. The campground hosts do a great job of keeping everything tidy and looking great. They also have bundles of firewood for sale for $7 at their site just inside the entrance to the campground.

I can’t say enough about this place. It’s probably my favorite spot to camp in Colorado. I almost didn’t post this review for fear of the secret getting out.

We came to this campground right after wildfires in 2018 decimated the surrounding area. Despite this tragedy the campground was lush and green, full of adult pine, aspen and spruce trees. With views over the lake it serene and a great spot for a quiet trip. While we were there it was still smoky with a very strict fire ban, but those barriers are temporary. I will say that the commode facilities while clean, flush toilets, had an unpleasant smell when the wind picked up. Normally we try to find a spot close to the bathrooms and this time that backfired. There was no cell service at or near this campground, nor any stores, so if you are needing communication or to pick up ice, supplies, etc, make sure to do it before leaving Basalt. We found this out the hard way when we discovered once setting up camp that we could not coordinate with the other people in our party and had to drive back into town to get a text out. The positive side was that we stumbled across a Lobster Shack cooking live Maine Lobster in Basalt, so we had an unexpected lobster dinner while camping in the mountains of Colorado. The weather was superb for late summer as well. It was cooler than the other camp spots we had been all summer and the brief rain showers kept the temps down and bugs away. If not for the recent wildfires it would have been a perfect camping spot.

Things to know: extra vehicles are $6/car/night; campers will need to use the provided bear boxes for storing food and cooking supplies; no cell service;

We loved tent camping here with our dog. We saw plenty of trailers and smaller RVs as well. The road around the loop is paved but the sites themselves are not. You tent peg into the dirt. It’s a 5, 10-minute walk to the reservoir but you feel a world away from it’s busy day visitors. All the spots are a little different, a few in the inner campsites have less shade, but most make the use of trees, tall grasses, and positioning of each site and where you’d park your car, for privacy. The flush toilets at Little Maud are immaculate and well-spaced at the top and bottom of the loop. Be bear aware: there are great bear-proof storage lockers on each site to use. Keep your toiletries in your car or bear locker too - your toothpaste, sunscreen, all of that, smells like food. The local black bears are shy but they do come around. One came quite close to us at site #4. We think it wanted the cool shade of the stream. It was a little hard to hear it’s rustling/approach with the white noise of the stream. The hosts said to make a lot of noise and they will leave. Our banging of the fire grate wasn’t noisy enough but the host had an air horn that worked. No cell service here or on most of the road up after you leave nearby Basalt. We loved it and will definitely be back.

To be fair, I didn't choose this camp ground for any other reason than I was backpacking the Colorado Trail and wanted to be able to meet up with my family some place close to the trail. This suited my needs perfectly. I was able to walk into camp for my second night on Segment 8 and that was fabulous. The history of the valley is fascinating and my family would love to come back and explore some more. The campground sites seem best suited for RV's, however we managed just fine in our tent. We had no shade in our spot (#13), so any time at camp was spent mainly under our canopy. This was the case for many of the other sites, but we did note a few sites that were well shaded. The views from our site were spectacular!
I feel the biggest drawback of this campsite is its proximity to Hwy 24. The traffic noise is very noticiable and loud at times. It did quiet down quite a bit at night and I didn't notice it much at all. Usually we like to be a bit more removed from the human population when we go camping, but again, I has other reasons for choosing this campground. There is no water, but we made sure we brought plenty. There is a river nearby if you need non-drinking water. The sites were spacious and clean. The vault toilets were immaculate. The host was nice and had a cat! I really recommend this spot for history buffs. We want to come back and do more exploring and maybe do a ATV tour of the area. So yeah, just an average campground...nothing really wrong with it, just not as remote as we usually like and it is nice to have access to potable water.

The Reudi reservoir is a beautiful area. Sunsets are gorgeous and there is a nice hike outside of one of the other two campgrounds in the area. I feel this little campground is the most secluded of the 4 in the area. However, not all sites offer reservoir views. Reservoir is very low this year. We camp here for the fly fishing on the frying pan. That didn’t disappoint. There is no cell service. Closest service area is Basalt, which is 30min away. This site is huge but also very dusty. We loved it tho. Didn’t have any neighbors close to us. Host was very nice and kept area clean.

One of Colorado's best campgrounds in my opinion. It is beautiful and on the beach of Turquoise Lake.

First come first serve, $24/night, $7 for each car after the first two. 20ish sites and they are all under a huge spread out pine glade. Well shaded during the day and keeps it cool as well as blocks the lakefront wind.

Water on site and great clean bathrooms. Trash dumpsters as well. No bear boxes but they recommend you put food in your car at night.

Short walk to the beach, unless you are lucky to get one of the beach front sites. Easy to get burned here so bring shade and sunscreen if you plan to spend the day by the lake. Lots of kayaks, SUPs, etc.

Very friendly and relaxed hosts. Dogs allowed, on leash, but hosts were chill with dogs off leash to get wiggles off..esp if your dog is obedient.

The campground is next to another campground with RVs and the generators get annoying as well as the folks who play movies on a projector right at "quiet time".

Only recommendation is to stay longer than you first planned to. You'll want to stay for quite a while once you are there.