Best Glamping near Bayfield, CO

Love this campground. It’s right on the lake but tucked away in some towering ponderosas, with lots and lots of space between each site. It’s quiet and beautiful, and most of the spots offer ample shade and lots of places to hang a hammock. The reservoir is beautiful even at its current low levels. It’s super cold and great for cooling off in close to shore, but we really loved taking our paddle. Boards out. The water was calm and so clear. The afternoon clouds rolled in like clockwork to provide a few showers and cool things down. When you’re at your site, it feels so quiet and secluded, But it’s so close to Bayfield and Durango you can make runs into town no problem if you need to.

Mancos State Park has no-wake boating and is well-known for fishing, especially rainbow trout, a few brownies and yellow perch. There are 33 campsites on two sides of the lake, plus two all-season yurts. During the winter, it is a great place to use as a base for cross country skiing.

It is near the La Plata range to the east, and Mesa Verde National Park to the southwest. Durango is about 45 minutes to the east, and the City of Cortez about 25 minutes to the west. Telluride ski resort is about a two-hour drive. Both Cortez and Durango are full-service cities, with multiple supermarkets, other chains, etc. The town of Mancos, about a 12-minute drive from the park, has a full-service sit-down restaurant/bakery, a natural foods store, other restaurants, a community grocery store, shops, modern library and other amenities.

The park adjoins the San Juan National Forest, including multiple hiking trails, the Chicken Creek cross country ski area, the Sawtooth and Millwood trails, and other trails. The nearby forest (about a mile up the road) has dispersed camping as well as organized campgrounds accessible by a paved road.

There also is a dude ranch next to the park, and the approximate 1-mile trail around the park takes hikers over some beautiful scenery. There are no corrals, but horses are allowed on specific trails.

None of the campsites currently have water or electric hookups, but potable water is available at several connections on the east (main) side of the park. While there is no public WiFi, cell signals are strong.

Last time I saw Vallecito Lake was in April of 2019. It was virtually empty of any water and that is not an exaggeration. Every bit had been drawn down and it being April the Spring melt had not yet started. However, the area around the lake had captured my soul and I had been hankering to return in early summer to it witness the lovely lady in all her glory. She did not disappoint.

I kayak and this trip was the second of 3 consecutive two day stays in search of the perfect padding spot. I recreational kayak and my area has one body of water close to me but it’s 65 miles away. I was seeking a place water play vacation.

There are two sides to Vallecito Lake. The public side and the private side. The public side is USFS managed the other is a free for all of vacation rentals, RV Parks and homes ranging from little woodsy to magnificent “cabins”. With a sprinkling of homes on the public side with outstanding water access and views for miles obviously been there for quite some time. All around is old forest with huge stands of ponderosa pine and Colorado blue spruce, wild roses and raspberry’s. Along with huge stands of burn scars from more than one, must have been terrifying, forest fires. The place is SPECTACULAR, not too “resorty” but busy. Even during the week while I was there.

There are several USFS campgrounds on Road 501A North Canyon, Graham, Pine Point and Middle Mountain. All of them offer the same shady, wooded campsites some of which are lakeside. Which would be great when the lake is at capacity. There are plenty of vault toilets and drinking water. No showers. There are picnic tables and fire pits at every site. We were able to have fires at the time of my visit but the fire restrictions were just going into affect the day after I left. In fact there was a wild land fire just a few miles away but was quickly dispatched. The camp hosts were very responsive and they take very good care of the property.

Not all sites are reserved at these campgrounds. About half are first come first served and many were vacant at my visit. But it was Monday - Thursday. I noticed it begin to fill up the night before my departure day and things got a bit more active but once darkness fell it was silent.

Now about the water. The lake was at 67% capacity and was not expected to exceed that this 2021 season. There was no snow on the surrounding peaks which should still have had observable snow pack on them in early June. McPhee Reservoir on the other side of Durango was at 47%. El Vado in New Mexico was at 17%!!! All of the bodies of water in the west are severely challenged. Lake Mead/Hoover Dam is being repeated all over the western states. It’s a real shame to see the changes that are occurring at all of our favorite spots. While water was accessible it was a good hike with a 48lb kayak and most of it was very rocky. But the water was magnificent and well worth the hike.

Did I mention it was in the high 90’s while I was there. Which is unheard of. It was brutally hot and chasing ice was a challenge. Most places close by ran out requiring a trip to Bayfield. Also, amazingly, while my cell phone was worthless my iPad rocked and I could send and receive texts and even water my lawn via the b-hyve app.

Be sure to check out Lemon Lake and the campgrounds above. The Lake looked to be at about 50% which was very sad. The campgrounds were not as heavily used and were offering all of the same as other USFS campgrounds.

I will be back again but I will make my stay much longer. I give it five stars just for the pure ambience.

This campground will always have a special place in my memories as my first camping trip in Colorado. Unfortunately being new to the state I was woefully unprepared for how cold and wet Memorial Day weekend camp trips in Colorado can be. However, the proximity to Durango meant that after a cold first night I could run into town and buy all the gear I should have thought to bring with me in the first place. The campground was relaxing and enjoyable and the lake was beautiful with the post rain fog rolling in off the surrounding hills. May was still too cold to go into the water but I am looking forward to going back this July.

We did 4 campgrounds during our trip in Colorado this summer. This one was the best: very clean, warm welcome, not that expensive… The Durango & Silverton train passes through the camp, it’s so fun. And you can the free trolley to go downtown Durango, very convenient. Thank you !

Vallecito Resort, situated near Durango, Colorado, caters to both full-time RV enthusiasts and vacationers seeking a mountain retreat. Nestled in the San Juan National Forest, it provides a serene natural setting with comprehensive amenities. Upon arrival, guests can enjoy spacious sites, immerse themselves in the forest ambiance, and plan their outdoor activities. 

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Mancos State Park is a convenient stop in SW Colorado just outside Mesa Verde NP. Dry campsites, some only small trailer or truck camper size. Plenty of room for tents in each site. Lake was very low for this time of year but scenic. Easy access from the LITTLE town of Mancos.

We had to overnight in Durango area for one night, on our way from Colorado to Arizona. The campground is clean, quiet, gorgeous, it is close to the highway though, we had a gorgeous spot with a view (so worth it). It has a pool, laundry, even a breakfast spot that is open on certain hours, times of the day. We did not get to experience it. You’re only 7 miles away (east) from Durango, which is a very amazing, cute small (walkable) city!

This privately owned campground feels like Colorado-at peace-to me.  Campgrounds, especially in the times of Covid are filled to the brim these days and that means a different type of experience complete with sometimes noisy neighbors, lots of vehicles and generators running at all hours.  

This. Place. Is. Peaceful.  

Your first look at the view on the way in to the camoground office should make you want to take a big breath of fresh CO air and leave the worries of the world behind.  

The owners/workers were all as friendly as can be and seemed extremely genuine in providing everyone an enjoyable experience. There are 3 ponds on property for fishing and there are some whoppers in there!  Do keep in mind, you need to get a permit at the office to partake in being an angler for the day.  

The campsites themselves are well spaced, shady, pretty level and have full hookups.  What more could you want?  They have even separated the RV area from the tent camping area which I find to be the most enjoyable for all parties involved.

As for the general area-you can't go wrong no matter which direction you go.  Pagosa Springs is a lovely town with everything you could need.  There are too many fishing opportunities to name in the area, and a MUST see-Treasure Falls-it's quite literally .5 miles from the campground entrance.

Clean sites, large enough for big rigs, full hookups, and great staff! Thanks for the fun!

We grow tired on boondocking and enjoy a nice RV Park sometimes. This RV Park is nicely designed to give you privacy from your neighbors with bushes and trees planted between sites. No grass at the sites, but lots of grass all around. The laundry is located beside the pool - you can swim while waiting for our laundry. However, there is no way to drive to the laundry door; it’s quite a walk carrying your clothes. There are picnic tables and small grills at each site. There’s a small dog park; and, of course the casino nearby for entertainment and dinner out. All sites are asphalt with concrete pads for the tables. The sites are level

Upon arriving at vallicito rvwe parked behind a golf cart that was blocking drive assumed it was to escort us to site went in to office and was yelled at for blocking fire lane told to drive building went back after a old woman told me a 35 dollar charge for being early told me to park in street said sent me a E mail I said I was in mountain's no service for 3 days a young girl stepped in an said It was all ok to go to site because she knew about service stay away from this mess

We stayed here for 3months. It is a scenic area, within walking distance to the Lake. The sites are tight, close together. The owner went out of his way to get us in for the summer. Really a good owner. A couple of the ladies in the store have personality issues. I assume just a product of their upbringing, but just not friendly at all, and not helpful. The Bathrooms & Laundry are clean and up to date. Wifi was being upgraded but it was almost non existent , might be better now. Phone service was also non existent. There was one spot on the backside of the park you could get a signal to check messages and mail. The rates are good. Daily, Weekly, monthly and also seasonal. Overall, a nice place to visit, just a little tight, and dont expect a smile at the store!

Stayed at site 78. Probably the only campground that we stayed at during 2 week trip to CO / west that we did NOT like. Not a flat thing in the entire campground, and no privacy! Very nice owners, but didn’t make up for the shortcomings. Probably a much nicer place to stay if you’re using one of their many cabins, and that’s clearly what this campground is oriented for. 2 stars, however, for tent camping experience.

The campground is set just a couple miles before Durango. They have a swimming pool, laundry facilities, a small dog park, and a very basic playground. They also have a little Caboose from which they serve simple breakfast items, and a little store with a couple of Essentials. Overall the staff was friendly and helpful and our experience was very positive. It was 55 bucks for a pull through site with hookups. We were not allowed to pitch a tent in the camper campsite.

Yur pretty standard Koa. Kinda pricey with lots of amenties

Pros

The campground was relatively small so nothing was too far away. Laundry facilities were nice. Lots of showers that were private stalls. Lots of activities to do. The staff was very friendly and professional. Very clean- they even scrub the heck out of the bbq grills even when they have to stand in the heat of the day doing it. Delicious pizza.

Cons

It was close to a highway- BUT it was pretty well set back so it didn't feel unsafe by any means, but there was a lot of traffic noise. Sites are packed pretty tightly and many of the tent sites are not private in the least. We got lucky and got one set back with the cabins. The pool is pretty small, but it was clean and the kids had a great time.

The bathrooms are very nice and have two shower houses located on the campground. The breakfast is awesome and it's fun to relax in the pool they have on site. The cabins are very nice as well as the tent sites. All of the staff are great and very helpful when asking about what to do in Durango. We did the drive to Silverton that is absolutely beautiful and checked out Mesa Verde.

Let me start this by saying that I am incredibly skeptical of chain campgrounds (for some reason especially KOA's). The KOA Holiday in Durango is great. I was there only a few days before closing for the season and it has snowed in much of the surrounding area so the campground wasn't too crowded. The campground is a little ways outside of historic Durango and less than an hour from Mesa Verde. The tent site I stayed in was near the showers/bathroom and laundry and in the middle of the ground but didn't feel like I was lacking privacy. The cost is basically the same as staying in Mesa Verde's campground and there's paid laundry as well as really great showers in very clean bathrooms. The staff are incredibly friendly. They have gardens on site and, because it was the very end of the season, they were giving away fresh produce for free!

Stayed in a "cabin," in the summer, basically a bunk house with two bunk beds and a little foyer.  Still, a nice break from the tent for the kids and I.  On the highway but not much noise, and a very nice pool.  Sites are small, but the amenities make up for it.

Best part about it was convenience.  Easy to downtown Durango, Mesa Verde and easy to find driving back late from a day exploring.

Lovely stay! So many facilities, I even won two stuffed animals out of the claw machine. Beautiful pool and paved walkways. Great stay, friendly staff, clean facilities, good job all around!!!