Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Outside of Montrose Colo a few miles. South Rim CG is at 8200 elv. Loop C is all FCFS and only $8 nite senior rate. Loop A and B are all reservation and in addition Loop B has electric hookups.

Only three stars as the sites are tight and most are not easy setup for larger RVs. and most are side pull in so vehicles are passing you very close by and not good for kids and dogs. CG is in dense oak shrubs. Only one water spigot in C loop and sign notes no RV fill-up. Dumpsters at the CG pay station parking area.

No TMobile cell up here so my Starlink RV setup is working great.

We stayed here for 3 nights and loved it! There is so much to do on the ranch such as swim in the pools, play games, horseback ride, etc. The bathrooms and showers were clean and nice. It’s also in a great location with proximity to black canyon of the gunnison national park, crested butte, and so many lakes. The sites all had picnic tables, fire rings, and nice landscaping. It was really enjoyable. We’re living in my camper full time right now so it was a good break from true wilderness. The only thing i would add is water fountains. but that’s it!

We were thrilled to find this primitive camping area right by the river. There are fifteen spots, 7 of those have drive in access, the other 8 are a park and walk down a small embankment - but oh, what a setting - set in a grove of trees, it was beautiful. There are picnic tables, bathrooms and the roar of the river to sleep next too.

This campground is right at the edge of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, but because you take a steep, twisty ride down to the river, the elevation went from over 9000 to under 7000, a welcome change if you aren't acclimated to the altitude. We set up our OzTent on the upper level (the drive in section) and took a walk. The historical displays are well done, be sure to visit the Visitor Center at the National Park to get the rest of the story, and regardless of your age, pick up a Junior Ranger book and earn your badge.

We will definitely go back, just for the scenery.

Overall, our family enjoyed our stay. We reserved a campsite for our 31' travel trailer at the end of May. The location was beautiful and though it was right off of the highway, we felt very safe and the campground was quiet. The staff were very friendly, however, it was difficult to access them since the office was usually closed and unless you saw them working out in the campground you didn't know where to go to find someone. The grounds were very well kept, clean laundry, shower, bathroom facilities. The only issue we had with the campsite was that there wasn't alot of gravel so when it rained our site got very muddy. RV rugs were not allowed so we ended up tracking alot of mud into our camper. Be sure to bring quarters for the laundry, there is no quarter machine and since the staff can be difficult to locate I didn't have an opportunity to ask if they have any to exchange. Close to Montrose and Black Canyons of the Gunnison National Park, easy access to these and highly recommend checking them out if you stay here!

The South Rim Campground at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a fantastic place! I should know, my wife and I are the current volunteer campground hosts. Stop by and say hi while we're up here all summer. You won't believe the variety of songbirds we have up here this year!

I'd like to correct a couple of misconceptions that might be coming from faulty info here or in other listings outside the recreation.gov system. All reservations for all 75 available sites must be made through recreation.gov in advance (6 month rolling). We've had multiple reports from guests saying that they saw something about C-loop being first-come, first-serve. That's just not the case. Things only shift to fcfs for the winter months - October-April (ish).

There is drinking water available with bottle fill stations at each of the three loops. This is a difficult place to get water to, and so this is low pressure bottle fill only; not something you can fill freshwater tanks from.

Toilet facilities are pit toilets. There are no showers or camper kitchen facilities. Campers are encouraged to use a gray water collection systems and dispose of waste down the hill in Montrose or wherever you are headed next. Small amounts of dishwashing gray water can go into the pit toilets in a pinch.

Fire pits are provided and well utilized. Bring your own wood, preferably from a local source. There's a great spot just down the road at the crossroads as you head up the mountain. They even have an honor system to pay if you happen by after hours (please be honorable). In a pinch, ask the camp host - we collect a fair bit of random leavings and would prefer you ask than go scrounge around and burn up our habitat.

Electric sites (22 of them for $34/night) have brand new 20/30/50 amp service. Everything is working great! All other sites are $20. All sites are really pretty cool and workable for most folks. Pay attention to the driveway length figures in rec.gov as they are pretty accurate.

If you are not going to make it or need to leave early, please go ahead and cancel your reservation. We are almost completely booked for the entire summer and have to turn a lot of people away. It is a really raw move to squat on a site digitally and not show up physically. I know the rec.gov situation sucks with all the damn fees the big contractor gets to keep. So, if you don't want to hassle then please call the park or let us know as camp hosts. When we get those cases we can get someone else into a site. They'll pay the going rate, and everyone will come out happy enough.

All that may have sounded negative and preachy. Sorry about that. But with the business out of the way, I'd encourage anyone to come up and visit this gorgeous place. Right now as spring is moving to summer, I'm routinely seeing and hearing 10-12 songbord species at exactly the same time as I sit in the morning sunrise, sipping my coffee, and petting my dog. The Black Canyon is a supreme work of Creator's art you don't want to miss.