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

Surrounded by a steep gorge lies Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, near the small city of Montrose, NV. RVers and campers will want to stop and stock up on supplies before heading toward the campgrounds by the Gunnison River. Offering some of the best camping in Nevada, campers can wander the trails catching stunning views of the striated Painted Wall cliff. Some of the wildlife you can expect to see include deer, elk, mule, and majestic golden eagles. Pitch a tent at one of the campsites by the river for a day of fishing or get a group together and stay in a cabin.

Best Dog-Friendly Sites Near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (144)

    1. South Rim Campground — Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

    67 Reviews
    Montrose, CO
    1 mile
    Website
    +1 (970) 249-1914

    $20 - $34 / night

    "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."

    "We had deer around our campsite (we had to have our dog on a leash because at that time of year the deer have babies and get fiesty."

    2. Black Canyon Dispersed Camping

    57 Reviews
    Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO
    2 miles
    Website

    "Didn’t say pet friendly on the reviews but my dog and I found a nice little secluded campsite off to the right and down a less jagged road. Be careful."

    "Great location right next to the park! There are plenty of sites and the views are beautiful. Entrance was slightly rutted so make sure you can off-road just a bit!"

    3. North Rim Campground — Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

    20 Reviews
    Crawford, CO
    2 miles
    Website
    +1 (970) 641-2337

    $20 / night

    "This campground is on NPS land, so there is a fee ($16 in season+ water/$8 off season no water) that can be paid at the nearby ranger's station on the honor system."

    "Driving through Colorado in the fall there is nothing which can compare. "

    4. Iron Creek Campground — Crawford State Park

    15 Reviews
    Crawford, CO
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (970) 921-5721

    $36 / night

    "Peaceful park near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Sites clean with water and electric. Nice wildlife viewing."

    "Great view of the lake but the lake level was down so we weren't as close as you could be but still a great lake & mountain view. I have Verizon I had 2 to 3 bars & could stream Pandora."

    5. Cedar Creek RV Park

    11 Reviews
    Montrose, CO
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (970) 249-3884

    "It is about 20 min to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. They have bathrooms, showers and laundry facility and they even have mini golf. Good wifi and LTE with Verizon is fine here."

    "The RV sites are all on gravel but there is a large grassy area near the office. The site is on the edge of town but was fairly quiet.

    Nice clean laundry and restrooms."

    6. Riverbend RV Park & Cabins

    7 Reviews
    Montrose, CO
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (970) 249-8235

    $42 - $149 / night

    "The staff were extremely friendly, this sites were clean, dog park great, river amazing, and location to Montrose perfect.

    The laundry rooms was clean with new equipment."

    "Riverbend is a beautiful park in a fantastic location. What sets this park apart from others is the owners and camp hosts."

    7. Elk Ridge Campground — Ridgway State Park

    33 Reviews
    Ridgway, CO
    24 miles
    Website
    +1 (970) 626-5822

    $28 - $36 / night

    "The site was big and a real short walk from the car. It was nice that the road didn't go next to the campsite like usual so it cut down on noise."

    "We were in site 123 which didn't have a great view, but plenty of space around and behind us to stretch out. "

    8. Black Canyon

    2 Reviews
    Crawford, CO
    5 miles

    "from the main road but very quiet. we arrived at night and there was plenty of spots. we camped in the car just for the night but plenty of flat land for tents and we say a fire pit. only a 15 minute drive"

    9. Montrose / Black Canyon Nat'l Park KOA

    4 Reviews
    Montrose, CO
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (970) 249-9177

    "We stayed here one night while visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Campground is clean, very big rig friendly. Easy to maneuver. The pool and playground were clean."

    "Close to black canyon and in town food and booze with in walking distance. What more could u ask for. A pool, they got that."

    10. Uncompaghre River Resort

    6 Reviews
    Olathe, CO
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (970) 323-8706

    "It is quiet even though away from the highway but just minutes through town to Highway 50.  Several trail options to walk the dog along the river from the park. "

    "The Uncompaghre River was about 30 yards behind the camp site - a short walk through the tall tree line.    The North Section of the campground are pull-through sits with great shade.  "

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

1248 Reviews of 144 Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Campgrounds


  • S
    Oct. 27, 2020

    Montrose / Black Canyon Nat'l Park KOA

    Nice place to stop

    We stayed here one night while visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Campground is clean, very big rig friendly. Easy to maneuver. The pool and playground were clean.

  • Renee W.
    Jul. 12, 2020

    Iron Creek Campground — Crawford State Park

    Peaceful Park

    Peaceful park near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Sites clean with water and electric. Nice wildlife viewing. Some bathroom stalls and a shower out of service but all building very clean and new.

  • EThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 11, 2025

    Iron Creek Campground — Crawford State Park

    Hot and no shade

    We planned on using this as our base camp while visiting the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The tent sites were small and the only trees weren’t big enough to provide shade. Everybody seemed to be here for water activities so probably good for that. But sure wasn’t what we were looking for

  • J
    Oct. 8, 2021

    Cedar Creek RV Park

    Great location

    This is a cute rv park right in the middle of Montrose. It is about 20 min to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. They have bathrooms, showers and laundry facility and they even have mini golf. Good wifi and LTE with Verizon is fine here. The staff is responsive and friendly. The grounds are clean and well maintained.

  • Greg L.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 2, 2022

    South Rim Campground — Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

    Tight CG in the Oaks

    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.

  • EThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 13, 2025

    Blue Mesa Recreational Ranch

    Great location!

    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!

  • S
    Jun. 23, 2016

    East Portal Campground — Curecanti National Recreation Area

    Beautiful Setting

    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.

  • JOANNA M.
    Jun. 4, 2023

    Black Canyon RV Park & Campground

    Quiet & simple campground

    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!

  • Sky B.
    Jun. 13, 2025

    South Rim Campground — Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

    Fantastic cool campground in the summer heat

    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.


Guide to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Camping with your furry friends near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park offers a fantastic opportunity to explore the great outdoors together. With several pet-friendly campgrounds in the area, you can enjoy nature while ensuring your pets are welcome.

Tips for camping with dogs near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Dog-friendly activities while camping near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Pet owners appreciate the amenities and features available

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is South Rim Campground — Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park with a 4.6-star rating from 67 reviews.

What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park?

TheDyrt.com has all 144 dog-friendly camping locations near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, with real photos and reviews from campers.