Best Cabin Camping near Buena Vista, CO

This campground is an absolute dump run by dishonest crooks. We stayed here in October on a night that it got below freezing and snowed. We were put in a cabin that had a 2-inch gap between the bottom of the door and threshold. The heater was more like a hair dryer and didn’t warm the cabin. It was 40 degrees in the cabin so we didn’t sleep. The floor crunched while walking on it and the platform bed was metal. When we got off the bed there was a loud bang. When we tried to get a refund from the owners she blamed us and said the problem was we didn’t understand rustic cabins. We have stayed in rustic cabins in the cold months for 10 years and never experienced this. There are many places in Buena Vista…take your business elsewhere.

Just going to start by saying that camping is not why people come here -- it’s for the waters!  The spa offers numerous pools and tubs at varying temperatures so you can find your joyful spot– be sure to check out the cold plunge pool as well. 

The RV spots are on one side of the large parking lot, with the hook up spaces in the middle, with non-electric spots running around two of the outside sides. We were in one of these spots because we run completely on solar to save money. There are zero trees around the lot so sunshine was plentiful. 

The bathrooms were clean, modern and nice, as was the small, shared kitchen where we could do dishes. In addition to camping the resort offers hotel rooms, private yurts, tipis, conference rooms and other hotel services. In addition to the soaking being included in the price, so was a buffet style breakfast and dinner. The food was delicious, and veggie/ organic friendly. The whole experience was very reasonably priced and relaxing!

There’s a lot of hiking nearby, in the mountains to the north, west and east- but definitely a drive away. We didn’t check out the walking path in the spa, but they did offer yoga classes in the yurt as well as private massages services and a host of other spa treatments. 

There aren’t a lot of nearby towns that offer larger grocery stores, Crestone has a small co-op grocery as does Buena Vista, so if you are planning on cooking for yourself, come prepared.

This is a great spot if you want to camp and have some fun and conveniences all in one place!

Location is great and is close by to Mt Princeton Hot Springs, rafting on the Arkansas River, hiking, and the town of Buena Vista.

Pros:

• Variety of accommodation options: cabins, tent sites, RV sites
• Large pull through spots available for RVs
• Well stocked KOA store with groceries, souvenirs, and camping essentials
• Very friendly and helpful staff
• Fun indoor game room with air hockey, ping pong, darts, and a pool table
• While we stayed here, the camp hosts had an ice cream social which was also a fundraiser to send kids with cancer to camp

Cons:

• I prefer more isolation when camping, as you would expect for a KOA the sites are close and there are a lot of people and people sounds
• The bathrooms were a little stinky
• This is a very dry area, so it can be a little dusty at times

My kids think this is the world’s greatest campground, which overcomes any negatives!

Had a great time here. So much nearby activities to do. I was able to get some great hiking in as well as go to the Cottonwood hot springs one night. Cathy at the front desk was so hospitable and even made cookies. Nice big facilities and even have fire pits and wood for sale. The Wi-Fi speed was not really great so I went into town and sat at the blend coffee shop for a few hours to get some work done. Downtown Buena Vista is super cute with lots of great places to eat. I was able to go hike bear lake and walked around twin Lakes with my dog. Would definitely come back. 

This park (which comes up quickly on the stream side of US-50, eastbound or westbound), is historically located on a former 180-degree turn of the old narrow-gauge railroad. It is right on the S. Arkansas, which has browns and rainbows for skilled and licensed anglers. Pull-throughs & back-ins are generously spaced with ample shade. Full hookups, but weak & limited wifi, though adequate for email & non-streaming. Restrooms/showers/laundry very clean & well-kept. Good showers, but the timer-controlled lights may leave you in darkness while you're in there (not saying how I know this). BONUS INFO FOR TENT CAMPERS: Ask about the tent sites all the way down by the old powerplant pond. Absolutely idyllic. About 20 mins. to Salida, 50 min. or so to Buena Vista.

Let's be clear - this is not camping. This is renting a driveway with access to power, water, sewer, internet, and cable. It is EXPENSIVE. It's also the only place near Breckenridge that offers all of these amenities.

The clubhouse offers a heated pool and hot tub, arcade, business center, locker rooms, laundry ($2 per wash / $1.75 to dry), and owners lounge. There are tennis/pickleball courts and a community fire pit in the center of the resort that hosted movie night during our stay.

No complaints about this place other than the fact that no one answered the phone at the office during our stay. The good news is that they email the gate code and wifi password ahead of time, so we were able to find our way to the site on our own.