Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Cañon City, CO

Cañon City deserves a lot of praise for this fantastic spot that provides a great opportunity to enjoy all the views that the Royal Gorge has to offer.

The campground is accessible via dirt roads via CR-3A. 4WD isn’t necessary to get there, but be prepared for some bumps. The city was working on some improvements to the campground when we stayed here including a new parking lot, new picnic pads for some of the sites, and the creation of some new sites near the bathroom.

There are currently (6) sites on the south loop which can accommodate travel trailers. Some are slightly larger but a few are only big enough for a class C or van. There are no hookups at the sites and no common water available. Each site has a picnic pad with table and a level, mulched area that could be used as a tent pad. The campground and trails are pet friendly, but as with most places in the southern part of the state be on the lookout for cacti.

If you are looking for a great spot to do some dispersed camping, this campground is for you. Only 2 miles from Royal Gorge and 11 miles from Cañon City. Plenty of easy to moderate difficulty trails for hiking and biking. Be sure to take Canyon Vista to the Summit Trail; you won’t be disappointed!

My grandson and I stayed there in June for 4 days in a 34ft travel trailer in a pull thru long enough not to have to unhook. The sites were large and plenty of room for my slideout and not too close to next site. About 30 min from Pueblo and 30 from Canon City on Hwy 50 just east of Hwy 115 Full hookup and good WiFi Also had 30 OTA channels. Beautiful sunsets of the mountains Hwy 50 close by but traffic was not loud enough to disturb us Horses on the property as well as a swimming pool and very friendly staff Very nice experience and only 40 min from Colorado Springs or Royal Gorge.

This KOA journey has a friendly and helpful staff, and offers all of the bare essentials so you can get ready for your next stop. The campground is 8 miles from Cañon City and 4 miles from Royal Gorge.

Sites are a mix of dirt and gravel and as with much of the desert, you should expect it to be very dusty. Our site was very close to our neighbor and in combination with the high winds during our visit, we didn’t spend much time outside. Full hookups are conveniently located and offer water/sewer and 30/50amp service.

The campground has propane refills available on site. The staff was kind enough to let us drop off our tanks and they brought them back to us once someone was available to fill them. The laundry is open 24 hours. There are (4) washers and (4) dryers available at a cost of $2 per load. There is no change machine, so bring your own quarters or stop in the office and the staff can help you with exchanging some small bills.

About 35 minutes from Canon City, The Banks and sand gulch is a BLM run campsite with over 30 spots each. Spots are$7 for individual and$14 for group spots, they also accept annual park passes for a discount. There is a campground host as well as picnic tables and fire pits at each site. Vault toilets are located in a few spots around the campground. 

Each spot has a different layout, some are much more private and others are exposed and wide open but some are large enough for trailers or RV’s, however the road leading up to the banks is not great. Passable by all passenger vehicles but it can get a bit bumpy. These sites and this area in general is very popular among rock climbers and hikers. Sand Gulch is a bit more exposed with little tree coverage. 

There is also a beautiful drive that brings you to Cripple Creek on Shelf Road. We spent a few days out here and did some hiking and made the drive, it was well worth it.