The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Cortez. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Cortez is surrounded by family-friendly activities. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Colorado camping adventure.
Morefield Campground is four miles from the park entrance. The 267 campsites are situated within a high-elevation, grassy canyon filled with Gambel oak, native flowers, deer, and wild turkeys. Each site has a picnic table, gravel tent pad, and fire pit/BBQ grill. A camp store offers registration, food, and camp supplies. Firewood, gasoline, showers, a coin-operated laundromat, and a kennel are located nearby. The campground is managed by park concessioner Aramark and is open between spring and fall.
The Views RV Park& Campground welcomes you! Located near the heart of Southwest Colorado overlooking incredible vistas See all Four States from The Views, and experience breathtaking sunrises and sunsets Wander our 42 acres on the new trails We're located directly across the entrance to McPhee Reservoir for boating, fishing, paddle boarding and playing. Make The Views your base camp for hunting in the Fall or for your high mountain, desert and Mesa Verde adventures all season. Come see all that Southwest Colorado has to offer!
This KOA has been closed and is reopened as Rjourney, find them on the Dyrt
Mesa Verde National Park is less than 15 minutes away from this KOA near the four corners where Colorado, and New Mexico. Arizona and Utah meet.
The campground has heated swimming pool, basketball, and horseshoes. Also has a 1-mile walking trail around Denny Lake, fishing, and an enclosed dog park.
The pool is open Memorial Weekend through Labor Day Weekend.
Mancos is a great place to camp. Set in a beautiful ponderosa forest, the upper loop of the main campground and both yurts remain open through the winter. The park is centrally located to a wide variety of local attractions.
The park has two campgrounds – Main and West – on two sides of the reservoir with a total of 32 campsites. Along the northwest side of the reservoir, the west campground has nine campsites (primarily for tent campers) with toilets but no drinking water nearby.
Mancos also offers yurts for a unique and cozy camping experience.
Yurt reservations are required year round.
Mancos State Park provides a great overnight stop or a beautiful location for an extended stay. Winter is a fun time to camp at Mancos State Park.
Come and enjoy a fun-filled, quiet and beautiful time at Mancos State Park!
The great outdoors are just around the river bend when you book a stay at Dolores River RV Resort. We offer Colorado getaways that’s sure to satisfy the adventurer in you! Located off Railroad Avenue, our RV park and resort offers a peaceful getaway right along the north shore of Dolores River. Whether you want to rough it in a tent or covered wagon, or prefer to unwind in an RV, camper, or cabin, we have the lodging option you need.
Whether you’re an experienced hiker heading to San Juan National Forest or a national park fanatic about to cross Mesa Verde National Park off your list, Dolores River RV Resort is here for you. Learn more about our lodging options and amenities below, or reserve your spot online today!
$43 / night
Bright Star Campground (formerly known as Camp Kush 4 Corners) boasts years of 5-star reviews on Google, Airbnb & Hipcamp! It is a favorite for its location, value, amenities and vibe. Free Wifi. We are a pet-friendly and a Cannabis friendly campground near Cortez, CO looking up at Mesa Verde Nat'l Park. This fun campground is not cramped and has amenities, cabins, tent, RV and Tipi sites. We also have two very affordable bunkhouses all with a buffer of land totaling hundreds of acres and big views. We also have a 2bdr/2bath "Starhouse" on the property. A central campground kitchen is stocked with everything you need to cook, even spices. Coffee, and often fresh eggs are included. There are hot showers, toilets, a dining and socializing pavilion. We have Ice for your cups or fill an ice chest for $3 - $4, complimentary filtered drinking water, and often snacks to purchase. It is a surprising value! You can reserve directly by calling us, or on AIRBNB & HIPCAMP. Some sites are only available by direct booking. PETS must be on leash or supervised. Fire Bans are often in effect due to dry or windy conditions.
$35 - $99 / night
Target Tree Campground is located 7 miles east of Mancos on the north side of Highway 160 at an elevation of 7,643 feet. It is the ideal camping spot for day trips to Mancos, Durango and Mesa Verde National Park. The name, "Target Tree," refers to the Ute Indians' use of the area to harvest sap and bark from Ponderosa pines as food supplements. They also used the trees for target practice, leaving several scarred trees throughout the area.
Visitors may enjoy taking a short, accessible interpretive trail to view a historic target tree. The campground is also known for its great birding opportunities, with a sign in the campground that lists species found in the area. The Narrow Gauge Trail begins within the campground and climbs 3.4 miles to an old railroad grade. The rails were placed just three feet apart to allow trains to navigate through the rugged mountains.
Visitors may enjoy taking a short, accessible interpretive trail to view a historic target tree. The campground is also known for its great birding opportunities, with a sign in the campground that lists species found in the area. The Narrow Gauge Trail begins within the campground and climbs 3.4 miles to an old railroad grade. The rails were placed just three feet apart to allow trains to navigate through the rugged mountains.
The campground sits on a south-facing hillside overlooking Thompson Park. A Ponderosa pine and Gambel oak forest provides shade in many sites. The area is hot during the summer, but cools off significantly at night.
Southwestern Colorado, part of the Four Corners region, contains over 4,000 archaeological sites and over 600 cliff dwellings. Mesa Verde National Park is 1 hour and 45 minutes south, close enough for a day trip. Other sites within a few hour's drive include the Anasazi Heritage Center in Dolores, Canyon of the Ancients and Hovenweep National Monument.
Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee.__ A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. Group Sites Group Facility (including Cabins and Lookouts): A visitor who cancels a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite.____ Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive.__ In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.
$24 / night
Nestled in a protected box canyon surrounded by high cliffs of Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine and just minutes to downtown Durango, the 27-acre HTR Durango (formerly Lightner Creek Campground) is located on a seasonal mountain stream, making it an ideal setting for nature lovers of all ages.
United Campground has been a family owned and operated park for over 40 years. Located on the banks of the Animas River, Trolley Line and on the north edge of city limits, just 4 miles from Downtown Durango. Our campground offers over 100 level RV sites with water, electric and sewer, many shade trees and over 90 grassy and shaded tent sites. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs right through the park. As your hosts, we want to help make your trip to Durango a memorable one.
We are a family friendly park so bring your kids, grandkids and furry kids- we can't wait to see you!
$45 - $70 / night
Reasonable prices & open during the winter.
The lake is beautiful and a great trail network around the camp, good for trail running.
Clean, hot showers and large laundry room.
One of the more beautiful RV sites, sitting along the silverton & Durango tourist train.
However given we don’t even plug in, $78 including tax is too expensive for us.
Very well maintained campground. Stayed in tent. Bathroom and shower new and very clean. Excellent views.
Monday evening, third week of September site 25. Quiet. Well spaced sites. Sloped towards lake. At least this site and 26 would be difficult to find level spot for tent and requires lots of rocks or blocks to level rv. Note west side of lake campsites are 6 miles from US160. Deer came out around 6 pm. Bear area, none seen. Nice stopping place.
This is a National Forests campground, and many of the sites have electricity, but nothing else. The sites are reasonably graded gravel sites. Some are pull-thru while others are back-in.
Don’t let the dilapidated mobile home near the entrance scare you away. This place is super well maintained. Every site is well thought out and has great hookups. I thought a plug water and sewer was pretty uniform. Our site had a pedestal with 20/30/50 amp and then another with 30 20 feet further into the site. Lots of shade. The sites along the south edge of the property have amazing views of the Cortez valley and Sleeping Ute Mountain. Really nice communal fire pit, dog park and some trails too. Some sites have a beautiful brick fire ring too.
Fine for a night. Didn’t think it was anything special but there are showers. Good price
I value space, privacy, value and and quality of the area. This is a old campground purchased by a multi park company. It is on a twisty, multi curved 2 lane about 7 miles from downtown Durango. It is in what is/was a beautiful small canyon with numerous aspen and other trees. It has a creek which flows part of the year. That said, it is crowded, with your neighbors sewer connection next to your picnic table. The spaces are short. If your RV/toad or travel trailer plus pickup is much over 48 feet, you'll be out in the road. They WILL put you in too small a space. My pickup, parked overnight was damaged by someone trying to make the too tight turn at the end of the campground. The beauty of the place is totally compromised by not just the rv spaces but multiple cabins dotting the hills around and tent sites, etc. etc. If you value quality of experience , this is not the place for you.
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 !
The tent space#2 that we stayed in was barely a site. Carved out of the slope, the quite small site was not flat, limiting the way we could sleep.
The ground was covered with coarse wood chips– hardly an ideal surface to place a tent on. Both#1 and#3 sites seemed to be in the middle of the drive, making you feel like you were intruding just to leave the site.
#1 was also small and delineated with the same wood chips on the ground. Glad we didn’t get stuck there.
The larger RV/camper sites appeared to be quite nice. The pool was a welcome benefit.
A very nice campground with first-come, first-served sites for $20 a night. The internet reception ranges from okay to excellent, depending on the site. The pit toilets are impeccable – they really couldn't be cleaner. Unfortunately, there is no water or trash station. However, you can refill portable water affordably at the Hydration Station in Durango or for free at the Durango Montessori School. I think $20 is a bit too expensive for the campground, but it is still appealing due to its clean pit toilets and very nice sites.
Stayed for 2 nights. Right next to Hermosa Creek trail. Such a beautiful place. The bathrooms are clean, the camp host is an awesome guy. Would definitely stay again.
Attention to detail over the top the owners obviously want to deliver and experience that is hard to beat. Cleanliness like a new house.
Simple and clean facilities; hammock stand on my site was bonus, wish I’d known to pack hammock! Quiet on a weeknight, I can see how it might have a much busier energy on summer weekends.
Right off of the highway, and that means you can hear said highway. Friendly host.
We stopped to get out of the heat wave and visit durango. Full Hookups, emptied and reloaded water tanks, did laundry, swimming pool, great showers, 1/4 mi to the park for river accees for tubing. Super friendly staff
A small but mighty campground… pull thru, back in and tent camping. Site 16 is the best…it doesn’t have sewer but you basically have a double site to your self. They offer 10% military discount…excellent WiFi, a small pool, bath house and laundromat… it’s about average price for area…($150ish) for mid week stay….very quiet…no playground for kids. Oh there is also a small stream that runs thru .
This camp is advertised as dispersed camping since it’s free but it actually has an outhouse, fire pits, and tables. Right next to the river inside a canyon it’s hella beautiful. Only tricky part is getting there. You have to have high clearance to get through the bumpy, rocky road leading to the camp. I have a crosstrek so nothing crazy though. You have to drive through some farmland to get here but don’t worry you’re going the right way. Gets very cold at night since it’s in a river canyon but other than that no complaint.
When returning from the camp it took me 20 minutes of driving on rough dirt road, a lot longer when I came in, at night, going downhill. So don’t beleive maps when it tells you you’re 5 minutes away
Stayed at site 41 where the trees block most of the sun and the site itself is pretty level. Also the site had electricity hook up but it seems turned off. Payed 13 dollars(September 9 is winter camping)for one night, but if you have a Military, Senior. Service Pass (they won’t take American the Beautiful Annual Pass) you can get half off the prices. AT&T service here is in and out, but near the pay station and east side of the lake near site 42 you can get good service. Enough to watch YouTube videos. Fishing is decent here
The campground rates drop to $13/night starting in mid September for the winter. Most bathrooms are closed and water spigots are off. The sites are level and well maintained in a beautiful tree covered area. Road is fine for low clearance vehicles.
This was such a good place to stay! First of all, manager John really saved the day when we needed to borrow a tent. He was very kind and helpful and made sure our trip continued without a hitch. The amenities are clean and convenient and we really enjoyed the shared kitchen! Perfect if you don’t want to bring kitchen supplies because it is very well stocked! Highly recommend!
Beautiful campsite, three mule deer strolled through, munching their dinner as we cooked ours. Well appointed store on site along with shower and laundry facilities. Campground had flush toilets— an appreciated amenity.
Pros: staying in MVNP!, flushing toilets and running (fresh) water everywhere, a nice variety of spots to choose from, nice showers available by the trading post
Cons: a bit pricey for what you get (40 bucks for no hookup), distance from the shower/shop requires driving, absolutely zero cell service whatsoever
We were the only campers on the west side campground. There were several campers on the east side. No water and just pit toilets on west side. Don’t know about east side. Large spots. Most have a fairly noticeable slope. Many deer and chipmunks. Nice view of lake. Nicely secluded. 5G good cell on T-Mobile. Long gravel road to west side campground.
Good showers, some of the camp sites have decent WiFi connection, fairly quiet, and wildlife (deer and prairie dogs) in camp side. Toilets not the best, lots of wasps
Don't go the wrong way on the road the ranger will get ya, lol. Stars and the moon where great. A lot of people but still super quiet by 830
When it comes to camping within Mesa Verde National Park, Morefield Campground is the only game in town. As noted by at least one other reviewer, the road from the park entrance to the campground can be challenging as it winds its way around the monolith that is the first prominent geographic feature reached once in the park.
Though the campground operator makes reservations, once in the campground site selection is first-come, first-served. After driving through the loops available for RVs and travel trailers, we selected a camp site in the Waipi Loop. The site selected was just barely adequate to accommodate our 18-foot travel trailer, but it was fairly level, requiring minimal leveling of the rig. Sites are well-spaced and close to restrooms and freshwater supplies.
We visited Mesa Verde National Park in early June 2023, well before the height of the tourist season. The camp store has not yet stocked many of the items it would probably stock later in the season so we cannot comment on how well it will fit the camper's needs later. There is a Sinclair gas station within the camp store complex, with gas available 24/7, payment is by credit/debit card. The shower facilities, located in the same complex, are free and reasonably clean though the drainage system leaves something to be desired - water accumulates in the stall and on the floor of the changing area.
We recommend Morefield Campground to visitors wishing to camp near the ruins. It is still another 15-20 miles from the campground to the ruins and museum. We encountered rain on each of the three nights we stayed so plan accordingly.
Camping near Cortez, Colorado, offers a mix of stunning landscapes and unique experiences. Whether you're looking for a cozy spot to pitch a tent or a place to park your RV, there are plenty of options to explore.
Camping near Cortez, Colorado, offers a variety of experiences, from stunning views to family-friendly activities. Whether you're in a tent or an RV, there's something for everyone to enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Cortez, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Cortez, CO is Morefield Campground — Mesa Verde National Park with a 4.3-star rating from 86 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Cortez, CO?
TheDyrt.com has all 17 glamping camping locations near Cortez, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
