Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Curecanti National Recreation Area

Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Curecanti National Recreation Area

1339 Reviews of 144 Curecanti National Recreation Area Campgrounds

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  Karl G.

  Ranger

  Aug. 9, 2017

  Curecanti Creek - Curecanti National Recreation Area

  Curecanti Creek Campground

  This campsite is just west of Gunnison, CO and east of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It is in the Curecanti National Recreation Area where there are multiple campgrounds and dispersed camping sites. This review is on the Curecanti Creek campground on Morrow Point Reservoir. You can locate this campsite on the map in this link https://www.nps.gov/cure/planyourvisit/maps.htm . This campground is alongside the Gunnison River in a canyon; it is beautiful and perfect for SUPing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing. This is a free campsite and is not reservable, so come claim your spot early in the day/weekend.

  First thing you should know is this is a pack in or boat in campsite. When I camped here, I parked at Pioneer Point and hiked the Curecanti Creek Trail down the canyon to the river. The trail from the top to the water is just under 2 miles. It is a beautiful trail that follows Curecanti Creek. Be aware that there is a 900 ft elevation change from top to bottom; the trail is steep. The group I went with managed to hike with all our gear; none of us are avid hikers but are in our 20s. I wouldn't recommend bringing small children along, but I do recommend bringing your dog! If you want to boat in, I know that you can launch any type of car top boat at Pine Creek (refer back to that map).

  Once you get down to the river there is a small campsite and very small beach area. There is room for maybe 2 tents. There is also a bear box, fire pit, and apparently a vault toilet according to the NPS website, but I don't recall there being a bathroom. Our group was too big to fit at the campsite, so we went back up the trail about a mile because there is actually another campsite up the trail that has a fire pit with a grate, a picnic table, and enough room to fit 5+ tents. I definitely recommend stopping at this campsite if you have a large group, it's a shorter haul with all your gear. This campsite is to the left of the trail and to the right of the creek. There is also another campsite called Blue Creek (refer to that map again) across the river from the first campsite I mentioned. That one is right on the river and had more space; probably enough room for 3 tents. I'm not sure what else it had because I never went over there. You would need to haul down a boat to get across the river to reach that one though.

  I do recommend bringing some type of boat/raft/floatie so that you can explore the canyon. We hauled down an inflatable paddle board and paddled to Chipeta Falls (on the map) which is just east of the campsite on the river. Although the water is cold, it is calm and easy to paddle or swim in. Overall, this campsite is a little work to get to but the beauty is worth it! Not to mention, the stars at night were awesome for star gazing.

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  Mechel M.

  Traveler

  May. 22, 2018

  Gunnison KOA

  Beautiful Setting and Family Friendly

  The Gunnison KOA is in a beautiful setting with large trees that is about 75 yards from the river. The spaces are generously sized, although the camping sites could use power outlets. They are very kid and pet friendly; and have a dog park. There is a friendly donkey who roams the grounds, so make sure your 4 legged friends are okay around bigger animals. The bathrooms are clean and functional. The same could not be said for the dishwashing station that is outdoors. It is in horrible condition, including a dripping faucet. Also, be aware that you are very close to the river and there is a mosquito and moisture problem. Even with these minor problems, this is still a great place to stay.

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• 

  Max B.

  Guide

  Jun. 25, 2018

  Buffalo Pass Campground

  Dispersed camping, solitude

  Great place to camp in Colorado to avoid weekend crowds. Wide open, off the beaten path as far as Colorado goes.

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  Karl G.

  Ranger

  Sep. 1, 2017

  Telluride Town Park Campground

  Telluride Town Park

  This campsite is great if you want to do Telluride on a budget - it's free. It's right next to the town and is used a lot for Telluride's summer festivals. Its more than a campground it is also where a lot of town events are held and also has sports venues. There's also grills, bathrooms, picnic tables, a dog park, and a pond. Unless you're at a festival, the campground isn't where you will want to spend your time though. The campground is very close to Bridal Veil Falls, a huge free fall waterfall. You can drive or hike up to it, and climb around on the rocks and get blasted by cold water from the falls. It's huge. There's also a bunch of awesome hikes around Telluride - the San Juans are my favorite part of Colorado.

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  Norm M.

  Traveler

  Jun. 18, 2020

  Mountain Time RV Park & Cabins (Formerly Tall Texan)

  Our Favorite Colorado RV Camp

  This is the most beautiful RV Camp in Colorado. We come every year.

• J

  J E.

  Guide

  Jun. 12, 2019

  Ouray KOA

  Amazing, for a KOA

  We usually boondock, but stopped here for a change. Great sites, lovely staff, dog park, great BBQ, band at night ... really a top notch KOA.

• 

  David L.

  Traveler

  Oct. 26, 2020

  Riverbend RV Park & Cabins

  You get what you pay for...

  We spend three days here between some disperse camping in the region and could not say enough good things. 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.

  The Wifi was five stars which is rare in most RV parks. Super fast speeds.

  We will be back!

• 

  Joey B.

  Guide

  Nov. 13, 2020

  Oh Be Joyful Campground

  Perfect weather in October!

  Drove out with some friends from Kansas in early October this year and the views and weather was Amazing! Campsite has “fees” through an honor system so you no host to worry about you come and camp as you go here. Place has fire pits bathrooms! One of my favorite spots to camp in Colorado so far.

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  Mishel W.

  Guide

  Jul. 16, 2020

  Owl Creek Pass

  Breathtaking but NO

  This was such a magically beautiful location. The aspens were amazing, the surrounding forest, flowing river and waterfalls, and sweeping mountain scapes were breathtaking. Why only two stars? Well, first off, our campsite seemed too perfect to still be open, and it was. Unbeknownst to us, we were the only place for miles that you can get cell service, so we had 20-30 “visitors” a day drive up to our little round about spot to get a phone call or text out. That’s more people I see a day than even my own neighborhood and far more than I want to see on my outdoor exhursion.

  Ok, so we picked a bad spot.... but every place we hiked and drove was overrun with cattle. Within an hour of our arrival and set up, cows began to wander over, pooping all over the place. Cows were EVERYWHERE- all the way up to Silver Jack reservoir and further. That made the flies worse than normal. They were the only “wildlife” we saw in four days... 15-20 at a time... hundreds overall. In all of my years camping in Colorado, I’ve never experienced this. Every camper we encountered complained about it. I loved the views, but I’ll never be back to camp.

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