Best Tent Camping near De Beque, CO

General: A mix of pull-thru RV sites, back-in van sites, and walk-in tent sites. We called about two weeks prior and were happy to secure a site on a Saturday at the very end of April. This campground is located right on I70 so you will definitely hear highway noise (and occasional train noise). The sites are stacked on a hillside and as would be expected in an RV park, there is little separation/privacy between sites. The road in is a bit rough but so were many of the area roads after a harsh winter. 

Site Quality: Sites are gravel. Site 55 was just long enough for our 18-foot van to fit. Not all of the van sites had picnic tables, but our site had a table where we could set up our camp stove and we ate inside our van. It also looked like there was a gas grill that might be shared for the van sites, but we didn’t inquire about it/use it. We had a fire pit but didn’t use it. Fires are NOT permitted in the RV sites and although there was a sign indicating a fire ban, you could speak with the office to see if fires are currently permitted in designated campfire pits. 

Bath/Shower house: Was very clean and nicely appointed. Did not use the shower. 

We chose this campground knowing we would hear highway noise, but it was a convenient location for our hike to Hanging Lake the next day. Craig was very welcoming both on the phone and upon our arrival.

This campground is near the visitor center just off the rim road, about a 25 mile road from one entrance to the other. There are several hiking trails for exploring the Colorado National Monument; you could keep busy for a couple days or more, depending on how much you enjoy hiking. There is also rock climbing.

The campground has 3 loops:

• A: no reservations, open year round

• B: reservations and walkup. If you have a reservation, your site will have a "Reserved" sign along with dates and your last name. No check in is required. Open sites have an "Open" sign.

• C: doesn't show up on recreation.gov so it looks like it is also walkup. I think groups can reserve it. There are tent pads which I didn't see in A and B (but you can pitch a tent in A and B). Only tents and truck campers are allowed, and no generators are allowed in loop C.

Bathrooms seem fairly new with auto flush toilets, motion sensor faucets and hand dryers. There is potable water at various locations clearly marked with a "water" sign. No electric, water or sewer at sites.

There are a few "driveway" styles in loops A and B: back in/pull in, pull alongside and pull through. Picnic tables and grills are back among juniper and pine trees, and you can pitch a tent. I would stay in loop C if I had a tent...very nice sites.

And the views are beautiful, especially at sunset.

This is one of several campgrounds noted in the larger Rabbit Valley Area. This CG is on the north side of the I70 interchange and seems to be more for the nonmotorized folks. However, the gravel road up to the top of the ridge was very steep and a couple sections gave me pause hauling my 18 ft TT. Total of 15 sites. In 2023 a new fee and reservation system started ($20/$10), no FCFS...7 day camping limit, with picnic tables and fire rings. One vault toilet. NO trash dumpsters noted, NO WATER, no RV DUMP. CG roads on top are all improved gravel and cabling keeps vehicles restricted. Cell signal is great, 5 bars LTE all carriers due to proximity to the freeway. Negative is truck noise constant in background from I70, so only three star rating, because of reservation system and no FCFS sites, a one nite stay will cost ya $8 reservation fee!

We stayed at the Grand Junction KOA when driving cross country from CA to NY a few years back. We drove to Grand Junction CO after a long day of hiking and tubing in Zion National Park - we arrived very late, and without a reservation. Even though it was after hours, we were able to choose a tent site then pay for the night at an iron ranger at the front office.

Our site had a patch of green grass to set our tent up on, as well as a picnic table and fire pit (that we never utilized, we just set up our tent and fell into our sleeping bags). The sites had little log fences separating the spaces.

The GJ KOA had very nice, clean facilities - having a hot shower in a clean locker room was a great way to start the morning. Wifi was available, which is always a plus.

The campground (kampground, haha) is pretty far outside of Grand Junction, and is in an industrial area, so we were initially a little sketched out and hesitant about stopping, since we were two women in their early 20s traveling alone. But once we got inside the campground and saw the layout of the grounds, we felt very safe and secure.

We were glad we decided to stop at the Grand Junction KOA, as it was a nice, clean, and safe place to stop for the night. KOAs are not my go-to type of campground for camping, but they are an easy, safe, and cheap spot to stop for the night if you don’t want to spend money on a hotel.

CAMPSITE SPECS

Fees: $26/night

Plumbed Toilets: Yes

Drinking Water: Yes

Showers: Yes (no coins needed)

Picnic Table: Yes

Firepit: Yes

Cooking Grates: ?

Shade: Yes

Cell Service: Yes + Wifi

Animal Bins/Food Lockers: NO

Trash: Yes

I arrived at this campground on top the Mesa. First I always thought the Mesa would be flat and by god it’s more than flat, it’s beautiful. The mosquitos were like mini vampires. Beside that, the Forrest and lakes were wonderful. The fishing was great. Lots of folks catching there limits.

The campsites are hit or miss if you are tent camping. Some of them are on slopes and are only good for an RV however we did sent you tents in the pull through sites. We reserved sites 1, 9, 10, 11.

Site 1 is fabulous, on the lake and great for tents or a pop up.

Site 9 is a pull through site. Has one flat spot for a tent but besides that it is next to the hiking trail and the wildlife is all around. Morning deer to chipmunks :)

Site 10 is very large for a group site per say.

Site 11 was nice and held 3 tents.

Each site has modern camp fire rings. The campground offers large wood bundles for $10.