Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Gardner, CO is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Gardner is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Gardner, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
$25 - $169 / night
"There are around 90 primitive tent only campsites here in addition to a couple dozen RV sites, cabins, and a mini lodge."
"Booked a last minute RV spot at Great Sand Dunes Oasis.
The bad:
The park is not much to look at. The gravel roads and store parking area are in dire need of maintenance; buckle up."
$36 - $250 / night
"A little close together and close to the highway. Expect some traffic noise throughout the night. Large park with fishing, hiking and more."
"Not all sites were open and the park was not crowded at all. The bathrooms were open and the weather was beautiful. The sites are all pull through and private."
$25 / night
"We lucked out on a first come-first served spot on a Friday - spot #10 is tent only, by a creek and several private trails. The camp was quiet with a vault toilet nearby."
"The sites are separated from each other with plenty of trees & space. The sound of the nearby river is very relaxing."
"There are sites for every type of camper: tent, trailer, RV, glamping and cabins. This is a somewhat small but well maintained private campground with lots of simple amenities."
"Although with the COVID-19 virus going around the folks camping seem to be a little light and it does fill up fairly well on weekend campers it's a diamond in the rough for a place to be away from the"
"A very welcoming place with warm camping cabins. I recommend it."
"We wanted to stay at the state park in Trinidad and in the summer, we definitely would do that. But it’s December and it’s cold and this park has full hookups unlike the state park (electric only)."
$130 / night
"This was a great cabin to stay in for our family. It is a nice size living area, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom."
$28 - $225 / night
"You need to pay for site, $9 entrance fee, and showers (50 cents for 4 minutes, etc.).
Lake for fishing, jetskiing, swimming. Hogback Trail and other trails."
"The electric sites fill up quickly. Staff was nice and helpful at station. Pit toilet was clean. Winds were forceful and crazy at night. Maybe a storm was coming. I would stay here again."
$44 - $51 / night
"Had excellent communication by email to guide us to the park. Very well run Clean bath and laundry room. Large camp spots with Large shading trees. Excellent WiFi."
"Easy spot over the border in Colorado. We were there as a jump off to head further West from North Texas area and made it well before dark to hook up. Nice clean park with all the amenities."
"We stayed in the overflow tent area are which was nice because it was a little bit further away from the more crowded part of the campground."
"We booked this cabin for the cheap price and didn’t even know about the on-site hot spring until we got there. It’s a bit quirky but we loved it and I am waiting for the right moment to go back."
GuideA large campground at the foot of the southern San Isabel mountain range. When you first drive in there are secluded tent spots, then small cabins. There are many spots all around the lake, with large tenter sites on the opposite bank of the lake. We set up amongst the trees in a relatively open spot but there weren’t many campers there so it was no problem. Had a view of the lake and a vault toilet nearby (it was pretty disgusting). Clean showers/toilets on other side of lake. No picnic table on site, but it did have a box grill and a fire pit — burn ban was in effect though. A little stream nearby. Camp store, restaurant, boat rental on site. In all we were thankful for a spot in the summer with no reservations.
TravelerA little close together and close to the highway. Expect some traffic noise throughout the night. Large park with fishing, hiking and more. Picnic tables (some with shelters), fire rings and vault toilets available thoughout the tent camping site, rv hookups and playground also available.
LegendThe Alamosa KOA was chosen by our family because we like to have the option for swimming at the end of a hard day of play in the National Parks. We made our reservation for our site in March, a mere three months before our mid-week, June 7 arrival.
This KOA has a nice sized heated, outdoor pool with reasonable hours, closing around 8:00 PM. The pool temperature was warm enough for even the adults to slip right into it. There is also a fantastic playground with updated equipment, including an elevated tunnel system that ends with safety slides. When you have a small child who loves to play, especially a special needs child, this is a big deal! Other amenities include showers and laundry facilities (we did not use either but they looked nice). Wi-Fi is advertised, and the signal is available, but was not even fast or reliable enough to load photos from Instagram or Twitter. Streaming would be out of the question, but it would probably suffice for checking email.
One of the more unique benefits offered at this KOA include on-site Hunt Brothers Pizza and breadsticks. Not only can you get hot, fresh pizza here, made to order, but they will deliver it to your site! In addition, they deliver wood and ice. This site also offers a weekend pancake breakfast (seasonal).
The RV sites were leveled very well, and they have both 30-amp and 50-amp sites available. There are small shade trees scattered throughout the camping area, but they are still quite young and small. I read some previous reviews that felt the sites were too close together. Although there was little privacy, we have certainly had less room between sites than we had in Alamosa. Perhaps with slide-outs it might be more compact, but our little Starcraft fit in just fine. In addition to RV sites, there are tent sites and camping cabins available.
Our take-away from Alamosa KOA: The view from the campsite and the kindness and helpfulness of the hosts, the Martin family, make this a return-trip campground for sure! Any questions for us about this site? Leave them in the comments below!
GuideNational forest cabin that is affordable. Very rustic with no water and only one outlet. Cabin has an outhouse that is fifty feet from cabin. Located in a great area with San Isabel lake and Bishops castle near by. Lots of hiking and off roading near by. Two bedrooms upstairs and day bed down. Interesting history to the cabin, read about it before you go.
ScoutThere are around 90 primitive tent only campsites here in addition to a couple dozen RV sites, cabins, and a mini lodge.
$25/night for a tent only site, but the location to the park can’t be beat and the fee includes two showers (unlimited time).
Some sites have picnic tables (not in the best shape) and all have fire rings.
The general store is open from 8am-8pm, along with the restaurant. Everything was pretty reasonably priced and the food was good. They also rent boards for surfing the sand dunes.
The view of the sunset and Milky Way were priceless. We would definitely return.
GuideBooked a last minute RV spot at Great Sand Dunes Oasis.
The bad:
The park is not much to look at. The gravel roads and store parking area are in dire need of maintenance; buckle up. There are 20 RV spots all stacked in right on top of each other. The wind was awful and there is nothing to block it. There’s really nothing between the sites but a little strip with a picnic table and small fire ring, and a small tree.
The good:
The bathrooms and showers were incredibly clean. The person I dealt with on the phone was very accommodating and set us up for after-hours check-in. There was a small playground area near the RV sites. Above the RV sites were cabins and a lodge. They rent Sand sleds to use at the park, $20 each + wax for the day. There is a beautiful view of the dunes from the park.
The restaurant had not opened yet so I have no opinion of that. The store had just opened and was not fully stocked.
RV sites were pull-through but it’s pretty tight on your passenger side pulling in.
All said, I would return to this park again. It is a good place to use as a home base while you explore Great Sand Dunes National Park. Trust me: you will need to shower the sand off.
ScoutThis campground has everything you need. Trash pick up, firewood delivery pick nick tables and fire rings at every site. There is a well stocked store with ice, propane, firewood etc. We showed up on a Saturday and there was rock painting and $2 ice cream for the kids right next to the playground. If you want a quieter site however be sure to request something AWAY from the playground! It’s pretty noisy with the kids. Staff is great, views are good and the Sand Dunes are 1/2 hr away. Oh, they have free WiFi and hot showers as well. Kinda deluxe.
TravelerColorado State Parks are expensive. We had a VERY basic site with communal water & vault toilets for $28 + $9 day fee. Nice picnic tables & fire rings though. Way too close to the highway — noisy! Plus helicopter overhead made sleep difficult.
TravelerWe loved this camp site! It was our first time to tent camp in Colorado and it was great. Several sites to choose from. Some have views of the dunes, some are more secluded. Bathrooms were clean. Very spacious tent site with a fire pit. Our tent sleeps 6 and we had no trouble fitting in the spot.
Experience the beauty of cabin camping near Gardner, Colorado, where stunning landscapes and outdoor adventures await.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Gardner, CO is Great Sand Dunes Oasis with a 4.2-star rating from 53 reviews.
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