Best Cabin Camping near Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests

The best thing about this park was the location. It is located close to Ouray and many activities in the area. The park also offers beautiful scenery and it is a wonderful Basecamp for exploring the area. There is a state park nearby with a beautiful lake and kayaking. There are hiking trails nearby and many wonderful off road four wheel trails.

The park can accommodate big rigs and we were able to get our 38 foot 5’er into the parking and into a spot, but I would not call the park big rig friendly due to tight turns and small sites.

Amenities include a nice camp store, laundry facilities, restaurant with a nice outdoor deck, on property horseback riding, on property jeep rental, hiking trails. There were bathrooms and showers at the back of the property but it was too far to walk from the front of the property so we never used them. The laundry facilities are a little small for this sized park and we weren’t able to do laundry because it was too busy.

One big problem was electrical outages during 100° weather. The electrical system in the park just cannot keep up. Luckily we had solar and were able to maintain AC until evening hours.

There is one small hot tub that was usually very busy we didn’t use that either.

There are nice tent camping spots.

Most of the people in the park Had four wheelers or motorcycles for off-road trails. The off-road trails in this area are amazing and shouldn’t be missed. We took a tour from Ouray and thoroughly enjoyed it.

We took a horseback ride from the park and had a lovely time. The horses were very safe and great for a family experience. They also offer 15 minute rides for children.

We would stay again if we were in the area.

Campground Review

I only stayed for an overnight but I did make a reservation, although they were not full. They do close at 6pm (the office does) so late entry doesn't work unless you have made a reservation. I found my map and site info in a mailbox at the office entry. I chose to stay in the section along the river. All the way in the very last site, I think it was site 9. When I got to my site, there weren't very many other campers but I was quickly greeted by a man in a golf cart. Turns out he was the camp host. He was really coming down to view the sunset, which was very nice, but he also chatted with me for a bit.

The site itself was quite small. It was a good thing I had a very small tent. I spent a bit of time just trying to decide where I'd put it due to signs stating no camping beyond a certain point. The camp host kind of sorted it out with me. But I have a tiny two man tent and it was the perfect size for it. There was a picnic table, what appeared to be a brand new firing (this campground is new) and an electric outlet. Of course, there was also the fabulous view of the Colorado River just about 200 feet away. The bathrooms were up the ridge, although there was a porta potty just at the end of the riverfront sites. The bathrooms were pretty extravagant. Heated, flush toilets, free showers, running water sinks, mirrors galore. There were also family restrooms, I did not explore those. Laundry facilities were also onsite. Along with greenhouses, gardens, a swimming pool and a hot tub. What looked like an area to have a gathering with a grill. There was a trail that went around the park too. Up until recently the Colorado River has been too low to fish but I imagine fishing is about to get better now that it's really flowing.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - today I am testing Morsel Sporks. I went with the XL Morsel Sporks because we do a lot of eating out of a bag when we are in fire bans, which is often. This trip was no exception, except we are not in a fire ban. At first glance, these sporks seem really durable. Which is good, camping can be rough on utensils. I noted the spoon on one end and the rubber edge for getting every last bit, also the fork with the knife like edge on it. I did use the knife like edge to cut ham and it worked fairly well, not as well as an actual knife but that can be expected. The meals I had this trip made more use of the spoon then the fork. I had a chowder for dinner, which I transferred to a bowl due to the bag it came in being too narrow to really use the morsel spork. The other meal was granola and that package was perfect for the morsel spork. I didn't have any trouble with the spoon for mixing or eating. It held a good amount of food. The spork fit in my mouth well, I have a small mouth and sometimes if a utensil is too big it can be difficult to get in my mouth, but this fit well. They were so simple to clean too. I was using just a jetboil and was able to get my morsel sporks completely clean. Food didn't get stuck anywhere. Another feature that may become useful is the hole on the end of the fork that I could use to attach my spork to my bike while I travel. They are dishwasher safe and BPA free so I am confidant that I can add these sporks to my camping routine.

Nestled in a valley with beautiful view next to Uncompahgre River with wonderful walking path. Gravel parking right off hwy 550. Laundry, showers, restaurant. Primitive cabins and fully equipped cabins. Very friendly staff. Pet friendly. Close to uptown shopping and eating & grocery store. Pull thru and back in sites. Overflow parking for extra vehicles for a charge. Down side-you have to trailer to trailheads for SXS riding. Most tail heads are small parking areas but the riding in the mountains is priceless. Been here twice, same site and would go again.