Best Glamping near Gunnison National Forest

This campground is conveniently located off of I-70 just a few miles from Glenwood Springs in No Name, CO. The staff are pleasant and the office was very clean with some cute souvenirs available for purchase.

This place is EXPENSIVE. It is not worth the nightly rate. You are paying for the proximity to town and if you reserved a waterfront site, the view. The campsites are tiny, so be prepared to back your travel trailer into a tight spot and make friends with your neighbors. You will be in their campsite while setting up your rig and vice versa.

The No Name Grill & Bar was still closed when we were here (May ‘21), which was not disclosed on their site. The WiFi is a single unsecured access point near the laundry/bath house that did not work. There is no WiFi available in the actual campground. We had 2 bars of cell coverage on AT&T. Laundry is pricey too; $4/load for washer and $3/load for dryer. There is no vending for detergent or dryer sheets, so pack accordingly.

As beautiful as it was to be right next to the Colorado river, this place is not at all worth the cost. Save your money and drive the 90 miles to Grand Junction or Fruita for more affordable campgrounds with better amenities.

The Deep Lake area of Flat tops Wilderness offers a variety of scenic hikes and drives as well as 4x4 trails and great lake fishing. The drive up to this area is up a dirt road about 10 miles, the road can be a beat beat up in areas. I blew a tire on my truck on the way up. Other than that the drive up is very scenic, you will pass the deep creek overlook and can see Aspen, Beaver Creek, and Vail Ski Resorts all in the same view.

The campgrounds are very large and spaced out. We went with a large group, 5 cars and many tents and had plenty of room. Some site are able to accommodate an RV or trailers. Sites vary between open and exposed to set against the forest for shaded. Restrooms were located fairly close to our spot and i remember it being one of the cleanest vault toilets i have ever used! Each spot also has a metal fire pit with a grill over top.

Like i mentioned earlier the Deep Lake area is a great base camp to go out and explore. You will find many people driving off road vehicles around. The fishing in the lake is also very good, the Forest Service stocks the lake every year. Lastly the campground sits at 10.500 ft so it does gets chilly up there even in the middle of summer.

The reservoir has restrictions on all boats so make sure you follow the rules or else they can hit you with a huge fine. 

The campgrounds are large and can accommodate a lot of people and large and small rv’s. 

There are multiple loops near the water and a larger camping area on the north mesa overlooking the lake. Most of the sites have some sort of shade whether that is a picnic canopy or trees. The lower sites near the lake are tightly compacted but can fit RV's and have tent pads with gravel. There are trash cans placed throughout the park for easy access. 

There is a dump station, water on site, and clean bathrooms. Each loop has a camp host so the sites are clean and maintained. They are very friendly but are always on site and the quiet hours are heavily enforced.

The lake is stunning blue and large enough that you will rarely run into other people while out on it. There is a boat ramp for launching on the lake.

There are day use areas with covered picnic tables that you can hang out at and a nature trail through the marsh that you can walk.

Wow! This is a beautiful spot. The lower campground is for tents and smaller RVs, but is definitely the spot to be if you can swing it! This campground has cabins, glamping tents, tent pads and spaces for RVs. We camped in spaces 17 and 18 in the lower campground right by the river. The “resorts has a rafting company, zip line, and restaurant/bar on premises.

Pros:

• Easy to access off of I-70, but you feel a million miles away
• Gorgeous scenery all around
• Very easy access to the bike/walk trail through Glenwood Canyon
• 5 to 10 minute drive to Glenwood Springs attractions - Hot Springs, Gondola, downtown shopping a land restaurants

Cons:

• Spaces are EXTREMELY close together
• The train runs by, which is very nice to see and experience as it runs through the canyon, but at 5 am, that sucker is LOUD
• It’s a pricey campground, but could be worth it if you take advantage of all the amenities and it fits in your plans

Overall, this is a great campground. I might save it for a mid-week stay or slightly off season so you aren’t stacked on top of your neighbors.

They have a great staff that is friendly and always accessible! We have a back-in site but they have pull throughs also. There is a playground for the kids, laundry, and bathrooms with showers. They allow fires and provide a “fire pit” that is constructed from an old washer tub with legs welded on. Just ask for one at the front desk. They also sell firewood for the fire. Oh, and they come by and pick up your trash at your site between 9-5 each day just leave your bag out by the road. There are full hookups at most of the sites. The area is in walking distance of the Gunnison River and there is a nice hiking trail on the south side of the river heading west. There is also a bike path that goes back into town and up the road toward Crested Butte. On the main road (intersection of CR11 and highway 135) there is a bus stop for a free bus trip into Gunnison. The men’s bathroom had a couple of issues, the overhead light didn’t work very well and one of the toilets was malfunctioning but they got those fixed pretty quickly. There is a nice combination of shade (from the trees) and sun at all the sites.

Nice campsite right on the banks of Roaring Fork River. Small site with 10 spots, first come, first serve. Arrived on a Wednesday in July just before noon and there were several spots to pick from. Sites 4 - 7 are on the river, which was very nice, good for sleeping. There are as fire pits and tables at each campsite. Vault toilets and a water spout on site. Plenty of lodgepole pines between sites so it feels private. Trail head for Lost Man Trail is right across the street, or head east on Hwy 82 to Independence and Lost Man Lake Tail head for a nice out and back.

At Glenwood Canyon Resort you get to camp right on the Colorado River in a beautiful canyon but its definitely the most expensive tent camping I've ever paid for. Amenities are taken care of from the store at the check in station to the bar and grill that's on site. It has an awesome deck with a view of the canyon but I didn't get to enjoy it. When we checked in we were told it was pet friendly but when we went the bar tender told us our dogs weren't allowed and didn't seem happy to be there, so I had to go back to the campsite and eat and drink by myself. It's okay though because when my wife came back she said the food wasn't that great and they had no craft beer on tap. Aside from all that, the number of outdoor activities and place to see around here are endless, whitewater rafting, kayaking, skiing, mountain biking, climbing, hang gliding, disc golf, etc.......are all within a short car or bike ride and that's were all 3 stars are earned. Definitely worth it if your just passing through but there are many options around here if your staying for some time.

When we got to Rifle Gap the campsite was amazing. It had a little pavilion thing over the campsite, the campsite was enclosed by some logs and filled with gravel, it had a nice fire pit, and a picnic table! We set up and had a wonderful nighT by the fire! However, when we woke up we were covered in ants. Our tent had ants all over it and our campground was covered in thousands of ants. It even rained while we stayed there and the ants did not disappear, they were under the pavilion, in our tent, on our tent, under our tent. It was terrible. On a brighter note, 5 miles down the road from the Gap is Rifle Falls. This place is amazing and so beautiful! There are caves, falls, trails, and a hatchery at the end of one of the trails! There's also an old amphitheater that is super cool!