Best Glamping near Gunnison, CO

Favorite spot to go glamping. Pay showers (4 mins for 4 quarters) and there is power at the campsite. The hosts are always nice and other campers have been polite about quiet time etc...it's only a 22 min drive to the newly renovated hot springs pool. It's very hot during the day, but cools off at night. The beach is great if you can get a grassy area to put towels down. Love going here for a clean camping experience.

Ridgway State Park was a convenient location for my trip through Colorado to Utah. After a stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison Ridgway was a great spot to stop for an overnight out of any city. At the Dakota Terraces there are only a handful of spots for tents so if you know you are going to camp here make a reservation. This was a last minute stop on our trip and I snagged the last tent spot in the campground. They have full facilities and even a few Yurts you can rent for larger parties that looked like fun. Didn't stay long because we were only looking for a spot for the night. The only downfall is that the site were very close together and this is more of an RV Campground.

Beautiful views of the mountains and a 5-mile long reservoir make this campground pretty spectacular. You can even rent one of the 3 yurts if you like. You are also only about 10 minutes from the Orvis Hot Springs and a great BBQ place called Welded Elephant BBQ Shack.

In addition to plenty of tent and RV sites, Ridgeway SP also has three heated and furnished yurts for those seeking an enhanced comfort level. Each unit includes a fridge, futon type beds, dinner table and chairs. Bring your fishing poles, hiking shoes, water craft and dogs, cause they're all allowed.

The park is beautiful, covered in trees, almost all sites are shaded.  We have 103 RV Sites, 5 cabins and 6 tent sites.  Facilities include a clubhouse/office, pavillion, laundry facilities and a great bathroom/shower facility.  Located just 2 miles north of downtown Gunnison, just before the Gunnison River.

We also have the best internet in the area!!

We stayed here for 7 nights, and loved it. Not much shade is the only negative. Beautiful swimming beach, plenty of hiking trails. Restrooms were always clean. 

Close to Black Canyon of the Gunnison ( main reason we booked it), Ouray,Telluride, Silverton. Several good golf courses nearby. Montrose is about 24 miles away, has all the grocery & fuel needs. 

I'd definitely return if in the area.

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.

Pro: Nice clean campground by a lake. Free showers. Clean bathrooms. Laundry facilities on site. Just a short drive to Montrose (Walmart, Target, etc) and Black Hills of the Gunnison National Park. Ouray and Telluride are nearby as well.

Con: Minimal shade - which is less than ideal on a hot summer day. Some sites have a shelter over the picnic table - others don't. I utilized a pop up canopy and clipped a tarp on the side that faced the sun. It's also not far off the highway... So there is the faint sound of cars driving by.

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.

Driving through Colorado in the fall there is nothing which can compare. Mild days and cool nights equate to perfect camping for those who are a bit adventurous and that is a term which suits me to a T!

I found myself in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison area in early October.  As I happened to be driving I noticed signs for the National Park, which otherwise I didn’t know was even there.  I took a turn and drove up the winding paved path, used my park pass and loved what I found.  It was like a dark canyon of steep embankments.  I could see for what seemed like forever downward to the waters which cut through the canyon.

I went on the short distance to the visitor center before deciding I wanted to check out the camping at this facility and when I did so I was so excited.  The campgrounds just were a continuation of the amazing views and because it was fall, the site was not full.

Sites were average size and offered great views.  It looked like mostly a tent zone which was nice, although it did look like perhaps it could accommodate an RV, though there were not any present when I was there.  

The campground had several bear boxes around, which kind of made it all seem so real about the wildlife presence in the area.  There were also a few water spouts available and vault toilets nearby.  Picnic tables were scattered and in good condition.

Something that makes this site unlike many in Colorado area was that I didn’t see any scheduled closures posted. Many sites in the state close with weather and do not offer services, this one might do the same but I saw no obvious postings to indicate such.

My site was $16, which was not bad considering the views and access to trails.  You could easily follow the roads and find something of interest is you were not wanting to hike and had a lot of information available just a short distance ahead at the visitor center.

TIPS:

• This is not a fill up station for your water reserves as water is limited at these points.
• Check out a trip down to the river if you have an opportunity, it is amazing from above but the access below displays an entire different ecosystem of vegetation and animals.
• Drive slowly on roads leading up to your turn, this area is heavily patrolled and it is easy to miss speed limit signs in the area.

We originally had a tent site in Elk Ridge, but our friends with an RV couldn't get a site on that side of the park for the same dates.  Rather than have the 8 kids between us so far apart, we decided to get a tent site in Pa-Co.  We got #294, primarily because the tent sites are about 50 yards from the parking lot, and with 6 of us we haul a lot of stuff.  294 was one of the closest to the parking lot, with the downside it was also closest to the pit toilet.  If it was just two people with a couple backpacks this is a great location as you don't have any car noise and you're not hauling much, but for us it was a pain.

It was a beautiful view of the river from the site.  Sites are small and fairly close together but it was a quiet campground.  The bathroom wasn't a problem except for a couple of hours when it seemed like someone left a door open and the wind was blowing our direction.

Our tent is massive, and too big for the 10x10 space for tents at the site so we had to do some moving around but made it work.  I'd bring our smaller one next time.  The tent campground is well maintained and quiet, and the weather is great in the summer as the river keeps it cool.  The RV site our friend has didn't have a lot of trees and was close to the highway, so for just hanging out ours was preferable.  

Unfortunately the showers at the shower house about 100 yards away were closed due to COVID, but the weather is cool and dry mostly so not a big deal.  The shower house and laundry were very well kept, and the campground hosts were very friendly.   Firewood was $5 and I believe ice was only $1.  

The park overall was great.  We drove to the other parts to rent paddleboards and had a great time - very reasonably priced.   It worked well as a base for side trips, as Ouray and Ridgway were easy to get to, as was Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP.

One of the most beautiful camping experiences we've had. Camped one night on our road trip throughout southwestern Colorado. Campsites over look the canyon.

Stayed here while thru hiking the colorado trail, what a wonderful time! Salida is a quick drive away and the trail is only a mile up the road. Staff was incredible and store well stocked. Taking covid seriously too! Thanks Monarch!

This is one of the best campsites we have visited in Colorado. It’s located a few miles north of Buena Vista Colorado next to the Arkansas River. The site has terrific walk-in tent sites along the river as well as group picnic facilities and drive camping for campers and vans. They have a huge boat launch to access the world class white water rapids on the Arkansas River. The site has about a 30 campsites and was only about half full during g the summer peak. The access road is dirt but flat graded. They have a camp host on site. The sites have fire rings and picnic tables. The facilities are new and well maintained. The river is powerful and campers with kids should take care. Great hiking and rock climbing in the area. This is a must see.

Nice campground with spacious sites. Concrete pads under the picnic table and fire pits. Water access nearby. Bathrooms were super clean and the showers were nice and hot. Laundry facilities available. We stayed on D-183 and had a nice view of the mountains and the lake. Definitely one of the best state park campgrounds in Colorado.

We tent camped here on an amazing tent deck.  Our first experience with this!  We love this part of Colorado.  So many beautiful sites to see and things to do.  We have family to visit here, as well.

Stayed here in the month of August when you have to watch for those pesky but awesome thunderstorms.  

Well maintained campground with clean facilities.  We'll definitely be back!

I've. been visiting this area of Colorado since childhood so it has special meaning for me. We remember the area BEFORE there was a reservoir!  This campground doesn't disappoint!  Our site had a view of Courthouse Peak.  The area feels natural and sites are spaced out. We had water and electric.  There's a dump station on site.

We only had one night here, it was the last night of the season for our area and the next nights were full.

Popular campground likely requires advance reservations for peak season.

S I liked everything about this campsite, it was clean, spaced out so no one was too crowded, and a beautiful area. What I DIDNT like was that I was accused of being here for more than 2 weeks while I have only been here for 8 days. And then was told I wasnt allowed to camp at free sites unless I had proof of a physical address in Colorado. I'm from Michigan and was vacationing here. Can someone explain to me HOW that makes sense? I rented out a place at my boss's house before I came to this campsite and she told me that doesnt count. Sorry for the long rant, just doesn't make sense to me.

This campground is located on hillside just off of Hwy  50 approximately 6 miles west of Salida, Colorado. A beautiful location. We stayed here two nights in June, knowing this is a relatively new KOA that used to be a private campground. We would have left at the end of the first day except that we met friends there and wanted to continue our visit with them. Water pressure was almost non-existent (we had to use our own water pump in the RV) and Wi-Fi was almost non-existent during peak times.

This campground is definitely not up to the standards of a KOA. We have stayed in at least 16 0thers. I am aware there are other nice campgrounds in this area competitively priced.

Management at the campground have registered our complaint, but no ne on their team was present to do anything. Staff was new and expressed their regrets for our complaint.

My wife and I stayed here in March of 2022. The campground was awesome and there didn’t seem to be a bad spot in the entire loop. Good views of the San Juan Mountains to the south! Power hook-ups were nice, but no water hook-ups during “winter” months. With that said, there was community spigots located near the campsites that were still on if you need to top off your fresh water tanks. The dump station was also nice, but no running water there during the winter either.

The location of this place was perfect for us as we were there for skiing; One hour from Telluride, one hour from Silverton, and only 30 minutes from the Red Mountain backcountry skiing area.

Ridgway Colorado is only a few miles down the road if you need gas or supplies, and Ouray is just past that if you’re looking for great restaurants and breweries.

**Campground Review **

I initially found this campground while searching on The Dyrt for a place to camp near Buena Vista for a weekend. I camped here in May with a group of friends as we spent the weekend rafting near Buena Vista on the Arkansas River. 

The road leading up to the campground isn’t paved but doesn’t require any technical or 4x4 driving. However, if you pass the campground and continue down the road (as we initially did) the road gets much rougher and requires high clearance and 4x4. We also saw some sweet dispersed camping sites along the road past the Turtle Rock Campground which could be useful if the campground itself is ever filled up. 

Overall, I was quite impressed with this campground. It is simple but well maintained and met all of our needs. Each site has a fire pit and ample space for group camping. Our group consisted of 4 tents and 4 vehicles, our site had plenty of space for parking and for all of tents to be quite well spaced out. Most of the sites also offer trees for shade which will be nice in the warmer months. The views from this campground are incredible, seriously some of the best in the state. We climbed up Turtle Rock itself (a bit of scramble so use caution!) for the sunset one night and the views were top notch. I will definitely stay here again whenever I am in the area. 

**Product Review **

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I sometimes have the opportunity to review products that I use while camping. On this trip I got to test out an ICEMULE Cooler, specifically the ICEMULE Pro Large (23L). This trip seemed like a great opportunity to test a cooler because Colorado was finally warming up enough for us to want some cold beer while camping and rafting! By the end of the trip, everyone from our group was jealous of my awesome cooler and wanted to buy their own! 

This backpack cooler is seriously awesome, it has a massive capacity and easily held enough a day’s worth of food and drinks for 6 people on the river. With all of that weight, I was a bit skeptical about the comfort level when using it as a backpack. I was really impressed about how ergonomically the straps and breathable back panel felt. This is such an efficient way to carry your cold goods while out on an adventure. We were also able to just strap it right onto our raft and had no worries about a heavy cooler flying out on the rapids. Furthermore, I had no fear of the cooler getting destroyed while being tossed around the boat or scraping on the rocky ground because the material is really durable. It really seems like a product that is going to last a lifetime.  

So with any cooler, the real question is, will it keep my drinks cold? Heck. Yeah. After two days, I still had ice in the cooler and not a single warm beer was consumed on our trip. For being so lightweight, I was shocked with how well insulated this cooler is. There is also a really cool (no pun intended) valve which allows you to add air into the insulation layer to increase the insulating power! Then when finished using the cooler, you can open the valve to release all of the air and roll up the bag into a super compact size. This is one of my favorite features, because the cooler really takes up no space or weight for efficient storage. I’m excited to pack it along on some backpacking trips this summer as well! 

In the end, I think this is one of my favorite new pieces of gear. Since getting the cooler I have used it at least once a week; I’ve used it for camping, rafting, skiing, tailgating and even carried it while riding horses on a trail ride! I don’t think I will ever go back to a standard hard-shelled cooler after getting my ICEMULE. You really can’t beat the durability, carrying comfort, insulation and compact storage design.