Best Cabin Camping near Monarch, CO

This campground is an absolute dump run by dishonest crooks. We stayed here in October on a night that it got below freezing and snowed. We were put in a cabin that had a 2-inch gap between the bottom of the door and threshold. The heater was more like a hair dryer and didn’t warm the cabin. It was 40 degrees in the cabin so we didn’t sleep. The floor crunched while walking on it and the platform bed was metal. When we got off the bed there was a loud bang. When we tried to get a refund from the owners she blamed us and said the problem was we didn’t understand rustic cabins. We have stayed in rustic cabins in the cold months for 10 years and never experienced this. There are many places in Buena Vista…take your business elsewhere.

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.

This was a very well kept campground. They were always watering grass, which the kiddos loved the sprinklers. We stayed in the smallest cabin they had, but it had AC, bathroom with shower, and small kitchen. Owners were very nice. There are a lot of mobile homes here that people seem to have purchased, but it wasn’t overly crowded with them or additional campers. RV spaces were semi-close together, but you didn’t hear your neighbors very much. Recommend getting a spot on the East side so you could have an actual lake view since it is technically across the highway from the lake. Speed limit was a strict 5 mph and they enforced it! Playground was a little older, but the kiddos liked it. Their little store had everything that you may have forgotten at home.

Just going to start by saying that camping is not why people come here -- it’s for the waters!  The spa offers numerous pools and tubs at varying temperatures so you can find your joyful spot– be sure to check out the cold plunge pool as well. 

The RV spots are on one side of the large parking lot, with the hook up spaces in the middle, with non-electric spots running around two of the outside sides. We were in one of these spots because we run completely on solar to save money. There are zero trees around the lot so sunshine was plentiful. 

The bathrooms were clean, modern and nice, as was the small, shared kitchen where we could do dishes. In addition to camping the resort offers hotel rooms, private yurts, tipis, conference rooms and other hotel services. In addition to the soaking being included in the price, so was a buffet style breakfast and dinner. The food was delicious, and veggie/ organic friendly. The whole experience was very reasonably priced and relaxing!

There’s a lot of hiking nearby, in the mountains to the north, west and east- but definitely a drive away. We didn’t check out the walking path in the spa, but they did offer yoga classes in the yurt as well as private massages services and a host of other spa treatments. 

There aren’t a lot of nearby towns that offer larger grocery stores, Crestone has a small co-op grocery as does Buena Vista, so if you are planning on cooking for yourself, come prepared.