Best Equestrian Camping near Pagosa Springs, CO

This privately owned campground feels like Colorado-at peace-to me.  Campgrounds, especially in the times of Covid are filled to the brim these days and that means a different type of experience complete with sometimes noisy neighbors, lots of vehicles and generators running at all hours.  

This. Place. Is. Peaceful.  

Your first look at the view on the way in to the camoground office should make you want to take a big breath of fresh CO air and leave the worries of the world behind.  

The owners/workers were all as friendly as can be and seemed extremely genuine in providing everyone an enjoyable experience. There are 3 ponds on property for fishing and there are some whoppers in there!  Do keep in mind, you need to get a permit at the office to partake in being an angler for the day.  

The campsites themselves are well spaced, shady, pretty level and have full hookups.  What more could you want?  They have even separated the RV area from the tent camping area which I find to be the most enjoyable for all parties involved.

As for the general area-you can't go wrong no matter which direction you go.  Pagosa Springs is a lovely town with everything you could need.  There are too many fishing opportunities to name in the area, and a MUST see-Treasure Falls-it's quite literally .5 miles from the campground entrance.

This campground is in a secluded lovely valley on the south fork of the white river. Good fishing opportunities and trails for hiking and horseback riding. Spring cave is open seasonally April 15-aug15 with permit required to protect the bats from White nose syndrome. The cave is beautiful, and also wet and cold. Helmet and lights and good warm clothes are essential!

Campsites are close together, some smaller and some better or groups. Site#5 can fit 4-5 tents. Pit toilets which are kept very clean by camp host. Equestrian trailer parking available.

Very sweet camp hosts that provided water. Clean bathrooms and large camp spots. There is horse/cattle stalls if you need. High elevation and lots of shade. Was a little chilly at night in early may. Close to nice climbing off the 550. Also close to above ground hot spring.

We stumbled upon this campsite through Dyrt. We left on a 10 day honeymoon to the mountains with no real plans. This was our first time to the Silverton area and this spot was perfect for us to spend two nights. The spot we camped at was the first one when you pull in. This spot would be great for large campers or campers with horses/trailers. It had several large pines for us to put our tent between to help with the rain coverage as it rained both nights we were there. This spot is closer to the highway but we weren't there during the day and at night there was not a lot of road noise. We did have to drive to the bathrooms from this site due to the rain and distance. Would stay here again.

Nestled next to the Rio Grande River hand its gorgeous. This is the Rio Grande in Colorado so there's plenty of running water for tubing, rafting and fishing.

The website listed for this campground is correct Ponderosa campground Antonito, CO.

Phone 719.376.5857

This is a very relaxing place to stay and it seems like most of the people there have been there many times before. The drive in is easy on Route 17 and does not require a vehicle with high ground clearance. They do allow campfires, they have clean bathrooms and a shower house. I stayed in a backpacking tent after driving all day arriving on a Friday at about 4:00 PM. The campground is set-up for small campers and has some cabins for rent too. The bathrooms with showers are clean and comfortable. The sites have fire rings with grates and picnic tables. The owner manager is great, providing quality fishing advice, conversation and even a free cup of coffee in the morning. Hiking on the CDT is near the campground and fishing is right in the campground. The steam train is right up the pass and I happened to be there the night before opening day catching a photo when I drove over the pass to Chama New Mexico. The Cumbres and Toltec Train traveling between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico. This is a very nice drive and Chama is a cool place to visit, it is a trail town on the CDT.

I will visit this campground again for sure.

Nice campground right next to the San Juan nation forest. Could use a little landscaping. However, it is very peaceful and we would stay here again

The tent sites were large and well spaced. Well maintained and equipped with a great fire ring. Bathrooms very clean and great hot shower. Don’t go if you need to be connected digitally at this moment that is not up and running, but they did say by the end of the summer. The family was friendly and gave good advice when asked.

The area is very beautiful and clean. We stayed in the Bob o link cabin Monday thru Thursday in June. Theres a cool shady area to sit by a creek just down the road from there, Awesome! The staff and other campers were very friendly. We had no hot water at the cabin, but hot showers were just feet away near the office!

This is a nice area. Bathroom with no running water or electric. We have a big unit and dry camped just below this campground on Red Mountain Creek at the bridge, 1/4 mile away. There are other spots along the road also. Fishing is good above Ivy Creek campground and on Red Mountain. The road getting there is excellent but does narrow down and gets curvy the last couple of miles. I have a 40’ 5th wheel and made it fine but would not want to meet other traffic in this short stretch. Plenty of hiking, biking, 4-wheeling, fishing or just sitting and enjoying the peaceful mountains. We were here in July and the temps at night were about 40 and the day was 70.

A hidden gem with close accessability to trails, lake and rivers. Supplies are nearby. Spectacular views of the Vallecito Valley carved by glacer actions.

River hill was a great spot for a weekend getaway. We did not have a reservation but were still able to get a spot on a Saturday afternoon. Camp was well maintained, clean vault restrooms, and horseshoes/frisbee golf on site. We hiked the trailhead to box canyon which starts at the campground and it was beautiful. Spent time fishing in the river that ran by the campsite. Would love to come again!

2nd stay in River hill CG. Loved every minute. Moose came through on 3rd day. Stayed at site 9,14 years ago. It’s beside the river. Stayed in site 16 this July and was a great site. So Quiet and peaceful.

This is a beautiful campground! We used it as both a home base and a place to hike out of. Situated along the banks of the Rio Grande, we were able to sleep with the sound of moving water which was so relaxing.

The bathrooms were clean and smelled like bubble gum. Our kids were enchanted by the old hand pump. The camp hosts were friendly and informative.

We stayed in site 5, which backed into a lovely meadow. The trailer was a bit of a tight fit, but ended up being a great block to the (minimal) road traffic.

We loved it!

Campground closed on sept. 6th, all facilities closed. River access from most campsites, some are back in, some pull through, and some walk to site. Amphitheater, loads of toilets, water points, and sink/disposal water points. Great stargazing and access to the river for fishing. Loads of hunters in October and lots of wildlife to see!

Very nice peaceful campground. We had no cell service at our site but when we drove through there were a few spots that did. There are only 3 spots on the little area off to the side where we were and we were lucky the night we were there and there was no one camped on either side of us. We could here the creek and the Rio Grande which made for great sleeping.

Early in June there are two moose that have babies in the area so keep your eyes open. The toilets are clean and the river helps drown out any noise from your neighbors.

If you’re looking for more rustic tent camping there is an informal area just downstream.