Best Tent Camping near Pagosa Springs, CO

We stayed here on a trip between Pagosa Springs and Mesa Verde. It was a great stop as the campground is only $20 and it is only about 25 mins from Pagosa Springs so you can easily drive into the town and soak in the springs and then spend a semiquiet night in the trees. 

I say semi-quiet because it is right off the road but the sites go back deeper into the trees. 

But the bathrooms were super clean and the camp host is on top of people coming in a out and making sure the site is super clean.

It is right across from Chimney Rock National Monument so check that out too!

We came for a mid-week getaway to test a new tent. Camp hosts were friendly and we almost had the whole loop to ourself with some great amenities running water in the bathrooms and showers included for only $10. We had views of the lake, but not so close as to hear any of the boats. good tent sites and some shade from juniper trees.

Great boondocking sites about 45minues from Pagosa Springs. These sites are completely primitive. No restroom facilities, electricity, potable water or trash service.  No cell service.  Its worth it, so plan accordingly. 

Follow US160E about 10 miles, turn right onto USFS 667.  Pass by the entrance to East Fork Campground and continue on the forest service road.  This is where the road becomes fairly rough.  Dispersed sites begin about 2 miles further. Most sites are clustered together in pockets near the river.  

We arrived early in the day and found a great site near a vertical rock face.  Campsite was at 8000'.    We stayed a week and only saw other campers on the weekend.  The weather was perfect with day time temps in the 70s and overnight temps in the 50s.  Ideal hiking and fishing conditions.  

The forest road gets busy with Jeeps and UTvs during the day on weekends.  Our site was far enough away from the road that we weren't bothered. 

Access to several trails, beautiful valley views and waterfalls nearby .

My friend and I stayed at the South Fork Campground for a fly fishing trip.  

The campground seems to be primarily a RV campground with 50 sites, but they do allow tent camping with 6 sites. There is an office at the entrance and the staff were friendly. Next to the office is a community room and laundry room.

The RV sites have water and electric hookup. The tent sites do not - at least ours did not. There are restrooms with sinks, toilets and showers nearby the campsites.

The campground itself sits on the Rio Grande River which is a world class fly fishing river. When we were visiting the river was flowing fast and deep, so it was not a very productive time. We choose to fish in the mountain lakes and streams instead.

Overall the South Fork Campground is a nice place to stay for a few days or longer. The campsites were a little close in proximity for me, but I'm one that is accustomed to backcountry camping where there are few people around. The campground is a short drive to the town of South Fork where there are grocery stores, gas stations and outdoor gear and fly fishing stores.

The Last Resort is a lovely RV Park and campground on the Blanco River off Highway 84 between Chama, New Mexico and Pagosa Springs, Colorado. There are full RV hook ups in the loop and partial hook up by the river. The Bunk House is a small cabin with a queen bed and electricity. Many great tent camping sites. There is a nice Bathhouse with a full kitchen, bathrooms with showers and a coin operated washer/dryer. They are open year round, free wifi and pets welcome. There is a small store with ice, sodas, snacks, fishing tackle, RV supplies, and toiletries.

This is our 3rd summer at the Last Resort. It's a very laid back place with 2 playgrounds and plenty of activities for kids - horse shoes, volleyball, tether ball, etc. They have a nice 4th of July celebration, potluck dinners and camp fires. There are often horses (and a goat) on the property and plenty of space to take a nice walk. This year, we saw a lot of Canada geese and there are also chickens and ducks. We really love watching the many hummingbirds and hanging out by the river. Lots of campers like to fish or float down the river on inner tubes.

Well maintained, beautiful and friendly hosts make for a wonderful place to stay.

The quieter side of Navajo Lake State Park, this is a nice, clean campground with pull through and tent sites (elec and non) close to Sims marina. Nothing spectacular and a bit remote, so not a place I would seek out necessarily. Keep in mind that this requires a little more driving to get to, so if you’re just passing through, be mindful that it’s ~17 miles from highway 64.

Pros:

• Quieter, seems less crowded than reg marina side of park
• A good mix of pull through and tent sites with plenty of room to drive in. Tent sites are multi level in a few cases (tables and pits are a short level below parking spot)
• Lake views for some spots (seem to be partial as trees do block some parts of view)
• Reasonably spaced, not super private but that is pretty much any paid campground
• Cleanish bathrooms and pit toilets, a little smelly on our visit and had no soap to wash hands (not in peak season, so think campgrounds are a little understaffed with no camp host until mid may)

Cons:

• A bit of a haul/remote if you’re just stopping through on way west through NM

This was a wonderful spot! We tent camped with our family of 4 for 4 nights. Camp hosts were awesome too! We haven’t ever done a site with no shower so that’s the only reason it didn’t get a 5 star. But! The river made for great bathing :-D

Nearby to tons of hiking spots and great outdoors experiences.

Park Creek Campground Rio Grande National Forest

Elevation: 8500

Directions: In South Fork, Colorado, at intersection of State 149 and US 160, take Road 160 west 7.8 miles to Park Creek campground sign. Turn left at sign into campground.

This small campground, stretches along the banks of the South Fork of the Rio Grande River among mature shade trees. Many sites are adjacent to the river. US Highway 160 is very close by so will have some traffic noise. The campground has the feel of spacious seclusion and is very cool and shady. Accessible, Tent camping, Camping trailer, Picnic tables, Toilets , Drinking water.

Arrived at Last Resort and immediately fell in love with this campsite. Site was well maintained and level. You didn’t feel like you were on top of one another at the tent sites. Staff was friendly and occasionally checked up on you, to make sure your stay was pleasant. Will be returning for a longer visit for sure.

Campground features shady sites that will accommodate big rigs. If you are tent camping you might feel surrounded, but most spaces are so far apart, we never heard a peep from our neighbors. Overall the campground was well run with super clean bathrooms in each loop. 15 minute drive to town makes this a great home base to explore Durango and the Animas Valley.

Most sites are Park and walk into fire pit and table area. A few scattered back-in sites. No pull through. Nice wooden picnic tables, men and women’s bathrooms. Level tent sites, water pump on site but nothing available in October. No cell service. Loads of down wood for collection. Close to river access

Stunning spot, lots of tent sites, room for maybe 12 campers of modest length, mine is 26' spot #9 is prime for a camper with a driver side slide/kitchen table. unknown if it's seasonal but the biting flies, primarily deer flies are beyond bearable, I survived 4 days, most other campers left after one night. The camp host is very friendly, and knows the best fishing holes.