Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Palisade? The Dyrt helps you find campsites near Palisade with tent camping. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Colorado camping adventure.
CONSTRUCTION AT KNOWLES OVERLOOK CAMPGROUND BEGINS NOVEMBER 15, 2021 AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WINTER. THE CAMPGROUND WILL BE CLOSED DURING CONSTRUCTION.
Jouflas Campground is located in Rabbit Valley Motorized Area, which is within the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area. There are eight sites that feature picnic tables and fire grates. The campground also has a toilet facility (non-flush). There is no fee to stay at this site. Please pack out all garbage.
Camping is NOT permitted at the Mee Canyon Alcove.
Rattlesnake and Mee Canyon provide outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation. Geologic features in this area include arches, spires, windows, giant alcoves and desert patina. Between these canyons are pinon-juniper covered mesas which slope downward to the Colorado River. RATTLESNAKE ARCHES: A short section connecting the top of the mesa to the bench below the arches is rocky and steep and requires extra caution - it is not recommended. From the trailhead travel 0.5 miles to an intersection. To the left takes you to an area where you can view the arches from above. To the right takes you to the Lower Arches Trail, which is 5 miles round trip (out and back). In 0.2 miles the trail splits - to the right goes to Pollock Bench Trailhead; stay to the left for the arches trail. Camping is NOT permitted within 1/4 mile of the Rattlesnake Arches Loop and along the access road to the trailhead. MEE CANYON: The trail into Mee Canyon is primitive and only marked with rock cairns. The route steeply descends sandstone layers with exposed cliffs. Camping is NOT permitted at the Mee Canyon Alcove. Leave No Trace principles:
Leave No Trace principles:
Traveler
Stayed for 2 night in Sept 24 while traveling with my mother. The bit of AT&T was my mom's favorite part of the site other than the views which it had and a lovely trailhead out of the campground.
Pros: The trailhead/views, flush toilets, WiFi(At least at our site faceing towards Fruita), trash cans, tables
Cons: Sites were real close together so it really depends on who your next to, for someone like myself with a roof top tent wished the parking spot had been a little flatter, Rec.gov reservations, sandy
The big con of this campground was we had so much difficulty with the Rec.gov app getting a site, but the very helpful folk at the visitor center helped us get a site.
Would definately go there again, just beautiful and jawdropping views, and easy access to the rest of the monument early in the morning
GuideCame to Grand Junction to get my new Timberleaf Teardrop camper and stayed here three nights. Was so thankful that there was still running water and working toilets! Site was slightly sloped but not bad. Super quiet at night. Saw the Milky Way last night! The park is amazing and offers great views and hikes.
Guide
Convenient ( quick off highway and close to Colorado NM) park but not much for advenure. Clean bathrooms. Sites were clean and well maintained and not too close together. I imagine it could be warm in summer. Friendly staff.
Scout
This campground is a gem as other reviewers have cited, BUT the road in is dangerous when wet as there is a lot of exposure off the edge. An AWD would be ok but still dicey on the downhills. The fishing platform is really a good addition for those physically compromised. Brown and rainbow fishing (rainbows should be immediately returned to the river). Very peaceful and out of the way. Can be used all seasons as it rarely gets snow.
Legend
Not to much space between rigs, but is very quiet and bit expensive. Very close to the Monument State Park.
Traveler
Easy to find with Google maps. Plenty of open space. 15min off 70.
Dirt road, a bit bumpy, but we easily pulled our 21ft Micro Minnie
and it was doable for almost any vehicle. We didn't go to far up into the sites so I can't speak to further in. Rolled in at midnight and was still simple to find in the dark.
Ranger
Stayed in spot 18 which was close to vault toilets, but they were stinky and full of bugs. Very buggy in general, not all are mosquitos but there are some of those too. Sites 1, 2, 4, 18, 21, 23 were all decent looking with some shade in the afternoon and relatively level pads. Lakes in area, one adjacent to campground and one that is down a trail to a day use area that is covered by the camp fee. Good spacing between sites. Some have electric. A little warm for July, probably 80 degrees in afternoon. Lots of aspen trees in the area might be good for a fall visit. Bear cans available for trash.
Ranger
Stayed in site 5 Loop A which is right on the river. Could hear and see trains going by occasionally on the other side of river. Sites are pretty well spaced out and have a good shade structure over the picnic table. Lots of flying bugs and it was hot in early July. Have electric hookups but still quite warm. Flush toilets were okay, nothing special. Also have to buy a CO Park Pass, so thats another $10 on top of the reservation fee.
Food aside: Ate Kikkoman teriyaki rice noodles and Kalua pork, yum!!
Traveler
Found this spot and was very happy with the setup. Like other reviews, the highway noise was a bit loud but nothing too crazy, especially really late. There were other campers spread out nicely, you wouldn’t even know they were there. The road is a bit iffy so snagging a spot at the front would be best if you don’t have 4WD (my Nissan car struggled, we had to back up & turn around). Overall great spot for tent camping! Remember to leave no trace 🫶🏼🏕️🌎
GuideKathy (the owner) was awesome. Cedaredge is a great little spot, really quiet. Not a big RV park, don’t bring truckloads of kids and your off road vehicles. Really happy with what we had here.
TravelerStayed one night on the way to Colorado. Super easy to find right off the highway and plenty of spots. I was the only one there when I stayed. Highway noise isn’t too much of an issue but I did have some loud and strong winds all night.
TravelerApple map directions are spot on. Lots of room - I chose to go up a rutted road a ways, for privacy. There was one camper at the flat bottom. Check weather for rain chance if you don’t have 4x4.
Traveler
Made camp here for 1 night traveling west. Many sites available both by the highway and down in the canyon. Canyon road was in good shape and even the largest RV could go down it. Sites were pretty level. No toilets, etc.
Ranger
We typically don’t stay at RV parks, but due to some extenuating circumstances have found ourselves stuck in Grand Junction for a few days. We found this park and chose it based on reviews. It is amazing! It is so well kept up, has extremely large sites with concrete patios, picnic tables, fire pit, and lawn for each side. Carrisa in the office was so nice and very professional. The bathrooms are modern and clean. The grounds are nicely landscaped with bushes and trees. There is a pool, dog runs, laundry, play area, and pickleball courts. There is some traffic noise but not too bad - it is a city location after all. The privacy fences behind the back in sites really make it nice. We would absolutely stay here again.
Guide
Overall very nice. Well maintained nice green grass and lush trees. The “lake” is more of a big pond. My impressions 1-5
2 Bathrooms 5. Free 4 minute hot shower 3. Site utilities 1. No water or electric hookup. Potable water available. 4. Staff 5. They have 4 camp hosts. 5. Overall esthetics 4( the pond is bleh) 6. Fees 1. If you are out of state they tack on $10
GuideThis was a beautiful place to camp. There were a few places along the road you could stop and camp. We stayed at the farthest site out because there were other campers at the other sites. All sites could fit more that one camper if needed.
Beautiful sunsets and sunrises at this location. The road leaving up was doable for our low clearance Winnebago solis.
RangerWe arrived just before dark and easily pulled into our site. It was mostly level and we easily leveled our van. We found the restrooms (flush toilets) to be spotless. The campground was very quiet and we could see city lights below. In the morning we enjoyed a peel sunrise view through the junipers. Sadly, we were on a schedule and couldn’t spend much time at the campground, leaving 12 hours after we arrived. Even though the campground is at 5700 feet, it was warm mid September. We kept our side screened door open all night. Would love to come back sometime as the monument looks beautiful!
TravelerI was going to head 11 miles down the road but decided I’d rather have WiFi. It was a good call. Just past Labor Day, there were three of us last night about 1/2 mile off the main drag. Enough places to pull off though you can still hear some main road traffic.
The area was clean except one site with broken glass. Clear skies with great stargazing.
No amenities here whatsoever but that’s just fine. Comes with the free price.
Guide
Stellar amenities, electricity at every pad, great showers, easy and very close river access.
Really great spot but prepare to roll. All of the tent pads seem to be at a pretty wicked slope, including ours.
Scout
Very easy to get to via the 139. The drive in locations are level and the sites are easy to reach with a camper van.
However, what surprised us was the amount of empty gun ammunition laying around on the campsite. As a European this might be more confronting than for a USA citizen, but it made us feel a bit uncomfortable. The sound of people doing target practice nearby also didn't help. Furthermore there was some burnt couches and chairs dumped on site 1 which contributed to the site feeling a bit sketchy.
Overall, we hade a fine overnight stay.
Guide
Grand mesa is the largest mesa in the world. For over 150 years cattle have roamed here. They need to go. It is time. The diversity and wildlife will slowly be destroyed and it is exponential. The climate is changing and places like this need to to be protected they are our arks. No atvs no generators no cattle. Would improve.the place.ten fold. And absolutely no logging. Ban all fires! We are about to lose it all including Grand mesa. Wake up.
Legend
Carson Lake was closed for a couple years to reconstruct the dam. Open again and there is a large parking area with a new vault toilets.ion However, no floatation devices are allowed on the lake as it is a water supply for towns below. There are about 4 camping spots that were created with tables and fire rings. These spots are not for RVs or Trailers, most are for tent campers. The road access is steep from the mesa above. No water, no dumpsters, no cell signal.
Traveler
Well groomed dirt/gravel road just West of Rte 65. Go in 1/4 mile and turn Right down dirt path to large camping site. There is nobody for 1/2 mile or more around you. If this site is not good, up FSR 100 maybe 1/2 mile on the Right is a site up in the trees. Very secluded. This site is at 10,700 feet elevation. The lake is stream fed and looks like good trout fishing. There are free range cows in the area.
TravelerBeautiful views. Secluded. Good cell service.
Traveler
This place is beautiful, quiet & secluded. Had the place to myself absolutely beautiful. I have a sedan & made it up fine but drove very slow. It’s a very Long bumpy dirt road. No cell service.
TravelerWe came from 6 nights in the mountains and spent 1 night in our rooftop tent on an electric river site. It was the perfect spot in Palisade. The bathhouse was very clean and convenient. One side of the building had men and women restrooms with showers. The other side had family bathrooms with one toilet, one shower, and one sink. The bathhouse was air conditioned which was very appreciated! It was hot out!!! While we were sitting around our firebox campfire, staff rolled up on a golf cart with fresh peaches to try that were picked that day. That was a nice surprise! We bought one for later in our trip!
Traveler
I stayed at this campground for four nights after the July holiday weekend. It was easy to find a FCFS site midday Thursday. One thing to look out for when getting to the campground is that Google Maps will have you turn in north of the Lake due to the shorter distance. This upper road is much more rough and narrow. I highly recommend you go past the lake and enter on the south end. The road is better and a little wider. You will also get an awesome view of the lake from the main road before you turn off.
This campground is not on the lake, but a short trail across the road leads you to the tail around the lake. The day use parking area is also very close and your hanger for the campground gives you free parking. With how close the day use area is, we were able to just strap two paddle boards and a kayak to the roof of the truck and go back and forth. The vault toilets were very clean and water is potable. The host mentioned it comes from a mountain spring in the area. Most sites had a pull in long enough for a vehicle and small camper, along with a pad for the fire pit/picnic table and a pad for the tent.
Cell signal is very spotty. I could get one, maybe two bars of Verizon, but data did not always work well. Sometimes there was a faint T-Mobile signal. The visitor center is also close by, and while not staffed for the 2024 season, it has wifi, flush toilets, and filtered water for bottles. The lakes were amazing due to all the rain and snow this year. We were there just before peak wildflower time, but it was still beautiful.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Palisade, CO is Grand Junction KOA with a 4.3-star rating from 26 reviews.
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