Best Glamping near Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands

"Such a beautiful site. One of the best places we have ever gone camping- with views to die for. What an amazing piece of property And our camp hosts, property owners Rachel and Jeff were so hospitable and welcoming. Really fine folks, who have thought of pretty much everything in terms of what you might need or want while glamping. Definitely worth going for the Adventure Gear Shed, btw. Can’t wait to come back." -Sanford B

"Absolutely amazing views, perfect family camp site. Glad we found this great spot." - John D

"We cannot say enough great things about this property and the hosts. First, this stunning location is nestled in an aspen forest on top of a mountain overlooking Florence and in the other direction overlooking Skagway Reservoir and Pike's Peak. We spent our mornings with coffee overlooking the breathtaking views, spent our days hanging out at the reservoir, walking through the forest and magical acreage and then finishing the night next to a fire before cuddling up in the tent(with heater). Rachel and Jeff are wonderful hosts who provided some history of the land, kept our adventure shed full of firewood and would greet us with smiles. I highly recommend renting the adventure shed! It comes with paddle boards, games, bikes and endless firewood. All in all, there was no other way I would want to spend my 40th birthday. We will be back again and already booked another weekend! Thank you Rachel and Jeff for sharing your amazing property. It was truly magical." - Joel C

"Incredible property with extraordinary views and super friendly and welcoming camp hosts! The site is nestled into the aspen trees and looks out upon some of the best views we’ve ever seen. Rachel and Jeff went above and beyond in making sure we had a comfortable experience, and they even provided some amenities that were not expected! I wish we could have stayed longer and cannot wait to return!" - Stephen Y

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.

Joyful Journey is a lovely little hot springs in the middle of the San Luis Valley. The Sangre de Christo Mountains tower in the distance and on a moonlit night, they positively glow from the farthest pool. The water in these springs have trace amounts of lithium which makes them even more relaxing than others I've tried.

The springs is popular and can be a bit crowded, so be sure to reserve your spot ahead of time. Bring your own towels, as they can't always keep up with demand and flip flops are also a must for the showers. However, camping lets you stay a bit later than other folks and being able to wonder across the parking lot to the campground after a good soak instead of driving is a huge draw.

Since the campground as its just an extension of the parking lot there is room for large rigs. It features all the all the basics with a clean and close shower house, electrical hookups and grills. The nightly fee includes access to the pools and continental breakfast in the morning. Pets are allowed for an additional fee.

There are also yurts, teepees and motel rooms available to rent.

Salida East is a 25 site campground run by Colorado Parks and Wildlife through an agreement with the Bureau of Land Management. Unfortunately, that means you pay $7/day for a "day use" pass (or purchase an annual pass for $70) in addition to the camping fee of $10 or $18. The price of a site is on the post at the site. A site with a picnic table, fire ring and tent pad (on pebbles) is $18. It's $10 if the site only has a fire ring.

I thought the sites were not reservable, but then I saw some upcoming reservation tickets on a few sites. This campground is part of the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area. Look for that area on the Colorado Parks and Wiildlife website to make a reservation

There are no hookups and no potable water at the campground, but there are vault toilets and a couple porta potties. There is no place to dispose of trash. Haven't had that happen before!

This is really just a camping spot. I'm not sure why a day use fee is necessary because there is nothing else to do there unless you have a boat. There's a boat ramp. There is nothing else to do in the campground.

Being next to the Arkansas River is nice and being able to look at mountains in the distance is nice, but the sites are on gravel/dirt. It's adequate for a one night stay close to Salida, but I wouldn't want to hang out here during the day. You can use the pool and shower at the aquatics center for $5.

One more thought - BLM has Colorado River campgrounds in Utah with beautiful views for $10/night. They turned this site on the Arkansas River over to Colorado, so it's $10/$18 plus $7 for "park" access. Kinda greedy in Colorado and not impressed with Colorado park sites. We'll try to stick with federal sites.