Best RV Parks & Resorts near Pitkin, CO

They have a great staff that is friendly and always accessible! We have a back-in site but they have pull throughs also. There is a playground for the kids, laundry, and bathrooms with showers. They allow fires and provide a “fire pit” that is constructed from an old washer tub with legs welded on. Just ask for one at the front desk. They also sell firewood for the fire. Oh, and they come by and pick up your trash at your site between 9-5 each day just leave your bag out by the road. There are full hookups at most of the sites. The area is in walking distance of the Gunnison River and there is a nice hiking trail on the south side of the river heading west. There is also a bike path that goes back into town and up the road toward Crested Butte. On the main road (intersection of CR11 and highway 135) there is a bus stop for a free bus trip into Gunnison. The men’s bathroom had a couple of issues, the overhead light didn’t work very well and one of the toilets was malfunctioning but they got those fixed pretty quickly. There is a nice combination of shade (from the trees) and sun at all the sites.

So much of Colorado is impressive, let me just start with that. I wanted to swing through Aspen to check out the John Denver Sanctuary before heading to Denver and found the Difficult Campground on a listing for the area.

Like many campgrounds in Colorado, facilities are limited in fall and winter as they prepare for cold weather. The campground itself was no exception. CLOSED! I was so upset, however I stumbled upon a ranger in the area and he said I could stay if I parked and walked in from the entrance and would not have access to toilets.

Seemed fair, backcountry style camping with some amenities like a fire ring and table. I thought Indeed it would be a winning experience!! Boy was a right!!

The river flows alongside the campground and makes for such a relaxing sound throughout the evening. I saw several small animals as I hiked in, mostly squirrels, birds and a small fox.

The tree coverage of the area cut the wind in the evening just enough. I had the campground to myself and it was one of the coolest feelings ever!

There was no cell service at the campground.

I had to bring in my own small firewood because they discourage you from foraging for fallen branches at the campgrounds typically. I have seen that during the regular season there is a small store that has firewood available near the entrance area.

I look forward to getting back to this site during the summer season!!

TIPS:

• Bring your own firewood. While sometimes it is available in the area, you will want to bring your own just in case to make sure you are keeping it in the fire ring.

• Check the website first. I was looking online at this campsite and discovered if they have weather related closings or fire bans they list them very vividly on their site which can be very helpful in helping you determine if you would like to stay here.

Great location with full hookups for RVs. The description mentions back-in sites only, and while our electric hookup was conveniently on the same side, we had to run our water and sewage lines underneath the RV since those hookups were on the opposite side—this seems to be the case for all sites. The campground is perfectly situated at the intersection of the Gunnison, Taylor, and East Rivers, making it ideal for fly fishing. They offer cabins, RV sites, and long-term housing options. There's a small store with basic items, beer, and merchandise, plus a fly shop in the same building. There's also a restaurant, though it was closed during our stay, and coin-operated laundry facilities. Overall, a great stay!

We pulled in around 4pm on a Sunday. We went to the 3rd dirt road on the left to find a spot available. Only one other camper was there and the area could easily accommodate 4 without being too close to each others. Very easy to find. To the north Turquoise Lake is 1/2 mile away. There are mountain bike /hiking trails everywhere around the lake. Even though the space we were in was very spacious it felt secluded and we really could not see the other RV. We pulled our 40 feet toy hauler easily. The spot was leveled and clean. A stone fire pit was there and lots of wood had been left by the previous campers.

Very clean, large level spots with gravel and plenty of room in between RVs.  Great location, close to Salida and hiking & biking trails.  Directly on the Arkansas River -- river view spots are very nice and all spots have a view of the mountains, there's a bit of road noise from nearby highway.  Friendly staff, nice clubhouse with showers, pool table & fitness center, there's a small dog park and pickleball courts.  Direct access to Arkansas River for kayaks and small boats (walk down to river, can't drive there).  Campground internet was spotty but cell service is great so internet is very good if you have a hot spot.  Highly recommended, my only complaint is there's no pool or hot tub.

Small campground with two loops located on Difficult Creek. The sites are a mixed bag– some more appropriate for tents while others are pull-through or have very long driveways. Our site (7) would have been better suited for a tent, but we made it work in our campervan. It would not have accommodated a large RV. Some of the sites (32-38) are more private and you can hear the creek. Did not hear road noise from any sites. 

There is a day-use area with picnic tables scattered around, some very near the creek.

Vault toilets only and at least the one we used was clean. Fortunately, the issues with the “mean” host mentioned in previous reviews were not an issue when we were there! In fact, with Covid, we had no contact with the host at all during our stay. 

This campground is about 20 minutes from the town of Aspen and convenient if you want to visit Maroon Bells (and cannot get into the smaller, closer campgrounds). Sadly, although the campground indicated it was full, there were many empty sites. This campground (with vault toilets only) is what I’ve come to expect from a basic forest service campground, and it suited our needs perfectly.

The owners and workers are very polite and helpful. The grounds are very clean and well kept. We stayed at the RV site in the lower campground right on the creek. Beautiful setting with fire pit, 30 amp hookup and picnic table. Very level ground. Firewood and modest amenities available at the office. Water is available to fill water reserve tank on RV and also a dump station on site. Beautiful mountain options on both sides. St Elmo, Mount Princeton, and Chalk Lake are a short drive with amazing views. Bath house is super clean - coin operated showers but lots of room, outlets near counter and sink area and clean bathroom stalls. Laundry facility is also located at the end of the bathhouse on the upper campground. Upper campground has very few trees. Lower campground is near creek and has beautiful trees to shade.