Best Glamping near Ridgway, CO

Favorite spot to go glamping. Pay showers (4 mins for 4 quarters) and there is power at the campsite. The hosts are always nice and other campers have been polite about quiet time etc...it's only a 22 min drive to the newly renovated hot springs pool. It's very hot during the day, but cools off at night. The beach is great if you can get a grassy area to put towels down. Love going here for a clean camping experience.

Ridgway State Park was a convenient location for my trip through Colorado to Utah. After a stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison Ridgway was a great spot to stop for an overnight out of any city. At the Dakota Terraces there are only a handful of spots for tents so if you know you are going to camp here make a reservation. This was a last minute stop on our trip and I snagged the last tent spot in the campground. They have full facilities and even a few Yurts you can rent for larger parties that looked like fun. Didn't stay long because we were only looking for a spot for the night. The only downfall is that the site were very close together and this is more of an RV Campground.

We stayed for 6 nights in thie State Park and were surprised by how close it was to Ridgway, Ouray, and Telluride. The campground is very clean and the sites are spacious. Folks were very quite and everyone was friendly. Definitely will go back!

Beautiful views of the mountains and a 5-mile long reservoir make this campground pretty spectacular. You can even rent one of the 3 yurts if you like. You are also only about 10 minutes from the Orvis Hot Springs and a great BBQ place called Welded Elephant BBQ Shack.

In addition to plenty of tent and RV sites, Ridgeway SP also has three heated and furnished yurts for those seeking an enhanced comfort level. Each unit includes a fridge, futon type beds, dinner table and chairs. Bring your fishing poles, hiking shoes, water craft and dogs, cause they're all allowed.

My wife and I stayed here in March of 2022. The campground was awesome and there didn’t seem to be a bad spot in the entire loop. Good views of the San Juan Mountains to the south! Power hook-ups were nice, but no water hook-ups during “winter” months. With that said, there was community spigots located near the campsites that were still on if you need to top off your fresh water tanks. The dump station was also nice, but no running water there during the winter either.

The location of this place was perfect for us as we were there for skiing; One hour from Telluride, one hour from Silverton, and only 30 minutes from the Red Mountain backcountry skiing area.

Ridgway Colorado is only a few miles down the road if you need gas or supplies, and Ouray is just past that if you’re looking for great restaurants and breweries.

Stayed in the Elk Ridge "E" loop across from the site "host" who were great people. This is high desert so it does get hot during the day and cold at night. the sites are all set up well, easy access, water and electric if you want. There are showers (.25) and washers and dryers if you need. Nice paths down to the lake and around but the lake level is still low. The towns of Ridgway is about 10 minuets South and Montrose is about 40 minuets North both will have needed items but Montrose is much larger.

We originally had a tent site in Elk Ridge, but our friends with an RV couldn't get a site on that side of the park for the same dates.  Rather than have the 8 kids between us so far apart, we decided to get a tent site in Pa-Co.  We got #294, primarily because the tent sites are about 50 yards from the parking lot, and with 6 of us we haul a lot of stuff.  294 was one of the closest to the parking lot, with the downside it was also closest to the pit toilet.  If it was just two people with a couple backpacks this is a great location as you don't have any car noise and you're not hauling much, but for us it was a pain.

It was a beautiful view of the river from the site.  Sites are small and fairly close together but it was a quiet campground.  The bathroom wasn't a problem except for a couple of hours when it seemed like someone left a door open and the wind was blowing our direction.

Our tent is massive, and too big for the 10x10 space for tents at the site so we had to do some moving around but made it work.  I'd bring our smaller one next time.  The tent campground is well maintained and quiet, and the weather is great in the summer as the river keeps it cool.  The RV site our friend has didn't have a lot of trees and was close to the highway, so for just hanging out ours was preferable.  

Unfortunately the showers at the shower house about 100 yards away were closed due to COVID, but the weather is cool and dry mostly so not a big deal.  The shower house and laundry were very well kept, and the campground hosts were very friendly.   Firewood was $5 and I believe ice was only $1.  

The park overall was great.  We drove to the other parts to rent paddleboards and had a great time - very reasonably priced.   It worked well as a base for side trips, as Ouray and Ridgway were easy to get to, as was Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP.

One of the most beautiful camping experiences we've had. Camped one night on our road trip throughout southwestern Colorado. Campsites over look the canyon.

I stayed at Haviland Lake near Durango, Colorado for three days, but could have stayed for a week or more! Very beautiful area and nice campsites next to a pristine mountain lake filled with trout and in a serene mountain setting. Hosts were very friendly and helpful and there were opportunities for paddleboarding, canoeing, and kayaking (no motorized watercraft). If you have time, go down into Durango and take the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Train ride through the majestic San Juan Mountains of Colorado, or drive to Silverton and spend the day back in the 19th Century!

Nice campground with spacious sites. Concrete pads under the picnic table and fire pits. Water access nearby. Bathrooms were super clean and the showers were nice and hot. Laundry facilities available. We stayed on D-183 and had a nice view of the mountains and the lake. Definitely one of the best state park campgrounds in Colorado.

We tent camped here on an amazing tent deck.  Our first experience with this!  We love this part of Colorado.  So many beautiful sites to see and things to do.  We have family to visit here, as well.

Stayed here in the month of August when you have to watch for those pesky but awesome thunderstorms.  

Well maintained campground with clean facilities.  We'll definitely be back!

I've. been visiting this area of Colorado since childhood so it has special meaning for me. We remember the area BEFORE there was a reservoir!  This campground doesn't disappoint!  Our site had a view of Courthouse Peak.  The area feels natural and sites are spaced out. We had water and electric.  There's a dump station on site.

We only had one night here, it was the last night of the season for our area and the next nights were full.

Popular campground likely requires advance reservations for peak season.

Driving through Colorado in the fall there is nothing which can compare. Mild days and cool nights equate to perfect camping for those who are a bit adventurous and that is a term which suits me to a T!

I found myself in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison area in early October.  As I happened to be driving I noticed signs for the National Park, which otherwise I didn’t know was even there.  I took a turn and drove up the winding paved path, used my park pass and loved what I found.  It was like a dark canyon of steep embankments.  I could see for what seemed like forever downward to the waters which cut through the canyon.

I went on the short distance to the visitor center before deciding I wanted to check out the camping at this facility and when I did so I was so excited.  The campgrounds just were a continuation of the amazing views and because it was fall, the site was not full.

Sites were average size and offered great views.  It looked like mostly a tent zone which was nice, although it did look like perhaps it could accommodate an RV, though there were not any present when I was there.  

The campground had several bear boxes around, which kind of made it all seem so real about the wildlife presence in the area.  There were also a few water spouts available and vault toilets nearby.  Picnic tables were scattered and in good condition.

Something that makes this site unlike many in Colorado area was that I didn’t see any scheduled closures posted. Many sites in the state close with weather and do not offer services, this one might do the same but I saw no obvious postings to indicate such.

My site was $16, which was not bad considering the views and access to trails.  You could easily follow the roads and find something of interest is you were not wanting to hike and had a lot of information available just a short distance ahead at the visitor center.

TIPS:

• This is not a fill up station for your water reserves as water is limited at these points.
• Check out a trip down to the river if you have an opportunity, it is amazing from above but the access below displays an entire different ecosystem of vegetation and animals.
• Drive slowly on roads leading up to your turn, this area is heavily patrolled and it is easy to miss speed limit signs in the area.

Ridgeway is a very well kept park with beautiful views, lots of amenities, and conveniences. Clean bathrooms, laundry, firewood and ice all available at the campground and very reasonably priced. The beach was within a bike ride or a walk from our site. Most sites have a covered picnic table which was very helpful during the frequent light rain showers. My kids enjoyed the rock climbing nearby. We stayed for 2 days and wished we had another night.

We were a group of 3 campers. The spacing of the sites is ample and most of the sites have covered picnic tables. Inside the park there are some nice hikes around the Reservoir. The fishing from the shore and a boat was better than most of the places we have camped. The campground is super clean and well patrolled. We will absolutely go back.

Great family fun. One of our fav spots to do some fishing and biking. There is a cool trail (best if you can get dropped at the top, haha) for some off-road biking (careful with little ones, it can get steep, bumpy, and have sharp corners). But it’s a blast! Biking around the roads is super family friendly and the campsites are clean as well as the bathrooms. We loved having a nice shaded area at our campsite with a bench for eating.

If you are looking for a quiet and serene camping experience in the winter, this is your campground. Ridgeway State Park has one loop open during the winter in Dakota Terraces. They have winter rates. And they have great cell signal if you have Verizon and supposedly AT&T. (There’s a cell tower in one of the park’s campgrounds.)

[Internet. Verizon via iPhone 12: 14 mbps down and 4 mbps up with 51 ms ping.]

Read all the campground details straight from the park’s website before winter camping. Keep in mind the guest services building is closed for the winter. That means no laundry or showers. The restroom building is open. The dump station is open but the water fill is shut off. You can, however, fill you tanks up using the water spigots throughout the campground. We use a 5-gallon jerry can to transport the water. We’ve been here through a winter storm and they haven’t frozen yet. They also plow the roads.

The visitor center is open which you should check out! There’s an overlook there. This time of year part of the reservoir is frozen. You can get loaner snow shoes at the visitor center! How awesome! Since it’s snowed almost a foot, we’ve been snowshoeing all over the park and through the trails and closed campgrounds.

There’s like 5 campsites occupied. It’s so quiet. We have our own little winter wonderland.

Pro: Nice clean campground by a lake. Free showers. Clean bathrooms. Laundry facilities on site. Just a short drive to Montrose (Walmart, Target, etc) and Black Hills of the Gunnison National Park. Ouray and Telluride are nearby as well.

Con: Minimal shade - which is less than ideal on a hot summer day. Some sites have a shelter over the picnic table - others don't. I utilized a pop up canopy and clipped a tarp on the side that faced the sun. It's also not far off the highway... So there is the faint sound of cars driving by.

Camping here was nice. Limited trees so summer can be rough in direct sunlight. Sites are okay size wise. Bathroom and shower facilities were clean. Very pretty area. Park staff were super friendly. 5 min from Ridgeway, 25 from Ouray, 45 from Telluride.

A great eat location to call home while exploring the area. Nice views at camp. Clean restrooms and showers! We spent a lot of time in Telluride, Ouray, and Silverton so we did not take advantage of the park. However, there was access to kayak, paddle board, and boat rentals. Great pad area and fire pit. Accommodated our tent well. Close to your neighbors, but not too crazy.

This is a large state park campground with a lot of activity. The sites are mostly spaced out from each other but not much for trees for privacy. The loops are great for bike riding and walking. The restrooms were clean during our visit, however, there was a water leak problem on our day of departure so the bathrooms were all closed. We had one encounter with the host who made a rude comment at !2:05 when we were still hooking up our trailer for departure. I know, we were a few minutes late, but rude comments are not necessary. 

This is a beautiful area for exploring, we always head down and explore Ouray. The reservoir is nice, just super windy so we couldn't paddle board during our visit.

Love, love this place, we’ve spent 3 nights in the Dakota c loop. This loop is closest to lake access and has electric at each site. The spots also each have a Firepit and shade (except spot 068). Our 2 year-old loved it due to the open area and awesome parks. We will be back. The lake also has kayak and paddle board rentals.

This park is a great place for families because there is so much to do, from the endless bike trails to fishing and water access. All of the sites are large and have plenty of space from the next site. The only problem that we had was that where we were there was very little shade, but at the higher sites, there is plenty of coverage. If you are tent camping the lower area will have a lot of RV's next to you, but it was not a problem for us. This is for sure a campground that we will be going back to in the future.

We stayed here for 7 nights, and loved it. Not much shade is the only negative. Beautiful swimming beach, plenty of hiking trails. Restrooms were always clean. 

Close to Black Canyon of the Gunnison ( main reason we booked it), Ouray,Telluride, Silverton. Several good golf courses nearby. Montrose is about 24 miles away, has all the grocery & fuel needs. 

I'd definitely return if in the area.