Best Dog-Friendly Camping near San Juan National Forest

Quiet site 12000 feet or so in the San Juan national forest. Stayed for 2 nights without a reservation seems to be a first come first serve style campground

Vallecito Resort, situated near Durango, Colorado, caters to both full-time RV enthusiasts and vacationers seeking a mountain retreat. Nestled in the San Juan National Forest, it provides a serene natural setting with comprehensive amenities. Upon arrival, guests can enjoy spacious sites, immerse themselves in the forest ambiance, and plan their outdoor activities. 

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I attempted to camp in San Juan National Forest but had trouble finding a spot with clearance for Starlink.  Ended up coming here as a backup.

Owners are super friendly and happy to provide information about the area.

There's probably about a dozen sites & they're huge and very level.  There's a couple covered pavilions with picnic tables which separate the sites, other than that it's mostly just a massive gravel lot.  Everything is new and well maintained.  Great views of Mesa Verde.

Overall, this is just a great no-frills FHU park for an awesome price.  Nothing you don't need, everything you do.  Definitely will be back next time I'm in the area!

Forgot to take pictures, my bad.

Mancos State Park has no-wake boating and is well-known for fishing, especially rainbow trout, a few brownies and yellow perch. There are 33 campsites on two sides of the lake, plus two all-season yurts. During the winter, it is a great place to use as a base for cross country skiing.

It is near the La Plata range to the east, and Mesa Verde National Park to the southwest. Durango is about 45 minutes to the east, and the City of Cortez about 25 minutes to the west. Telluride ski resort is about a two-hour drive. Both Cortez and Durango are full-service cities, with multiple supermarkets, other chains, etc. The town of Mancos, about a 12-minute drive from the park, has a full-service sit-down restaurant/bakery, a natural foods store, other restaurants, a community grocery store, shops, modern library and other amenities.

The park adjoins the San Juan National Forest, including multiple hiking trails, the Chicken Creek cross country ski area, the Sawtooth and Millwood trails, and other trails. The nearby forest (about a mile up the road) has dispersed camping as well as organized campgrounds accessible by a paved road.

There also is a dude ranch next to the park, and the approximate 1-mile trail around the park takes hikers over some beautiful scenery. There are no corrals, but horses are allowed on specific trails.

None of the campsites currently have water or electric hookups, but potable water is available at several connections on the east (main) side of the park. While there is no public WiFi, cell signals are strong.

We usually boondock, but stopped here for a change. Great sites, lovely staff, dog park, great BBQ, band at night ... really a top notch KOA.

We love this friendly, clean campground. There is a 2 acre dog park and a lake right next door. Overlooks the valley, amazing views of the Mesa Verde mtns. Clean bathrooms and laundry facilities.

Spent two nights to rest and relax after crossing Red Mountain Pass during snow storm. Enjoyed bathrooms, showers and dog park (2 acres). Camp hosts were especially friendly and helpful. Spent time at Durango Hot Springs too! Make sure you go!

Well kept. Trolley stop so close you don't need to find a parking place while exploring downtown. Wifi is good enough to stream. No dog park but enough area to do their business. Tight spaces. We're 43 feet fifth wheel. Barely enough room to park truck in the site. We would stay again.

Incredibly friendly staff, great store with camping necessities and fun swag. Dog park was large enough with a shaded tree and benches. Pickle ball, movie night, pool, playground ect included. Almost every space was filled but it was quiet because the activities are spread nicely away from where we were. Pull through sites with enough room. Good price for the location.

While driving into Durango finding a place to stay overnight this time of year (November) was a blessing. The website would not let me book our stay because it was within 24 hours. I called and there was one spot open. We arrived and were escorted to our spot. There was tree removal and fall clean up happening. The facilities were clean and the dogs Loved the Huge dog park. The views are beautiful. It is expensive but we are happy to have found a place.

We have a tent on our Truck and had a great spot! It was very woodsy, and secluded! It was quiet a hike up and down a hill to go to the bathrooms. I loveeee that they have a dog park! I was super bummed you can't have a normal fire pit, you can only rent a propane one. We will be back for sure!!!

This RV park was amazing! We usually stay in State parks and national campgrounds but this private RV park is the best of both worlds. Friendly staff, ample Laundry facilities, spacious sites (premium and above), 2 acres dog park, restaurant onsite and just a wonderful basecamp for Durango and Silverton. We had technical issues and they were very accommodating plus they have an RV tech on-site. Highly recommend .

The campground is set just a couple miles before Durango. They have a swimming pool, laundry facilities, a small dog park, and a very basic playground. They also have a little Caboose from which they serve simple breakfast items, and a little store with a couple of Essentials. Overall the staff was friendly and helpful and our experience was very positive. It was 55 bucks for a pull through site with hookups. We were not allowed to pitch a tent in the camper campsite.

Wow!!! There is so much to say about this place. The best rv park I have ever been to.  Scott the ower was magnificent. From the welcome basket that had eggs coffee and banana nut bread, to the clean restrooms and showers. WOW. I can't stress this enough. That this place is great. They have 2 little dog parks. A basketball court. Lots of toys for the kids and adults to play with. The onsite Laundry was amazing, and free to use. We will definitely make this a must stay in the future.

Great campground!  One interesting thing, the entire campground is gravel.  The road, the sites, everything, there is no grass which was a little weird at first.  However, this campground is really well maintained and a great place to stop if visiting Mesa Verde National Park.  The KOA has a short trail that connects to the county dog park which was a HUGE bonus for us as we were traveling with an energetic puppy.  The KOA overlooks mountains on all sides and the sunrises and sunsets were gorgeous.  I was TERRIFIED of seeing snakes while there, and happy to report we saw none.

Don’t let the dilapidated mobile home near the entrance scare you away. This place is super well maintained. Every site is well thought out and has great hookups. I thought a plug water and sewer was pretty uniform. Our site had a pedestal with 20/30/50 amp and then another with 30 20 feet further into the site. Lots of shade. The sites along the south edge of the property have amazing views of the Cortez valley and Sleeping Ute Mountain. Really nice communal fire pit, dog park and some trails too. Some sites have a beautiful brick fire ring too.

This campsite is great if you want to do Telluride on a budget - it's free. It's right next to the town and is used a lot for Telluride's summer festivals. Its more than a campground it is also where a lot of town events are held and also has sports venues. There's also grills, bathrooms, picnic tables, a dog park, and a pond. Unless you're at a festival, the campground isn't where you will want to spend your time though. The campground is very close to Bridal Veil Falls, a huge free fall waterfall. You can drive or hike up to it, and climb around on the rocks and get blasted by cold water from the falls. It's huge. There's also a bunch of awesome hikes around Telluride - the San Juans are my favorite part of Colorado.

This campground is a peaceful place. The staff is pleasant to talk with, and all sites are very clean. The pool is heated to a warm 83 degrees. There is a children's playground and a three acre dog park. The bathrooms are very clean and the showers are nice after a long day hiking at Mesa Verde National Park which is located a few miles east of the campground. It should be noted the campground is a RJourney Campground now and not a KOA anymore. We enjoyed our three days RTT camping here. We recommend this campground., and will be happy to stay here again.

We grow tired on boondocking and enjoy a nice RV Park sometimes. This RV Park is nicely designed to give you privacy from your neighbors with bushes and trees planted between sites. No grass at the sites, but lots of grass all around. The laundry is located beside the pool - you can swim while waiting for our laundry. However, there is no way to drive to the laundry door; it’s quite a walk carrying your clothes. There are picnic tables and small grills at each site. There’s a small dog park; and, of course the casino nearby for entertainment and dinner out. All sites are asphalt with concrete pads for the tables. The sites are level

Loved loved loved our stay here! Tucked away from the highway and far enough from any big city, you want nature and stars at night? This is the place! We backed up to a huge green field. The gentleman that helped us back our 42 foot rig into our site gave PERFECT directions, telling my husband which was to turn our wheel which make this a first try back in. The owner was the kindest man we enjoyed getting to know. No dog park, but a large open field we're allowed to utilize, letting the pups off leash. They LOVED it! Mesa Verde NP with the cliff dwellings are a short drive away, perfect day trip. We should have stayed here a whole week!

This was our 1st experience into the world of RV campgrounds.   We found this place last minute driving from Utah, where we purchased our RV, back to Dallas.  It was perfect in every way. Showers were clean and updated.  The couple who run the place were personable and helpful.  A gentleman there even offered my husband to help dump our tanks for the first time.  We had a baby and a 13 year old. The putt putt was fun and the playground area was very well maintained.  There was a SPACIOUS dog park. You can fill your propane here too. All in all if we ever find ourselves returning to that area to go to Mesa Verde Park we will 100% stay here again.