Searching for a tent camping spot near San Juan National Forest? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near San Juan National Forest, including sites, reviews, and tips. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of San Juan National Forest's most popular destinations.
Alta Lakes is a popular dispersed camping area that offers fishing and camping in a spectacular alpine setting. There are 20 designated campsites that are completely undeveloped. The access road to the area is narrow and rough, requiring a high clearance vehicle. Trailers and RV's are not reccomended.
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads.
The Jersey Jim Lookout Tower [PDF, 6 pages, 830 KB] can be rented for one- or two-night stays from late May to mid October, weather permitting. The current rental rate is $40 per night. Rental fees are used to maintain the facility. Additional contributions are welcomed. Reservations can be made by calling (970) 533-7060 between 1 – 5 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, starting the first business day of each March (callers are advised to be aggressive in their dialing - the entire season is often booked in a couple of days that week).
Angel Creek Campground is a primitive campground requiring high clearance vehicles. There are 8 designated camp sites with tent pads and fire rings/grills. Port-a-potties are available.
Guide
Easily one of my favorite sites I have stayed at in Colorado! It is an incredible set up for tent camping. The pads are well manicured with very fine rock and very level. The bathrooms and laundry facility are A+, they are located right next to the tent sites. You will be hard pressed to find a more peaceful campground, I can’t wait to be back!
Scout
We did tent camping and 2 tents fit in our spot (an 8 person and a 4 person tent). The tent sites have a table with benches. no fires are allowed so bring a gas stove if you plan on cooking. Its really close to the Durango old Town area (like 10 min drive or less) and about 45 minutes to mesa verde. The camp sites are right next to the Aminas river but there's no access to it from the campground unfortunately.
Guide
Tent camped here at campsite 8 for five nights. Very nice tents sites but after traveling the country I felt it sucked because showers were $5 for a four minute shower and the toilets were basically glorified holes in the ground. Beautiful sights everywhere. Not far from Silverton and the OHV routes.
Legend
This is a large campground in the National Park boundaries. It has camper, RV and tent camp sites as well as 17 group sites. There is a small store and a shower. Each site has a picnic table. You can also get tickets to the Parks attractions, but do this as soon as you get there as reservations can be a day or two out.
Traveler
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
Scout
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.
Guide
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.
ScoutWe stayed here 2 nights the summer of 2015. It's priced fair and we were able to find a camp spot with some good shade. We were camping in a tent se we didn't need hook-ups. I'm not sure what the hook-up situation is for campers. We were able to enjoy cool evening walks; where we would often spot deer. It was also fairly close to the amphitheater to hear the ranger talks. I would recommend going to the talks because they would talk about a lot of the history that you may miss out on. Also the showers were free; a little old school but got the job done.
Scout
I can't say enough good things about this place. The mayor of Stoner, Colorado, Scott is a great host and very generous. The place is very well maintained and clean and looked after. They have RV spots right on the river, Stoner Creek! My Jeep camper was quite happy over in the tent sites. With free shore power, even at the tent sites. Free barbecue with utensils and propane, fire pits with free wood! Yes, free wood! A different welcome gift each time but usually with a dozen farm Fresh eggs here from his chickens. Plus coffee, usually banana bread , tin foil even lighter fluid to light the free wood for your campfire! At 30 bucks a night for a tent site with shore power and all of that it just almost seems too cheap.
With lots of really gorgeous, mature Noble fur trees, this spot is not only gorgeous but really well located above Dolores but below Rico to access so much of the natural Colorado landscape. I love it here! Tell your friends!
TravelerSpent two nights tent camping. Plenty of sites and well accommodated. Camp store/cafe was excellent.
Scout
Excellent Boondocking area. Close to Silverton on Mineral Creek. Plenty of free tent camping along the road too
TravelerSpacious tent sites. Bathrooms within close range. WiFi located at each bathroom.
Traveler
This is a very well maintained and managed campground. Good for tent camping or RV as they offer full hookups for just a few bucks more.
Scout
We are tent campers. There are only 4 tent sites and they are all wonderful; right next to the river! Bathroom/showers are very clean, but a bit of a walk from the tent sites. Office staff was super friendly and informative. Wifi available. Small store for any basics you may have forgotten/ran out of. Soft serve ice cream available. Basically, way more amenities than we are used to (a nice change from pit toilets). ..and the price is right! $20 a night for 2 people, plus $2 per additional warm body. Would come back in a heartbeat.
LegendWe 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!
ScoutWe had a roof top tent and were able to find a spot good enough to open up and still have room. The showers were nice and I even had warm water. Very clean and comfortable for tent camping
Traveler
We camped here overnight in October. We love to go to hot springs and thought this place was a 9/10. They had 10 tent sites and spots to park your camper or van. We called the same day and they were able to accommodate us that night. Price is a little steep at $50/per person per night but it includes 24/hr access to the hot springs, showers, coffee, etc. The tent sites are nice with fire pits and raised platforms. This place is super casual but well maintained which is what appeals to its charm. Staff is super friendly.
Traveler
Nice tent sites at the back of the park ,clean shower and bathrooms, 1/2 mile outside the entrance to mesa verda national park
Traveler
Our family of 4 tent camped at this site. We were able to walk to the edge of the cliff and had a clear view of Lake San Cristobal. We had a creek running beside our campsite.
Guide
$28 for a tent site. Showers bathrooms and people. If you don't have a 4x4 this is the place to stay. So many trails so close like 4miles max.
Scout
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.
Guide
We arrived at 8:30pm and found a spot right up the road next to the river. It was peaceful and easy to find. Plus it was close to town. We have a rooftop tent and the ground was somewhat level. I would not recommend tent camping because there were a lot of rocks.
Guide
Nice campsite just outside of Ouray4. There's a camp at mile 2 and 3 on 361 county road outside of town. $10 a night. Mostly tent sites. Picnic tables and flat boxed areas for the tents. Super clean bathrooms. First come first serve. Van assesible.
TravelerDriving in I got nervous. No service and the front office was closed so I wasn't sure how to check into my site. Everyone here was so friendly and helped me find the camp owner. The camp team is overly nice. They opened the store up for us super late. We are the only tent campers and the camp host Scott had an entire tent camping package for us to use while here. It had everything you could need tent camping and he gave us eggs, wood and bread they made here. He hooked up power so we could charge everything. There is get set up all over for kids. Each site has its own grill. The laudry room is free and amazing. Showers were nice. Wifi signal is so strong. Love this camp and highly recommend. Little noise from the road at night but worth it in my opinion. Nice shower rooms. Each site has been fitted with cool items. Some have porch heaters, pourch swings, tables. They went all out for thier guests.
Scout
Early in June there are two moose that have babies in the area so keep your eyes open. The toilets are clean and the river helps drown out any noise from your neighbors.
If you’re looking for more rustic tent camping there is an informal area just downstream.
Legend
Stayed at site 70. Very nice, large campground. Tent sites were very convenient to the camp store and nearby facilities. Placement of campground very convenient to Cortez and Mesa Verde national park - only about 10 minutes away.
TravelerLovely campsite that is first come first serve, if you have a tent spot. Showers, bathrooms and laundry sites not too far away. Was a bit frustrating that there were no bear boxes at the tent sites. Campgrounds were clean, but could hear generators from the other rv sites.
Tent camping near San Juan National Forest in Colorado offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, with a variety of scenic spots and outdoor activities to enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near San Juan National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near San Juan National Forest is Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed) with a 4.4-star rating from 39 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near San Juan National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 33 tent camping locations near San Juan National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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