Best Tent Camping near San Juan National Forest in Colorado

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.

Best Tent Sites Near San Juan National Forest, CO (33)

Showing results 1-10 of 33 campgrounds

Recent Tent Reviews in San Juan National Forest

1221 Reviews of 33 San Juan National Forest Campgrounds


  • Shannon E W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Chutes and Ladders Dipsersed
    Nov. 5, 2024

    Chutes and Ladders Dipsersed

    Pleasant stay

    We stayed for 3 nights due to the convenience of Mesa Verde NP. The GPS coordinate on Google were spot on. The driveway was a little rough and can get very pitted with wet weather. We have a 38 foot 5th wheel that had plenty of clearance. We stayed in site 9. They do recommend 30ft and under but we got lucky there was an available site.

  • Kim S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Morefield Campground — Mesa Verde National Park
    Oct. 27, 2024

    Morefield Campground — Mesa Verde National Park

    Tons of sites

    While kind of on the pricier side for campgrounds I really enjoyed my 2 nights there in early Oct 24. Easy access to get on the road to the cliff dwellings early in the day, flush bathrooms, tons of sites, trails nearby, a little center with a store, cafe, gas, and most importantly showers. 

    They let you pick your site which is nice so I got a site with a flat spot for my rooftop tent, but some sites are definately more geared to tent camping, but there are tons of site options.

    Would stay again.

  • Kim S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Angel Creek Campground
    Oct. 27, 2024

    Angel Creek Campground

    Good campground with some bearboxes

    Stayed for 4 nights in early Oct 2024. Nice little campground with large bear boxes for food storage. I felt it's at a good location to venture off each day from.

    Not too many sites, had leveled tent areas, pit toilets, deer went through the campground adding to the nice views there and a river by it.

    The cons were there's no trash disposal there you need to go up the road to the other campground to get rid of it, cars were constantly going by looking for a campsite which was constant noise into the evening and they went really fast making the campground road not feel very safe to walk along, not the flattest of parking spots if using a rooftop tent or car camping without anything to level with

    Enjoyed the place.

  • FThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Golden Horn Dispersed
    Oct. 24, 2024

    Golden Horn Dispersed

    Perfect for Solitude and Views

    Great campground just 10 minutes from Silverton. Several spots are right next to a small stream, creating a peaceful atmosphere. The vault toilet helped us conserve water, and we used the public shower/bathroom in Silverton, which was very convenient. It's also close to many hiking trails, making it a great base for outdoor activities.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from United Campground of Durango
    Oct. 13, 2024

    United Campground of Durango

    Good location, quite expensive

    Clean, hot showers and large laundry room.

    One of the more beautiful RV sites, sitting along the silverton & Durango tourist train.

    However given we don’t even plug in, $78 including tax is too expensive for us.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Mesa Verde National Park Boundary (BLM Land)
    Oct. 13, 2024

    Mesa Verde National Park Boundary (BLM Land)

    Beautiful spot to camp when visiting Mesa Verde

    17 spots all pretty spaced out, filled up around 5pm on Sunday October 12 (but this could be due to the Indigenous Peoples day being tomorrow).

    The surrounding landscape is beautiful.

    We didn’t find the road too bad in our Ram Promaster, but we have a pretty high clearance.

  • Erik F.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from New Jack Road
    Oct. 11, 2024

    New Jack Road

    numerous campsites

    area is pretty rocky so i would be careful with a ground tent. We stayed in our van and it was great.

  • taren C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Cherry Creek Gravel Lot
    Oct. 11, 2024

    Cherry Creek Gravel Lot

    Beautiful views, flora and fauna

    Beautiful place! It's pretty easy to get into, there are more secluded places up the hill a ways but it gets kinda rough. You can hear the highway, but it's not much. Just ambient background noise. I got a spot with shade all day, so that was awesome. There was one night an inconsiderate person parked his company truck and camper as close to me as was possible with wide open space all over and ran his generator. Luckily he was gone the next day.

  • Erika R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed)
    Oct. 10, 2024

    Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed)

    LONG dirt road, but worth it

    The off road trail it get to Alta lakes took us about 40-50 minutes in my boyfriends F-150. The views were amazing so neither of us really minded. We enjoyed our 1 night stay and did not struggle to find a spot

  • J. F.
    Camper-submitted photo from Tico Time River Resort
    Oct. 9, 2024

    Tico Time River Resort

    Not worth all the hype

    We thought it would be great to check out Tico Time last weekend, but our experience was disappointing. We had reservations for Friday and Saturday night, but when we arrived, there was no one to help us find our campsite. After driving around aimlessly, we finally found our spot. 

    However, the place gave off a rundown, homeless camp vibe with old camp trailers, a hippie bus, and even a car on blocks, and another trailer had two motorcycles in various stages of being dismantled.

    The zip line was a letdown, and there wasn't much shade due to the lack of trees. We wished we could have gone to the river to cool off. After just one night, we decided to move on and found a better spot further up the road in the mountains north of Durango.

  • Tamara T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Priest Lake Dispersed Camping Area
    Oct. 6, 2024

    Priest Lake Dispersed Camping Area

    For free and nice view

    We arrived at a Saturday around 3 pm and still had many opportunities to find a place. Lovley place to stay. As a toilet. I can recomment to stay there in fall.

  • Alice S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Bayfield/Durango Dispersed Camping
    Oct. 2, 2024

    Bayfield/Durango Dispersed Camping

    Really Convenient Location

    The site is literally right off of hwy 160. If your gps tries to send you through residential areas or on county roads don’t listen to it.

    There are quite a few available spots and most are pretty big. Roads can be a bit rough the farther back you go but it’s got large easy to access spots close to the front. It’s pretty busy but still plenty of room for everyone to have their own space.

    Phone and internet connection is excellent!

  • Mark B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Mesa Verde National Park Boundary (BLM Land)
    Sep. 30, 2024

    Mesa Verde National Park Boundary (BLM Land)

    Narrow, rough, steep service road

    The only reason I give this place a 3 is because of the close proximity to Mesa Verde NP. This stay is only for high clearance vehicles and small RV's. Deep drain ditches between service road and sites. All sites are extremely uneven. Also the road and sites have sharp crushed shale stone. I have a 35 foot 5th RV and was way too big for this place. But by the grace of God I managed to back into site 12. How the use planks to shore up the ditches so I could get in without bottoming out. I will not return.

  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Junction Creek Campground
    Sep. 25, 2024

    Junction Creek Campground

    Awesome tidy and private sites

    Junction Creek campground is a lovely place to stay. The price is good, the hosts are just soo friendly and helpful. The site was even swept clean of pine needles as the toilets are very fresh. 

    The whole experience was very good with well spaced sites and flat ground all between the trees. 

    There is great walking and mountain biking right from camp too! Enjoy!

  • Kaltra B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Bayfield/Durango Dispersed Camping
    Sep. 24, 2024

    Bayfield/Durango Dispersed Camping

    Next to highway, 5g connection

    Going east from Durango, you make a right turn on silver hills road. You will see the blm sign. Gravel road, fire pits. We stayed in a camper van at one of the first spots and had 5g internet with AT&T. Can hear highway noise

  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Mancos State Park Campground
    Sep. 24, 2024

    Mancos State Park Campground

    Nice stop in Southwest Colorado

    Monday evening, third week of September site 25. Quiet. Well spaced sites. Sloped towards lake. At least this site and 26 would be difficult to find level spot for tent and requires lots of rocks or blocks to level rv. Note west side of lake campsites are 6 miles from US160. Deer came out around 6 pm. Bear area, none seen. Nice stopping place.

  • CThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Ouray Riverside Resort
    Sep. 24, 2024

    Ouray Riverside Resort

    The Views and BBQ

    Location is all I can Say. Every direction you look is beautiful, onsite restaurant is great, drinks are good, sites level, might need a little updated showers and bathroom to match price. While area is a 10 of 10. Wish we would’ve stayed much longer.

  • Y
    Camper-submitted photo from Stoner RV Resort
    Sep. 23, 2024

    Stoner RV Resort

    Welcoming park in a great location

    From the time we pulled into the campground,  full of grass with huge trees, we felt at home. We had a warm greeting and received a welcome gift with yummy treats and fresh eggs. We were led to our spot that backed up to a creek. There was a fire pit, fire wood, bbq, table and chair swing at the camp spot. Also included are free laundry facilities, movies on a big screen (popcorn included) and we were lucky enough to have a band play one day and a solo guitarist another. Scott goes out of his way to make you comfortable. It was raining when we were watching the band play, he brought us an umbrella to use, very thoughtful. We would recommend this place to everyone, dog friendly, kid friendly, with a play area for both. There are nice tent camping spots as well.

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Amphitheater Campground
    Sep. 18, 2024

    Amphitheater Campground

    Views, privacy and trails

    We got a FCFS campsite here around noon on a Tuesday. The campground was full by late afternoon. We did a quick loop behind the campground on some harder trails. There are many more trails nearby. We had a lovely view site with views of the valley and mountains. Would stay here again. Very clean vault toilets. Steve, the camp host, was super nice and helpful.



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 38 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.