Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near San Luis? Find the best information on tent camping near San Luis, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your Colorado tent camping excursion.
Camp in the San Luis Valley below snow-capped mountains and surrounded by sage brush and cacti in this high alpine desert. Nestled between the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountains at 7500’ in elevation, this dispersed campsite gives you magnificent views and a feeling of peaceful privacy.
Easy access to Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mt. Blanca, Zapata Falls, and Hooper Hot Springs.
This area is great for photography, hiking, biking, horseback riding, and solitude.
This place gets busy on holidays but we’ll find a place for you!
$30 - $44 / night
Located in Southern Colorado (not Nevada) in the beautiful San Luis Valley is a 40-acre homestead open for camping and glamping. We are a primitive campground. Flat RV and camper spots with 360 views. Just turn your lawn chair! All RV's and pull behinds must be self-contained. We are not offering hook-ups at this time.
Do you love animals? Well, so do we! There are horses, goats, a cow, rescue dogs and of course chickens living on the ranch. All of our farm animals are friendly and we are happy to schedule time for the kids (includes adult children) to pet and give treats. Fresh eggs will be available to purchase as long as the girls are keeping up. Potluck cookouts every Friday night are sure to provide some great memories and you might even meet a new friend or two!
Reconnect with yourself and nature at this unforgettable escape. Enjoy amazing views and awesome picture perfect sunsets every night.
**THE YURT IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE**
Use the tent, bring and stay in your campervan or pitch your own tent. Pack in what you pack out.
The Tent
A large 8-10 person waterproof canvas bell tents on top of a 16 ft x 18 ft platform - 16 feet in diameter. The tent has low profile windows that go around the perimeter of the tent and a large netted door with double zippers for privacy. There is a propane heater that you can use on cooler nights but propane is not provided. The heater takes the little green cans. There is also one air mattress with a battery power air pump if you wish to use it. The batteries may or may not be good so if you are planning on using it please make sure to bring 4 D batteries just in case. Parking space next to the tent so you wont have to carry your gear very far. This is a primitive site and does not have water or electric. Please pack in what you pack out.
The Property
The property is marked off with green poles with pink flag tape on the tops. You are free to roam anywhere inside this area. During the summer months rattlesnakes are active in the area so please be aware of what is around you when walking around. Also the tent is guidelines around the whole tent for support. Please do not mess with the guidelines and be careful when walking around them so you don't trip.
There is a fire pit in front of the tent to use when you are allowed. Please check local weather for "Red Flag Warnings" in area 225 (San Luis Valley). If there is a warning for that area it is illegal to outside open fires.
Popular hikes
**Popular Attractions **
**Ski/Snowboarding **
$15 - $35 / night
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. It means no services; such as trash removal, and little or no facilities; such as tables, fire pits and toilets are provided.
There are extra responsibilities and skills that are necessary for dispersed camping. It is your responsibility to know these before you try this new experience. Camping rules and regulations apply to make your experience safe, and to keep the natural resources scenic and unspoiled for other campers.
Guide
Picnic table, running water in spigots, fire ring and a view. We drove our van right to the spot. Clean pit toilets. $7/night
Guide
Clean campground and restrooms. Great views of Spanish peaks
Ranger
Stayed in spot R1 which is pretty small/crowded in, but near river and trees. Lovely duck and geese ponds and river walk, also dog park. Clean restrooms and showers but no changing stalls in either mens/womens shower. Very quiet and affordable. Near to grocery. Grounds are well-kept and healthy & green (lots of trees, shrubs, beautiful walk by river). Sorry pics are a bit washed out, doesn't do it justice.
Traveler
Was able to find a really nice open spot with amazing views of the mountains. Was big and spacious enough for me and my friend to camp in our vans. No one around for miles!
Scout
Gated off. Not accessible
Traveler
Close proximity to the dunes, allows you to access at night and throughout the day to experience the range of landscapes the park provides.
The camp site has flushing toilets and drinking water.
Would highly recommend if you can snag a site.
Legend
I walked up the road about three miles on the way to the lake because the beginning of the road was way to rough for my van with large rocks about 6 inch diameter. There were lots of people disperse camping on the hilside above Como Road.
Traveler
Nice place! Great views! It's a quite place with a gathering hall to watch TV or charge your devices if need be. I would definitely stay there again!
Ranger
We camped right to. The Red River, the site was fairly clean but we cleaned up what the campground host failed to pick up.
Picnic table and fire ring. Pit toilet was clean.
This is a great place to stay and it allows for day trips into Taos and Valle Vidal which is a spectacular trip. We saw large herds of bison roaming and had to wait for 20 minutes while they crossed the dirt road.
Traveler
We stayed overnight after hiking the Tolby Creek Loop nearby the campground. Pleasant shady place with occasional highway noise. No cell service.
Guide
There are so many campsites to choose from, all along the Hondo Rio. It's peaceful and quiet. We brought our four dogs and 13 year old. There's so much to do to keep them busy. The dogs love the river and to run through it. No one really bothers anyone. There are toilets at some of the sites. Very clean. We had storms while camping. At least six rock/mud slides on the road. I don't know who, but someone managed to clean it all up in record time. We've had a great time, even with the rain and hail. We will definitely come back.
ScoutLocked gate at indicated entry point.
GuideBeautiful views of the dunes and the mountains! Bathrooms were super clean and convenient. Highly recommend!
Guide
We love to come here to get great views of the Spanish Peaks. This time we had site 93 that faced away from the peaks. Still gorgeous but is a subtle way.
Guide
So close to Sand Dunes and just beautiful with a waterfall. Loved it
LegendNice campsite. Bathrooms were locked and no host on site today maybe due to holiday. Plenty of hiking nearby. Hike to the falls is short and worth it. You can also hike further up to the lake.
Legend
Very easy access to several spots in the area. Can hike up the mountain.
Legend
We booked here last minute on a holiday weekend and we were thankful they had a spot for us! The campground parking area is just that. It’s a place to park for the night, with full hook ups. No wifi. The location can’t be beat! Views are incredible! The bath house was clean. There is a store and restaurant in property. They also have cabins to rent. . My only complaint…this is a dark sky area with expansive views of the sky and the opportunity to see the Milky Way. This is not something g I get to see at home! However, all the giant campers had their bright lights on at night and it really messed with viewing of the sky. I wish there was a rule of no outside lights at night. It’s unnecessary! If you are one of those people that leave your lights on when you go in for the night, please reconsider!
RangerWe spent one night here so we could go to the park. Nice enough campground with level spaces and full hook ups. We paid $54. Area also has cabins and a lodge as well as a store with a little restaurant. The showers were amazing at this place. Nice hot copious amounts of water and very clean. About 4 miles from the park entrance. Sandunes were pretty cool, but unless you want to hike to the very top of them, you could easily only spend two hours at the most here. 
Traveler
There’s plenty of spots off the main road, but seems like you need to get there early. We showed up around 6 pm. The road does get pretty rough eventually, and we didn’t trust our minivan going through the “unmaintained” section, we turned around and were able to find a connecting side road that had plenty of open space out there. When entering the road initially, the side road would be about half way up to your left. Pretty close to Great Sand Dunes National Park, so we were happy with this location! Nice mountain view.
Guidei had an amazing time here. my site was great, so clean with a breathtaking view, clean bathrooms close by, and a bear locker! there is so much to do and the falls were insane. if you go past the trail and into the water to the cave, you can see the falls and feel the mist on your face. i am coming back next year FOR SURE. oh, and the camp host was very kind and friendly, truly a big help!!
Guide
This is a wonderful little campground on the way to Taos Ski Valley. Sites are right on a creek & have picnic tables. From what we could tell, there are 2 different locations that we saw on the road, highway 150, one with sites 4-6 & further North where we stayed sites 1-3. We were able to find a level place to park the van & I took a dip in the creek in the morning. Refreshing! Camping is FREE at this campground for up to two weeks! There is no garbage here, so pack it in & pack it out.
Guide
Even with a couple and a new born up the hill I never heard them from our campervan! Serene surroundings and even and beautiful place to camp during a thunderstorm!
GuideAbsolutely magical! My tent got rained out but I just haven’t had the opportunity to waterproof the tent. When it’s not wet season I’m sure this would be just even more magical. The bathroom was easily accessible, fire pits are great. Picnic tables were marked up, but the sound of the River was so worth all of it.
GuideQuick and easy to find. Area was easily accessible. A great option for those on a budget and attempting to avoid paying fees for one night stays. Nice views of the valley and mountain behind. Sites were not the most level going up the mountainside and a bit rocky. Would stay there again!
ScoutThis place is good for those who have clearance and a 4WD. Road can be rough but pretty much all pickups are good. Don’t need a jeep. If it rains, you could get in trouble. The views are beautiful. Especially higher up. Some spots, I didn’t find tons of spots. I was the only one here on a Friday night last week if July 🤷🏼♀️. Or if there were others I didn’t know it. You get cover of some trees quicker than the sacred mountain location farther south on same road. You have to open a gate to get in. I would recommend it, and will probably be back at some point.
RangerThis has been once of the best places we have stayed, There is no electric hook ups at the site. I can hear noise from the road but it really didn’t bother us. We did have river access at our site. Camp host was great. We stayed another night as we really enjoyed the area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near San Luis, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near San Luis, CO is Great Sand Dunes Dispersed with a 4.2-star rating from 10 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near San Luis, CO?
TheDyrt.com has all 26 tent camping locations near San Luis, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
