Best Tent Camping near Towaoc, CO

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.

We 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.

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!

Spent two nights tent camping. Plenty of sites and well accommodated. Camp store/cafe was excellent.

Spacious tent sites. Bathrooms within close range. WiFi located at each bathroom.

We 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

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.

Lovely 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.

Campground features shady sites that will accommodate big rigs. If you are tent camping you might feel surrounded, but most spaces are so far apart, we never heard a peep from our neighbors. Overall the campground was well run with super clean bathrooms in each loop. 15 minute drive to town makes this a great home base to explore Durango and the Animas Valley.

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.

This campground inside Mesa Verde National Park is run by Aramark, a major hospitality company, which has its pros and cons. First, it’s more expensive than most national park campgrounds at $36 per night, even for dry tent sites. We were able to get half price with our America the Beautiful senior pass, which also got us into the park for free. Otherwise entry would have been $30 this time of year. (The camping discount didn’t seem to be available online, only upon registration.) There’s a camp store that sells souvenirs and beer. There are endless showers that are free with your camp registration, sanitized after every use. There are paid laundry machines. There are also many dumpsters and drinking water faucets. Toilets with running water are pretty clean, but there was no soap dispenser in the men’s room on the tent loop. We had no trouble getting a walk-up tent site. Some sites have shade trees and tent spots. All have picnic tables and fire rings, although a burn ban is in effect. The combination of Covid and the burn ban led to closure of many trails, the museum, and the visitors center. The beautiful native dwellings and some incredible geological overlooks are less than half an hour’s drive to the south. Also check out Mesa Verde Voices podcast. Very informative.

I had to change course on a road trip last minute which kept me in Southern CO on my way to UT instead of going north of Telluride. I found a tent site here last minute and it was such a gem! My site was right on the river and it was super spacious. The amenities were SPOTLESS. The cleanest showers I’ve ever encountered whilst camping and the bathrooms were HEATED! After a couple days of Colorado BLM pit toilets, I felt like I was glamping. The staff is incredibly welcoming and the grounds were very dog friendly. Would 100% recommend staying here if you’re ever passing through.

I really enjoyed my stay here. I stayed four days three nights, a lot of the trails were closed the times I was there, (COVID-restrictions) but I did walk the Petroglyph trail, (Bring plenty of water with electrolytes you gonna need it!!!) they have cabins tent campsites, RV campsites, just a great park to stay in and the staff and the Rangers were awesome! $9 pancake breakfast, I will definitely be coming back next year!!

Very surprised with the actual size of Mesa Verde National Park. The facilities are maintained very well and are kept extremely clean. The showers they are amazing. Especially after tent camping for a week!

Be prepared to sign up for tours - under $10 per person, which is very reasonable - to see some of the cliff sites up close.T he museum and rangers were great. Be sure to buy your tickets in advance as there is a limited number of tours each day and they fill up. You can only purchase tickets up to 2 days in advance and it has to be in person. The tours are so worth the effort!

This was my favorite campsite on our South West road trip. The staff was very nice and the camp store has everything you need. The price was very reasonable and we had no trouble getting a spot. The tent sites were all dIfferent, some nestled in trees, some out in the open, but all of them nice. They weren’t too close to each other either, so you get some privacy. As far as the park, the cliff dwellings were amazing, like stepping back in time. An absolute must if you are traveling through this area.

The Zuni Loop was the only area open when we were there. We tent camped. 

Positives: showers were open, lots of deer, night sky, so close to the interior of the Park, bear boxes, flushing toilets and running water in bathroom sinks. 

Negatives: smallest campsites I've ever seen > made it challenging to set up. We were told all toilets (3) in that loop were open, but they actually were not (the one closest to us was still locked until the 2nd or 3rd night). Not much privacy as the sites pretty much sat right on the road. 

Conclusion: would not return. Would much rather stay in the state park near Mancos which had HUGE shaded sites.

This was one of the few national parks that didn’t take reservations via recreation.gov and their prices were a bit higher, but we booked anyway. So, the campground has FREE WiFi, FREE showers, a campstore, plenty of flush toilets with nice sinks and running water. There is also a laundromat with great prices. The store, showers laundromat etc are a very short walk from the tent campsites. The WiFi reaches the campground, it was great for amenities. The park is amazing if you have never been, we highly recommend it.

I have been in love with this campground since I first visited in 2005. It is without a doubt my favorite campground! All the tent sites are great, but my favorite is T4 if your tent is on the smaller side. T4 is tucked away perfectly in the trees, on the bank of the Dolores river. ATT has good reception for calling, but it is Edge service. It will not work for internet. They do have WiFi, but it can be a little slow if everyone is trying to use it at the same time. The bathrooms are fine, they are cleaned daily. You will not be disappointed if you choose Priest Gulch, the scenery and layout for tents and campers can’t be beaten!