Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Westcliffe, CO

As I start this, the manager Crystal is a very polite and wanting to make your stay is comfortable. The high point of my stay.

If I was told sooner that my service dog was just considered a pet to the owners, I would have canceled my trip to here. It was three days when one of the owners made what I consider as a put down of me as well as my service dog. If I was told sooner than the three days, I would have canceled my trip all together and gladly lose only $20, instead if I canceled on that day I would have lost nearly $450.

Ask any veteran if their service dog is only a pet. For those who do not realize this, but a veteran and their service dog is just one entity. The service dog being considered a pet is like telling someone with an artificial limb if that part of the vet is a"pet". The service dog is a part of the veteran and has specific duties to that veteran and is trained to do those duties to assist the veteran.

My service dog has 8 specific jobs to help me live my life, he is never to be considered just a"pet" as I had been told. This is sent out to my brothers and sisters on just how unwanted we are going here, as well as The Lodge@ San Isabel Lake and Aspen Acres.

Realistically, all I wanted was some sort of acknowledgement that it was an honest mistake in saying that, but when there is silence that screams louder than what words could ever say.

Very clean, large level spots with gravel and plenty of room in between RVs.  Great location, close to Salida and hiking & biking trails.  Directly on the Arkansas River -- river view spots are very nice and all spots have a view of the mountains, there's a bit of road noise from nearby highway.  Friendly staff, nice clubhouse with showers, pool table & fitness center, there's a small dog park and pickleball courts.  Direct access to Arkansas River for kayaks and small boats (walk down to river, can't drive there).  Campground internet was spotty but cell service is great so internet is very good if you have a hot spot.  Highly recommended, my only complaint is there's no pool or hot tub.

This little gem hidden away in the mountains was a perfect spot for our Mother/Son roadtrip. We originally got a delux tent spot with water and electric but when a storm came through and blew our tent down and since we had been roughing it for the past few days it really made for some bad times but we were able to upgrade into a cabin and it made our night so much better. The family who runs the KOA were so welcoming and kind. They gave us information on a good fishing spot where my 7 yr old son caught his first trout and he fed his tribe. Lol everything was so clean. There are washers and dryers available. They had a nice gift shop and provided a s’mores night for the campers for free. They have pancake breakfast for $3 on Saturday and Sunday ( not always). Overall it was an amazing place to camp everything was reasonably priced and lots of activities for the kids. Board games were able to be checked out, there was a game room where the kids spent most of their time. There is a dog park area. Hummingbirds enjoyed the area as well

They had an outdoor kitchen with cast iron skillets for the campers to use as well as a stove and two big charcoal grills up at the main building

Very nice KOA

also it’s the WORLDS HIGHEST KOA @ 10,000 ft

It was a great campsite, have to use fire pits provided. Alcohol is allowed pets are allowed on leash. And most camp sites are within walking distance to the water. Kids loved it! It was cheap to reserve a site ($20+) and entry fee is like $8.

Our family of four (two adults and two kids + a dog) were lucky enough to tent camp at the Ramble Test Site location as early testers back in late September 2022. The campsite is modeled after the Signature Plus category and it is massive: three spread out and level tent pads with tie down hooks and each had its own electrical outlet that we used for tent lights and iphone charging. The campsite was well equipped with everything you'd need for an awesome camping trip. It had its own outdoor kitchen with a foot pump powered sink, drinkable water, a really nice Camp Chef stove, a solar powered outlet for small devices(plugged up the bluetooth speaker), a large shade structure, a picnic table, a fancy Solo Stove fire pit, six comfy but well built chairs, horseshoe pits and cornhole. The campsite was pet friendly and even had a dog leash connection hook. We used a trailer bathroom at this location but the location down near the Great Sand Dunes National Park will have its own bath house with flushing toilets, sinks, hot showers and baby changing areas. It also will include a mini shop that is QR code accessible for easy purchases of firewood and toiletries. I would highly recommend this campground for those looking for a genuine and upscale camping experience!

We loved this camp site! It was our first time to tent camp in Colorado and it was great. Several sites to choose from. Some have views of the dunes, some are more secluded. Bathrooms were clean. Very spacious tent site with a fire pit. Our tent sleeps 6 and we had no trouble fitting in the spot.

Campground Review

What a cool place to cool off near the Sand Dunes. There are plots for RVs as well as tents. The campground hasn't been open more than a year and a half, and some areas are still taking shape and overall the campsite is still figuring itself out. While some sites are well established, there's a decent amount of open flat land people were camping on as well. This place used to be a tilapia farm and there's still some pools around the place with large fish. There are a few ponds with frogs too, which is cool, but also means pack the earplugs as these guys are an alarm clock you can't snooze in the AM.

The main attraction of this place for families has to be the pool, which also has a basic restaurant with grill food that's reasonably priced. There's also a separate adult only area within the pool rec center called "The Green Room" which has a bar and various temperature level hot tubs, a wading pool, and a sauna.

There is also a basketball court, coin operated showers and laundry, water hook ups, and electric hookups.

What's a little awkward about this place (as of May 2017) is the showers are a combo shower/toilet room, and there are two of them to service this whole camp when the pool rec area is closed (10pm-10am). There was another single service bathroom around the back of the rec building, but not well marked. While there are 2 port-o-potties (well maintained, to their credit), they would do well to add more facilities for the growing campground space, especially since checkout is 11am so most people want to use the bathrooms before they hit the road.

Gear Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products from time to time - today I am testing the Outdoor Travel Pack from Green Goo. Inside the plastic carry case (probably a good airport toiletry bag when these things get used up) it comes with two lip balms, some bug spray repellent, and two different salves - a pain relief and a first aid. Green Goo is a company based out of Lyons, CO and they definitely know how to cater to the drier air climate out here. Keeping yourself from getting cracked hands, feet, and lips is a constant struggle and so I'm always looking for good products to help me win the war. When your lips are begging for moisture, these balms are awesome because almost on contact does it start to feel like my lips are getting hydrated. The taste/flavors are good choices too, and not overpowering. I also am not a fan of lip balms that flake when you apply or leave a glossy finish, and this did neither.

The bug spray was nice for the flies, and it felt good knowing when I was spraying the stuff around my dog or campsite that if residue was getting anywhere, it wasn't a big deal since their products are made with all natural ingredients. Odor was also fine.

The First Aid salve was a savior, as we were camping in South Colorado in a town near Great Sand Dunes National Park and the basically desert climate dried out my feet pretty bad. I applied some salve when I woke up in the morning and before long my foot was already looking better. It felt better and when I put my sock on over the salve it didnt feel greasy or slippery. I continue to use it 3 days later and my feet are looking and feeling better.

My recommendation is to hit the sand dunes NOT at midday like me when it's hottest from the sun, but this and the pain relief salve were great for my dog. Yep, the products are safe around pets and what I decided to do after taking the dog out on the dunes (we turned around once it was super hot) was apply some to hit paws to help with the heat. Cracked paw pad protection for the win!

Overall this is a great line of products. They're easy to pack, do their job, and are all natural and safe around pets. What's not to like?

Absolutely beautiful Sand dunes in the mountains, it actually smells like an ocean beach and makes you feel like your on another world. The Dunes are 30 square miles and you can camp anywhere in them with a free permit available at the visitor center, just have to hike in past the first ridge aka the day use area. It's tent camping only, and no pets are allowed in the back country dunes. You also need to pack everything you need in with you and leave no trace. The winds blow often and hard, moving enough Sand to cover you tracks in minutes. The views of the sky and stars are absolutely mesmerizing, one of the most beautiful Sand fields in the world. The creek that runs through the day use area can fluctuate in size daily, it wasn't high when we were there, but it was still flowing half way through the day use area. A must see destination if your in the San Luis Valley.

Joyful Journey is a lovely little hot springs in the middle of the San Luis Valley. The Sangre de Christo Mountains tower in the distance and on a moonlit night, they positively glow from the farthest pool. The water in these springs have trace amounts of lithium which makes them even more relaxing than others I've tried.

The springs is popular and can be a bit crowded, so be sure to reserve your spot ahead of time. Bring your own towels, as they can't always keep up with demand and flip flops are also a must for the showers. However, camping lets you stay a bit later than other folks and being able to wonder across the parking lot to the campground after a good soak instead of driving is a huge draw.

Since the campground as its just an extension of the parking lot there is room for large rigs. It features all the all the basics with a clean and close shower house, electrical hookups and grills. The nightly fee includes access to the pools and continental breakfast in the morning. Pets are allowed for an additional fee.

There are also yurts, teepees and motel rooms available to rent.

Overall: We LOVED this place! Beautiful, CLEAN, quiet and free.

Directions: Follow the signs instead of google maps. There comes a point shortly after turning onto 3A that you'll see a sign that points straight ahead to the campground. Soon after that, google maps wants you to turn slightly left onto a dirt road. Keep going straight!! Either way will get you there, but if you follow the signs you'll get to stay on the paved road much longer. Near the top of the winding hill, you'll see another sign pointing left to a dirt road - this is the one you want (by this point, google maps will have caught on and will recalculate you). Follow the signs in - the road's not bad at all, we were in our Ford F-150 and kept it on 2WD the whole time - and when you get to a fork, bear RIGHT. You'll see the campground sign ahead and will have your choice of turning onto the north (left) or south (right) loops.

Site: We stayed on the south loop at site 4 and it was wonderful! The sites are a little close together, but everyone was quiet and kept to themselves - not a big deal at all. We arrived at 4:30pm on a Friday and there were two spots left. Not sure about the north loop - signs and other reviews indicate that the north loop is tent camping only, but there were a bunch of rigs over there. Secure trash cans throughout and pit toilets (no locks!), though no water. Each site on the south loop has a picnic table, tent pad, and fire ring. Our site was very clean! We were also surprised to get great cell phone AND internet service here.

Hiking: What we really loved about this place was its access to some great hiking trails! Once in the south loop, you'll see a wooden sign that says "trails" near campsite 7. We took the Canyon Rim trail to the Overlook trail and got some gorgeous views of the gorge (out and back hike, a little over 4 miles). Also recommend taking the Canon Vista trail and then turning right on Far out to make it a 2 mile loop (be sure to take the Le View spur for the best views of the gorge)! The Smores trail is a fun little 1 mile loop around the campsite, good for stretching your legs once you arrive. It was late April when we went and the trails weren't crowded at all. This is a popular mountain biking area too.

Pets: We brought our dog, and lots of other campers did too. Everyone was very respectful and kept their dogs leashed. This is not the place to let your dog run off leash, please don't be that person. Aside from the fact that these are the camp rules, there are a lot of cows that wander pretty close to the campsite - there was a cowpie right by our fire ring, although they didn't get THAT close while we were there. They were close enough for our dog to see though - be aware if your dog is the type that will run up to other animals! We had no issues and she had a blast hiking the trails with us.

Clean, beautiful site by the lake. Summer nights during the new moon is a great time to visit. You can see the Milky Way. Nice spots for fly fishing and hiking.

Westcliffe is right up the road, a small absolutely adorable mountain town.

It’s a must see :)

Cañon City deserves a lot of praise for this fantastic spot that provides a great opportunity to enjoy all the views that the Royal Gorge has to offer.

The campground is accessible via dirt roads via CR-3A. 4WD isn’t necessary to get there, but be prepared for some bumps. The city was working on some improvements to the campground when we stayed here including a new parking lot, new picnic pads for some of the sites, and the creation of some new sites near the bathroom.

There are currently (6) sites on the south loop which can accommodate travel trailers. Some are slightly larger but a few are only big enough for a class C or van. There are no hookups at the sites and no common water available. Each site has a picnic pad with table and a level, mulched area that could be used as a tent pad. The campground and trails are pet friendly, but as with most places in the southern part of the state be on the lookout for cacti.

If you are looking for a great spot to do some dispersed camping, this campground is for you. Only 2 miles from Royal Gorge and 11 miles from Cañon City. Plenty of easy to moderate difficulty trails for hiking and biking. Be sure to take Canyon Vista to the Summit Trail; you won’t be disappointed!