I typically rate campgrounds as they fit into 1 of 5 categories. This campground will be rated as a Basecamp — grounds that offer a comfortable home base that you’re happy to return to after a day of exploring the surrounding area. Ratings for this category are based on: Value to cost: 5 Overall grounds: 4 Utility of sites (hookups, layout, accessibility): 5 Local Attraction Proximity: 5 Reservation Process/Ease of Getting a Site: 4 Amenities: 4 Customer Service: 5 Cleanliness: 5

Ouray is a wonderful place... tucked away in the mountains, surrounded by peaks and pines. The Ouray KOA encapsulates that vibe. It is rustic and cozy with pine trees and cabins. The new owner is very new... having taken ownership in Jan 2020. We had some time to speak with him and he is a great guy. He was explaining his extended plan for the grounds and it sounds epic, and luxury. The current vibe is nice and we appreciated the wonky nature of the sites (we were tucked in right to a border fence and pretty close to our neighbors, but not in an overly imposing way). It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for these grounds.

At any rate, we liked the layout. There is a cafe with actually good food! We got the breakfast burrito twice. The cafe is open for breakfast in mornings and live music and dinner on most evenings. The cabins looked great. Everything was clean and basic including dishwashing area, laundry and the office. There is a nice stream running through the grounds.

Historic Ouray is 15 minutes up the road as is the town hot springs. Ridgway is 10 minutes away and Ridgway State Park another 5. We were able to hike in the San Juan Mountains and drive the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton within an hour.

The park seems popular so you might want to plan your trip to Ouray ahead of time. The sites are a bit expensive but the area commands the cost. WiFi is useless, that was our biggest problem. This place is a solid 4.5 on its way to an optimized 5, but for now, we have to round down to a 4 star place.