Gallo Campground — Chaco Culture National Historical Park

I didn’t realize some sites are for RVs and some are for tents. I sleep in the back of my pick up truck and was stuck in the middle of RVs running their generators. Still loved the area. Great hiking right off the campground. Nice restrooms. 

We traveled there with a small trailer. Out of the wind with showers was definitely an advantage making the stay enjoyable. We have been back four times and have not hiked the whole park. The star gazing encounter was a plus. A “ must go” destination for kids and adults alike!

We stayed here for one night in the summer of 2017. The sites are fairly basic: a spot for your tent, a fire pit/grill, a picnic table, and a communal bathroom and water. 

There's basically no natural shelter here, and it can get very hot and windy! If you're car camping (as opposed to RV-ing), this is definitely something to keep in mind. We didn't have any kind of awning or shade other than our tent, and having some shade would have made a huge difference! There are grill/fire pits at each site, but no wood was for sale when we visited. 

The bathrooms were clean enough, and the site was well maintained. 

Overall, the campsite is decent, not great, but ultimately you're here for the Chaco Culture park, which is amazing! Highly recommend going to one of the star parties when they have them and doing a ranger-led tour.

Love this campground. Nothing fancy, just convenient for Chaco adventures, well maintained, clean.

Face it, you don't go to Chaco Canyon, or Chaco Culture National Historical Park, for the camping experience. You go for the history, archaeology, ruins, mystery, astronomy and appreciation for the peoples who built these great houses 1200 years ago. But the facilities for tent camping are adequate-to-better, with very good restroom facilities and drinking water. No showers - carefully read the descriptions. No T-Mobile coverage to speak of, although if you make the climb up to Pueblo Alto to overlook Pueblo Bonito, I did get a weak signal that was good enough to download emails, but that was it.

Some of the campsites are closer to each other than others. The camp is arranged in a loop, generally I'd prefer to be toward the far end end of the loop for vehicle privacy. 

CAUTION: Pay attention to the weather and especially rain in the preceding days. I drove up to Chaco from Grants (from the south) and got stuck in about what turned out to be about a foot of mud under a few inches of standing water in a wash 4.4 miles from the Chaco Visitor's Center. Don't risk it! I drove out to the north on the road that connects to NM 550. That's the much preferred road IMO, and apparently the one also usually recommended by the NPS staff.

This is a fine campground kept up well with clean bathrooms and facilities.  The only real issue is how close all the sites are.  It would seem with so much room they could be spread out so you could get more of a sense of the power of the place rather than feeling so much like you were in an RV park.  There is a septic dump and water available but no hookups.  The hike at the back of the campground is a nice evening stroll and you can get cell service up on the hill behind the campground.

It’s out in the middle of nowhere. The camp grounds are actually fairly nice, flush toilets with AC but no hook ups and no showers. The tough part is getting there, plan for at least a 1 1/2 hour drive on washboard dirt roads. Once you get there, they have paved roads throughout the park. Sites are amazing.

This is well worth the trip which involves a few hours on washboard and potholed roads. Be prepared to drive slowly and spend some tome getting there. Camping in the canyon is like ring I’ve experienced. The combination of the natural beauty and historical significance is amazing. Spots are not very private, you will be close to neighbors with little visual privacy.

We just had our reservations canceled by Recreation.gov. Due to Covid, the campground is temporarily closed.   Now, looking for an alternative.

Get your supplies and firewood ahead of time! Takes too long to go get more and you’ll want to stay in the canyon the whole time you’re there. I could easily spend every day for a month hiking around and still not feel like I’ve seen it all, so I didn’t want to have to bounce out and spend a few hours getting more firewood. That said, it’s a magical place with amazing stars, and even the more wide open campsites are far enough from others to feel private.

Chaco Canyon is one of the best places to get away from the average norm Beautiful night sky one of the darkest places in America and a world heritage site. Chaco Canyon has some of the most interesting ancient architecture. The stonework in these structures is amazing!

Make sure you bring some water🖤👍

Quiet and dark wonderful place to camp

Gallo Campground is the only campground in Chaco Canyon National Park so reserving ahead of time or getting there earlier in the day depending on the season are very important. The park is very remote so it's a long drive on a potentially very rough road to get in but once you're there the route is well worth the visit.

I visited on a Wednesday night in mid October. The campground had filled up by about 2pm Wednesday and but was full by about 11am on Thursday.

There is currently no potable water at the campground but water is available at the Visitors Center a short drive down the road. There are however flushing toilets and running water in the bathrooms. The campsites each have a picnic table and fire pit. I thought the set up of the tent only area was interesting. There is a parking lot area with sites surrounding it on three sides. The set up allows for privacy between the sites which are nestled in among the rocks and plants as well as ruins!

I wish I had spent more time in Chaco Canyon exploring the sites, hiking, and going on tours. The daily tours and ranger talks provide more insight into the canyon's history than you can get with the self guided booklets.

The Gallo Campground is the only campground in Chaco Canyon National Park so reserving ahead of time or getting there earlier in the day depending on the season are very important. The park is very remote so it's a long drive on a potentially very rough road to get in but once you're there the route is well worth the visit.

I visited on a Wednesday night in mid October. The campground had filled up by about 2pm Wednesday and but was full by about 11am on Thursday.

There is currently no potable water at the campground but water is available at the Visitors Center a short drive down the road. There are however flushing toilets and running water in the bathrooms. The campsites each have a picnic table and fire pit. I thought the set up of the tent only area was interesting. There is a parking lot area with sites surrounding it on three sides. The set up allows for privacy between the sites which are nestled in among the rocks and plants.

I wish I had spent more time in Chaco Canyon exploring the sites, hiking, and going on tours. The daily tours and ranger talks provide more insight into the canyon's history than you can get with the self guided booklets.

The campground is fine- everything you would want- picnic table, fire ring… but most of all it is right in the neighborhood some incredible Chacoan pueblos. Looking at pictures of these dwellings I had always expected that they'd be fenced off and observed from a distance, but you actually get to walk around INSIDE these buildings that were constructed from the 800s-1200s AD. It is so amazing to touch the rock and see the old planks of wood framing the doorways. I went for a trail run up toward the older, smaller site and scared off a bunch of elk. Up high there you can see a divet in the landscape that is believed to be part of a superhighway of trade that ran all the way to Mexico. Nights got really cold (10 degrees, yup it was February) but worth it to be there at such a peaceful time of year :) Water was available at the welcome center but not the campground itself.

Almost no shade. It's very isolated so come prepared with lots of water, food etc. I bought dry ice and three bags of regular ice which was just enough for a 2 1/2 day stay. There is a road but has about 12 miles of washboard roads so getting to the convenient store isn't.

The beauty of Chaco Canyon is worth it though...amazing! There will be hiking involved and may not be the best place for people with small children. Don't miss this yhiigh!

When driving to the Chaco Culture Campground one can forget that long ago without the convenience of cars people moved from place to place without stops along the way. A trip down the 23 mile desolate road into the canyons will take you back in time as you witness the native culture unfold before your eyes and the road opens up into the canyons surrounding the Campground.

We were taken aback by the beauty of the grounds as we pulled in late in the day. The hint of clouds in the sky warned of possible rain and the campground host echoed the chances as we checked in for the night.

The host was a warm welcoming face which was a precursor for all that was to come as everyone in the campground seemed to be just as friendly.

We received not only a map of the grounds but also information about hiking locations and were able to establish our plan for the following day with these materials.

Setting up the camp pads were large and nestled directly by the canyon walls, making for an amazing view for the night. Campsites were placed with enough distance for privacy and located a slight path walk from the parking area making for a more natural habitat. Birds could be heard echoing throughout the canyon and it was a serene location for a perfect night.

The site was a more primitive site for all campers. While there were flushing toilets there was no drinkable water or showers. We advise bringing water along for the trip as well as wet wipes so you can clean your hands and face from the sand.

Nightfall was profound in the location as it was very peaceful. Mid evening the skies opened up and a drizzle began which lowered temperatures.

The conditions did not make for dull spirits at the campgrounds however, everyone was just as friendly when we were packing up as when we had arrived. A great community feeling at his campground!

The only negative we truly experienced was upon leaving. Roads are unpaved and become very slick when any rain is present. Though the rain had not been harsh the road in several areas was near impassable. There are signs warning of this as you enter the park turn off however.

For those who must be plugged in at all times, this location is off grid so cell phones are obsolete. Payphones however are available on the premises. a booster is also available in the visitor center for Verizon and T-Mobile service.

I do advise getting gas before heading out along the turn off point as there are no gas stations inside the area. Round trip will be nearly 40 miles and always better safe than sorry.

🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰

This campground we give a 5 of 5 Bunnies! We will be sure to go back!!

For more about this campground and the Chaco Culture area check out this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiP2XUftq_4

this campground is situated in a small canyon southeasterly of the Chaco Canyon Historical Park. The campground is really clean and quiet. Bathrooms have flush toilets and running water. A friendly ranger comes by every so often to check on things. There are small ruins in the campsite as well. I had a wonderful evening here.

The campsites here are incredible! They are peaceful and tucked under an amazing starry sky. The ruins are unlike any other; visitors walk through the rooms sculpted by the puebloans a whole millienium earlier.

Gallo is a great car campground that still feels remote and tucked away from the world. Park is accessed from 17 miles of passable dirt road. Driver beware: wet conditions may make muddy roads temporarily impassible by cars not up to the task—call ahead if concerned. Flush toilets are available in campground, but there are no showers or other amenities. There is drinking water by the visitor center, which is only another short drive down the road. Bring all food and supplies because there are no supplies available within 40 minutes of the park and that is at a gas station.

Note about the few secluded tent only sites (sites 41-49): these sites do not allow you to park directly beside the site. You must walk your gear a short+ distance to a defined tent pad (mind the sizes when you reserve). Also, the way the wind blows through the canyon, sites 46-49 have no wind break, and fires may become too dangerous to light up. We camped in one of these and loved our experience. They have more space, are more private, and quieter. But setting up camp was more of a workout too!

Chaco Canyon is my favorite camping spot. The campground is hard to reach down a pot holed dirt road, good for small RV’s and car camping and once you arrive, it’s hard to leave. There is no water or electric at the camp sites, as is true with most western national parks, but the bathroom close by is heated for the cold desert nights of October and the thousands of rooms of ruin are still a mystery to archeologists who continue to study the Oueblo people who lived here.

Nice open campground next to ancient cliff dwellings. Excellent night sky with a night sky program on the weekends. Gets very cold at night at this location. Campground is tough to get to and requires at least 13+ miles of unpaved road travel, however, a car can make it. Check with the Rangers first before coming to ask which roads are open and accessible. Don't follow the directions on your gps, they specifically have warnings against it on their park website.

Small campground but nice. Campsites are a little close together. Huge temperature fluctuations from day to night. Little to do around the campsite other than a couple of small hiking trails and monuments. Excellent night sky when it's clear outside! You can see the Milky Way and you have 360° views because there are no trees around. Bring firewood. IMPORTANT: Check the website and call before you make the drive to the park for road updates. The roads can be impassable because they are not paved. Low clearance vehicles will have a difficult time navigating but can make it if they go under 10 mph. DO NOT follow your gps directions to this park, more than likely they will get you stuck and possibly stranded . Read the travel information on the website so you know which roads you will have to take.