Best Glamping near Aztec, NM

I'm going to start off with this isn't our kind of camping but if you love amenities when you camp, this is the place to be. We arrived early in the morning (wasn't even sure we would be able to check in) but they they said we could get checked in and told us where the other members of our party were at in the park. The office staff was extremely friendly and eager to tell us all about the park. They even had Easter candy and eggs in the office and outside the door for the kiddos. They directed us to our site which was located just behind the teepees. The site was small but it had electricity and a water spicket right behind it. The site was all gravel, even the tent pad but there was a lovely patch of grass behind us that we were directed to put nothing on.

Some of the amenities: There were heated bathrooms with flush toilets, running water sinks and showers. Music played in the bathroom 24/7. There were laundry facilities as well and on the side of the building a dish washing station. You could wash your dishes in a sink with hot water! There's a pool (it wasn't open yet) and for a short little walk, a 3 acre dog park. It was so nice for our dogs to get out and run. Beyond that was a trail that went around a lake and on the other side was a playground, much nicer then the campgrounds which seems a bit outdated. The park wasn't very clean though. There were also several geocaches with in walking distance of the campground.

Shortly after we arrived and checked out the dog park, we began prepping and smoking our spiral ham. It was Easter weekend after all, what better then Easter dinner. Shortly after we put some beans in a dutch oven and smoked those as well. Everyone sat and ate a nice Easter dinner (we all came together from three sites). Shortly after we had our first of three egg hunts in the overflow area of the campground. There weren't any campers down there so the kids had plenty of space to hunt and run. The campground in general wasn't very full, it is still early. We followed up our first egg hunt with birthday celebrations for our youngest who turned 5! Cake and gifts and family. We waited for dark and then had our second Easter egg hunt with glow stick eggs! Shortly after everyone retired and it got cold at night. It had to have been in the 30's. There was a lot of light in the campground. Everytime I peered out of my sleeping bag it felt like morning even though it was the middle of the night. That was not all that appealing to me. You could also hear the highway. The campground itself was quiet but the highway could be heard.

The next morning the kids woke up to their third egg hunt and their baskets from the Easter bunny and then another trip to the dog park. We opted to not eat breakfast here and hit up starbucks on the way home.

Overall, it's a nice park with plenty of amenities. If you don't want to be quite so rugged, this might be a great option.

Vallecito Resort in beautiful Bayfield CO. We stayed here 3 days. This park is quite beautiful and well maintained. Staff is super friendly and helpful. There are a lot of seasonal residents here but all seem very friendly. We even joined them for a Christmas in July evening of decorating a tree, desserts and listen to Christmas music. Had a nice size spot #56. Very quite at night. Great location for day trips as we visited three near buy lakes, and Mesa Verda National park (used your America The Beautiful pass for free entrance). I would love to stay here longer and visit more locations but was only able to get three days. Cell service sucks with Verizon up here and WiFi available near office area only.

CUSTOMER SERVICE: Friendly staff; shuffled our stay around so we could extend and not relocate during the week. 

WIFI/ CELL SERVICE: Camp wifi and speed seemed to work really well! I could use email and stream videos with no delay; however we used a hot spot for work calls to be more clear, but their wifi probably could have been fine to do so. 2 of 4 bars AT&T but calls came in fine throughout the entire park. 

SITE: Pretty campground layout. Love the"S" curved pull thru sites. We had an"S" shaped site with nice privacy and ease of arriving and leaving because of design. The sites all seemed to be nicely spaced from one another and private even though you are nearby. There were some views and there were a few pretty fall trees and a vacant pasture to look at while sitting at the picnic table. A small creek flows along the edge of site 23. Full hookup; level site; heated water so didn't have to worry about pipes freezing during stay; fire pit; grill; full sun site; rock roads but well maintained and not too dusty; light road noise. I'm sure the sites closer to the highway are louder near the campground entrance; no bugs in October that we experienced. 

OTHER: Nearby Walmart and shopping center. About 20 min drive from Historic Downtown; about 5 minutes from Anytime Fitness gym. Laundry room was small and they didn't clean our clothes very well, but it was kept clean.

We LOVED this campground (even though we froze our butts off)! We stayed here on the very first day of fall and it was absolutely gorgeous.

In the tent loop we stayed in (Navajo) there's a variation of how the sites are set up. Our site was set up with the parking area up above, with steps down into the gambel oak grove where the tent pad and picnic table were. We really loved this setup, and it was really nice to feel a little more secluded from our neighbors than other sites in the campground.

The bathrooms are well spaced and clean, and we're fairly certain that the Wi-Fi routers in the campground were in the bathroom buildings. If we stayed there for a longer amount of time where we'd need to be working, we would probably consider staying in a site closer to the bathroom for better Wi-Fi signal. But for our relatively short (and work-free) stay, it was fine.

There are showers and laundry located in the main building near the camp store /cafe (where they have breakfast in the mornings, yum). The showers are free, and the laundry is very reasonably priced. The showers, though, at least in the fall, weren't my favorite. The ceiling is very high, and the changing area has no real separation from the shower itself, which makes showers pretty chilly as the water and water vapor has to heat up a much larger area than a smaller shower area. I think when we go back, we might try to rig our own shower curtain with suction cups or something to keep the shower a little warmer. Our second night there it had rained all day and the temperature dropped pretty rapidly once the sun went down (it dropped below freezing overnight, we had to make an emergency stop at Walmart to buy more warm bedding as the lowest it had been the rest of our trip was 51!), and a nice hot shower helped warm us up (especially in the morning) but it would've been nicer if there had been a shower curtain. I'm sure it's just a pain to keep shower curtains clean, but it would make a huge difference, especially in the "shoulder" seasons.

There is also gas at the camp store, but it costs a fortune. Fill up in Cortez before heading up onto the mesa and you shouldn't need any gas while in the park. There are also free dump/fill stations for RVs, which is definitely handy. It's definitely worth it to stay in this campground up on the mesa rather than having to drive back down to Cortez every night.

Overall we really enjoyed this campground and are hoping to go back soon!

We LOVED this campground (even though we froze our butts off)! We stayed here on the very first day of fall and it was absolutely gorgeous.

In the tent loop we stayed in (Navajo) there's a variation of how the sites are set up. Our site was set up with the parking area up above, with steps down into the gambel oak grove where the tent pad and picnic table were. We really loved this setup, and it was really nice to feel a little more secluded from our neighbors than other sites in the campground.

The bathrooms are well spaced and clean, and we're fairly certain that the Wi-Fi routers in the campground were in the bathroom buildings. If we stayed there for a longer amount of time where we'd need to be working, we would probably consider staying in a site closer to the bathroom for better Wi-Fi signal. But for our relatively short (and work-free) stay, it was fine.

There are showers and laundry located in the main building near the camp store /cafe (where they have breakfast in the mornings, yum). The showers are free, and the laundry is very reasonably priced. The showers, though, at least in the fall, weren't my favorite. The ceiling is very high, and the changing area has no real separation from the shower itself, which makes showers pretty chilly as the water and water vapor has to heat up a much larger area than a smaller shower area. I think when we go back, we might try to rig our own shower curtain with suction cups or something to keep the shower a little warmer. Our second night there it had rained all day and the temperature dropped pretty rapidly once the sun went down, and a nice hot shower helped warm us up (especially in the morning) but it would've been nicer if there had been a shower curtain. I'm sure it's just a pain to keep shower curtains clean, but it would make a huge difference, especially in the "shoulder" seasons.

There is also gas at the camp store, but it costs a fortune. Fill up in Cortez before heading up onto the mesa and you shouldn't need any gas while in the park. There are also free dump/fill stations for RVs, which is definitely handy.

Overall we really enjoyed this campground and are hoping to go back soon!

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.

Nice campground but a bit pricey

Morefield Campground is the only campground in Mesa Verde National Park, but be forewarned, you might just experience a little sticker shot at the price. Cost for a tent site with NO hookups was almost$35 after taxes. The campground does has flush toilets and wifi through out the campground. Next to the camp store are showers and a coin laundry. Each campsite has a picnic table, tent pad and metal fire ring. The campsites really vary in appearance, some are out in the open right next to each other, other are in the trees and bushes which gives you a little more privacy, but most are still right next to another very close site. Some other these are perfectly level areas, others will have you going up of down stairs. The sites with stairs seemed to be slightly more secluded. While it was nice to have restrooms with running water, their was no way to dry your hands, so bring a towel with you as they have no paper towels or air driers for you hands. Water could be found at the restrooms. For you trash you had to find the one dumpster in the middle of the camping loop, but be warned, it could be difficult for some to open. I was a bit disappointed that the campground wasn't kept in better shape, especially for the price they were charging. Several campsites were closed due to needing repair, and the trail from the camp loop to the store was falling apart, it is need of new pavement or just remove it and go to a dirt path. They have Wifi, and said it was better the closer to the restrooms you were, but if a few people are using it, it really slows down. The Wifi was nice as you have no cell service in the campground. All in all this is a nice campground except for the price.

Ranger Review of Banner& Oaks Patriot Navy Blue T-Shirt

I really like this T-shirt. Fit is just right and the shirt is really soft, and has stayed that way after numerous washings. The best thing is that it is American made, hard to find much in the way of clothing that is anymore.