Best Cabin Camping near Costilla, NM

A large campground at the foot of the southern San Isabel mountain range. When you first drive in there are secluded tent spots, then small cabins. There are many spots all around the lake, with large tenter sites on the opposite bank of the lake. We set up amongst the trees in a relatively open spot but there weren’t many campers there so it was no problem. Had a view of the lake and a vault toilet nearby (it was pretty disgusting). Clean showers/toilets on other side of lake. No picnic table on site, but it did have a box grill and a fire pit — burn ban was in effect though. A little stream nearby. Camp store, restaurant, boat rental on site. In all we were thankful for a spot in the summer with no reservations.

The website listed for this campground is correct Ponderosa campground Antonito, CO.

Phone 719.376.5857

This is a very relaxing place to stay and it seems like most of the people there have been there many times before. The drive in is easy on Route 17 and does not require a vehicle with high ground clearance. They do allow campfires, they have clean bathrooms and a shower house. I stayed in a backpacking tent after driving all day arriving on a Friday at about 4:00 PM. The campground is set-up for small campers and has some cabins for rent too. The bathrooms with showers are clean and comfortable. The sites have fire rings with grates and picnic tables. The owner manager is great, providing quality fishing advice, conversation and even a free cup of coffee in the morning. Hiking on the CDT is near the campground and fishing is right in the campground. The steam train is right up the pass and I happened to be there the night before opening day catching a photo when I drove over the pass to Chama New Mexico. The Cumbres and Toltec Train traveling between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico. This is a very nice drive and Chama is a cool place to visit, it is a trail town on the CDT.

I will visit this campground again for sure.

The Alamosa KOA was chosen by our family because we like to have the option for swimming at the end of a hard day of play in the National Parks. We made our reservation for our site in March, a mere three months before our mid-week, June 7 arrival.

This KOA has a nice sized heated, outdoor pool with reasonable hours, closing around 8:00 PM. The pool temperature was warm enough for even the adults to slip right into it. There is also a fantastic playground with updated equipment, including an elevated tunnel system that ends with safety slides. When you have a small child who loves to play, especially a special needs child, this is a big deal! Other amenities include showers and laundry facilities (we did not use either but they looked nice). Wi-Fi is advertised, and the signal is available, but was not even fast or reliable enough to load photos from Instagram or Twitter. Streaming would be out of the question, but it would probably suffice for checking email.

One of the more unique benefits offered at this KOA include on-site Hunt Brothers Pizza and breadsticks. Not only can you get hot, fresh pizza here, made to order, but they will deliver it to your site! In addition, they deliver wood and ice. This site also offers a weekend pancake breakfast (seasonal).

The RV sites were leveled very well, and they have both 30-amp and 50-amp sites available. There are small shade trees scattered throughout the camping area, but they are still quite young and small. I read some previous reviews that felt the sites were too close together. Although there was little privacy, we have certainly had less room between sites than we had in Alamosa. Perhaps with slide-outs it might be more compact, but our little Starcraft fit in just fine. In addition to RV sites, there are tent sites and camping cabins available.

Our take-away from Alamosa KOA: The view from the campsite and the kindness and helpfulness of the hosts, the Martin family, make this a return-trip campground for sure! Any questions for us about this site? Leave them in the comments below!

There are around 90 primitive tent only campsites here in addition to a couple dozen RV sites, cabins, and a mini lodge.

$25/night for a tent only site, but the location to the park can’t be beat and the fee includes two showers (unlimited time).

Some sites have picnic tables (not in the best shape) and all have fire rings.

The general store is open from 8am-8pm, along with the restaurant. Everything was pretty reasonably priced and the food was good. They also rent boards for surfing the sand dunes.

The view of the sunset and Milky Way were priceless. We would definitely return.

Booked a last minute RV spot at Great Sand Dunes Oasis.

The bad:

The park is not much to look at. The gravel roads and store parking area are in dire need of maintenance; buckle up. There are 20 RV spots all stacked in right on top of each other. The wind was awful and there is nothing to block it. There’s really nothing between the sites but a little strip with a picnic table and small fire ring, and a small tree.

The good:

The bathrooms and showers were incredibly clean. The person I dealt with on the phone was very accommodating and set us up for after-hours check-in. There was a small playground area near the RV sites. Above the RV sites were cabins and a lodge. They rent Sand sleds to use at the park, $20 each + wax for the day. There is a beautiful view of the dunes from the park.

The restaurant had not opened yet so I have no opinion of that. The store had just opened and was not fully stocked.

RV sites were pull-through but it’s pretty tight on your passenger side pulling in.

All said, I would return to this park again. It is a good place to use as a home base while you explore Great Sand Dunes National Park. Trust me: you will need to shower the sand off.

This campground has everything you need. Trash pick up, firewood delivery pick nick tables and fire rings at every site. There is a well stocked store with ice, propane, firewood etc. We showed up on a Saturday and there was rock painting and $2 ice cream for the kids right next to the playground. If you want a quieter site however be sure to request something AWAY from the playground! It’s pretty noisy with the kids. Staff is great, views are good and the Sand Dunes are 1/2 hr away. Oh, they have free WiFi and hot showers as well. Kinda deluxe.

This place charges PER Person, including kids, which is extortion! We were charged $36 a night for a camp site that was in terrible shape. We actually drove into town to buy a rake so we could clean up all the trash left around. We were also told because they don't have metal fire rings, fires we're not allowed during a class 1 fire ban. Seems that with the crazy rates they charge, they could upgrade the sites with this feature. We also were appalled with how costly everything was at the store. $3.75 for a 10lb bag of ice. $20 for a board rental and due back by 7 (you can really only be on the dunes in morning and evening so much of the day you can't use the boards). I have definitely stayed in fabulous campgrounds with less amenities for less cost. Unfortunately, they have a captive customer base because Pinon Flats are always full. So in conclusion, if they continue to charge such high prices for their sites, clean them up, upgrade the fire pits and then maybe the cost would be worth it.