Best Glamping near Navajo Dam, NM

Jake from the Dyrt here!  Navajo Dam has an awesome glamping setup on top of some cliffs overlooking the area.  Check them out and make sure to leave a review on the Dyrt!

This was the first stop of 3 - 2 night stays on this search to find great camping with easy access to water and preferably within a days drive of my house. I recreational kayak so access to water is at the top of my list of must haves if paddling is on the list of must do’s. This was a survey trip to see what’s out there for folks like me.

I booked two nights going to quite a bit of trouble of obtain them. I booked all three stays on the same day in March. Two weeks before my trip I receive an email from the Parks department cancelling my reservation, issuing a refund but offering no explanation or offer to assist in finding another spot. Getting to speak to an actual person… could not be done. I left voice mails at the dam, at the. State office and even the Governor’s office but apparently no one was at work. Two weeks later a really helpful gal called to say she had just started two days prior and discovered a full voice mail box. She was absolutely amazing at facilitating a solution within two days. Clarissa, you are a Goddess! Reserve America is a pain to navigate and I will leave it at that.

Now about the campground. It is exactly what one should expect in a desert landscape. Very few trees and very dusty and rocky. It was 100 degrees when I left for my trip deciding to wait until late afternoon to avoid setting up in the blazing heat. I arrived at 10:00pm or so. It was 73 degrees. I came in from the east side 64 to 527 and there were deer and elk EVERYWHERE!!!! Which is why I arrived so late, you just have to slow down. Mostly cedar and pine and natural gas oil wells EVERYWHERE!!!! I got to my appointed site and I simply could not navigate from where one parks to where the actual site was and which, by the way, while lakeside it was convenient to water it was not. If you have a few people to help haul everything down to where the actual water is great, but alone in 100 degrees. Also, I travel with two small dogs and shade is paramount. Well shade they do have such as it is. The showers were not available due to, you guessed, a water shortage! I just put up the tent and went to sleep which wasn’t too uncomfortable. Next morning at 5:30 the sun was out and the heat was building. I packed up and moved on up to Colorado where it would surely be much cooler.

I might like to visit Sims Mesa Marina at Navajo Lake again, if it ever fills again and perhaps in the spring or fall but NOT in summer. So many of our fine bodies of water boaters and anglers have come to rely on for recreation are in serious jeopardy due to a 10 year what is termed “Exceptional” drought conditions. It’s really such a shame.

Side note: be sure to take the Navajo Dam shortcut when leaving Sims. It’s a well maintained, but very dusty road. The views are spectacular and driving across the dam is a bit nerve racking. The drive down from the dam all along the San Juan drainage below the dam is well worth checking out for day use only but there are several “holes” they call them where the fishing is said to be amazing and the parking lot reflected it’s popularity.

So it’s on to Vallecito Lake outside Bayfield, Colorado. Specifically Pine Point USFS Campground. The search for paddling opportunities continues.

Jake from the Dyrt here!  Navajo Lake Group Camp offers the perfect setup for groups with 4 separate sites so each tent has their own space.  They provide the tents so don't worry about packing them!  Check them out and make sure to leave a review on the Dyrt!

Nice spread out and spacious spots Easy back in for campers Decent bathrooms Close enough to the water for a short hike for water fun We like this side because it has less traffic and less people Worth the extra drive

The quieter side of Navajo Lake State Park, this is a nice, clean campground with pull through and tent sites (elec and non) close to Sims marina. Nothing spectacular and a bit remote, so not a place I would seek out necessarily. Keep in mind that this requires a little more driving to get to, so if you’re just passing through, be mindful that it’s ~17 miles from highway 64.

Pros:

• Quieter, seems less crowded than reg marina side of park
• A good mix of pull through and tent sites with plenty of room to drive in. Tent sites are multi level in a few cases (tables and pits are a short level below parking spot)
• Lake views for some spots (seem to be partial as trees do block some parts of view)
• Reasonably spaced, not super private but that is pretty much any paid campground
• Cleanish bathrooms and pit toilets, a little smelly on our visit and had no soap to wash hands (not in peak season, so think campgrounds are a little understaffed with no camp host until mid may)

Cons:

• A bit of a haul/remote if you’re just stopping through on way west through NM

Navajo Lake was a last minute reservation to escape the southern heat. SUCCESS, the sites had shelter, access to water and good Marina. Not many marked trails but you can still explore. Temps were good with the breeze to help. From June 1-11-22.

Stayed in M19 at campground. Clean restrooms No campfires were allowed. Quiet campground. Has fire ring with grate for cooking

We spent two nights here. I think I would’ve chosen the loop with campsites 1 through 19 instead of the other loop that we stayed at. We were in campsite 26 and it was a little difficult to get our trailer into it because we had to back uphill. Also, the other loop most likely would have a view overlooking the lake more. The showers were very nice and they do have a dump station. My only complaint I guess would be the road in from the main highway was pretty rough and had lots of potholes. That road is about 17 miles long.

If you don't have a boat or fancy water toys.. Sims Mesa is where you should go. Much less crowded than the main marina. We camped at the Lakeshore Camping area. Several sites available right on the lake, just steps away from the water. Bathrooms available. Water and trash available just a short walk. Dogs are supposed to be leashed, but a lot of people don't seem to follow this rule. Not much shade on the Lakeshore, so make sure to bring something for the day time.

We didn't spend much time in this campground except to sleep. We spent 2 nights here. This is a nice KOA though. They have so much for you and especially your kids. They had an ice cream station, outdoor movie watching area, pool, playground and other things. You can order breakfast and go to the trailer where it's cooked. Washroom was nice and clean. Staff very friendly and helpful. Being that this campground is near Durango, you'll have a lot of camp patrons going in and out because of all the things to do so expect some noise from them early in the morning and late at night. The campsites were very clean and organized. The only negative that we encountered is that it's right off of hwy 160 so there is some road noise but it didn't bother us much.

This campground is full service- tent and rv sites, motel, cabins, restaurant, store, and sand board rentals all with views of Great Sand Dunes National Park. If you are in a tent or small rig, head towards the top and back rows for great views with hammock trees. Or, stay low and just have great views. This is the only place close to rent sand sleds, and it is just outside the park. The campground restrooms are in a retrofitted cargo container, which is pretty cool even if it only has running cold water. The super clean shower house is closer to the motel. Not too far away are some great hikes including Zapata Falls.

This was my first time staying at a more RV focused campground and I really liked it. Since we've started working full time from our van I wanted to make sure we had internet and electricity and camping here really gave me peace of mind as we worked for the week. We really have everything we need here. There are definitely some sites that I would not be very thrilled to get but I really liked the site we got- site 43. It felt a little more private than some and had a few trees and bushes around it making it feel nice and cozy. Not sure I would want to tent camp here...those sites didn't look as good. I also think the sites that you back into as opposed to the drive through seem nicer and a bit more private. The sites for the big rigs were more like a parking lot style. 

I've never stayed at a campground with so many amenities...pool, mini golf, laundry, store. It was really a fun change to stay somewhere with such a community feel. 

This campground is about a 15 minute drive to downtown Durango.

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.