Best Glamping near Navajo Dam, NM

Last time I saw Vallecito Lake was in April of 2019. It was virtually empty of any water and that is not an exaggeration. Every bit had been drawn down and it being April the Spring melt had not yet started. However, the area around the lake had captured my soul and I had been hankering to return in early summer to it witness the lovely lady in all her glory. She did not disappoint.

I kayak and this trip was the second of 3 consecutive two day stays in search of the perfect padding spot. I recreational kayak and my area has one body of water close to me but it’s 65 miles away. I was seeking a place water play vacation.

There are two sides to Vallecito Lake. The public side and the private side. The public side is USFS managed the other is a free for all of vacation rentals, RV Parks and homes ranging from little woodsy to magnificent “cabins”. With a sprinkling of homes on the public side with outstanding water access and views for miles obviously been there for quite some time. All around is old forest with huge stands of ponderosa pine and Colorado blue spruce, wild roses and raspberry’s. Along with huge stands of burn scars from more than one, must have been terrifying, forest fires. The place is SPECTACULAR, not too “resorty” but busy. Even during the week while I was there.

There are several USFS campgrounds on Road 501A North Canyon, Graham, Pine Point and Middle Mountain. All of them offer the same shady, wooded campsites some of which are lakeside. Which would be great when the lake is at capacity. There are plenty of vault toilets and drinking water. No showers. There are picnic tables and fire pits at every site. We were able to have fires at the time of my visit but the fire restrictions were just going into affect the day after I left. In fact there was a wild land fire just a few miles away but was quickly dispatched. The camp hosts were very responsive and they take very good care of the property.

Not all sites are reserved at these campgrounds. About half are first come first served and many were vacant at my visit. But it was Monday - Thursday. I noticed it begin to fill up the night before my departure day and things got a bit more active but once darkness fell it was silent.

Now about the water. The lake was at 67% capacity and was not expected to exceed that this 2021 season. There was no snow on the surrounding peaks which should still have had observable snow pack on them in early June. McPhee Reservoir on the other side of Durango was at 47%. El Vado in New Mexico was at 17%!!! All of the bodies of water in the west are severely challenged. Lake Mead/Hoover Dam is being repeated all over the western states. It’s a real shame to see the changes that are occurring at all of our favorite spots. While water was accessible it was a good hike with a 48lb kayak and most of it was very rocky. But the water was magnificent and well worth the hike.

Did I mention it was in the high 90’s while I was there. Which is unheard of. It was brutally hot and chasing ice was a challenge. Most places close by ran out requiring a trip to Bayfield. Also, amazingly, while my cell phone was worthless my iPad rocked and I could send and receive texts and even water my lawn via the b-hyve app.

Be sure to check out Lemon Lake and the campgrounds above. The Lake looked to be at about 50% which was very sad. The campgrounds were not as heavily used and were offering all of the same as other USFS campgrounds.

I will be back again but I will make my stay much longer. I give it five stars just for the pure ambience.

Clean sites, large enough for big rigs, full hookups, and great staff! Thanks for the fun!

We grow tired on boondocking and enjoy a nice RV Park sometimes. This RV Park is nicely designed to give you privacy from your neighbors with bushes and trees planted between sites. No grass at the sites, but lots of grass all around. The laundry is located beside the pool - you can swim while waiting for our laundry. However, there is no way to drive to the laundry door; it’s quite a walk carrying your clothes. There are picnic tables and small grills at each site. There’s a small dog park; and, of course the casino nearby for entertainment and dinner out. All sites are asphalt with concrete pads for the tables. The sites are level

Yur pretty standard Koa. Kinda pricey with lots of amenties

Lovely stay! So many facilities, I even won two stuffed animals out of the claw machine. Beautiful pool and paved walkways. Great stay, friendly staff, clean facilities, good job all around!!!

It was our first time using hookups which we really appreciated. Our site was close to the pool, bathrooms and main lodge. Most spots are close, but the we had a large area w/picnic table. We ran our fan to drown out the traffic noise. Grounds are pleasant to walk with pretty views. Just a few minutes to town.

We had to overnight in Durango area for one night, on our way from Colorado to Arizona. The campground is clean, quiet, gorgeous, it is close to the highway though, we had a gorgeous spot with a view (so worth it). It has a pool, laundry, even a breakfast spot that is open on certain hours, times of the day. We did not get to experience it. You’re only 7 miles away (east) from Durango, which is a very amazing, cute small (walkable) city!

This is a great place to camp in Durango. Had good views with the resort sitting on a hilltop. The staff is awesome here. Will definitely be back again.

Wish we had more time here! It was just a quick stop while on our way home from a trip out west, but it was one of the more private RV spots. The trees give lots of shade and privacy. And there’s fences that also give a lot of privacy. The staff was very friendly and accommodating.

Incredibly friendly staff, great store with camping necessities and fun swag. Dog park was large enough with a shaded tree and benches. Pickle ball, movie night, pool, playground ect included. Almost every space was filled but it was quiet because the activities are spread nicely away from where we were. Pull through sites with enough room. Good price for the location.

Well kept, easy to find, easy to navigate. Facilities are nice (bath, laundry, park, put put). The nicer sites have beautiful views. We walked up through there but our fifth wheel was too big so we stayed in the lower sites. Short drive to downtown Durango. Definitely would return!

Pros

The campground was relatively small so nothing was too far away. Laundry facilities were nice. Lots of showers that were private stalls. Lots of activities to do. The staff was very friendly and professional. Very clean- they even scrub the heck out of the bbq grills even when they have to stand in the heat of the day doing it. Delicious pizza.

Cons

It was close to a highway- BUT it was pretty well set back so it didn't feel unsafe by any means, but there was a lot of traffic noise. Sites are packed pretty tightly and many of the tent sites are not private in the least. We got lucky and got one set back with the cabins. The pool is pretty small, but it was clean and the kids had a great time.

The bathrooms are very nice and have two shower houses located on the campground. The breakfast is awesome and it's fun to relax in the pool they have on site. The cabins are very nice as well as the tent sites. All of the staff are great and very helpful when asking about what to do in Durango. We did the drive to Silverton that is absolutely beautiful and checked out Mesa Verde.

Let me start this by saying that I am incredibly skeptical of chain campgrounds (for some reason especially KOA's). The KOA Holiday in Durango is great. I was there only a few days before closing for the season and it has snowed in much of the surrounding area so the campground wasn't too crowded. The campground is a little ways outside of historic Durango and less than an hour from Mesa Verde. The tent site I stayed in was near the showers/bathroom and laundry and in the middle of the ground but didn't feel like I was lacking privacy. The cost is basically the same as staying in Mesa Verde's campground and there's paid laundry as well as really great showers in very clean bathrooms. The staff are incredibly friendly. They have gardens on site and, because it was the very end of the season, they were giving away fresh produce for free!

My fiancé and I have been traveling and camping in our truck, we just needed a place to stay for the night, we called ahead early in the day and they were very accommodating! Friendly staff! The bathrooms were very clean, it’s quiet and the campgrounds are shaded! Service was great for me (at&t) and my fiancé (t-mobile) had to connect to WiFi..all in all we had a short stay but we would definitely recommend and stay here again!