Best Tent Camping near Navajo Dam, NM

We came for a mid-week getaway to test a new tent. Camp hosts were friendly and we almost had the whole loop to ourself with some great amenities running water in the bathrooms and showers included for only $10. We had views of the lake, but not so close as to hear any of the boats. good tent sites and some shade from juniper trees.

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

Campground features shady sites that will accommodate big rigs. If you are tent camping you might feel surrounded, but most spaces are so far apart, we never heard a peep from our neighbors. Overall the campground was well run with super clean bathrooms in each loop. 15 minute drive to town makes this a great home base to explore Durango and the Animas Valley.

Arrived at Last Resort and immediately fell in love with this campsite. Site was well maintained and level. You didn’t feel like you were on top of one another at the tent sites. Staff was friendly and occasionally checked up on you, to make sure your stay was pleasant. Will be returning for a longer visit for sure.

The Last Resort is a lovely RV Park and campground on the Blanco River off Highway 84 between Chama, New Mexico and Pagosa Springs, Colorado. There are full RV hook ups in the loop and partial hook up by the river. The Bunk House is a small cabin with a queen bed and electricity. Many great tent camping sites. There is a nice Bathhouse with a full kitchen, bathrooms with showers and a coin operated washer/dryer. They are open year round, free wifi and pets welcome. There is a small store with ice, sodas, snacks, fishing tackle, RV supplies, and toiletries.

This is our 3rd summer at the Last Resort. It's a very laid back place with 2 playgrounds and plenty of activities for kids - horse shoes, volleyball, tether ball, etc. They have a nice 4th of July celebration, potluck dinners and camp fires. There are often horses (and a goat) on the property and plenty of space to take a nice walk. This year, we saw a lot of Canada geese and there are also chickens and ducks. We really love watching the many hummingbirds and hanging out by the river. Lots of campers like to fish or float down the river on inner tubes.

Well maintained, beautiful and friendly hosts make for a wonderful place to stay.

We enjoy tenting in relatively primitive national forests and usually avoid private campgrounds. But our friends recommended Last Resort on the River, and we were pleasantly surprised. The tent sites are separated from the RV sites in a forested area along the river. We shared a campsite on the river that had lots of trees and plenty of room for two tents and a canopy. Several other tent sites are carved out of the brush along the river. This makes a very nice setting with lots of privacy. The sound of the river is soothing and there was very little sound from the road. 

It was a short walk to the amenities of the campground. There is a picnic shelter where we sat out a rainstorm, a very nice bathhouse for showering and washing dishes, as well as a comfortable indoor sitting area and another outdoor area with chairs and a fire pit. Ice and firewood are available at the office. Rich delivered them to our site. There are also some ice cream treats there and a few snacks. There is a fishing pond and a volleyball court. The rabbit hutch would have entertained the kids, if we had any with us. 

There is no cell service, but the wifi was excellent and reached our campsite on the river. My wife was able to participate in a Zoom meeting from the picnic shelter where there was a convenient electrical outlet for her computer. 

Rich is continually upgrading the property. He was very responsive and always willing to help. We highly recommend this campground.

It's OASIS RV Resort & Cottages now, as you can see on Google Maps: https://www.myrvoasis.com

We've just stayed there and wouldn't go back. The location is very close to Durango but right off the highway so it's noisy. It was a noisy experience in general with large families partying every night (apparently they got warned by the hosts but that only helped one night), and loud music blasting in the washrooms 24/7. Some of the tent sites are mixed use, they come with electricity but the don't have a nice level gravel pad for the tent. Hosts seemed nice, facilities were very clean. Paper towels in the washrooms would be nice, or even better a hand free kickstand to open the door in times of Corona!

We stayed in the main campground, Pine. There are trees for some privacy and the angles of the sites help get as many sites to have views of the lake. The Navajo Dam Spillway is impressive. We were told there is great trout fishing nearby. Marina. Just passing through, good choice.

We reserved 3 campsites for July 2018 back in Jan. 2018 before the change of ownership. The daughter-in-law, Brandi, that checked us in was very nice. The next day when our other 2 families showed up to check in both were over charged. For one we had a tent site with 2 adults & 2 children = 4 total which is the number of people allowed in the site. However we were charged an extra $60 for 2 children. On the other tent site we reserved, they are a family of 5, 2 adults, 3 kids ages 8, 3 & 1 = 5 total. When they were checked in they were charged an additional $30 for the extra child. However their website reservation states children kids 0-4 FREE which there would be no additional charge. We walked back to the office to explain that perhaps there was a mistake made. The first things out of the owner's mouth "DON'T WALK THROUGH THAT PATH WAY AGAIN, IT'S A PRIVATE AREA" with the rudest tone I have ever heard. There was no civility or politeness about her. (There were NOT any signs saying private or don't walk.) When we pointed out that we think there was a mistake made we were rudely told NO there isn't by the owner. I then showed them receipt and my email confirmation with the price difference and she continued to vehemently disagree and kept cutting me off before I could finish explaining. We left the office knowing we would dispute it with our credit card company since their website said one thing and the owner is making up charges.

The location is nice, the sites are very close together and can feel very cramped. The playground is a little run down. The prices are extremely high! BEWARE of the owner, her temper and her overcharging.

Then there was the flash flood, the mudslide and the major gas leak on the 3rd day and we had to walk out in knee deep mud with just what was on our backs. We will see if we get a refund for the 3 nights that we couldn't stay at the campground.

It’s a good campground. It’s just a little dated. We stayed at Tiffany Loop, 027. Some of the tent sites at that loop need some attention (the barrier fence was down and the site overgrown ). Our site was just fine for what it was. Nice sized parking spot that we backed into. Gravel pad with (uncovered) picnic table and fire pit. There was a grassy spot where we placed our tent. Lots of sticky prickly grass around so watch your little kids :) the water is down behind the camp sites , down a steep hillside. We were not able to explore the water as we had to leave early due to sick kids but there were lots of boaters, pontoons, and house boats out there and we were planning to rent something! At Tiffany Loop, there are flushing toilets, a sink, and coin showers that are all clean! At Rosa Loop (a short drive ), there are coin showers, flushing toilets, and coin laundry services. It is very hot and sunny during the day so I’d bring a shade tent too! There are cabins at Tiffany loop as well.

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.

It’s about 6 miles from the hwy with the first 1/4 mile being beyond washboard. After that little stretch it’s on and off washboard. I can imagine if it rained it looks like it could be quite slick. Didn’t count, but I think about 9 sites half with a covered picnic table and campfire ring. A couple sites seemed to be geared towards tent camping while some of the others were only big enough for the smallest rv campers and a couple that might squeeze in a 30’. Their is one group site that even the big rigs could get into, but that’s only one and these sites can fill up fast. So it’s a gamble expecting a site that your rig will fit especially if you have something bigger than 20’. I felt quite lucky to find 3 sites available with my 22’ tt after beating myself and the contents in the trailer to get here. Near the entrance theirs parking at a overlook and day use picnic area halfway to the camping sites with vaulted toilets. Not much for hiking trails at the camp sites. Only one I found on the west side of the campground that follows the rim, but it’s short.

I seriously don't know where to start here!  This is a Costa Rican style resort filled with fun for the whole family!  60' rock wall, 60' free fall, zipline over the river, 18 hole disc golf, 2 huge fenced-in off leach dog parks, 1/2 mile of riverfront property on both sides, 2 sand bottom ponds with free stand up paddle boards, shuttles and tubes to rent to take you up river to tube back to the resort, white sand beach volleyball, trampoline, slip n slide into a catch pool next to the river, waterslide, launching waterslide, FIREWORKS every Saturday night in the spring/summer/fall, FIRE PEFORMERS Saturday nights (weather permitting), and live bands and DJs in the huge  riverside dance pavilion on Holliday weekends.  75 full hookup sites (soon to be 150) with daily, weekly, and monthly affordable pricing.  A few tent sites available.  SCHOOLIES WELCOME!!!!  FAMILY FUN ENCOURAGED!!! All of this in an area with so many amazing things to do within a 30 min drive....but you may not want to leave the resort because it's so much fun!!!!!

Access to the Angel Peak Scenic Area is off US Highway 550, 15 miles south of Bloomfield on County Road 7175. Follow the gravel road along the canyon rim for approximately six miles to reach the campground. It is important to note the gravel road may become dangerous in bad weather. 

First of picnic areas is a mile down a gravel road. Many RV's seem to be using this for boondocking. I don't blame them, but try and keep them open for day trippers if possible. The Picnic areas are on the rim of the canyon. The campground is 6 miles down the same road.

 Three picnic areas and a campground are located along the canyon rim overlooking Angel Peak and the Kutz Canyon badlands. Three picnic areas(Sage, Castle Rock, and Cliffs). In total there are seven developed sites located along the rim road. Each site has a shelter, tables on a concrete slab, a gravel pathway, and a fire grate. Trash cans are located in all three picnic areas. There are vault toilets available at both Sage and Cliffs picnic areas. These are BLM sites and are incredibly well maintained in the Winter. No electrical hookups or water is available.

Angel Peak Campground has nine sites available for tent camping. They each have picnic tables on a concrete underfoot, gravel pathways, and fire grates. Picnic shelters are located at three campsites; two with single shelters and one with a double shelter that seems to be a great spot for larger groups. Two accessible vault toilets and trash receptacles are in the campground. 

There is a nature trail that heads though light brush and along the rim to a beautiful bench that overlooks the incredible canyon.

We drove up Hwy 491 from I40 and were surprised there were no sites all the way up to Farmington or Shiprock. We chose this site but got there when it was already dark. Apple Maps to ok us directly to the site. It’s about 3 miles on a long dirt road. The road was dry when we visited so we had no problems. We drove into the tents sites on a Tuesday night and found several vacant.

The site itself was layered with gravel. There’s a covered picnic table and large fire ring in each site. We are tent campers and appreciated not setting the tent in the mid or dirt. The other sites are close but not so close you are forced to make conversation. That’s a choice here!

We didn’t hike while here but you could easily have some fun out there!

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.

It looks like a miniature Grand Canyon. Striations in the rock show its sedimentary origin, and the erosion reveals voids under the layers. We camped on the rim where the bottom drops out precipitously. Hikes along the sheer cliffs test the meddle and nerve of brave hikers.

About New Mexico sunrises and sunsets, there are two shows daily, no reservations required!