Best RV Parks & Resorts near Shiprock, NM

This is a small campground, only 8 sites, outside of Cortez, CO with easy access to Mesa Verde National Park and to Cortez for supplies.  It is a gravel lot with each site being a pull through; big rig friendly (45'x75').  There are shared covered picnic tables.  Full hookups with 20/30/50 electric.  We had good AT&T cell coverage.  The property is surrounded by BLM land and close to Phil's World with bike trails.  It is centrally located for all of the areas attractions: Mesa Verde, Canyons of the Ancients, Hovenweep, Telluride, Durango (Durango to Silverton scenic train).  There are weekly and monthly rates which reduces the nightly rate.  The owner, Bill, was very nice and even stopped by with local brochures and maps.  We will definitely stop here again when out this way.

This is a good-sized campground consisting of several different one-way paved loops for access. Most of the sites are back in but there are some pull throughs. There are a mix of tent and RV camping sites. Flush toilet restrooms are available and there are showers and a laundry a few miles away where the café, store, and gas station are located. Each campsite has a picnic table and fire ring that can also be used for grilling. One section provides full hookups but most of the sites are for dry camping. There are several dump stations with fresh water available in the park. The information on the campground indicates 30 feet as the maximum size but some sites will accommodate rigs to 40 feet. Most of the sites are pretty level and are typically grass but a few have gravel. The area consists of small oak trees but only a few sites have shade. Our Verizon and AT&T hotspots did not work in the campground. Cell service was spotty and that was true through the national park. There is wifi in the campground that was pretty good most of the time. Good enough for email but not usually enough for streaming.

Mancos State Park has no-wake boating and is well-known for fishing, especially rainbow trout, a few brownies and yellow perch. There are 33 campsites on two sides of the lake, plus two all-season yurts. During the winter, it is a great place to use as a base for cross country skiing.

It is near the La Plata range to the east, and Mesa Verde National Park to the southwest. Durango is about 45 minutes to the east, and the City of Cortez about 25 minutes to the west. Telluride ski resort is about a two-hour drive. Both Cortez and Durango are full-service cities, with multiple supermarkets, other chains, etc. The town of Mancos, about a 12-minute drive from the park, has a full-service sit-down restaurant/bakery, a natural foods store, other restaurants, a community grocery store, shops, modern library and other amenities.

The park adjoins the San Juan National Forest, including multiple hiking trails, the Chicken Creek cross country ski area, the Sawtooth and Millwood trails, and other trails. The nearby forest (about a mile up the road) has dispersed camping as well as organized campgrounds accessible by a paved road.

There also is a dude ranch next to the park, and the approximate 1-mile trail around the park takes hikers over some beautiful scenery. There are no corrals, but horses are allowed on specific trails.

None of the campsites currently have water or electric hookups, but potable water is available at several connections on the east (main) side of the park. While there is no public WiFi, cell signals are strong.

We stayed here using Passport America discount on our way to Albuquerque. 

The park is a very basic RV park in the town of Cortez. There is quite a bit of road noise as to be expected in a town. It seemed a bit rundown but not awful. There were some long time residents living there. 

The guy (owner? manager?) who came out to meet us when we pulled in was very nice and gave us a lot of tips on things to do in the area. It is only 8 miles to Mesa Verde National Park so a great place to stay if you want to check that out. He gave us a list of other things in the area as well. Very knowledgable and friendly. 

There was one washer and dryer for a laundry room that shuts down at night. There are dumpsters for garbage but no recycling. The sites are full hook ups with pull through and back in available and they can accommodate big rigs. Each site had a picnic table as well. Overall a convenient place to stay if you want to check out Mesa Verde or are just traveling through. 

Good cell reception ATT and Verizon and the park offers Wifi.

Neat and tidy and friendly. This park is in the middle of Cortez, so you literally drive through"historic downtown Cortez" to get there and pull into it right off the main street. That's a little unusual. The park itself is a simple layout; the typical racecourse layout. An oval with sites on both sides as you drive around. The pull through lots are in the middle, of course, and that's where we stayed. When we arrived, we were greeted nicely and directed to our site. Pulled right in, and all the hook ups were in reasonable spots, making our set up easy. We did have to use ONE block on our front passenger tire to keep from hanging by our jack, so I wouldn't say the site was 100% level. Enough room to easily park our rig(29' 3") and our tow vehicle, a Honda Fit. Everything worked fine: water, sewer, electric. Did not use the cable TV that was available, and never even tried the wi-fi. My cell signal was strong enough(middle of town) that I just used a hot spot for the little bit of Netflix streaming we did that evening. The campground is spartan but nice. My only gripes, really, are that the sites are quite close together, and it's near enough to the main street that you do hear some traffic at night. You don't forget you have neighbors. But we'd still recommend this spot.

According to the campground host our site (16E) is one of the most desired sites.  The site has 30 amp electric service.  It is adjacent to flush toilets.  A few steps from the back of the site is a nice view of the reservoir.   The site offers ample space for a tent in addition to the back-in paved pad that accommodated our 32 ft truck/trailer combination.   A picnic table and fire ring is provided.  Numerous trees offer shade and privacy.  

The roads and pads could use some maintenance.  At one time a nice dump station was provided but has since been abandoned.  We dumped at the Maverick's in Cortez.

Don’t let the dilapidated mobile home near the entrance scare you away. This place is super well maintained. Every site is well thought out and has great hookups. I thought a plug water and sewer was pretty uniform. Our site had a pedestal with 20/30/50 amp and then another with 30 20 feet further into the site. Lots of shade. The sites along the south edge of the property have amazing views of the Cortez valley and Sleeping Ute Mountain. Really nice communal fire pit, dog park and some trails too. Some sites have a beautiful brick fire ring too.