Best Tent Camping near Shiprock, NM

This is a large campground in the National Park boundaries.  It has camper, RV and tent camp sites as well as 17 group sites.  There is a small store and a shower.  Each site has a picnic table.  You can also get tickets to the Parks attractions, but do this as soon as you get there as reservations can be a day or two out.

We stayed here 2 nights the summer of 2015. It's priced fair and we were able to find a camp spot with some good shade. We were camping in a tent se we didn't need hook-ups. I'm not sure what the hook-up situation is for campers. We were able to enjoy cool evening walks; where we would often spot deer. It was also fairly close to the amphitheater to hear the ranger talks. I would recommend going to the talks because they would talk about a lot of the history that you may miss out on. Also the showers were free; a little old school but got the job done.

Spent two nights tent camping. Plenty of sites and well accommodated. Camp store/cafe was excellent.

Spacious tent sites. Bathrooms within close range. WiFi located at each bathroom.

We had a roof top tent and were able to find a spot good enough to open up and still have room. The showers were nice and I even had warm water. Very clean and comfortable for tent camping

Lovely campsite that is first come first serve, if you have a tent spot. Showers, bathrooms and laundry sites not too far away. Was a bit frustrating that there were no bear boxes at the tent sites. Campgrounds were clean, but could hear generators from the other rv sites.

This campground inside Mesa Verde National Park is run by Aramark, a major hospitality company, which has its pros and cons. First, it’s more expensive than most national park campgrounds at $36 per night, even for dry tent sites. We were able to get half price with our America the Beautiful senior pass, which also got us into the park for free. Otherwise entry would have been $30 this time of year. (The camping discount didn’t seem to be available online, only upon registration.) There’s a camp store that sells souvenirs and beer. There are endless showers that are free with your camp registration, sanitized after every use. There are paid laundry machines. There are also many dumpsters and drinking water faucets. Toilets with running water are pretty clean, but there was no soap dispenser in the men’s room on the tent loop. We had no trouble getting a walk-up tent site. Some sites have shade trees and tent spots. All have picnic tables and fire rings, although a burn ban is in effect. The combination of Covid and the burn ban led to closure of many trails, the museum, and the visitors center. The beautiful native dwellings and some incredible geological overlooks are less than half an hour’s drive to the south. Also check out Mesa Verde Voices podcast. Very informative.

While kind of on the pricier side for campgrounds I really enjoyed my 2 nights there in early Oct 24. Easy access to get on the road to the cliff dwellings early in the day, flush bathrooms, tons of sites, trails nearby, a little center with a store, cafe, gas, and most importantly showers. 

They let you pick your site which is nice so I got a site with a flat spot for my rooftop tent, but some sites are definately more geared to tent camping, but there are tons of site options.

Would stay again.

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 my favorite campsite on our South West road trip. The staff was very nice and the camp store has everything you need. The price was very reasonable and we had no trouble getting a spot. The tent sites were all dIfferent, some nestled in trees, some out in the open, but all of them nice. They weren’t too close to each other either, so you get some privacy. As far as the park, the cliff dwellings were amazing, like stepping back in time. An absolute must if you are traveling through this area.

Very surprised with the actual size of Mesa Verde National Park. The facilities are maintained very well and are kept extremely clean. The showers they are amazing. Especially after tent camping for a week!

Be prepared to sign up for tours - under $10 per person, which is very reasonable - to see some of the cliff sites up close.T he museum and rangers were great. Be sure to buy your tickets in advance as there is a limited number of tours each day and they fill up. You can only purchase tickets up to 2 days in advance and it has to be in person. The tours are so worth the effort!

I really enjoyed my stay here. I stayed four days three nights, a lot of the trails were closed the times I was there, (COVID-restrictions) but I did walk the Petroglyph trail, (Bring plenty of water with electrolytes you gonna need it!!!) they have cabins tent campsites, RV campsites, just a great park to stay in and the staff and the Rangers were awesome! $9 pancake breakfast, I will definitely be coming back next year!!

The Zuni Loop was the only area open when we were there. We tent camped. 

Positives: showers were open, lots of deer, night sky, so close to the interior of the Park, bear boxes, flushing toilets and running water in bathroom sinks. 

Negatives: smallest campsites I've ever seen > made it challenging to set up. We were told all toilets (3) in that loop were open, but they actually were not (the one closest to us was still locked until the 2nd or 3rd night). Not much privacy as the sites pretty much sat right on the road. 

Conclusion: would not return. Would much rather stay in the state park near Mancos which had HUGE shaded sites.

This was one of the few national parks that didn’t take reservations via recreation.gov and their prices were a bit higher, but we booked anyway. So, the campground has FREE WiFi, FREE showers, a campstore, plenty of flush toilets with nice sinks and running water. There is also a laundromat with great prices. The store, showers laundromat etc are a very short walk from the tent campsites. The WiFi reaches the campground, it was great for amenities. The park is amazing if you have never been, we highly recommend it.

I had to change course on a road trip last minute which kept me in Southern CO on my way to UT instead of going north of Telluride. I found a tent site here last minute and it was such a gem! My site was right on the river and it was super spacious. The amenities were SPOTLESS. The cleanest showers I’ve ever encountered whilst camping and the bathrooms were HEATED! After a couple days of Colorado BLM pit toilets, I felt like I was glamping. The staff is incredibly welcoming and the grounds were very dog friendly. Would 100% recommend staying here if you’re ever passing through.

31 sites - arrived at 1 pm at the end of May and had many empty sites to choose from. The campground is only about 1/3 full at almost 6 pm. If you want a shower, this campground is not for you but I don't base my rating on shower availability. There is potable water, a clean bathroom with flush toilets, level campsites and beautiful views. That's all I need! After all, it's camping.

Several sites are reserved for RVs. We took one for our teardrop but could have used one of the sites with a tent pad. A campervan or small trailer could pull in the parking area for some of the tent sites. Tent pads are mostly dirt with a little bit of crushed rock.

This is a Dark Sky Park but there are lots of those in Utah.

A good campground within the park in gambel oak beside a mesa, though well-trafficked as you would imagine at a national park. However, many sites were open because there were so many sites. Stayed in the tent campground, and many of the sites were fairly private, in the gambel oak, while the other half of the sites were basically in the open, no privacy.

Laundry, gas, store, showers available. Showers are free, and are in little individual rooms, about 20 available, favorite thing about this campground haha. Bathrooms located throughout the campground, heated, lighted, flush toilets.

I started my trip to Mesa Verde NP not quite sure where I was going to camp for the night.  I entertained the idea of spending the night inside the park, at the sad, overpriced campground there.  Once I discovered they wanted north of 40 bucks for a tent site, I moseyed my way down the hill to this sick little dispersed campground.  You can't beat the price (free) and there were plenty of sites to choose from, even during Labor Day week.

I believe the BLM calls this site "Chutes & Ladders".  There are 15 or 16 sites available, and unlike a lot of other dispersed camping I've come across, this doesn't seem to be a place where people come to party.  It was quiet and there was a lot of space between sites.  Plenty of room for trailers if that's your thing.  Great place to spend the night!

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.