Cimarron Campground

Took my boys camping and had a great time. We went June 2 and the water was not on yet. The facilities were very clean and the staff agent was present and available. We had no issues. It is a long way down a dirt road but well worth the drive to be remote. No cell service at the camp site but a short 5 min drive back to the first cattle guard allowed for service to multiple cell providers. A short beautiful hike to the ponds allowed for some fishing for the kids. All artificial lures and barbless hooks. It’s not glamping but is some great camping!

We stayed July 1st-5th, 2021. Beautiful location in a place I wasn’t expecting it to be sooo green! Very relaxing and remote as there is zero service. It was perfect & exactly what we were looking for. Vault toilets are well kept and within good proximity to most sites. The grass was about knee high, so yard games/ activities weren’t possible. The hiking trail to the lake was reasonable and not too inclined/strenuous. It rained only in the afternoons but everyday.

We stayed here over July 4, 2021.  The campground was mostly full until Sunday (July, 4) and then cleared out. It stayed quiet even when full, though.  I wondered how rough the roads were, but driving from Castillo to the campground and then on to Hwy 64 east of Cimarron on 1950 was all very doable in a Subaru Ascent towing a trailer despite some heavy rains.

There were pit toilets which were clean, but flies at them got thick as the day warmed up.  Flies and mosquitoes were rare at the campsite, though. The campsites were large and surrounded by trees.  A few of the outer loop had nice, partial  views of the meadow.

There's a nice easy/moderate half mile hike down to the Shuree Ponds which were stocked with trout. it seemed a fair amount of people would drive to the larger of those two ponds for day use fishing.  The smaller was reserved for kids's fishing.  Both are classied as "Green Chile" waters so only flies or artificial lures with a single, barbless hook are allowed. 2 fish limit.

The area looked like a mecca for wildlife, but we only saw 3 deer in our hikes to and from the ponds and then a muskrat at the pond.

This is 1 of 2 options for campgrounds in the Valle Vidal area. It is on the West side of the preserve and is equine friendly. This is a large campground, with 36 camping sites. We stayed at #24 which had a nice partial overlook to the opposing valley, mountainside. 

This campground is well loved, but clean and my only gripe is the pit toilets are old and in need of replacement. The host did keep them  as clean as possible with odor control devices in the stalls. 

Our campsite had a very worn and splintering wooden picnic table that really needed replacing.  We brought a table and sat at that with our 2 small children. 

Overall it is quiet and peaceful with amazing stargazing at night. 

There is a walking trail at the back of the campground to get to Surree Ponds. I would say it is of medium difficulty as there is a precarious creek crossing, and it is uphill the whole way back to camp. The view you can get from the meadows and the ponds are gorgeous at sunset. 

Word of warning, the road to get here from Amalia becomes very wash boarded. It is a long road to get here and is wash boarded the whole way. The drive through Rio Costilla Canyon is gorgeous and if you only can go that far it is well worth it.

There is trout fishing near by. Miles of hiking and an abundance of wildlife, we watched several herds of Elk down in the valley on one of our hikes. We had deer roam through our campsite, they could care less that we were even there. The kids had a few streams to keep them busy. We were there the week of the 4th of July 2016. The weather was great we had a short shower just about every evening but nothing bad.

The sites here were absolutely wonderful. When I came there weren't much camper. There are around 36 campsites all included with a grill, tables and showers. You really have your privacy and is so beautiful at night. They recommend you don't burn the firewood there because some sort of insects live in there. The nearest gas station is about a half hour ride away and is where we bought ours. The sunset was so pretty and in the morning it get pretty chilly

There were 36 sites and they were all well kept

This campground is really seclusive. Miles of dirt road to get to with beautiful green grass on the way. It doesn't open until the first of July sometime because elk are caving and they don't want people to bother them. The road can be tough if it is raining a bunch, but worth the trip if you have time. Campgrounds are secluded, definitely bring everything you need because you are over an hour from a good store. Lots of good hiking and potential to see wildlife. It will also be cold at night, so be prepared. Great spot!

Carson National Forest in Cimarron is absolutely beautiful. We hiked near Shuree Ponds and camped between Ash Mountain and Little Castillo Peak. The weather was all over the place, but the views were stunning. Bear precautions are necessary. Water was plentiful as the streams and creeks were rapid with snow melt. We will absolutely be returning!

I have driven through this canyon more times than I can count. The area is beautiful! The drive through the Palisades (huge Sand and Limestone faces that line the canyon wall. The camping in the area is also quite good. The vault toilets are consistently clean and the area is quite friendly.