Pros:
- In a National Forest, so beautiful, remote.
- Nice babbling brook alongside campsites, fun for kids to play in (COLD, but shallow), and makes for great white noise.
- Convenient to Santa Fe (20-25 min from downtown)
- drive up the mountain 4 minutes for a gorgeous vista and sunset view
- nice trails in the area, but we didn’t use them (one night stopover)
- pit toilets (smelly, but they exist)
Cons
- essential hike in, uphill, have to carry your gear. The further in your campsite, the more hiking you will do (we chose one close to the parking lot, but sacrificed privacy)
- limited spots, and high traffic (people came in in the middle of the night, hiked in with dogs, cyclists, potential regulars (?)
- campsite tent pads are small/limited. Our family of 6 usually would use 3 small tents, but had to limit ourselves to 2, so everyone was squeezed together.
Chilly, even in July, just FYI, come prepared.
Picnic table, fire ring provided
Our family of 6 stayed at Old Lime creek in July 2024, based on 5 star reviews on Campendium. We almost went to the wrong spot though, as there is another Lime Creek dispersed area in Creede, several miles down the highway.
Beautiful views, tons of wildflowers, weather was amazing, kind people. Turnoff was 2.5 miles past Purgatory ski resort, right after the hairpin turn. Go through the dirt parking lot, and the meadow opens up on your right. The road continues, with a few spots on the way up and a lovely pond several miles up. The road gets rougher past the cabins, and 4x4 and high clearance would help you out.
Some highway noise, but didn’t bother us. So convenient to Durango, Silverton, and an hour to Ouray.