Colorado’s stunning, aptly-named Million Dollar Highway is a gorgeous road winding down from Ouray to the cowboy-style ex-mining town of Silverton and finally to the gorgeous, historic Durango. Durango is a quintessentially Coloradoan town, with restaurants, boutique shops, excellent breweries, and tons of activities including mountain biking, hiking, trekking, and what-not in the great outdoors of the San Juan National Forest. The highway and Durango are chock-full campsites where one can stop for the night to get some much-needed rest, with the added pull of watching the first rays of the sun shining through the tall Douglas firs and ponderosa pines of the forest. Here are the best campsites in Durango, Colorado.
1. Junction Creek Campground
Located right near the beginning of the Colorado/Junction Creek Trail in the San Juan Forest, Junction Creek Campground lies about 6 miles (9.6 km) from Durango. The campground allows visitors to try their hand at fly-fishing, mountain biking on the Colorado trail, white-water rafting and more. The campground features single/double-family campsites, a 50-person group campsite and a day-use 65-person, electricity-equipped picnic shelter. The campsite also features drinking water, vault toilets, campfire rings and tables, volleyball court, and grills. A gambel-oak-and-ponderosa-pine forest overlooks the campground.
Junction Creek Campground
Address: 1499 FDR 171, Durango, CO 81301
Website: Junction Creek Campground
2. Westerly RV Park
The Westerly RV Park is a great place to camp when you’re visiting Durango, located 8.7 miles (14 km) north of it, making it close to all necessities, shops, and more and putting it right across the street from a hot springs area. The RV park comprises a small dog area, spacious gravel sites, a small laundry room, and with the Animas River running right through it. Guests at the RV park can hike along the Animas River, watch an amazing BBQ Cowboy show a few miles away with fun entertainment and delicious dinner, and stock up on supplies from the beautiful upscale grocery right across the highway.
Westerly RV Park
Address: 6440 Co Rd 203, Durango, CO 81301
Website: Westerly RV Park
3. United Campgrounds of Durango
Stay as close to the town of Durango as you can get at the United Campground of Durango, which is located just 3.7 miles (6 km) north of town. The best, unique part about the United Campground is the fact that it is located on the city trolley stop in the region, with an antique steam engine locomotive hauling travellers back and forth between Durango and Silverton on an all-day tour of the stunning San Juan Forest valley. The United Campground features spacious sites, a pool, laundry, hot showers, full hookups, and more. For those who’re interested in exploring the nightlife, breweries, and everything else that Durango has to offer, United is the place to stay at.
United Campgrounds of Durango
Address: 1322 Animas View Dr, Durango, CO 81301
Website: United Campgrounds of Durango
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4. Lightner Creek Campground
5.7 miles (9 km) west of the town of Durango lies the stunning RV park of Lightner Creek Campground right alongside the Lightner Creek, which gives it an authentic, fun summer-camp vibe. Lightner Creek Campground is a family-friendly camping site, with facilities such as large, spacious sites, heated swimming pool, Wi-Fi, showers and restrooms, updated playground, camp store, pet park, and even a basketball-playing space. Don’t expect cellphone service, but with the gorgeous surroundings of the San Juan National Forest, you won’t be needing your cellphone services!
Lightner Creek Campground
Address: 1567 Co Rd 207, Durango, CO 81301
Website: Lightner Creek Campground
5. Alpen Rose RV Park
Located 5.9 miles (9.5 km) north of Durango, the Alpen Rose RV Park is a great layover for those on their way north from Durango and particularly attracts more of an older crowd. The plush, grassy Alpen Rose RV Park features spacious, long sites without trees blocking satellites atop the RVs, restrooms, and even a laundry with lots of dryers/washers. The quiet, lovely place is also dog-friendly, featuring a large fenced dog park. The best part about Alpen Rose RV Park is that it’s just a few minutes from Durango, but lies far enough to make guests feel like they’re out in the great big outdoors.
Alpen Rose RV Park
Address: 27847 US-550, Durango, CO 81301
Website: Alpen Rose RV Park
6. Durango KOA Holiday
The exceptional Durango KOA Holiday campground was awarded TripAdvisor’s “Certificate of Excellence” for the year 2018, making it certifiably one of the best campsites in and around Durango. Located 7.8 miles (12.5 km) southeast of Durango, the pinon-shaped Durango KOA features a quintessential Kampground of America experience, complete with great, reliable cellphone services, cool nights in the summer, spacious campsites as well as basic/deluxe cabins, patio sites and tent sites, a great breakfast-cafe bar, a heated pool, mini-golf, and a ton of activities including poly pong, sluice mining, weekly duck races, and more.
Durango KOA Holiday
Address: 30090 US-160, Durango, CO 8130
Website: Durango KOA Holiday
7. Durango North/Riverside KOA
Durango North/Riverside KOA is located 14 miles (22.5 km) north of Durango, right alongside the beautiful, gushing waters of the Animas River and the towering ponderosa pines that are abundant in the region. The beautifully landscaped, recently-paved campground features new supersites as well as riverside camping opportunities, apart from regular RV sites, all of them with spectacular views of the mountains of San Juan National Forest. Durango North/Riverside KOA has a distinctly homely feel to it, with homemade fudge, nightly movies, ice-cream shop, and a pizza parlour, apart from firewood, fishing opportunities, snack barm pool, cable TV, Wi-Fi, and electricity.
Durango North/Riverside KOA
Address: 13391 Co Rd 250, Durango, CO 81301
Website: Durango North/Riverside KOA
8. South Mineral Campground
Named after South Mineral Creek, the small, gorgeous-looking South Mineral Campground campsite is located 54 miles (87 km) north of Durango and 7 miles (11 km) west of Silverton. The popular campsite features 26 level, well-spaced, sunny and shaded sites surrounded by stunning, jaw-dropping waterfalls, creeks, and mountains of San Juan National Forest. Some sites are even accessible by those who are physically handicapped. The campsite features vault toilets, restrooms, potable water, picnic tables, and fire grates. The campsite is also the gateway to the Ice Lakes Basin Trail hike as well as the Clear Lake hiking trail.
South Mineral Campground
Address: Durango, CO 81301
Website: South Mineral Campground
9. Haviland Lake Campground
Located 20 miles (32 km) north of Durango, the extremely popular Haviland Lake Campground is located right on the shaded ponderosa-pine shores of the Haviland Lake. It offers single/double family sites, 17 of them with electrical hookups, with many sites having views of the lake and Hermosa Cliffs, as well as easy access to the shoreline. Campers have a plethora of options for activities around the lake - fishing, canoeing, boating, and more, and the campsite is also close to multiple trail heads, such as the Forebay Lake Trail. The campground also features vault toilets, picnic tables, fire/grill rings, electricity hookups, parking areas, and drinking water.
Haviland Lake Campground
Address: Haviland Lake Rd, Durango, CO 81301
Website: Haviland Lake Campground
10. Transfer Park Campground
Imagine a sprawling 11-acre (4.5 hectares) shaded campground with no more than 30 campsites - that’s the Transfer Park Campground for you. Featuring two looped areas, the Upper Loop of the campground features sunnier, larger, mostly level sites, while the Lower Loop features some of San Juan mountain’s best tent sites along the Florida River and smaller sites for those who want it. The campground also has fireplaces, parking, potable water, and vault toilets. Transfer Park Campground is close to several trails, including the Burnt Timber Trail which has accesses to City Reservoir, Mountain View Crest, Lime Mesa, and the Weminuche Wilderness.
Transfer Park Campground
Address: Forest Rd 596, Durango, CO 81301
Website: Transfer Park Campground
Charming, capacious campsites in Durango
The gorgeous, historic mining town of Durango on the Million Dollar Highway is a great place to make your base for exploring the stunning San Juan National Forest and everything outdoorsy it has to offer. Check out these amazing, best campsites in Durango, Colorado which will definitely not disappoint nature and thrill-seeking lovers of the great outdoors.
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