Near the Dunes and Zapata Falls. Great view of the dunes. There is gas available out front and a restaurant next to the check in and gift shop. Pie cost us $4.50 per slice. Roads are rough and dusty. There is one sign that says "bump" however the bump extends up the whole driveway which is about a block long. Our faucet leaked profusely at their valve and had been duct taped in an effort to repair. Wanted to check out a couple of hours late but office would not allow it. Wanted to unhook RV for a couple of hours at an open parking area and they would not allow it. Poor customer service. Dumpster was overflowing with trash. Convenience is nice but the park is not. We won't be back. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
The people at the park were extremely friendly. There is a decent little store where you can buy t-shirts, etc. (cheaper than at the Visitor Center) as well as limited supplies. The playground equipment could use some updating but the kids did not seem to notice. There is very little shade but the views are spectacular. We would definitely stay here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 5 / 10 ]
May 2006
$30
This campground is very sparse. It is basically a gravel parking lot. However, it is the closest RV park with hook ups to the Sand Dunes. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We arrived at 9:00 in the evening. The view was great! We drove around looking for a tent site, and when returning to a site we liked, we noticed our own tracks and no one else’s. We started to setup our tent and noticed 3 GRAVE SITES right next to the site we had selected. When we went to the manager, he made up some story and then told us that the last person who had stayed at the site we had selected had committed suicide (with a laugh). It was very upsetting. No wonder we were the only campers who were going to stay there over the holidays. DO NOT STAY HERE. Drive another mile to the national park. We camped here in a Tent.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
April 2005
$23
Sites are level gravel with picnic table and fire ring. Laundry and rec room were not open when we were there late in April, restrooms were cold. There is a store, a lodge, and cabins for rent. The campground itself is very serviceable but not exceptional; what is exceptional are the views of Great Sand Dunes National Park and surrounding mountains. This is a great location for access to the park and Zapata Falls. We would stay there again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We stayed at this location for two nights while visiting the Great Sand Dunes and enjoyed the Medano Pass Trail in our jeep. The campground is clean but set up and designed by someone who had never camped before. There is a nice lake in the park but there are no waterfront sites and hardly any sites with even a far view of the lake. There are no sites with sewer connection or water connection though there is a water connection in each section of the campground that can be used to fill your freshwater supply. There is a dump station available. The Colorado State Park people need a lesson on how to use common sense. If you are in a motor home with a tow vehicle you will pay a parking pass each day for each vessel with a motor, this means that you will pay for the toad and the motorhome as well as $18 a night for the campsite. There is a 50 amp connection. This means that you are paying $30 a night for just an electrical connection. If you are in a big rig I would recommend staying at a private campground locate near the entrance of Great Sand Dunes National Park and skipping this park. Also, the mosquitos are horrible in July and you will need a healthy supply of bug spray. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We felt this was a fair price for a 50 amp hook-up. We were not charged extra for our tow vehicle since we are just staying over night and will not be going in and out of the gate with it. There seems to be a lot of pull through sites. We felt this was good for over night spot even though it's about 8 miles off the highway. It is windy here this afternoon. Not sure if that is typical weather. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Stunning views. Nice wide sites and away from neighbors. Gravel in good shape. Close to sand dunes. Park Ranger came by with offer of firewood, but camp hosts were non existant. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Wide-open, semi arid setting with no shade trees. On man-made lake that cannot accommodate motor boats. Road un-paved to campground from park entrance and quite bumpy and dusty. Paved interior roads. Pull-through sites with good views of the lake, Sand Dunes and Sangre De Cristo Mountains. There are sheltered picnic tables at each site. The park is located 15 miles from Great Sand Dunes National Park. In addition to camping fee a $5 per day auto fee was charged. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.