Durango-Mesa Verde area camping.

[gjc-99]

Do any of you TM'ers have recommendations for the Durango, Mesa Verde, and Silverton area? We are planning a trip to Colorado later this month and would appreciate any suggestions on campgrounds or special things to see and do. Thanks!

Do you dry camp? If so, we enjoy both Mancos State Park and a US Forest Service campground called Transfer. Mancos SP is easy to find, just look NW of Durango on any road atlas. Transfer, on the other hand, is often incorrectly listed or not listed at all. The road leading to it is gravel, but just take it slow. Here is a link to the Forest Service site that describes it:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/sanjuan/recr...transfer.shtml

It's at 8,500 feet so it's quite cold at night and closes for the season on Labor Day. Also, because you are from Missouri the altitude will get to you. Drink more water than you think you need - it really helps. Mancos SP is at 7,800 feet.

We have never camped in Mesa Verde NP, but we did drive through there to check it out and were turned off by the crowds.

If you'd like GPS coordinates of these sites, PM me.

Have fun!

Last month my daughter, granddaughter and I stayed 2 days at the Sand Dunes Nat'l Monument in a campground before the exit. full service.
Then we spent 2 days at the Mesa Verde desert resort. http://www.mesaverdervresort.com/
It is also a full service campground with a swim pool and hot tub. It was a good campground worth staying at.

[wbmiller3]

We stayed in the Mesa Verde NP earlier this summer. The campground facilities were a bit run down (what a change from my youth when the NPS actually did maintenance instead of a for-profit operator...) For example, the hydraulic closer on the men's room door was broken so the door could not be completely closed.

You can get hookups, but there are not many of these sites, so reservations are a must for them (we did not use them and it was cool enough at night to sleep fine).

This was end of May/first of June and the campgrounds were EMPTY. At least the non hookup sites.

It is always nice to be right there with the attractions, for example being able to walk to the nightly ranger programs.

Driving by the private campgrounds in the area they did not look too great, but we didn't actually go in.

Bottom line, if I went back, I would stay in the NPS campground again. But, I would try to make reservations for a hookup site.

Hi, I am new to the forum and I have been doing some research on the Durango area. Following are a list of interesting sites about that area. I am very interested in knowing about the Ute Mountain Casino campgrounds and the Trimble Hot Springs areas. Let me know what you think if you happen to get there before I do.
www.mesaverdecountry.com/tourism/towaoc..
www.durangosilvertonrailroad.com/
www.trimblehotsprings.com/
www.utemountaincasino.com/

Hope this is a help.

Pat

[CAmark]

We stayed twice at Lightner Creek Campground near Durango -- that was many years ago though. They do have a website; a couple reviews I found sound as if it is still a great place...

http://www.camplightnercreek.com/

Happy travels,
Mark