U.S. Forest Service · San Juan National Forest · CO

Cayton Campground

SAN JUAN - CAYTON CAMPGROUNDPhoto · RMRC
Not publishedStatus
ReservableAccess
27Sites
70 ftMax rig

The place

Cayton Campground is located along the San Juan Skyway (Colorado Highway 145) and the Dolores River. Visitors enjoy the area for its great fishing, hiking and scenic driving opportunities. Recreation The Dolores River is a popular fishing destination that can often be crowded on summer weekends. Anglers will find rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout. The area boasts some excellent trails. The Colorado Trail follows the ridge across Bolam Pass. The Lizard Head and Cross Mountain Trails near Lizard Head Pass lead to alpine basins surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks. Keep reading

The Barlow Creek Road continues past the campground and crosses Bolam Pass with spectacular views. Road conditions near the pass often limit travel to four-wheel drive vehicles. The route eventually connects with the Hermosa Park Road, behind Durango Mountain Resort, and leads to U.S. Highway 550. Facilities The campground offers 27 single-family campsites, many of which are situated along the river. Eighteen sites offer electric hookups. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring. Vault toilets, drinking water and a dump station are provided. Natural Features The campground is situated near the banks of the Dolores River, in a grassy meadow surrounded by fir and aspen trees. At an elevation of 9,400 feet, campers should expect cool evenings. Nearby Attractions The Priest Gulch Trailhead, 11 miles southwest of Rico, leads to the alpine country west of the campground. The Bear Creek Trail, 14 miles south of Rico, heads southeast into the La Plata Mountains. Other nearby trails include the Calico National Recreation Trail and the Rico-Silverton Trail. Highway 145, which runs between the campground and Telluride, offers some of the most majestic scenery along the San Juan Skyway, including views of the " 14ers ," which are peaks over 14,000 feet. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (661) 702-1420. Charges & Cancellations Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite. Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive. In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.

The sites · 27

LoopSiteTypeMax rigElectricADA
Loop A10standard electric70 ft30
Loop A11standard electric48 ft30
Loop A12standard electric45 ft30
Loop A13standard electric43 ft30
Loop A14standard electric30 ft30
Loop A15standard electric50 ft30
Loop A16standard electric70 ft30
Loop A17standard electric70 ft30
Loop A18standard electric60 ft30
Loop A19standard electric60 ft30
Loop A2standard electric70 ft30
Loop A20standard electric65 ft30
Loop A3standard electric70 ft30
Loop A4standard electric50 ft30
Loop A5standard electric70 ft30
Loop A6standard electric42 ft30
Loop A7standard electric70 ft30
Loop A8standard electric70 ft30
Loop A9standard electric70 ft30
Loop B1standard nonelectric60 ft
Loop B21standard nonelectric60 ft
Loop B22standard nonelectric60 ft
Loop B23standard nonelectric60 ft
Loop B24standard nonelectric60 ft
Loop B25standard nonelectric60 ft
Loop B26standard nonelectric60 ft
Loop B27standard nonelectric60 ft

Booking

183 daysBooking window before arrival

Recreation.gov default: most campsites can be booked six months prior to arrival date. Most campgrounds go on sale at 7am PT / 8am MT / 10am ET, but not always; check the facility Seasons and Fees tab. Some locations also offer shorter supplemental booking windows.

Book on recreation.gov

Who runs it

Operated by Rocky Mountain Recreation Company, a private concessionaire (parent: ExplorUS), under permit from the agency.

SRC · Operator link · 2026-08-24

Your representative

This campground sits in CO-03. This member’s public-lands record →

SRC · U.S. Census TIGER · MTJP Scorecard
Cayton Campground — Colorado | CAMPANAC