CAMPANAC.Powered by public lands intelligenceMore Than Just Parks

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

McPhee Recreation Complex

ReservableOut of season, no booking; December 5 opens June 5.

Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book

Right now: Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
A night: $26–$37Across the site types the agency prices
Sites: 8652 on recreation.gov

Photos · RMRC

50 ftLongest rig

7,080 ftElevation

280 ftWater · McPhee Reservoir

8.4 miN of Cortez, CO

0%Tree cover

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 6 notices

In the agency’s own words

McPhee Recreation Complex is located on the south shore of McPhee Reservoir near the town of Dolores in southwestern Colorado. Visitors enjoy the area for its boating, water skiing and fishing opportunities. Keep reading

Recreation

McPhee Reservoir, the largest within the San Juan National Forest and second-largest in Colorado, has 50 miles of shoreline. Boating, water skiing and fishing are popular activities. A boat ramp and fish cleaning station are located within the complex. The half-mile Can Do Trail climbs to a scenic overlook with panoramic views of the reservoir and the beautiful peaks surrounding Mesa Verde to the south.

Facilities

This large campground offers group sites, RV and tent sites, some of which have electric hookups. Several sites have shelters for shade. Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, as are flush toilets. The McPhee Campground has 71 campsites on 2 loops with paved access. There are 50 reservable campsites, 24 sites with electric hookups, and 2 sites offer tables and toilets accommodating wheelchairs. A dozen campsites are walk-ins with tent pads near scenic overlooks. The adjacent McPhee Group Area has 4 group campsites available for reservation (with limited electrical hookups). There are volleyball posts, a ball field, and horseshoe pits (you supply the equipment).

Natural Features

The campground is situated on a mesa 500 feet above the reservoir, at an elevation of 7,400 feet. Pinyon and juniper trees offer shade throughout the campground.

Nearby Attractions

Southwestern Colorado, part of the Four Corners region, contains more than 4,000 archaeological sites and more than 600 cliff dwellings. Many sites offer glimpses of the ancient Anasazi culture for which the area is known. Anasazi Heritage Center is 10 minutes away in Dolores. Mesa Verde National Park is one hour south of the campground. The Canyon of the Ancients is an hour southwest and Hovenweep National Monument is an hour west. 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. Group Sites Group Facility (including Cabins and Lookouts): A visitor who cancels a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use 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.

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

What the agency tells you

Rule

Water is now available here. The water pump has been replaced. 6/22/2026

Rule

Showers are not available

Rule

This facility has first-come, first-served sites

Everything else this campground posts · 3

Rule

Click here for more information on the San Juan National Forest

Rule

Don't Move Firewood: Prevent the spread of tree-killing organisms by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. For more information visit dontmovefirewood.org.

Rule

Nearest RV Dump Stations: Speedway Convenience Store, 20453 Hwy 160, Durango, CO 81301 Cortez RV Dump, 110 West Progress Circle, Cortez, CO 81321, 970-565-7320, Open May 1 to October 30

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Source: recreation.gov facility notices, quoted verbatim · Sep 9, 2026

Tents and rigs

Sites: 86 · 8 tent-only, 3 group
Hookups: 13 electric, 5 water
Longest rig: 50 ft
Paved pads: 49 of 86
Accessible sites: None listed
Pets: Allowed
Campfires: Allowed, barring fire bans
Shade: Every site

Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets: Flush Toilets; “…and campfire rings are provided, as are flush toilets. The McPhee Campground has 71 campsites on 2 loops…”
Boat ramp: Yes

Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026

Water, toilets and showers: read from the agency description, shown above · Sep 12, 2026

Around the campground

On the water: Reservoir, Beach; Boating; Fishing; Hiking; Water sports; Wildlife viewing
Night sky · 333rd darkest of 522 in CO: Bortle 3

Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

No reading yet, book on recreation.gov

recreation.gov lists 52 of the 86 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.

No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.

Booking windowOut of seasonOut of season, no booking. On December 5, 2026 at 10 AM ET, availability opens through June 5, 2027.recreation.gov Add to calendar (.ics)

Max stay28 nightsthe facility record

A night$26–$37plus $8 to reserve, once per bookingthe agency’s rate schedule

A weekend$60–$82DerivedFriday and Saturday, everything includedours, from the lines above

If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservation; this campground publishes its own terms toorecreation.gov’s schedule

Runs itU.S. Forest ServiceBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record

Watch for a cancellation

Full? Watch it.

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Tell me when the season opens

Watch for the season to open

One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 16

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Forest Service

A night, per site$26–$37

RV Nonelectric$26

Standard Nonelectric$26

Tent Only Nonelectric$26

Standard Electric$37

Group area, a night$110

These are next season’s rates, Jun 5, 2027 to Sep 26, 2027. The campground is between seasons now.

The booking feerecreation.gov

Reservation fee, booked online$8

One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.

Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.

What a stay costs

One nightDerived$34–$45

A weekend, Friday and SaturdayDerived$60–$82

Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $26–$37 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.

If your plans changerecreation.gov

Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10

Cancellation fee$10

Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night

No-show$20 + your first night

“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 cam…” · this campground’s own no-show terms

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 6

Sign price: recreation.gov facility rate schedule, quoted as the agency publishes it · Oct 1, 2026

Booking fee, change fee, cancellation fee, no-show: Rules and Reservation Policies, Recreation.gov, the published fee schedule, curated by hand into lib/reservation-fee-schedule.json (9 rows, each carrying its own verbatim sentence). The publisher states these policies were last updated September 2019. · Sep 9, 2026

This campground’s own terms: recreation.gov facility cancellation policy for this campground, quoted verbatim. Recreation.gov states that policies listed for specific locations supersede its site-wide policies. · Sep 9, 2026

The two totals: Derived by CAMPANAC by adding the agency’s own published nightly rate to recreation.gov’s own published reservation fee. Both components are cited above; the addition is ours and is shown only where every component is known. · Sep 9, 2026

Who keeps the booking fee: Recreation.gov facility policy text, Dead Swede Campground (facility 234221) · Not on the national policy page. This is agency policy text recreation.gov publishes on individual campground pages; this site holds it verbatim on 45 active campgrounds (campground_rules.cancellation_description, scripts/load-facility-rules.mjs). · Sep 9, 2026

The contract: Reservation Gods: Who Stole Our Campsites and Sold Them Back to Us, More Than Just Parks, April 2025 · Apr 1, 2025

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

97 records · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 52 mapped sites

51 ftbetween you and the next site, typically

62%of tent sites sit clear of electric or RV sites

Most roomCactus Group 338 ftYucca Group 338 ftMOQUI GROUP 261 ftSAGE GROUP 261 ftJUNIPER 034E 124 ft

Least roomLoop PINON 003 15 ftLoop PINON 028 15 ftLoop WALK 010W 20 ft

Source: Derived by CAMPANAC from recreation.gov per-site coordinates (nearest-neighbor distance) · Oct 12, 2026

All 97 records

76 of 97 records located

Standard23Tent only8RV / electric17Group3Type not stated24Day use1

005E 006E Cactus Group MOQUI GROUP SAGE GROUP Yucca Group 001E 003 004E 004W 006W 017 018 019 020E 022E 027 028E 034E 035E 0012 0032 005 006 008 0092 011 012 013 014 015 017 018 019 020 021 022 023 024 026 027 0282 004E 005 006 007E 008 010E 011 012 013 014 015 016E 017 018 019 020 021 022 023 024 025E 026 028 029E 007W 008W 009W 010W 011W 012W

Aerial · Esri World Imagery

Sites: recreation.gov (RIDB), coordinates as published · Aug 23, 2026

Imagery: Esri World Imagery

SleepsTakes aUp to

Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 76 of the 97 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 86 of the 97 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.

Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.


GROUP	005E	type not stated	50 ft	30 amp		1,389 ft	1,647 ft	$35
GROUP	006E	type not stated	50 ft	30 amp		1,379 ft	1,673 ft	$35
GROUP	Cactus Group	group standard nonelectric	50 ft		337 ft	1,683 ft	1,939 ft	$110
GROUP	MOQUI GROUP	group standard nonelectric	39 ft		261 ft	1,149 ft	1,559 ft	$110
GROUP	SAGE GROUP	group standard nonelectric	35 ft		261 ft	1,160 ft	1,817 ft	$110
GROUP	Yucca Group	day use	25 ft		337 ft	1,484 ft	1,606 ft	$110
JUNIPER	001E	standard electric	35 ft	30 amp	121 ft	1,790 ft	1,020 ft	$37
JUNIPER	003	standard nonelectric	35 ft		35 ft	1,715 ft	975 ft	$26
JUNIPER	004E	standard electric	32 ft	30 amp	35 ft	1,681 ft	941 ft	$37
JUNIPER	004W	tent only nonelectric	20 ft		35 ft	877 ft	84 ft	$26
JUNIPER	006W	tent only nonelectric	20 ft		35 ft	907 ft	91 ft	$26
JUNIPER	017	standard nonelectric	30 ft		89 ft	963 ft	304 ft	$26
JUNIPER	018	standard nonelectric	40 ft		84 ft	881 ft	238 ft	$26
JUNIPER	019	standard nonelectric	25 ft		83 ft	884 ft	160 ft	$26
JUNIPER	020E	standard electric	24 ft	30 amp	61 ft	968 ft	147 ft	$37
JUNIPER	022E	standard electric	35 ft	30 amp	73 ft	1,041 ft	218 ft	$37
JUNIPER	027	standard nonelectric	30 ft		35 ft	1,302 ft	483 ft	$26
JUNIPER	028E	standard electric	40 ft	30 amp	35 ft	1,328 ft	513 ft	$37
JUNIPER	034E	standard electric	40 ft	30 amp	124 ft	1,649 ft	848 ft	$37
JUNIPER	035E	standard electric	40 ft	30 amp	121 ft	1,765 ft	970 ft	$37
MANAGEMENT	001	type not stated				1,485 ft	672 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	002	type not stated						$35
MANAGEMENT	003	type not stated				1,407 ft	581 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	004	type not stated						$35
MANAGEMENT	005	type not stated				1,302 ft	511 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	006	type not stated				1,315 ft	498 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	007	type not stated						$35
MANAGEMENT	008	type not stated				1,220 ft	391 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	009	type not stated				1,084 ft	273 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	011	type not stated				1,109 ft	344 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	012	type not stated				729 ft	245 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	013	type not stated				805 ft	221 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	014	type not stated				704 ft	365 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	015	type not stated				765 ft	321 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	016	type not stated						$35
MANAGEMENT	017	type not stated				1,071 ft	469 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	018	type not stated				1,074 ft	651 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	019	type not stated				948 ft	197 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	020	type not stated				1,062 ft	474 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	021	type not stated				1,112 ft	556 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	022	type not stated				1,264 ft	666 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	023	type not stated				1,194 ft	556 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	024	type not stated				1,385 ft	748 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	025	type not stated						$35
MANAGEMENT	026	type not stated				1,471 ft	767 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	027	type not stated				1,200 ft	629 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	028	type not stated				1,528 ft	796 ft	$35
MANAGEMENT	029	type not stated						$35
MANAGEMENT	031	type not stated						$35
MANAGEMENT	032	type not stated						$35
MANAGEMENT	033	type not stated						$35
MANAGEMENT	034	type not stated						$35
MANAGEMENT	XXX	unnamed record	20 ft					$35
MANAGEMENT	XXX33	unnamed record						$35
MANAGEMENT	XXX34	unnamed record						$35
MANAGEMENT	XXX35	unnamed record						$35
MANAGEMENT	XXX36	unnamed record						$35
MANAGEMENT	XXX37	unnamed record						$35
MANAGEMENT	XXX38	unnamed record						$35
MANAGEMENT	XXX39	unnamed record						$35
MANAGEMENT	XXX40	unnamed record						$35
MANAGEMENT	XXX41	unnamed record						$35
PINON	001	standard nonelectric	30 ft		83 ft	1,485 ft	672 ft	$26
PINON	002E	type not stated	35 ft	30 amp				$35
PINON	003	standard nonelectric	40 ft		15 ft	1,407 ft	581 ft	$26
PINON	004E	standard electric	30 ft	30 amp	69 ft	1,331 ft	519 ft	$37
PINON	005	standard nonelectric	28 ft		38 ft	1,262 ft	464 ft	$26
PINON	006	standard nonelectric	31 ft		38 ft	1,240 ft	426 ft	$26
PINON	007E	standard electric	45 ft	20 amp	30 ft	1,140 ft	326 ft	$37
PINON	008	standard nonelectric	31 ft		30 ft	1,162 ft	340 ft	$26
PINON	009	standard nonelectric	30 ft		34 ft	1,084 ft	273 ft	$26
PINON	010E	standard electric	45 ft	30 amp	34 ft	1,057 ft	241 ft	$37
PINON	011	standard nonelectric	30 ft		71 ft	960 ft	149 ft	$26
PINON	012	standard nonelectric	45 ft		38 ft	791 ft	159 ft	$26
PINON	013	standard nonelectric	25 ft		38 ft	829 ft	156 ft	$26
PINON	014	rv nonelectric	28 ft		34 ft	785 ft	249 ft	$26
PINON	015	standard nonelectric	30 ft		34 ft	783 ft	272 ft	$26
PINON	016E	standard electric	45 ft	30 amp	105 ft	748 ft	403 ft	$37
PINON	017	standard nonelectric	28 ft		24 ft	917 ft	373 ft	$26
PINON	018	standard nonelectric	45 ft		64 ft	852 ft	348 ft	$26
PINON	019	rv nonelectric	42 ft		24 ft	895 ft	387 ft	$26
PINON	020	rv nonelectric	30 ft		67 ft	980 ft	432 ft	$26
PINON	021	standard nonelectric	42 ft		67 ft	1,032 ft	484 ft	$26
PINON	022	standard nonelectric	45 ft		24 ft	1,115 ft	534 ft	$26
PINON	023	standard nonelectric	30 ft		24 ft	1,105 ft	510 ft	$26
PINON	024	standard nonelectric	40 ft		71 ft	1,350 ft	719 ft	$26
PINON	025E	standard electric	32 ft	30 amp	54 ft	1,404 ft	688 ft	$37
PINON	026	rv nonelectric	35 ft		71 ft	1,421 ft	762 ft	$26
PINON	027	standard nonelectric	30 ft		116 ft	1,528 ft	796 ft	$26
PINON	028	standard nonelectric	30 ft		15 ft	1,408 ft	592 ft	$26
PINON	029E	standard electric	35 ft	30 amp	54 ft	1,434 ft	681 ft	$37
WALK	007W	tent only nonelectric			60 ft	1,016 ft	184 ft	$26
WALK	008W	tent only nonelectric			53 ft	956 ft	124 ft	$26
WALK	009W	tent only nonelectric			49 ft	907 ft	74 ft	$26
WALK	010W	tent only nonelectric			20 ft	835 ft	78 ft	$26
WALK	011W	tent only nonelectric			20 ft	819 ft	90 ft	$26
WALK	012W	tent only nonelectric			30 ft	809 ft	119 ft	$26

The agency files 11 more records here that aren’t sites for the night: 1 it files as day use and 10 it types MANAGEMENT rather than a campsite. They’re in the table above, marked for what they are, and none of them is counted as a site.

The records with no site name: Derived by CAMPANAC from the agency’s own campsite records: recreation.gov files some overnight records with no site name, only a row of X characters. A block is read as the campground’s own sites, filed without names, only where the agency types those records as campsites rather than MANAGEMENT, gives each one a coordinate, and their numbering continues the campground’s own numbered sites with no gap. Everything else is left uncounted, and where the evidence doesn’t decide the record is counted as no kind of site rather than guessed at · Sep 12, 2026

Price: Derived by CAMPANAC: each site takes the per-night rate this campground publishes for the site’s own site type (recreation.gov rate schedule). recreation.gov publishes no per-campsite fee, and a site whose type carries no published rate is left blank rather than called free · Oct 1, 2026

25 of 97 listed

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number

Coordinate37.50000, -108.55000

The mapSee it on the map

The driveDirections ↗

The phone(970) 882-7296

The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Also near here

McPhee CampgroundSan Juan National Forest · 0.3 mi

House CreekSan Juan National Forest · 1.8 mi

Morefield CampgroundMesa Verde National Park · 16 mi

Mavreeso CampgroundSan Juan National Forest · 17 mi

West Dolores CampgroundSan Juan National Forest · 19 mi

Transfer CampgroundSan Juan National Forest · 19 mi

Getting there

From Dolores, take Highway 145 for 2 miles, turn right onto Highway 184. Travel 4 miles on Highway 184, turn right at the McPhee Recreation Complex entrance. Proceed on Road 271 to the campground.

Directions: Driving directions as the agency wrote them · Sep 9, 2026

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Today64°Sunny

Tonight41°Partly Cloudy6% rain

Sunday59°Mostly Cloudy then Slight Chance Rain Showers15% rain

Sunday Night43°Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy26% rain

NWS forecast for Dolores, CO

Source: National Weather Service, GJT forecast office · Oct 17, 2026

Typical weather

Typical October night 36°F, day 67°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical January night 17°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

100°32°10°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: CORTEZ, CO (USC00051886), 11 miles away and 913 ft lower

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, monthly normals · Sep 8, 2026

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it

What threatens this place

Watch

Canyons of the Ancients National Monumentdrilling · 24 mi

You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.

Source: MTJP Threatened Lands map · Oct 3, 2026

Who answers for this land

McPhee Recreation Complex is in Colorado’s 3rd congressional district. Its representative, Jeff Hurd (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Source: U.S. Census district boundaries and the MTJP Congressional Public Lands Score

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from

Right now: U.S. Forest Service publishes no season and no closure for this campground, and it takes no bookings we can read. That’s a gap in the record and not a locked gate: the number below is the only way to be sure.

Sites on recreation.gov: recreation.gov’s own month availability payload for this facility, asked for October 2026, November 2026 and July 2027. It names 52 of the 86 campsites the agency files here, and every one of them carries an answer either way. A campground nobody has read carries no answer at all, never a no. · Oct 11, 2026

Elevation: USGS 3DEP elevation point query at this campground’s coordinate · Sep 7, 2026

Tree cover: NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC), one 30 m cell at this coordinate, taken as the median across the 76 campsites here that carry a reading · Sep 9, 2026

Water: USGS National Hydrography Dataset, nearest perennial lake, reservoir, river or stream to this campground’s coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate: 0.12 mcd/m² of artificial all-sky glow, ranked against the 522 rated federal campgrounds in Colorado · Sep 8, 2026

Sky-glow model: Duriscoe, Anderson, Luginbuhl and Baugh (2018), a simplified model of all-sky artificial sky glow derived from VIIRS Day/Night band data, the National Park Service sky-glow model

Cell signal: the Forest Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.

Nearest place of any size: Dolores, CO, 2.6 mi WNW. Straight line.

Nearest town: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 places, measured by CAMPANAC to the town boundary; population is the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate · Sep 9, 2026