Target Tree Campground
- Right now
- Closed for the seasonOut of the season the agency publishes
- A night
- $24From, per site
- Sites
- 20All of them booked ahead
- Season
- May 1 – September 30Open May 1 through September 30
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 4 notices
In the agency’s own words
Target Tree Campground is located 7 miles east of Mancos on the north side of Highway 160 at an elevation of 7,643 feet. It is the ideal camping spot for day trips to Mancos, Durango and Mesa Verde National Park. The name, "Target Tree," refers to the Ute Indians' use of the area to harvest sap and bark from Ponderosa pines as food supplements. They also used the trees for target practice, leaving several scarred trees throughout the area. Keep reading
Recreation
Visitors may enjoy taking a short, accessible interpretive trail to view a historic target tree. The campground is also known for its great birding opportunities, with a sign in the campground that lists species found in the area. The Narrow Gauge Trail begins within the campground and climbs 3.4 miles to an old railroad grade. The rails were placed just three feet apart to allow trains to navigate through the rugged mountains.
Facilities
Target Tree Campground, located between Durango and Mancos off Highway 160, has 28 sites on a south-facing hillside overlooking Thompson Park. This campground's name refers to the Ute Indians' use of the area to harvest sap and bark of ponderosa pines as food supplements. They also used trees for target practice. Scarred trees remain; a short trail leads to one, and historical markers explain their usage. There are 17 barrier-free sites. Many sites are shady, but can be hot on sunny days. Most large and pull-thru sites require mechanical leveling of RVs. Three campsites have corrals for overnight camping with horses. The campground's group campsite group site has been converted into individual sites and is no longer available as a group site. There are no electrical hookups, dump station, firewood, or showers Natural Features The campground sits on a south-facing hillside overlooking Thompson Park. A Ponderosa pine and Gambel oak forest provides shade in many sites. The area is hot during the summer, but cools off significantly at night.
Nearby Attractions
Southwestern Colorado, part of the Four Corners region, contains over 4,000 archaeological sites and over 600 cliff dwellings. Mesa Verde National Park is 1 hour and 45 minutes south, close enough for a day trip. Other sites within a few hour's drive include the Anasazi Heritage Center in Dolores, Canyon of the Ancients and Hovenweep National Monument. 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.
What the agency tells you
Livestock allowed in sites 25 & 26 only
First-come, first-served sites are available
Click here for more information on the San Juan National Forest
Everything else this campground posts · 1
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.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 20 · 2 equestrian
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 60 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- 19 of 20 sites
- Shade
- 18 of 20 sites
Facilities
- Dump station
- Yes
- Firewood
- Sold here
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
Around the campground
- Hiking
- Historic site
- Horseback riding
- Night sky · 273rd darkest of 522 in CO
- Bortle 2
No reading yet, book on recreation.gov
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.
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.
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.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 13
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $24 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.
“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
rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
20 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 15 mapped sitesAll 20 sites
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 15 of the 20 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. 20 of the 20 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| Loop A | 002 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 110 ft | 3,536 ft | 326 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 003 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 110 ft | 3,638 ft | 267 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 006 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 29 ft | 3,788 ft | 204 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 007 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 29 ft | 3,776 ft | 177 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 009 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 102 ft | 3,783 ft | 137 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 010 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 274 ft | 3,764 ft | 329 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 013 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 90 ft | 3,759 ft | 267 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 014 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 58 ft | 3,715 ft | 181 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 015 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 58 ft | 3,708 ft | 123 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 016 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 66 ft | 3,665 ft | 79 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 017 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 73 ft | 3,627 ft | 114 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 018 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 73 ft | 3,557 ft | 158 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 019 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 113 ft | 3,517 ft | 187 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 021 | standard nonelectric | $24 | ||||
| Loop A | 022 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 86 ft | 3,512 ft | 378 ft | $24 |
| Loop A | 024 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 86 ft | 3,529 ft | 449 ft | $24 |
| Loop B | 025 | equestrian nonelectric | 50 ft | $24 | |||
| Loop B | 026 | equestrian nonelectric | $24 | ||||
| Loop B | 027 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | $24 | |||
| Loop B | 028 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $24 |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions
Where it is
SnowslideSan Juan National Forest · 6.4 mi
KroegerSan Juan National Forest · 6.6 mi
Transfer CampgroundSan Juan National Forest · 8.8 mi
Aspen Guard StationSan Juan National Forest · 9.7 mi
Jersey Jim Fire TowerSan Juan National Forest · 11 mi
Morefield CampgroundMesa Verde National Park · 13 miFrom Mancos, take U.S. Highway 160 east for 8.8 miles. Turn left at campground sign and follow the gravel road for 0.3 miles to the campground.
From Durango, take U.S. Highway 160 west for 20 miles to the campground sign. Turn right and the follow gravel road for 3 miles to the campground.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Mancos, CO
Typical weather
Typical May night 35°F, day 70°F.
Coldest night of the open season: typical May night 35°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or moreOutside the published season
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.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it
Who answers for this land
Target Tree Campground 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 →