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

Ute Campground (CO)

Campsite at Ute CampgroundPhoto · Photo by Garrett Crispell
OpenSeason 05-01 – 09-30
ReservableAccess
22Sites
40 ftMax rig

The place

Ute Campground is located on US Hwy 160 across from Chimney Rock National Monument, 15 miles west of Pagosa Springs, 25 miles east of Bayfield, and 18 miles north of Arbolles, just west of the intersection with Colorado 151. Visitors enjoy quick access to Chimney Rock National Monument entrance and a centralized location to USFS trail systems, lake, and stream fishing. Recreation Ute Campground is the only access to Forest Service land on Haystack Mountain. Hiking views of Chimney Rock National Monument. Facilities The campground is shaded with Ponderosa Pines and offers easy access to Highway 160. Keep reading

Sites are spaciously placed and all feature natural areas adjacent to the campsites. 21 sites offer improved primitive camping with picnic tables, fire rings, and some with additional grills. There is a Group Area with a maximum for 32 people featuring a group picnic area and 2 fire rings. There is one potable water station under pressure and two pairs of vault toilets. Maximum stay is 28 days at first come-first serve sites. 12 days maximum stay on reservation sites. Pets allowed, leashing required. No horses or pack animals allowed in the park. Natural Features Ute campground, named for and sharing land with the Southern Ute Nation is located along reservation borders situated at the base of Haystack Mountain facing Chimney Rock National Monument. The terrain is a hilly forest enviroment of Ponderosa pines, Gamble Oak, Rocky Mountain Juniper, Fragrant Sumac and meadows. Nearby Attractions The entrance to Chimney Rock National Monument is only 4 miles away on Colorado 151. It is centrally located between Turkey Springs Trail System and the Devil Mountain - Mule Mountain - Horse Mountain Trail Systems, featuring trails specific to ATV, motorcycle, mountain bike, hiking, horseback riding, along with stream fishing and a natural hot spring on the Piedra River. The Southern Ute Reservation allows access to fishing on tribal land at Lake Capote and the Piedra River with fee permits. 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.

The sites · 22

LoopSiteTypeMax rigElectricADA
East Spur01standard nonelectric30 ft
East Spur02standard nonelectric30 ft
East Spur03standard nonelectric30 ft
East Spur04standard nonelectric30 ft
Lower North: Loop 107-Groupgroup standard nonelectric
Main Loop05standard nonelectric
Main: Loop 106 - Hostmanagement50
Main: Loop 108standard nonelectric
Main: Loop 109standard nonelectric
Main: Loop 110standard nonelectric
Main: Loop 111standard nonelectric
Main: Loop 112standard nonelectric
Main: Loop 113standard nonelectric40 ft
Main: Loop 117standard nonelectric
Upper14standard nonelectric
Upper15standard nonelectric
Upper20standard nonelectric
Upper: Loop 116standard nonelectric
Upper: Loop 118standard nonelectric
Upper: Loop 119standard nonelectric
Upper: Loop 121standard nonelectric
Upper: Loop 122standard nonelectric

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
Ute Campground (CO) — Colorado | CAMPANAC