Good place for base camp at 4 corners

Busskipper, we have 3 to 4 weeks for this trip, and will be moving base to see each area like we did in Yellowstone, Tetons, and Black Hills, which were 3 weeks each.
I know one trip will not do it all, but will help define the areas we like the most for a return trip.
We like to start in mid May to avoid crowds, and don't mind cold weather, or snow, and like sights, history, short hikes, and good food.
Thank you, and others for the great info, and I really appreciate it.

Good place for base camp at 4 corners

garyp4951 wrote:

I'm in the planning stage for this trip from West TN, and was thinking about maybe Delores,

Cortez, and

Durango for Rv Parks.

I do want to

drive the San Juan Skyway without my FW, and should I just

see the west side first, and then move to see the

east side.

Thanks for any tips.

First thing is you are getting Great Advise so filter through it and decide what you are really after.

When I Hear/Think or Talk about the Four Corners area, it is the FOUR STATES not just the San Juans and Colorado.

Is Utah in your Plans - Arizona - New Mexico or is it just Colorado, my Guess, from the places Mentioned you are really only planning on the Colorado section of this trip - Pretty Much the San Juan's and Mesa Verde, so I might suggest a Big Loop.

How much time do You have? When might you be traveling? What are you searching for? What do you enjoy? If we had this info we might be able to point you in the right direction for YOU - not where we generally travel.

So I'll make some assumptions - 3 weeks - Summer - Looking for Great Memories and Scenery - Short hikes and a Little Photography maybe even a good stream:)

When I think of the area there are areas/towns that stand out - some for camping - some for just being in - Mesa Verde National Park - Durango - Silverton - Ouray - Ridgway State Park/CG - Lake City - Creede - Pagosa Springs - Great Sand Dunes NP - 4X4 trails that you will never find anywhere else .............

Maybe something like THIS - MAP Not picking CampGrounds but just showing a route that might work for you, letting you at least drive by many of the areas that are Fun.

If more time is available you will be close to Buena Vista and the Collegiates - Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP - Crested Butte - Gunnison - and so much more.

So the Biggest TIP I might give is IMHO there are no wrong Choices - just really never enough time to see and do all that you might enjoy - so some tough choices - add more time (Lot's more Time) try to stay where you plan to visit - and limit the base camp to say 25-30 miles - as that will still be more than you can see - don't be afraid to just drive by/through areas so you are ready/aware/planning for the Next Trip - You will Never be Bored or run out of things to see and do (I've been driving/visiting/enjoying/exploring/seeing/re-visiting/planning for the next trip for 50 years) - I've only seen a small portion of it and have never been when I did not start to plan for the return trip.

Few people you may search on this forum who Know this area - Thom02099 - fanrgs - 4runnerguy - search or PM them for more info as they Know the areas you are looking at. Also remember that in the Mountains the snow will often hang around till the end of June in the Higher elevations so July is Heaven for Floral Color in the Alpine Meadows.

Stans Images might help determine where you might need to go - :) - Stan Parker's Images of the USA

Hope this helps,

We spent a week in the Sundance RV park in Cortez this past summer. Very nice and lots of friendly people so we are planning on staying there again to see more of the area. Check rvparkreviews.com for reviews..
Dave

LOL I'm surprised you had a good stay at that Ute park given that Kit Carson is the name that Navahos and Utes use to scare their kids. "Be good or Kit Carson will come for you"......heh

eubank wrote:
South of Cortez is the Ute Mountain Reservation, and they have a casino / hotel that includes an RV park. WE stopped by. It didn't look too bad at all!
:)
Lynn

. We stayed one night at Ute Mountain Casino on our way home from Utah. Very nice park. Enjoyed the buffet for dinner and breakfast. Had a Pow-Wow going on that was very interesting.

Lots of great ideas! Suggest that you plan on staying in 2 or 3 campgrounds so you can see the area that is close to them. Such as Cortez for Mesa Verde, and Bluff, Ut for western areas to visit. We have visited the area many times on our travels and always find interesting stuff to see and do. So, have a great trip!

Wow, thanks very much for the advice.

South of Cortez is the Ute Mountain Reservation, and they have a casino / hotel that includes an RV park. WE stopped by. It didn't look too bad at all!
:)
Lynn

Or there is a really nice CG in Cortez more or less across the road from the KOA: La Mesa RV Park. By nice I mean a good quiet shady spot to camp in not a resort type park. No swimming pool but they have a good weekly rate.

We spent a week there and used it as a base camp for the 4 corners attractions, the east side of Canyonlands, the Canyon of the Ancient, Mesa Verde (you can see the Mesa from the cg), Gooseneck SP, Mexican Hat and Monument Valley and Hovrenweep NM plus several others. From the one in Mesa Verde you can only do Mesa Verde, not much use as a base camp. Make sure you have online reservations for the tours at Mesa Verde ahead of time, you may not get any at the park. Only one tour is ticketed at the park now.

If you have a 4WD vehicle I really urge you to think about the Alpine Loop if you want to see mountain scenery you won't ever forget. We drove it in our 4WD F350 longbed with no problem, we had to do some maneuvering to get around one switchback but otherwise not a problem. You'll also get to visit a mostly intact mining ghost town. We we're based in Ouray for that trip. Engineer's pass was closed so we only did the Cinnamon Pass section.

garyp4951 wrote:
I'm in the planning stage for this trip from West TN, and was thinking about maybe Delores, Cortez, and Durango for Rv Parks.
I do want to drive the San Juan Skyway without my FW, and should I just see the west side first, and then move to see the east side.
Thanks for any tips.

Two Words...Mesa Verde.

Stay at the Morefield Campground INSIDE Mesa Verde National Park. There are full hookup sites there, but make sure you book exactly 180 days out from the date you want to be there. It fills up fast during the season. It's 4 miles in to the CG from the entrance and the scenery getting there is awesome -- a hint of things to come. Make plans for touring Mesa Verde as well and give yourself at least 2 days there. Some of the more popular cliff dwellings require advance reservations, which you can make on line, or can book at the entrance or at the museum inside the park. Well worth it.

Good access to anything and everything in the 4 Corners area.