Durango Colorado

We were in Durango last June. Suppose to stay at Junction Creek CG, maybe the park you are looking at, and did not. Route to park is dirt, major dust (could not even till what color our toad was after driving the road) and UP switchbacks. After we got there IMHO the reviews of the park are overstated. We cancelled our reservation and left. Went to Walmart and there are signs all over the place NO Overnight Camping. So we gave up and continued on to Angel Peak just south of Bloomfield, NM. Can be found on freecampsitedotcom and was a great camping location overlooking the Badlands. We had been to Durango years ago but it isn't what it use to be. Overran tourist trap now, IMHO! Beautiful location but truly is loved to much now by tourist.

rocmoc n AZ

TenOC wrote:
I am planing a trip through Durango Colorado in early April 2018 on my way to UT. I had planned to stay at NFS campground in the area 2 nights to visit Durango Colorado. I now find out that the NFS campground do not open until the first of May.

Any suggestion?

Anyone stayed 2 nights at Walmark? What about unhooking the 5er while we go to the train station?

I know this is in boondocking, but you won't find too many USFS CG open that early pretty much anywhere in Colorado. Most are still snowed in. Opening season usually is mid to late May.

Suggestions for Durango, not boondocking. Not allowed to do the Walmart thing. If you want to consider commercial instead, Alpen Rose RV Park opens April 1. United Campground of Durango opens mid April. Westerly RV Park is open all year, as is Durango Year Round RV Park, but with the caveat that they only rent monthly. Given the limited choices, I'd opt for Alpen Rose or United, if you're going to be more mid April. Just stayed at United for their last week of the season, and it was very nice.

The Durango & Silverton NGRR has space for RV parking in their lot, but they do not start running a train to Silverton until May 6. It starts in May for the same reason that the USFS campgrounds open then--altitude. We had snow in early May even in Denver last spring and mountain towns can certainly have it that time of year.

Sky Ute Casino at Ignacio.

I do www.hitchitch.com and these people have reported on their blog several places to camp around Durango. Check them out. https://drivinvibin.com/
Have fun out there.
Ron

Sounds like you may be too early for a lot of what is going on in Durango. We were their a few years ago in June and picked a commercial camp rounds on the edge of town close to the railroad tracks that go to Silverton, don't remember the name. Part of the reason we picked this campgrounds was the free town trolley/bus stopped at the entrance as part of their loop. We have a truck camper so it worked great for us. the free trolley makes getting around with out a car easy.

We did the train to Silverton and could see our camper as we went by. Everyone seems to wave to the tourist on the train, we joked it was probably a law to keep the tourist coming. We froze in an open train car in June going up the mountain, so take warm coats.

JimBollman wrote:
Sounds like you may be too early for a lot of what is going on in Durango. We were their a few years ago in June and picked a commercial camp rounds on the edge of town close to the railroad tracks that go to Silverton, don't remember the name. Part of the reason we picked this campgrounds was the free town trolley/bus stopped at the entrance as part of their loop. We have a truck camper so it worked great for us. the free trolley makes getting around with out a car easy.

We did the train to Silverton and could see our camper as we went by. Everyone seems to wave to the tourist on the train, we joked it was probably a law to keep the tourist coming. We froze in an open train car in June going up the mountain, so take warm coats.

Likely United Campground of Durango, the one I noted above. Stayed there last week. The trolley mentioned had stopped running for the season, stopped in September. IIRC, not scheduled to start up again until May 2018.

Depending on the direction you come from 50 miles south of Durango you have Angel Peak on hwy 550 just before Bloomfield which is free and or you can go to Navajo Lake State Park.