Mosca CG aka San Luis State Park CO

[agesilaus]

We had heard stories about San Luis SP near Great Sand Dunes NP. It was supposedly a partly abandoned SP that was left with the power turned on at the sites:



But as you can see it is no longer abandoned. The Game Dept has taken over. You need a CO state fishing license to stay here. There is an entry station but in the two days we were there we never managed to find anyone there. A neighbor said you had to buy a $32/head temp liscense for out of staters. We never found the guy to pay and finally expecting a knock on the door at midnight we gave up and left.

That $72 raises the cost of this place anyway too much in our estimation. I found that there are BLM boondocking sites in the area as alternatives.

OK to find this place, on the road to GSDNP before you get to the entrance station you'll see a road franchising to the left, take that and you'll come to the above sign. There is no warning so be ready to turn right. The campground is nice, many pullthrus, the power is on:

Our site

a longer view you can see the shelter and the power pedistal, no water.

A few minute walk will bring you to this shrunken boggy lake:


In the background of these images you will see GSDNP a few miles away. Very dark skies at night at this place, but you'll have to decide if the price is worth it. The CG in the NP is very nice, no power tho. And it was either full or you could not make reservations. The NP was half open, no visitor center but you could visit the dunes.

[BarryG20]

Here is an excerpt from their website

ATTENTION: A portion of San Luis that had formerly been a state park changed to a state wildlife area on May 1, 2017.
What does this mean for camping?
CPW is no longer accepting reservations as the rules for camping have changed. Camping sites in the campground are now walk-in only (first come, first served). ?
Campers will need to plan to bring their own potable water, ice, and firewood.
CPW provides free electrical hook-ups at some sites and will continue to do so until costs become prohibitive. Please be judicious in your use of electricity so that we can continue to provide this service for no additional cost.
Please call the CPW Office at Monte Vista for more information at 719-587-6900. ?
A valid hunting or fishing license is required for everyone 18 or older accessing any State Wildlife Area or CPW-leased State Trust Land, effective July 1, 2020. For more information, read the frequently asked questions. An annual hunting or annual fishing license can be purchased through CPW authorized sales agents, by phone (1-800-244-5613), or online at CPWShop.


So to stay there you need a Colorado hunting or fishing license (both of which include a fee for state wildlife areas access, on my fishing license the habitat stamp cost $10 no opting out of it in addition to the fishing license, extra rod stamps etc. I thought previously that you could buy a wildlife area pass separately from the hunting and fishing license but I couldn't find one and if they did that previously it is no longer offered. The state wildlife areas in Colorado are not funded by taxpayers but solely from part of the proceeds from hunting and fishing licenses.

Bummer for an out of stater(nonhunter/fisher) for sure as the out of state licenses aren't exactly cheap however as a resident I have no issue with it since out of staters without a hunting or fishing license aren't putting anything into the kitty for the places. I realize that a camping charge of say $10 per night would overcome that easily. However the state wildlife areas here are setup in such a way as they are specifically set aside for hunters and fishers. While they allow hiking, birdwatching etc at times (based on the wildlife needs) their real purpose is specifically for hunting and fishing.

[padredw]

Delete

Don't know why the photo appears so large.

[padredw]

Here is where we stayed a bit over a week ago. It is BLM dispersed camping just off the road from US 160 up to GSDNP. Called "Sacred White Mountain Camping"