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

Lower Hermosa

The Lower Hermosa Campground has 19 sites. Although horses are not allowed in the campground, the adjacent Lower Hermosa Creek Trailhead has an area with a horse corral for overnight horse camping, as well as hitching posts. The parking lot is large enough for vehicles and horse trailers. Services include vault toliet, trash pickup, campfire grates, and picnic tables. Bear-safe food storage is recommended. Please note, there is no water available at this campground.

Closed for the seasonFirst-come, first-served19 sitesFrom $20 per nightTents only

Sites are first-come, first-served. Recreation.gov lists this campground for paying on site, and you may be able to pay with the Scan and Pay feature of its app.

More like this: first-come in Colorado · tent only in Colorado

Typical back-in spur with picnic table and fire ring at Lower HermosaAll sites offer a picnic table and fire ring. One of 19 first-come sitesSome sites have more sun exposure perfect for solar or satellite accessLower Hermosa
Photos courtesy of ExplorUS, Indio Brown (CC BY 4.0) · Recreation.gov
1fire
active
Gold Mountain · 42 mi away · 39,747 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-16
Incident details ↓

Amenities & rules

EquipmentTents
Fees$20

The Lower Hermosa Campground has 19 sites. Although horses are not allowed in the campground, the adjacent Lower Hermosa Creek Trailhead has an area with a horse corral for overnight horse camping, as well as hitching posts.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

StatusClosed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date.
SeasonMay to September
ForestSan Juan National Forest
Fees$20
RulesQuiet time is typically between 10pm - 6am. Please be a good neighbor and limit use of generators to no more than one hour at a time. Dogs must be leashed or otherwise physically restrained. Do not leave pets unattended. Check-out time: 12:00 pm; Check-in time: 2:00 pm - if the site is empty, campers may come in anytime.

San Juan National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Lower Hermosa20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 2.17 inches of precipitation, 19.4 inches of snowFebruary: 1.71 inches of precipitation, 15.4 inches of snowMarch: 1.32 inches of precipitation, 5.3 inches of snowApril: 1.25 inches of precipitation, 3.8 inches of snowMay: 1.18 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowJune: 0.53 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 1.92 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 2.28 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 2.22 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.93 inches of precipitation, 1.1 inches of snowNovember: 1.46 inches of precipitation, 5.5 inches of snowDecember: 1.65 inches of precipitation, 13.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 26.1°F averageFebruary: 31.8°F averageMarch: 39.6°F averageApril: 46.4°F averageMay: 54.3°F averageJune: 63.5°F averageJuly: 68.9°F averageAugust: 66.9°F averageSeptember: 60.1°F averageOctober: 48.6°F averageNovember: 36.4°F averageDecember: 26.7°F average0 in5 in10 in15 in20 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Durango, 11 miles from the campground at 6,761 feet, station USC00052441 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 20 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 64 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

Coordinates37.4544° N, 107.8570° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Wildfire
    Gold Mountain

    42 mi from the campground · 39,747 acres · 92% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Outdoor gearSki Barn ↗12.2 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

Video of San Juan National Forest Lower Hermosa Campground, CO from Sydneu B.

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside San Juan National Forest.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Guidebooks for Colorado

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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Lower Hermosa?

No. Lower Hermosa is first-come, first-served. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.

Source: Forest Service

How much does it cost to camp at Lower Hermosa?

$20

Source: Forest Service

Is Lower Hermosa open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026. Season May to September.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does Lower Hermosa have?

19 sites.

Source: Forest Service

Can I bring an RV to Lower Hermosa?

Lower Hermosa is listed for tents only.

Source: Forest Service

What if Lower Hermosa is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Chris Park (5.3 mi), Haviland Lake Campground (6.2 mi), and Junction Creek Campground (8.8 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby