U.S. Forest Service · Rio Grande National Forest · Del Norte, CO

Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co)

Big Meadows is located in the San Juan Mountains in south-central Colorado, about 11 miles west of South Fork. The campground is lightly wooded with spruce trees, creating a beautiful meadow atmosphere. The Rio Grande National Forest spans 1.86 million acres in south-central Colorado. The Continental Divide runs for 236 miles along most of the forest's western border, presenting a myriad of ecosystems from alpine desert to dense wilderness.

Reservable · Recreation.gov 47 sites 60 ft max No hookupsPets okFires ok

More like this: reservable in Colorado · big rigs in Colorado · pets allowed in Colorado · group sites in Colorado

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗

Photos courtesy of Scenic Canyons Recreational Services, inc · Recreation.gov

Site mix

Standard, no hookups		46
Group tent areas		1

Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

Will my RV fit

Towing a trailerRear or front mounted accessoriesi

Tow vehicle length, ftTrailer length, ft

The longest site here provides 60 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter.

Have the trailer VIN? It carries the trailer length.

47 sites in 4 loops. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

Site	Loop	Type	Entry	Fits, ft	Surface	Shade	People / vehicles	Fires	Accessible	Rating
014	HOST SITE	Standard	Back-in	40	Gravel		8 / 1	Yes		Preferred
033	HOST SITE	Standard	Back-in	40	Gravel		8 / 1	Yes		Standard
034	HOST SITE	Standard	Pull-through	40	Gravel		8 / 1	Yes	Yes	Standard
001	LOWER LOOP	Standard	Back-in	47	Gravel		16 / 2	Yes	Yes	Preferred
002	LOWER LOOP	Standard	Pull-through	50	Gravel	Partial	8 / 1	Yes	Yes	Preferred
003	LOWER LOOP	Standard	Back-in	45	Gravel		8 / 1	Yes	Yes	Preferred
004	LOWER LOOP	Standard	Back-in	50	Gravel		8 / 1	Yes	Yes	Preferred
005	LOWER LOOP	Standard	Back-in	30	Gravel		8 / 1	Yes	Yes	Preferred
006	LOWER LOOP	Standard	Back-in	45	Gravel		8 / 1	Yes	Yes	Preferred
007	LOWER LOOP	Standard	Back-in	40	Gravel		8 / 1	Yes	Yes	Preferred

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 1:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

Hookups	None
Max vehicle length	60 ft
Equipment	RVs & trailers, Tents
Pets	Allowed
Campfires	Allowed, subject to restrictions
Tent pads	Yes
Accessibility	Sites 034, 001, 002, 003 and 40 more are listed accessible

Each site has a campfire ring and picnic tables. Drinking water is available. The nearest dump station is 13 miles away, and a boat ramp is located on the north shore of the reservoir.

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

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Creede Wtp, 21 miles from the campground at 8,624 feet, station USC00051948 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 15 inches a year.

Getting there

From South Fork, Colorado, take Highway 160 for 13 miles west, turn onto Forest Road 410 SW, and go 1.8 miles to Big Meadows Campground.

Nearest town	Del Norte, Colorado
Coordinates	37.5381° N, 106.7961° W · Directions ↗

Supplies & services

RV sales & service	RV sales & service ↗	15.9 mi
Dump station	Dump station ↗	23.4 mi
Outdoor gear	Kristi's Mountain Sports ↗	49.2 mi

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

Explore

Video

Big Meadows Campground - Rio Grande National Forest

Worth a stop

The surrounding area has plenty to keep visitors busy, with attractions like Great Sand Dunes National Park, Native American ruins, remnants of the Spanish Conquistadors and gold rush ghost towns. The Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Ranges are laced with trails for avid hikers.

0.4 mi
Big Meadows/Archuleta Trailhead # 839 ↗Trailhead
1.4 mi
Big Meadows Trailhead ↗Trailhead
3.2 mi
Columbine Picnic Site ↗Day use

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

0.1 mi
Big Meadows H.c. Access
0.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
0.4 mi
Big Meadows Loop
1.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
1.2 mi
Hope Creek ↗
6.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
1.5 mi
Kitty Creek ↗
4.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
2 mi
Shaw Lake Loop
1.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
2.5 mi
South Fork Archuleta
3.5 mi trail · hiking, horse

Trailheads within three miles

0.4 mi
Big Meadows/Archuleta Trailhead # 839 ↗
Rio Grande National Forest · Season June
1.4 mi
Big Meadows Trailhead ↗
Rio Grande National Forest · Season January
2.2 mi
Lake Fork Trailhead #836 ↗
Rio Grande National Forest

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 Rio Grande National Forest.

in
Rio Grande National Forest ↗
National Forest · Forest Service · 1,937,280 acres
12.5 mi
Weminuche Wilderness ↗
Wilderness · Forest Service · 497,111 acres
13 mi
South San Juan Wilderness ↗
Wilderness · Forest Service · 160,997 acres

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.

Other campgrounds nearby

FS · CO

Big Meadows Campground and Picnic Area

Reservableunder 0.1 mi

FS · CO

Tucker Ponds Campground

First-come3.6 mi

FS · CO

Park Creek Campground

First-come5.1 mi

FS · CO

Upper Beaver Creek Campground

First-come8 mi

Cabin and lookout rentals nearby

FS · CO

Elwood Cabin

Cabin rental12.655421050917614 mi

FS · CO

Alder Guard Station

Cabin rental14.105962379719701 mi

FS · CO

Off Cow Camp Cabin

Cabin rental18.095611113431808 mi

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Denver & Rio Grande Railroad South Fork Water TankStructure · South Fork · 13.1 mi
Spruce LodgeBuilding · South Fork · 13.2 mi

Natural features

The campground meanders up a mountainside above Big Meadows Reservoir in a series of loops. As a sub-alpine region, the campground gets more rainfall than the opposite side of the lake, resulting in plentiful wildflowers and aspens surrounding the campsites.

Recreation

An accessible fishing pier, located on the north shore of the reservoir, allows anglers to cast for rainbow, brown and brook trout. Hunting, boating and hiking are also popular pastimes. Hikers and horseback riders will enjoy the 6-mile Archuleta Trail. The trail accesses the Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado's largest wilderness, which boasts the headwaters of dozens of major streams and rivers that feed into the Rio Grande and San Juan rivers.

Guidebooks for Colorado

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Best Tent Camping: Colorado
Kim Lipker and Johnny Molloy, 2018
Find at Bookshop.org
Camping Colorado
Melinda Crow, 2012
Find at Bookshop.org
Moon Colorado Camping
Sarah Ryan, 2011
Find at Bookshop.org

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

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co)?

Sites at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co) are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co)?

Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 1:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co) have?

47 sites, including 46 standard sites without power and 1 group tent area.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co)?

The longest site here provides 60 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Are there showers or a dump station at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co)?

The nearest dump station is 13 miles away, and a boat ramp is located on the north shore of the reservoir.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co)?

Yes, pets are allowed at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co). Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co)?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are there accessible sites at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co)?

Sites 034, 001, 002, and 003 are listed accessible on Recreation.gov, 44 sites in all. What that covers (a paved pad, an accessible table, a nearby accessible restroom) is on each site's booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co)?

An accessible fishing pier, located on the north shore of the reservoir, allows anglers to cast for rainbow, brown and brook trout. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co)?

Del Norte, Colorado. The surrounding area has plenty to keep visitors busy, with attractions like Great Sand Dunes National Park, Native American ruins, remnants of the Spanish Conquistadors and gold rush ghost towns.

Source: Getting there

What if Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co) is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Big Meadows Campground and Picnic Area (under 0.1 mi), Tucker Ponds Campground (3.6 mi, first-come), and Park Creek Campground (5.1 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby