USDA Forest Service · Colorado

North Canyon Campground

USDA Forest Service · Colorado, United States

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Sites
21
Hookups
21 no hookups
Season
May 21 to September 5
Max RV length
45 ft
Drinking water
Yes
Restrooms
Yes
Pets
Yes
Elevation
7,726 ft
Dark sky
Bortle class 1
Cell coverage
T-Mobile good · AT&T good · Verizon good (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
Access road
NORTH CANYON CG (NFSR 703) · crushed aggregate or gravel · suitable for passenger cars
Lake
San Juan National Forest
Nearest town
San Juan NF
Address
FS Road 603, San Juan NF, CO
Activities
Boating, Camping, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Swimming, Water Skiing

12 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.

About

Overview

North Canyon Campground is situated next to Vallecito Reservoir in southwestern Colorado. Visitors enjoy the area for its beautiful scenery and wide range of recreational activities, including boating, fishing and hiking.

Recreation

Vallecito Reservoir is a very popular fishing lake, with anglers casting for German brown trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, kokanee salmon and northern pike.

The lake offers great boating, water skiing and canoeing opportunities. Boat rentals and fishing licenses are available at various locations around the lake.

A variety of hiking and horseback riding trails are found in the area. The North Canyon Trail begins across the road from the campground and leads through ponderosa pine and aspen forests. A short side trail leads to a scenic overlook of the lake.

East Creek Trail begins a quarter-mile northeast of the campground, on Forest Road 852. It provides access to a lightly used, scenic drainage where fly-fisherman cast for brook trout. Both trails are popular with horseback riders, however, horses are not allowed in the campground.

Facilities

The campground offers single-family sites, many of which have lake views. Sites are equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring. Vault toilets and drinking water are provided.

Natural Features

Vallecito, which is Spanish for "little valley," sits at an elevation of 7,900 feet. Scattered ponderosa pines tower over the open campground, offering limited shade. A thick understory provides privacy between sites, many of which have partial lake views. Thickets of willow separate the camping area from the lakeshore. High peaks of the San Juans are visible to the northwest of the campground.

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (661) 702-1420.

Charges & Cancellations

Cancellations

Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee.

A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite.

Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee.

No-Shows

A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date.

No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite.

Refunds

Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended.

Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay.

For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive.

In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.

Weather, month by month

MonthTypical highTypical lowColdest nightHottest dayYears with a night below 32°F
January35°11°-6°49°11 of 11
February37°14°-2°50°11 of 11
March41°21°2°69°11 of 11
April51°27°11°63°11 of 11
May60°35°22°70°7 of 11
June75°46°37°87°0 of 11
July81°53°44°88°0 of 11
August77°51°44°84°0 of 11
September71°47°28°81°1 of 11
October59°34°14°72°8 of 10
November50°28°-7°61°10 of 10
December38°8°-10°54°10 of 10

Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.

Nearby campgrounds

All public campgrounds in Colorado · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-02-25. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.