288 acres hosted by Chavara G.
4 motorhome/tent pitches · 2 motorhome pitches · 3 tent pitches
Amazing views
Hipcampers say this spot has amazing views.
Activities
Biking
Boating
Fishing
Hiking
Natural features
Desert
Forest
River, stream, or creek
Mountainous
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Reviews
90% Recommend54 Ratings · 45 reviews
This campsite near Salida is celebrated for its breathtaking views and easy access to town, making it a convenient base for exploring the area. Visitors often appreciate the spaciousness and cleanliness of the sites, along with the stellar night skies. Some reviewers noted the presence of cacti and the limited shade, which can be a consideration for those with pets or who prefer more sheltered spots. Despite these minor drawbacks, many campers found the site peaceful, with the added bonus of nearby amenities and activities.
Summary AI-generated from real reviews
Recommends
· June 2025
18 ft campervan · Group trip ·
Site #2 -Tent/RV Site with Fire Pit
We enjoyed Site #2 with our camper van! Great views and all was as described by Chavara. Close to Salida which is a fun town with lots to do.
Chris B.
3 reviews
Very convenient to downtown Salida. A little tricky for us to find. It is just a gate right across from the entrance to the airport. then wind your way to the left two sites in a loop. We had five and six. I disagree with the comment about the cacti. Yes there are certainly cacti. But there is a very nice loop that back goes back toward the airport for walking that is free of cacti.
James S.
11 reviews
Recommends
· June 2025
Camping under the stars!
20 ft campervan · With pets ·
Site #2 -Tent/RV Site with Fire Pit
The directions were clear and the campsite fabulous! I was the only one there and enjoyed the view from the hill and the stars at night. Deer were grazing in the morning. Close to Salina, but far enough to get a quiet evening by myself. What a great stay. Highly recommended.
Anita O.
2 reviews
Recommends
· June 2025
Clean and quiet with a great view of salida from above
J
James K.
3 reviews
Recommends
· May 2025
20 ft campervan ·
Site #5 - RV Pull Through Site
We enjoyed our stay here. It was quiet at night, and we enjoyed the views from the campground. We found the location very convenient to access the Arkansas River for whitewater activities, as well as the Salida area for gravel and mountain biking.
K
Kayleen C.
3 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· May 2025
Tent · With pets ·
Site #4 - Tent Site with Fire Pit
Campsite was close to town, quiet, and offered great views. Would certainly book again!
P
Presley G.
3 reviews
Recommends
· April 2025
Spacious area with nice views. Easy to access. Easy to find also.
J
Jason W.
6 reviews
Recommends
· March 2025
Incredible views, clean site, quiet
Tent · With kids ·
Site #4 - Tent Site with Fire Pit
Easy directions to follow in the dark, incredibly clean camp sites, well-marked and separated from other sites. Trash bin onsite, horseshoe pit, chairs and table provided, fire rings at each site. Extremely quiet, gorgeous dark skies to see the stars.
A
Amy T.
3 reviews
Mixed feelings
· September 2024
Beautiful but painfully spiky
Tent · With pets ·
Site #7 - RV Site with views
Here are the cons: cactuses everywhere. This makes it impossible to not get cactus needles in your feet, ankles, shins, hands. The RV site does not have a tent pad which was communicated prior, it does not have a fire ring either, making any fire constantly blowing embers amongst campers. Single roll of toilet paper in the small Porter potty, no hand sanitizer in the bathroom dispenser. It was my understanding that there would be cows, horses and other animals on the property but the piece of land is not set like that. It’s elevated which makes for beautiful views. There is definitely sound from multiple helicopter and flights going in and out throughout the day, this didn’t happen throughout the night. We had 3 dogs with us and I would not recommend anybody with pets to bring them. The amount of cactus spines in humans and pets was bonkers lol. Last con, there was zero shade! No spots to put hammocks & the ground was covered with rocks so until to bury poles to put up tarps for sun protection. The pros: we had the enter space to ourselves, no one else was there. Because it’s elevated, you truly have beautiful views over the town and mountains. The stars are incredible at night time!
Overall the site was beautiful and our group had a great time, however, we would not come back to this spot mostly due to the grounds.
A
Aims Z.
10 months on Hipcamp
We loved camping at Chavara! The hilltop has great views of the surrounding mountains and it an 8 minute drive to the heart of Salida. 100% worth the drive from Denver - would go back in a Heartbeat.
S
Stuart W.
11 months on Hipcamp
The view from the hilltop was really beautiful and it was easy to find and get to. The spot is surrounded by mountains on all sides. We took a hike on Waterdog trail, which was a bit challenging for elevation, but beautiful on the top.
The site is developing, and has a few issues. There is very little shade, so we tended to huddle under a tree in the group firepit area. All the spots are pretty small, and close together- very little privacy. In campsite 4, we couldn't actually have a fire b/c its right next to prairie grass, and it was pretty windy. The area is also filled with weeds, and our dog's fur got covered in goat heads and spear grass seeds (they look like little arrows), that required quite a bit of attention when we got home.
Dawn L.
7 reviews
Got the job done, but left some things to be desired. The campsites are marked, but some of them don’t quite seem like sites at all, some don’t have fire rings and lots and lots of cactuses and goat heads. We still had fun, but we’ve been picking pricklies off of everything. Views were great, could hear the road but it wasn’t too bad.
A
Ann P.
1 year on Hipcamp
Recommends
· June 2024
Tent · With pets ·
Site #1 - Tent Site with Fire Pit
Great spot outside of Salida. Porta potty was clean and having a trash can nearby was really nice. This is my second time staying here and I’d do it again…. The views are lovely.
Sean M.
2 reviews
Recommends
· June 2024
Tent ·
Site #7 - RV Site with views
Great location. Clean, large #7 site but it does have a lot of cactus and no fire ring. Some road noise but not bad at night. We were in a van and couldn’t hear anything when inside.
C
Crickett S.
2 reviews
Great spot, out of the way but close to town, stopped here on a busy weekend to raft Brown's Canyon.
A
Allen K.
1 year on Hipcamp
We stayed at Site #1. It’s nice it was close to town and easy off-roading. Could tell they recently put some fresh dirt/sand down on the site. Porta potty was pretty clean.
We couldnt find a fire ring at our site so it seems that only some have dedicated fire rings. Also the ground was very hard/rocky so tough to stake down tent
I do agree with others that the price is steep for limited amenities. We stayed one night then moved on to BLM land.
G
Ginny R.
1 year on Hipcamp
This was a decent site. I would stay again when in the area.
Cyndy M.
4 reviews
Recommends
· September 2023
Tent ·
Site #7 - RV Site with views
We loved the views from site #7. It was quiet and peaceful and had plenty of room. Stay on the driveway and in the campsites as there is a solid layer of cacti elsewhere. Best to keep dogs on a leash so they don’t get thorns in their paws. Otherwise it was a lovely spot. I recommend bringing a foldable table as there are no picnic tables.
R
Rebecca M.
4 reviews
Recommends
· September 2023
Great camping near downtown Salida
Tent · With kids ·
Site #4 - Tent Site with Fire Pit
This campsite has everything you need for an enjoyable experience. Great views and very close to downtown Salida. We would stay here again.
M
Michael H.
2 years on Hipcamp
Mixed feelings
· August 2023
With kids ·
Site #5 - Pull Through RV Site
The campground has beautiful views in a great location. If you want to be near town, this is a good spot. This particular site is small and the area has a lot of small cactus, which are hard to avoid. Know that before you come and wear boots.
D
Daniel C.
6 reviews
Mixed feelings
· August 2023
Nice location and great views.
Tent · With kids ·
Site #7 - RV Site with views
The location and views from this site are fantastic. It is very close to town, and you have great views all around. The ground has a lot of small, cactus that make for difficult walking. Just be aware of that.
D
Daniel C.
6 reviews
Recommends
· August 2023
With pets ·
Site #3 - Tent or RV
Was a very peaceful weekend. The yurt had everything I needed. Plenty of space and comfortable.
M
Michael M.
1 year on Hipcamp
I highly recommend looking at the camp map before choosing your spot. As others said, it is across the street from the airport (no planes while I was there but it has a light) and pretty close to the road. I was at site #1 and had no problems watching the stars, there’s plenty of trees. The view was great, Porta potty clean, and there’s even a trash can.
K
Kat S.
8 reviews
Recommends
· August 2023
Great place and views comfy bed! Great location! Loved it !!
K
Kaitlyn M.
4 reviews
Recommends
· August 2023
Group trip ·
Site #5 - Pull Through RV Site
SO COOL! We absolutely loved staying the yurt, excellent views from the site & very comfortable bed.
Meaghan D.
2 years on Hipcamp
Given the right expectations, this could be a great Basecamp.
Pros: Campsite contact very responsive.
Pro: Close to Salida.
Pro: Games on site: horseshoes, croquet, & cornhole.
Cons: Only 1 small porta-potty on site for all campers. On arrivival, chemicals were fresh, but the unit felt old, dingy & very cramped = scary. (Suggestion: provide multiple units, ADA size / accessible, with hand sanitizer and a light inside.)
(Another suggestion: provide outdoor hand washing stations)
Con: Close to Salida. Noisy during the day, esp with the small airport across the road.
Con: Fire pits only at some sites, check site details. The communal firepit at center of camp can be loud. Fortunately the other guests quieted down before dawn.
(Suggestion: have guests agree to the standard campsite regulations of quiet time from 10 PM - 8AM).
Con: tent camping. Perhaps a trailer would be better. Areas to place tents were small (site 7 does not have a gravel area at all!) The soil is hard (no fault of the owners, obviously) and the wind can be tent-flatteningly, awning-liftoff strong. Used rocks to try to hold things down.
Con: Beware, sandal-wearers, lots of cactus.
Overall: overpriced. If there was a bathhouse with a flushing toilet, showers and drinkable water, I would pay $60/night (with fees).
(Suggestion: more photos of sites)
Not somewhere to peacefully chill, but ok as a Basecamp for exploring Salida. A shower would go a long way to make this enjoyable
L
Liz R.
2 years on Hipcamp
We were looking for a camping spot close to downtown Salida and this spot was about a 10 minute drive which was perfect. If you are looking for a spot close to town this is it.
N
Nathan D.
1 year on Hipcamp
Mixed feelings
· August 2023
Tent · With pets ·
Site #4 - Tent Site with Fire Pit
Lots of dry brush around the fire pit so I wasn’t comfortable using it. The tent pad was rocky and it was tough to get stakes in. Views were great!
S
Samantha R.
2 years on Hipcamp
We very enjoyed our stay at the beautiful Hilltop. Nice communal feel, large spaces.
Easy communication. Special!
M
Mijke S.
2 reviews
Mixed feelings
· July 2023
Tent · With kids ·
Site #7 - RV Site with views
Upon arrival we felt the need to contact the Chavara Ranch camp host regarding the site we reserved. We reserved site #7 expecting to have an area to set out tent. It was very rocky mixed with cactus, not ideal for a tent.
I texted the camp host asking for a different site. Fortunately, the host was able to switch us to site #2 which was an improvement.
We were closer to the bathroom but it was a very small port-a-potty. Some suggestions are: Add larger or have more than 1 port a potty, remove more cactus and maybe install some shade structures. I believe this would improve the camping experience at Chavara Ranch.
Horse shoes and corn hole where a bonus.
Overall, I would not stay at Chavara again. The campsites were too exposed to wind and sun and I didn’t enjoy the air and road traffic noise. The host did respond quickly to my questions.
T
Tanya L.
2 years on Hipcamp
Location
Salida, Chaffee, Colorado, United StatesTo respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking
Hosted by Chavara G.
Joined in March 2022Response rate: 100%
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