Dolores

Explore national and natural treasures while camping in Dolores.

Find & reserve the best campsites near Dolores, Colorado with surfing. Tent, cabin & RV camp on private & State Parks, on local farms, vineyards & nature preserves.

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Picnic table

You will cross this bridge over McElmo Creek to enter the property. 


Anasazi Sites @ Ancient Echoes

This magical place, surrounded by over 500,000 acres of protected land, is a 38 acre desert oasis near Mesa Verde, Sand Canyon and Hovenweep.  

Pitch your tent or park your small pop up or tiny rv (car and pull behind must be under 20 ft total) in a heritage orchard under and alongside magnificent red cliffs. We also have super clean bathroom with hot shower designated for campers. We have a fully equipped  community kitchen for cooking, and a gas grill as well. 

We border Canyons of the Ancients immediately to the North, a 174,000 acre National Monument with the largest concentration of Ancestral Puebloan ("cliff-dweller") and archeological sites in the United States. A favorite public access point to The Canyons of the Ancients is the Sand Canyon trailhead, a five minute drive from the property up the main road. It is visited by hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders alike.

We are a genuine "oasis" on exquisite high desert land with profound ancient puebloan sites within steps. Ideal home base for your Southwest adventure.

The driveway to Ancient Echoes affords you a view of the red rocks and mesas inside the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, directly behind us.

The Pour Over - one of our campsites tucked into the cliff with a waterfall just beyond the picnic table when we get a good desert rain. 

An overview of the property as a whole. The camping village is in the NE corner.

A view of the Ancient Echoes from the cliff directly above. The camping village is in the left corner of the picture.

View of the casitas and the entrance to the canyon from the NE Corner of the camping village. Directly ahead is a vegetable garden for our guests.

Four directions vegetable garden in center of the camping village for our guests to harvest and enjoy.

A view of the cliffside camp spots picnic table directly beyond the four directions garden.

One of two kivas on the property dating from the mid-Pueblo II to mid Pueblo III periods (ca. AD 980-1225). You are welcome to climb down inside. 

Red rock path, crafted by Rush, our rock artisan friend from Durango with help from Georgia (our tractor) and lots of willing hands.

Campfires

Sewage Hookup

Wifi

There are 3 Tipis in The Views area, this is the biggest, The Raven.  

Bright Star Campground

We have complimentary WiFi, drinking water, ice, hot showers, bathrooms, communal kitchen, and a shaded pavilion with picnic tables, art nook, ping pong, and more. We are open from April - October. All of our sites and amenities can be booked for retreats or events. There are two large covered pavilions. We customize reservations for small and large groups or longer stays. There are furnished tipis, camping cabins, tent/RV/van sites, and a Navajo Hogan (wooden yurt). 

Bright Star Campground: Originally established in 2012 as a church camp, it is now a place to connect, create, and rejuvenate in this spectacular high desert landscape.

Bright Star Campground is located in the Great Sage Plain in the shadow of Mesa Verde National Park with panoramic views of the Four Corners region, and only 5 miles southeast of Cortez.  

We are a cannabis-friendly destination but ask that cannabis use stay at your campsite, cabin or tipi. 

There are many attractions nearby, such as Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients, Hovenweep National Monument and Phil's World Mountain Biking. Raft down the Dolores river, maybe rent a SUP or kayak and chill on a quiet reservoir. 

We are located 45 minutes from Durango, 1.5 hours from Telluride, and about 2 hours from Moab (Arches and Canyonlands National Parks).

The nearest airport is in Durango. The nearest large international airports are in Salt Lake City or Albuquerque.

We also have this canvas Springbar Tent already setup to rent.  The Views area is in the distance where you see the Tipi in front of Mesa Verde. 

Sunsets are so beautiful. Try not to miss it!

The kitchen is central and for all our campers to use. 

Enjoy amazing views and incredible night skies!

Back of Girls shower house and the yellow bld is the back of the Kitchen. 

Cooking equipment

Lazy Rooster Ranch

The ranch was the site of a sawmill in the early 1900s when the&nbsp;old Rio Grande Southern and Galloping Goose Railroads&nbsp;ran through the property along the Dolores River. All that’s left now is a little shack in the middle of the meadow and some remnants of the railroad tracks in the river.&nbsp;

Camping in the Mesas

This land was inhabited by the Ancient Anasazi and Pueblo people. The Anasazi Heritage Museum and archeological ruins are two miles away. There are ruins and sites on this land that have yet to be excavated. Many different ancient people came through this land, left and sites were inhabited by other people. One group of people would come and build upon the sites of another group, and taking part of their culture with them.&nbsp;

The cabin also has a picnic area and firepit just outside of it as well. 

Here is a shot of the bunk bed in the cabin! They were very comfortable.

One of my favorite things about this site, is that they have a fully fenced in dog park, right outside the cabin!

In the Lodge nearby, there is a comfortable room to relax in. 

The cabin also has a TV with things like Netflix loaded onto it. 

The lodge also has a larger kitchen if you need to make a bigger meal.

Fall in the canyon. Taken from the Ladder Alcove, just around the corner from the Cliff House.

NOTE: the tipi is no longer on the property

Sage Canyon

Stay on the flank of Sleeping Ute Mountain in historic McElmo Canyon just 40 minutes from Mesa Verde and 20 minutes from the town of Cortez. Our property features red rock cliff walls, a private rock alcove, comfortable amenities, internet, and sweeping mountain views. A perfect place to base yourself for your next creative endeavor or for rejuvenating and exploring in the wilds of the four corners.

Head just 10 minutes down canyon to Sand Canyon—public access to Canyons of the Ancients National Monument—for hiking and mountain biking trails. Further down Road G is Hovenweep National Monument where you can view Pueblo ruins precariously built on top of boulders and canyon rims. At the end of the day, stop by our neighbor Sutcliffe Vineyards for year-round local wine tasting.

Nearby - Telluride (2), Cedar Mesa and Monument Valley (1.5-2), the Four Corners Monument (45), Durango (1.25), Shiprock (45), Mesa Verde (40), Cortez (20), Hovenweep (45).

Early morning light over the canyon in mid-winter.

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