As of 2023, this campground is no longer operated by Scenic Canyons, and this page will not be updated. For up to date information, please visit the Forest Service website.

​

Big Meadows Campground is located in the San Juan Mountains in south central Colorado, about 11 miles west of South Fork. The campground is heavily wooded with spruce trees, which shade most of the campsites.

 

Prices:

 

$26 for single site

$52 for double site

$13 for day use

$87 for group site (1-40 people)

 

Reservations: To reserve sites go to recreation.gov.  The group site can be reserved one year prior to the first day of your camping stay. All other sites can be reserved 6 months prior to the first day of your camping stay.

​

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.

 

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

 

Nearby Attractions: 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.

 

Open Dates: Friday before Memorial Day to second Monday in September.

 

Directions: 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.  See map below.

 

See more campgrounds managed by Scenic Canyons in the Rio Grande National Forest.

​

For more information, visit the Forest Service website.