Chalk Creek Campground & RV Park

Our site was fine for the Motorhome. Small meeting house was available for a small group meeting/dinner.They were on the upper level of this campground. A very steep and winding dirt road leads to the lower level next to the Chalk Creek. We walked down there so that our group had breakfast by the river and my granddaughter was fascinated with the fast rushing creek; hold onto little ones hands! They enjoyed the playground very much, too. The main inconvenience was the lower level campers having to bring their pot luck dishes all the way to upper level by way of foot or car to the dinner site. But, the campground is pretty.

We arrived at Chalk Creek excited about our site on the creek. The friendly workamper that greeted us, filled our freshwater tank and led us to our site was super talkative and friendly and sported an insanely awesome 'stache! We rolled down the big hill with our Airstream and we're pointed to a site with at least 4 campers all within 20 feet of each other. Sitting by our fire pit in the evening put us a mere 10 feet max from the next fire pit and neighbors. (Both sides) we asked if there was a less crowded spot and our awesome mustachioed guide called up to check. Alas, we'd have to make due. The creek was absolutely lovely and the noise of the flowing water was loud enough to keep the noise and conversation of your cozy neighbors. There were good big trees down there too. The bathrooms are a big hike up the hill, as are the pay showers (though clean it's annoying to pay for a shower). If we were going back we would request sites 20, 21, 27 or 28 by the creek. The lower sites were electricity only. The pull through full hook ups were all up top with no shade to speak of.

Overall, great stay! We stayed in a lovely "premium" space. Even though it was right at the front of the campground, it is shielded by a small grove of trees on the highway side and separated from the other row of campers by a small "irrigation" ditch which resembles a small stream. We rented the tent space immediately next to ours so that our niece and her friend could come and visit. We found the owners and staff to be fun, cheerful and helpful! There was a bingo night - for candy - that night and it was really quirky and fun! The premium site had a very large patio, complete with a bistro set and a gas grill (which we didn't need but might be nice for someone else). One disappointment was that, like many other RV parks, there was not a firepit at the site. We did wander over to the community fire pit and had a great conversation with some folks from Iowa.

Check in was easy. The bathrooms were centrally located and very clean. Pay shower but we used the trailer shower. Overall, it was a great stay. The price is a bit high and the highway is right there (on the upper campground) but we enjoyed it. Close to Buena Vista and Salida - both super fun towns with lots of eating/drinking opportunities.

Wind blew unbelievable.
If you are going be sure to get into the lower level. The upper is liked a dirt lot.
I'm sure it was way better near the creek. But upper level, not again.
Lower lever has everything but sewer anyway and they have a dump station on the way out so NBD.

Pretty expensive dump fee ($20), but there are 2 lanes, easy in and out, clean area.

Pro: closest park to Mt Princeton Hot Spring. Con: numerous.
We stayed in the lower camp by Chalk Creek. The majority of the camp is dirt. Fine, white chalk dirt. As I was filling my tank (the site does not have water), a wind kicked up and engulfed me and the RV in a dust cloud. Every vehicle that drove by kicked up a cloud of dust. The grass area is reserved for tents. We kept our windows closed and ran the ac to keep comfortable. After checking in, the woman said there was no Wi-Fi in the camp, only at the office. TMobile was no service. Paid for two nights but left the first morning. I would have had a similar experience boondocking at Ruby Mountain and paid much less.

We wanted to camp near running water, and in the area of Mt. Princeton Hot Springs, and this fit the bill on both fronts. There are 3 sites that a trailer/motor home can be parallel to the river, all other creek side spots are back in, and a bit closer together. Many tent only sites are creekside.

We were guided to water fill up, then our site by a friendly gentleman.

All facilities are in good condition, well maintained and clean. They run a tight ship there it seems. The laundry, showers and nice bathrooms are up the hill, so a bit of a walk from the lower campground, though there are porto-potties on lower level.

Propane is sold on site, though only sold in 1/2 and full tank increments. We were there in mid April, and there were only a handful of campers on each night. They charge $5 per hour to park temporarily in their short term lot (I found this out as our laundry wasn't done by 11:00 am check out time). Also, showers are coin operated. There is a quarters change maker machine at the bathrooms.

Riverside camping, with a great view of the waterfall across the road. There’s a moderate hike, just about a mile or so, that will take you up to the falls, and it’s right by this property. Quiet, except raging stream that runs along sites 6-10. I don’t think it’s always that loud, there’s just a lot of snow melt right now.

What a difference a few miles makes. From the time we left New Mexico and headed more north the traffic gets heavier and faster. Colorado seems to be in a big rush to get somewhere. Dangerous drivers on the road after leaving southern Colorado. The road outside our campground is Hwy 285 and the vehicles fly by making it dangerous to get out, or in, either direction.

Chalk Creek Campground seems to be graded and leveled as often as the typical ballpark is. Sites are clean and well-maintained. Showers and laundry room are security code protected. Both showers and laundry are coin-operated in restroom buildings that are also clean and maintained.

We arrived around noon, an hour early, and were charged an extra $5 for early check-in. Our overnight rate does not include this little fine, and the creek-side sites were a premium. Only 30 amp service at these sites along the creek. No water except at the spigot up by the restrooms. The dump station has two sides and is better than most.

AT&T service ranged from two to three bars and was reliable. Not much for us to do here and the reason we stayed for two nights was to get another full day of hot springs action, but we were too relaxed from the last two days to take another day of the mineral spas. Instead we visited the little town of Buena Vista and their history museum on a free day due to the birthday of Colorado. We also ate at a great little food truck downtown called The Buena Viking. Nice people preparing good food for both vegetarian and carnivore alike. The food truck sits in a nice empty lot full of picnic tables that opens to the Deerhammer Distilling Company. Good times.

Our site #28 backed up to Chalk Creek. A little louder than our last campsite situated on the same creek about six miles away as the crow flies at Cottonwood Hot Springs. Our camper was sitting down closer to the creek and that probably explains why it was so loud. But “creek” loud is good when the busy Hwy 285 is on the ridge above you. Regardless, charging a premium for a campsite next to a loud and busy highway is really not right. The creek was so loud that mornings I could barely hear myself sing and play my guitar, which may have been a good thing.

We stayed here on the first leg of our journey. The staff were very friendly and were busy as bees keeping up with the inflow of campers. The park has lots of shade and is situated between Salida and Buena Vista. Lots of things to enjoy in the area. We chose to be in the lower section with only electricity. They let us fill up our fresh water tank before getting settled in. The creek wasn’t too noisy as runoff had ended. The noise from the highway was drowned out by the creek noise. I caught a few trout in the creek, so that was a bonus. We liked it so much we spent an extra night before heading north towards Leadville. They have a very nice dump station with spectacular views that make that chore more enjoyable. I highly recommend this park, especially after seeing some of the other ones in the vicinity.