McPhee Campground

To start, there have been some changes to this campground this year:

- The dump station is permanently closed. According to the camp host, too many people were using it and it overloaded the system. The station was actually outside of the campground, so anyone could easily access it and a lot of people came here and dumped for "free" even though they were supposed to pay.

- There are a total of 4 full hookup sites but two of those are reserved for camp hosts (one in each loop) so in reality there are only 2 full-hookup sites that patrons can use and both are located in the Pinyon Loop. One site could fit a bigger RV, perhaps 40ft in length, but the other will only fit a smaller RV, ~25ft in length.

Campground Review:

This is a gem of a campground located in a great area with stunning 360 degree views a short walk away.

The campground has two loops - Pinyon and Juniper. Juniper has 16 electrical sites and Pinyon has 5 (including the two with full hookups). Electric sites include a 30 and 15 amp receptacle. Almost all sites include a fire pit on a concrete pad and a picnic table with a covered awning. Bathhouses are liberally scattered, a short walk from any site.

Site length varies a lot and there are several walk-in tent sites. Larger RV's will have a more limited selection of available sites during peak times.

The bathhouses are very clean and well maintained, thanks to a great campground host. There are no showers, but there is a sink and flush toilets.

None of the sites have water, but there are many water spigots around the campground. In our site we were able to fill our tanks from one about 75' away. The spigots do not accept a hose connection.

The campground has some great hiking trails to scenic spots overlooking the reservoir and providing a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. They area is high desert pinyon forest.

Access to services and amenities is easy - Cortez is about 20 minutes and the Mesa Verde National Park entrance is 30 minutes.

The only real downside of this park is the lack of a dump station which is why this gets 4 stars and not five.

Cell Coverage: Excellent LTE coverage with all carriers except Sprint. The park is just outside the Sprint coverage area, but with our Weboost cell booster we got 3 bars of LTE.

Friendly Camp Host, Easy To Access Sites, Beautiful Views!

Headed down from Moab to Mesa Grande and used the app to find this one. Could not have been happier. The camp host, Gene was a well of local knowledge. We dropped our camper van at our site and took off for a nice hike down to the reservoir. Great hike! An afternoon rain shower provided an amazing rainbow. There’s a high point of the hike about .5 miles away that gives you a 360 degree view of the area from Mesa Verde to the San Juan Mountains. The site was perfect for our van and the entire campground was about 20% filled. Plenty of sites to choose from. Bathrooms were ridiculously clean. Don’t think I’ve visited a campground bathroom in. National Park or state park in the Colorado or Utah area so clean. It was a few days post Labor Day when we stopped in. Weather was great at 7400’. Definitely stay here!

Very few campers. The sites were fine but better suited for smaller rigs. There are water faucets and flush clean toilets. A lot of good places to hike and a visit down to the dam is worthwhile. The normal rate is $24.00 and for senior pass half price.

We stayed June 17 - 21. It's a great campground because of its location to Mesa Vesda, Hovenweep & Canyon of the Ancients. There are several sites with 30 and 50 amp service and even three sites that are FH. The camp host was very friendly and kept the bathrooms spotless. The Juniper loop is mostly first come and even on the weekend it didn't fill up. There is no dump station or anyway of filling your tank so plan accordingly. Water spickets are scattered around but they don't have hose connections. The sites are hard service but not that level.

This is a nice older National Recreation area. We stayed at a first come first serve spot and it had 50 amp electricity.

There are several faucets throughout the campground but you won’t be filling your rv tanks from them. The dump and water is closed.

The park is very peaceful even on the weekends. Several days we had a deer walk through our site.

No over air tv and only one bar cell.

The really down side is this most sites have a pretty good slope. There are some sites that would accommodate a 45’ rv but might not have electricity. There are also a couple of full hook up sites but I believe you might need a reservation for those.

The lake is a short drive from the campground for boating and kayaking.

We spent 3 nights at Site 34E in the Juniper loop and then moved to 28E (to stay longer). Some sites have electric, water available via spigots dispersed through the loops. Trash dumpsters available but no dump available.

PROS:
* Close to Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park;
* Close to Dolores and Cortez;
* SUPER nice camp hosts in both Pinon and Juniper loops;
* lots of trees and bushes between sites offering privacy;
* the bathrooms were super clean;
* quiet area but saying that, not many folks here;
* two hiking trail heads from the loops;

CONS:
* No dump;
* most sites not level;
* no showers available in the rest rooms.

We arrived on a Friday afternoon for a weekend of exploring in Mesa Verde NP and Durango. We were surprised at how many no shows there were for reserved sites, but the weather was windy with predicted scattered storms which I guess scared some people off. Regardless, it made this a wonderful quiet place to call home base for the long weekend.

Our site (007E) in the Piñon loop was a great, level fit for our T@b CS-S and toys and the 30amp electrical hookup came in handy for a rare, rainy movie night in. A shade structure over the picnic table was a nice surprise, too. There is a potable water supply close by, but the spigot doesn’t hook up to a hose so bring your blue box!

The host was kind and available, the sites well-maintained, and the flush toilets were clean and convenient. Overall, a great site to call home as we explored the region.

The flush toilets were super clean and host does a fantastic job. Water is pretty low at the reservoir so leaves not much to do. We did find medicine bottles from the 1940’s since it was an old flooded town. Water supply all around the campground.

Campground way up high from water, but do have a view with water and mountains... Love that!! Easy drive in..7 miles approx from Dolores. About 12 from Cortez. Very nice Host. One thing we've noticed about campgrounds....when you back in...the door is Always on the wrong side of the picnic table and fire pit. This spot has an excellent private area on door side where you don't see your neighbor. But when you use fire pit or table...you are facing them!! Just something we observed. All In all...very happy to be here and Enjoy Gods Creation