Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central Co)

This campground sits near the Big Meadows Reservoir which is a popular fishing lake that is stocked. The campground is comprised of 3 loops, lower level which is closest to the lake, middle loop and upper loop. The lower loop is pretty popular as it sits closest to the lake with great views of the water. The middle loop and upper loop are mostly back in sites with some pull-thru. Due to a cutting back of all the dead trees, some of the middle and upper loops have a partial view of the lake, others are more secluded and private. I personally like the upper loop the best but if I had kids or wanted to have easy access to fish would choose the lower loop.
Some of the sites are reservable but from my experience in June, one could always get a non-reservable site in at least the middle loop. Probably would want reservations in holiday times to guarantee a site. No showers and no water to fill RV tank although there is water to fill up containers only. Vault toilets were very clean and smelled fresh.

The road in is paved for a maybe 1/2 mile and then turns in to hard-packed dirt, easy driving. A short one-lane bridge but no issue for any camper or MH.

There is a 2 mile or so hiking loop around the lake that is easy and a good hiking option. Also behind site #20 is a hiking trail. There are other hiking trails nearby but may have downed trees.

I got Verizon service which at some times was fairly reliable like early in the morning and sometimes extremely slow.

First of all - let me say that this campground was much more beautiful than I expected. They've had a lot of beetle kill, so there aren't as many trees in the campground as there apparently used to be - but it's still more wooded than I expected. It's a hilly campground, and there's nice space between most of the sites. The lake is peaceful and nice for a quiet paddle. Even on Labor Day weekend, it was never crowded by the lake. There is a great hiking trail around the lake, and a short hike up to a waterfall right from the campground. The campground itself was well-kept.

Now, for the bad...the camp host was largely MIA. What made this a problem was that we had neighbors in a double site (20-ish people, many dogs, and 7+ vehicles) who brought a loud, open-frame generator that they ran up the hill from their site (which was within 20 feet of our site) for 10+ hours/day. The first night we were there, at 10:30pm, we were amongst at least 3 other camping groups who asked them to turn it off since it was a) past quiet hours, and b) too loud for a campground. They finally did turn it off at about quarter to 11. The next day, they started it back up again and ran it nonstop from about 11am to 9:30 at night. They also pulled out a chainsaw several times during the weekend to cut downed trees between our sites - within 20 feet of our campfire. Yes - aside from the first night, it was outside of quiet hours, but it made it completely impossible for anyone within the surrounding 5-10 sites to enjoy sitting outside at their campsite, as it was so loud, you had to yell over it. We thought maybe they'd taken the hint & decided to shut it off before quiet hours started - but then we realized they ran out of gas and had to send someone out the next day to fill the gas tank so they could start it back up again. Sigh. And they were not the sort of friendly folks you could reason with. They spent the rest of the weekend staring at us as if they were daring us to say something again. Fortunately (I guess), it rained most of the rest of the weekend, so we ended up staying inside anyway, which made the sound more tolerable (yes, we could hear it from the inside of our camper).

I guess there are no rules against open-frame generators in campgrounds outside of quiet hours - but I'm a firm believer that there should be. And this would have been an idyllic campground if not for our neighbors and the camp hosts complete unwillingness to intervene.

Absolutely incredible. Really wish I could have stayed longer. Hidden gem honestly!!! Such a beautiful campground with a lake. Not the best cell service, but it's so peaceful. Go if you get the chance! There are some FCFS which is what we grabbed.

The reviews saying how beautiful the lake and campground are, are understated. One of the nicest campgrounds, bar none, we have seen. The host, Alex was awesome. Vault toilets clean, and even had hand sanitizer in them.

We had planned to stay 4 nights, however, reason I marked No to stay here again, was due to the altitude. We're from North Texas, and having been at 700ft for too many years, the altitude was just too much for us. we hated to leave, such a beautiful place nestled in the mountain tops.

Would "highly" recommend to anyone who isn't susceptible to altitude sickness, you have to see this place.

The road was muddy, as it was raining when we arrived. Our site was at the end of the loop nearest the lake, so good views and convenient for fishing. The vault toilets were spotless. There's a spigot for filling water jugs, but not your tank. The trails were still very wet. The lake trail had been cleared of trees but not further up Archuleta trail. The FS road to the next valley was still closed, so limited hiking options in late May. Sites further up on the hill had great views. We paid $13 with the interagency pass. Lots of dead trees in the valley but the ones in the campground have been cleared. Lots of locals fishing in the lake, so the road is busy during the day. Good moderate sport climbing down by the bridge. Surprisingly, we both had a little cell service. Half the campground sites are reservable.

Big Meadows was one of the most beautiful campgrounds we've stayed. Our site overlooked the lake with the mountains surrounding us. Plenty of really nice sites, good hiking trails, lake to kayak and fish. The sites are plenty large enough for most RV's and it was easy enough to get in and out of the sites and park. Night sky viewing would be amazing, I imagine, as it was cloudy both night for us, but there is very little if any light pollution at this campground.

We played golf in South Fork and this campground is easy access to South Fork and all of it's outdoor activities. To get to Pagossa Springs you will have to go over a significant pass.

Plenty of privacy. Camp hosts Rhonda and Billy were great. There is no water that you can get into a camper here. You have to fill your fresh water tank then arrive or carry water and pour it into your tank. Lots of wildlife and pretty all around. We will be back!

Verizon data was limited but could call and text easy enough. We could watch tv via streaming service on the phone but it wasn’t a good connection.

This campground is a total gem. There are definitely sites capable of handling larger rigs like ours. There was drinking water available throughout the campground. No dump station or ability to fill freshwater tanks. Just a short walk from the reservoir and most sites have great views of it. There is a short hike to Cascade Falls accessible right from the campground and also a great 3 mile hike around the reservoir. We saw lots of people fishing. We would not recommend our site #46 for any large rigs that can’t get close to 90 degrees backing. It was a good quiet spot but a bit treacherous for us to back into as the road is narrow and one-way with a steep drop off on the passenger side. We were able to access the basic internet off our data connections and boosters but it was poor overall.

Love Big Meadows. Not far from South Fork. We filled water and then later dumped there too at the gas station/market-free which was nice. Its absolutely gorgeous! Quiet and really dark at night-could easily see the milky way. Huge lake that is perfect to kayak or SUP. Sites are large and spread out. All have a fire pit and picnic table. Well maintained. Campground is busy---on Labor Day weekend sites were full, but still had tons of privacy as the sites are so spaced out. Lake was active but not overly so and its so big there is plenty of room for all. Dumpsters on site. Want to go back again but so many of the sites this year at FFS...disappointing.

stayed here with 20 people on a boy scout campout. great sight with trees and close to the water. large tent pads take 4 small tents or one big one. central gathering area had good prep tables and grill with large fire ring. plenty of parking for cars and close enough to unload and carry everything in (50 yards).Quiet camp without any hassles.