San Luis Lakes Campground
Dept. Fish & Wildlife
Write a Review 16399 Lane 6 N Hooper, CO 81136 719-587-6900 Official WebsiteGPS: 37.6772, -105.7331
Overview of San Luis Lakes Campground
A valid Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) hunting or fishing license is required for everyone 18 or older accessing any State Wildlife Area effective July 1, 2020. An annual hunting or fishing license can be purchased through a CPW authorized sales agent, by phone 800-244-5613, or online at cpwshop.com. For more information check out What You Need to Know Before Camping on Trust Land in Colorado.
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by Linda on 10/18/2024
Longest RV Reported: 45 feet (Fifth Wheel)
Reported by Haznavy on 10/2/2021
Number of Sites 51
Pad Type asphalt
Elevation 7,513 ft / 2,289 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about San Luis Lakes Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 719-587-6900
DaveKiwi asked on 6/12/2021
I'm considering going to this campground on Mon night for 1 night so we can be close to the Sanddunes. Wondering if I...
Hollie asked on 6/10/2021
Do you have to have a permit to camp at San Luis State Wildlife Area - if so how do you get one?
camper-769027 asked on 3/19/2023
Is the needed fishing license per person or per RV/vehicle?
jknox asked on 9/15/2022
Can we safely unhook and leave our 5th wheel at the CG to visit Great Sand Dune NP? Thank you
Haznavy asked on 9/28/2021
Is the dump station open? We drove through and it looked open but, with no water service, thought I'd better ask. TIA
John asked on 7/4/2021
Does anyone know where I can fill up my water tanks near San Luis State Wildlife Area Campground? Thank you!
Reviews of San Luis Lakes Campground 95 people have reviewed this location.
“Amazing views with wide open spaces”
Reviewed 10/2/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 47 |
RV Length: | 45' (Fifth Wheel) |
Arrival - Super easy drive either from Alamosa or via the Sand Dunes NP. Camp host was there to meet us to ensure we had the proper documentation (CO State Fishing License or State Wildlife Area pass). Tips - If coming from the Sand Dunes, be aware of the damaged third (3rd) cattle guard across the road and, take it slow. As state... more
Arrival - Super easy drive either from Alamosa or via the Sand Dunes NP. Camp host was there to meet us to ensure we had the proper documentation (CO State Fishing License or State Wildlife Area pass).
Tips - If coming from the Sand Dunes, be aware of the damaged third (3rd) cattle guard across the road and, take it slow. As stated in the website and multiple Q&A, no water out there but, there is a dump station with trash, and open vault toilets in loops B and C. The lake is so low that fishing isn't really an option. Bring your own firewood.
Favorites - Views of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, Mosca Pass, Zapata Falls, the Sand Dunes, west towards Alamosa and southern views; sunsets are pretty amazing, not to mention the dark sky at night.
Negatives - No water, spigots everywhere but, haven't been in service for years. The drought has rendered the lake non-usable for fishing. It's obvious there is very little upkeep to the infrastructure. The camp host does a pretty good job of keeping up with the trash and site maintenance.
Haznavy would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice campground with free electricity. ”
Reviewed 9/30/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
RV Length: | 28' (Class C) |
Nice spot to stay close to the great sand dunes national Park. Free electricity, dump and trash. No water here. Plenty of sites that are easy pull Throughs and fairly level. Colorado state fishing or hunting license required to stay here. Although no one checked us.
glasgows_onthego would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Views!”
Reviewed 8/24/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | A19 |
RV Length: | 20' (Travel Trailer) |
This is a rather unique CG. Owned by the State of Colorado, you need a CO hunting or fishing license and that is the cost of admission. My wife and I both have resident fishing licenses, which we showed to the camp host and he said "Pick a site and enjoy yourself" We picked a drive-thru site with an unobstructed view of the Sand Du... more
This is a rather unique CG. Owned by the State of Colorado, you need a CO hunting or fishing license and that is the cost of admission. My wife and I both have resident fishing licenses, which we showed to the camp host and he said "Pick a site and enjoy yourself" We picked a drive-thru site with an unobstructed view of the Sand Dunes, 10 miles to the East. Each site has electric, a picnic table a fire pit and a metal canopy for shade and wind. There is no water anywhere on the property. There is a trash dump and a dry sewer dump. We were told there were rest rooms but did not use them. I think this would be challenging site for tent campers. Sites are spaced pretty far apart. Only two issues we had. When we first sat outside we got bitten up by little bugs that we suspected were no-seeums. We put bug spray on our legs and arms and were fine for the rest of the trip. The other issue was just bad timing. On the first night at about 2 am we work up hearing loud base type music. It did not seem to be very close but we heard it go on until 4 am. The next day another camper told us he called the Sherif twice, who came out and warned the campers twice but each time he left they started up the music again. The offenders left early the that morning. The next night was very quiet. What we liked most were the views of the dunes and mountains, beautiful sunsets and sunrises.
Jim would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Campsite”
Reviewed 8/2/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 41 |
-Expansive campsite with three loops. There didn’t seem to be a difference in the loops. -This might be the quietest campground in which I’ve ever stayed. -Free stay up to 14 days with a fishing or hunting license. My in-state Colorado annual fishing license was $42. -Each campsite has an electrical hook up, picnic table, campfire... more
-Expansive campsite with three loops. There didn’t seem to be a difference in the loops.
-This might be the quietest campground in which I’ve ever stayed.
-Free stay up to 14 days with a fishing or hunting license. My in-state Colorado annual fishing license was $42.
-Each campsite has an electrical hook up, picnic table, campfire ring, and shade structure over the picnic table.
-Don’t plan on fishing the lake. It was very low & too muddy to reach fishable water.
-The road leading in is fine for any size rig. A bit washboarded, but only for a short distance.
-AT&T cell service was in and out. I was able to stream video a couple times, but it was unreliable. If you have AT&T, simply drive around the different loops until you have decent service. Even though the entire campsite spans only a few hundred yards, there is a big difference in signal. A booster delivered better results.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet and beautiful scenery”
Reviewed 7/29/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Can’t go wrong here. No water or sewer but 50 amp electric service. Make sure you have either a state wildlife area pass or a hunting or fishing license. They do check! Close to Great Sand Dunes NP. Had a large area all to ourselves. Does have a funky smell when the wind blows from the wrong direction. Washboard road so take your time.
Lillwoolley would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Campsite”
Reviewed 7/28/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 41 |
-Expansive campsite with three loops. There didn’t seem to be a difference in the loops. -This might be the quietest campground I’ve ever stayed in. -Free stay up to 14 days with a fishing or hunting license. My in-state Colorado annual fishing license was $42. -Each campsite has an electrical hook up, picnic table, campfire ring, ... more
-Expansive campsite with three loops. There didn’t seem to be a difference in the loops.
-This might be the quietest campground I’ve ever stayed in.
-Free stay up to 14 days with a fishing or hunting license. My in-state Colorado annual fishing license was $42.
-Each campsite has an electrical hook up, picnic table, campfire ring, and shade structure over the picnic table.
-Don’t plan on fishing the lake. It was very low & too muddy to reach fishable water.
-The road leading in it is fine for any size rig.
-AT&T cell service was in and out, but I was able to stream video at times. If you have AT&T, simply drive around the different loops until you have good service. Even though the entire campsite spans only a few hundred yards, there is a big difference in signal.
Ron would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Unique spot just outside Great Sand Dunes”
Reviewed 7/21/2021
Nightly rate: | $12 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 3 |
Agree that this spot is awesome. You definitely need a fishing license (they check) which is easy to get online. Out if state license plus extra day was $24 so well Worth it for two nights of electrical hook ups (no water) in a really cool spot right outside Great Sand Dunes. I arrived at night and it was hard to see what was what bu... more
Agree that this spot is awesome. You definitely need a fishing license (they check) which is easy to get online. Out if state license plus extra day was $24 so well
Worth it for two nights of electrical hook ups (no water) in a really cool spot right outside Great Sand Dunes. I arrived at night and it was hard to see what was what but even after dark there were plenty of spots available, mostly pull through with a ton of room. Sites are spread way out so while you can see other folks it still feels very serene and private. Loved it.
Kara_707 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great boondocking site with electricity supply”
Reviewed 7/14/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 6 |
Site Number: | 14 |
RV Length: | 27' (Travel Trailer) |
We came here because of the recommendation of Campendium.com. Once we arrived we were so surprised and it is clean and large campsite with many campground available. The best is free camping with electricity. One thing you have to remember that you have to have Colorado fishing permit to camp here.
John would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Awesome "free" camping near Sand Dunes”
Reviewed 6/8/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
We stayed here the weekend of June 4-6 to are Great Sand Dunes National Park while Medano creek was flowing. This campground is an easy 25 minutes from the park entrance. We arrived at 5:00 on Friday evening and there were still plenty of "free" 50 Amp sites. As others have mentioned to use the area, including the campground, you m... more
We stayed here the weekend of June 4-6 to are Great Sand Dunes National Park while Medano creek was flowing. This campground is an easy 25 minutes from the park entrance.
We arrived at 5:00 on Friday evening and there were still plenty of "free" 50 Amp sites. As others have mentioned to use the area, including the campground, you must have a Colorado state hunting or fishing licence or a state wildlife area access pass for each person over 16. The lake at the campground was low, so we didn't even try to take the kayaks out on it. There were low bushes and no trees at the campground, and very little privacy between sites, although they were spaced out nicely. The sites were increadiby clean, although the pit toilets were, well, not exactly nasty, but rather unpleasant, as pit toilets often are. The toilets in A loop were closed so we had to walk to the ones in loop B.
We saw a few tents and a few larger rigs, but mostly smaller travel trailers. Many if not all of the sites were pull through.
We were in a converted 16 ft cargo trailer, pulled by a F150.
Miller Family would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Awesome view and dark sky”
Reviewed 4/18/2021
Nightly rate: | $8 |
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Days stayed: | 5 |
Site Number: | 18 |
RV Length: | 21' (Class C) |
Very quiet. Maybe a dozen campers. Bought a 5 day non resident license so works out to @$8.75 a night. Perfectly fine with me for electric hookup. Snowed a couple days so I’m sure I used more than $8.75 running the electric heater. Nice host, sticks to himself after checking my license the first (second?) day. Walked along the lake, dr... more
Very quiet. Maybe a dozen campers. Bought a 5 day non resident license so works out to @$8.75 a night. Perfectly fine with me for electric hookup. Snowed a couple days so I’m sure I used more than $8.75 running the electric heater. Nice host, sticks to himself after checking my license the first (second?) day. Walked along the lake, drove into the visitors center (11 miles from my spot). Drove into town to Walmart (to buy a heater) after waking up to 27F! and get a Starbucks. 50 mile round trip. Waterfowl on the lake and rabbits in the underbrush.
3 cats would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“NOT ACTUALLY FREE”
Reviewed 8/3/2019
Nightly rate: | $36 |
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Days stayed: | 0 |
Listed as a free Campendium site. However, any adults 18-64 require a $36 annual CWP pass in order to camp. Don’t get into town after hours or you’re not getting this, as they’re only available at local agent’s offices, and you’re not staying here without it, as Camp host is checking passes and does not sell them on site. Should have... more
Listed as a free Campendium site. However, any adults 18-64 require a $36 annual CWP pass in order to camp. Don’t get into town after hours or you’re not getting this, as they’re only available at local agent’s offices, and you’re not staying here without it, as Camp host is checking passes and does not sell them on site. Should have read more than the first reviews, otherwise we would have figured this out before we got here
Karen would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- 50 Amp
- 30 Amp
- 20 Amp
- Partial Hookups
Recreation
- picnic area
- recreation trail
Site Amenities
- big rig
- fire ring
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- dump station
- laundry
- restrooms: flush
- showers
- trash
Pets
- pets
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