U.S. Forest Service · Rio Grande National Forest · Del Norte, CO

Rio Grande

Rio Grande Campground This is a small, developed camping area in a grassy meadow, right on the banks of the Rio Grande. The campground has 7 camp sites with picnic tables and fire rings. Three sites are gravel pull-throughs and four sites are dead-end gravel spurs. The campground offers fishing access to the Rio Grande River and is a put in / take out point for summer rafting. Even though the grounds sit next to State highway 149, there is little highway noise as the campsites sits down below the road next to the river bottom. The river is very near the campground and is a safety hazard to children if unsupervised.

Open nowReservable · Recreation.gov7 sitesFrom $10 per nightTents only

More like this: reservable in Colorado · tent only in Colorado

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Rio GrandeRio Grande
Photo from the area. Jeffrey Beall (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
3fires
active
Elk · 31 mi away · 7,257 acres
2 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Site mix

Standard, no hookups7
Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Amenities & rules

EquipmentTents
FeesSingle site - $10/night. Day use - $10/day (picnicking). Fee envelopes and a collection box located near the entrance.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

StatusOpen
SeasonYear round- Weather dependent
ForestRio Grande National Forest
BookingFirst come, first serve.
FeesSingle site - $10/night. Day use - $10/day (picnicking). Fee envelopes and a collection box located near the entrance.
RulesMust have a Colorado Fishing License to fish in the river. Area not recommended for large RVs or long/wide trailers due to narrow and steep access road.

Rio Grande National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Rio Grande10°20°30°40°50°60°January: 0.56 inches of precipitation, 9.0 inches of snowFebruary: 0.80 inches of precipitation, 10.1 inches of snowMarch: 0.94 inches of precipitation, 9.6 inches of snowApril: 0.71 inches of precipitation, 5.7 inches of snowMay: 0.77 inches of precipitation, 1.3 inches of snowJune: 0.65 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 1.89 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 2.39 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.68 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowOctober: 1.00 inches of precipitation, 3.8 inches of snowNovember: 0.97 inches of precipitation, 8.1 inches of snowDecember: 0.52 inches of precipitation, 7.2 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 16.4°F averageFebruary: 19.4°F averageMarch: 28.0°F averageApril: 36.5°F averageMay: 45.1°F averageJune: 53.9°F averageJuly: 60.0°F averageAugust: 57.9°F averageSeptember: 51.2°F averageOctober: 41.1°F averageNovember: 28.8°F averageDecember: 17.4°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Hermit 8 SE, 5 miles from the campground at 8,949 feet, station USC00053951 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 13 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 55 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

From Creede, CO go 8.5 miles west on CO Highway 149 (toward Lake City). Turn left onto FSR 529 and continue for ~0.5 miles to campground.

Nearest townDel Norte, Colorado
Coordinates37.7626° N, 107.0114° W · Directions ↗

Good to know

  • It is not recommended for large RVs or long/wide trailers because the access road going down into the site is narrow and steep.

Fire nearby

  • Wildfire
    Elk

    31 mi from the campground · 7,257 acres · 90% contained

  • Wildfire
    Gold Mountain

    42 mi from the campground · 39,747 acres · 92% contained

  • Prescribed
    High Mesa Piles Rx

    42 mi from the campground · 324 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Dump stationDump station ↗24.7 mi
RV sales & serviceRV sales & service ↗25.2 mi
Outdoor gearOuray Mountain Sports ↗40.3 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 4.9 mi
    Shallow Creek
    2.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Rio Grande National Forest.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Guidebooks for Colorado

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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Rio Grande?

Sites at Rio Grande are reservable on Recreation.gov. First come, first serve. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at Rio Grande?

Single site - $10/night. Day use - $10/day (picnicking). Fee envelopes and a collection box located near the entrance.

Source: Recreation.gov

Is Rio Grande open right now?

Open as of Oct 26, 2026. Season Year round- Weather dependent.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does Rio Grande have?

7 sites, including 7 standard sites without power.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I bring an RV to Rio Grande?

Rio Grande is listed for tents only.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is the nearest town to Rio Grande?

Del Norte, Colorado.

Source: Getting there

What if Rio Grande is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Marshall Park (2.3 mi), Ivy Creek (5.6 mi), and Bristol Head Campground (8.3 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby