USFS · Campground · Fee






Overview North Canyon Campground is situated next to Vallecito Reservoir in southwestern Colorado. Visitors enjoy the area for its beautiful scenery and wide range of recreational activities, including boating, fishing and hiking. Recreation Vallecito Reservoir is a very popular fishing lake, with anglers casting for German brown trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, kokanee salmon and northern pike. The lake offers great boating, water skiing and canoeing opportunities. Boat rentals and fishing licenses are available at various locations around the lake. A variety of hiking and horseback riding trails are found in the area. The North Canyon Trail begins across the road from the campground and leads through ponderosa pine and aspen forests. A short side trail leads to a scenic overlook of the lake. East Creek Trail begins a quarter-mile northeast of the campground, on Forest Road 852. It provides access to a lightly used, scenic drainage where fly-fisherman cast for brook trout. Both trails are popular with horseback riders, however, horses are not allowed in the campground. Facilities The campground offers single-family sites, many of which have lake views. Sites are equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring. Vault toilets and drinking water are provided. Natural Features Vallecito, which is Spanish for "little valley," sits at an elevation of 7,900 feet. Scattered ponderosa pines tower over the open campground, offering limited shade. A thick understory provides privacy between sites, many of which have partial lake views. Thickets of willow separate the camping area from the lakeshore. High peaks of the San Juans are visible to the northwest of the campground. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (661) 702-1420. Charges & Cancellations Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite. Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive. In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.
From the USFS.Official page
No. NORTH CANYON CAMPGROUND charges a fee. It is managed by the USFS. Sites are reservable through recreation.gov.
From Durango, CO: Travel 17 miles on Florida Road, County Road #240. Turn left onto County Road #501. After 4 miles, slight right onto Forest Road #603 for 2.5 miles to campground entrance. Campground is located on the east side of Vallecito Reservoir. From Bayfield, CO: Travel 14 miles north on County Road #501, then 2.5 miles northeast on Forest Road #603 to campground entrance. Campground is located on the east side of Vallecito Reservoir. North Canyon Campground area map
Quiet time is typically between 10pm - 6am. Please be a good neighbor and limit use of generators to no more than one hour at a time. Dogs must be leashed or otherwise physically restrained. Do not leave pets unattended. Check-out time: 12:00 pm; Check-in time: 2:00 pm - if the site is empty, campers may come in anytime. Standard single site occupancy is 8, but a single family with > 8 members is acceptable. Equipment with wheels (RVs, campers, cars) must fit in the parking spur. There is not any overflow parking available. Max RV size = 40 ft
No other services within 50 mi on the record.
SourceData from the USFS. Last synced September 19, 2026. Community reports and photos are submitted by travelers and are not verified by the agency.