Blanco River Group Campground

Show on map 970-264-2268 rlynd@goexplorus.com

Forest Service Road 656
San Juan NF, CO

Overview

Blanco River Group Campground is located four miles off U.S. Highway 84, on Forest Road 656. It is about 15 miles southeast of Pagosa Springs, on the Blanco River. The campground is a convenient stopping point between the towns of Chama, N.M., and Pagosa Springs, Colo. Secluded and quiet, the campgound is an ideal place for family and friends to gather.

Recreation

The Blanco River can be accessed from the campground, offering good fishing. Anglers cast for stocked trout on the lightly fished waterway.

A volleyball court is located within the campground, but campers must bring their own net and ball.

Facilities

The campground offers one group site that is made up of several single campsites. They must be reserved at the same time for group use. Four parking spurs are suitable for large RVs and ample space is available for tents. The campground is equipped with three picnic areas with large tables, vault toilets and drinking water.

The Blanco River Group Campground is a convenient stopping point between Chama, New Mexico, and Pagosa Springs, about 15 miles southeast of Pagosa Springs. This group campground offers one group site, accommodating up to 100 people but no individual sites. The river bottom area is fairly level, and 4 sites are suitable for large-sized RVs (max size = 35ft).

Several large ponderosa pines offer shade, but the area is quite warm in summer. This spot is quite a gem as visitors get a mile of river to themselves, along with 15 acres of forest fenced off to play and camp in. Anglers cast for stocked trout on the lightly fished waterway.

Amenities include trash pick-up, fire grates, horseshoe pits, and a volleyball court but campers must bring their own net and ball.

Natural Features

The campground is situated on the banks of the Blanco River, surrounded by ponderosa pine and cottonwoods. The trees offer shade, but the area is quite warm during the summer months. The riparian environment is fairly level with a few adjacent grassy meadows.

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (661) 702-1420.

Nearby Attractions

Three nearby trails access the roadless area to the east of the campground. The Navajo Peak Trail and V-Rock Trail can be reached from the Buckles Lake Road (Forest Road 663), which is located about seven miles south of the campground via Highway 84. The Blanco Basin Road (Forest Road 657) accesses the Leche Creek Trail.

Charges & Cancellations

Group Sites

Group Facility (including Cabins and Lookouts): A visitor who cancels a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use 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.

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

Picnic table: all 1 sites
Pets allowed: all 1 sites
Group sites: all 1 sites
Largest party: 100 people

Directions

From Pagosa Springs, Colorado, travel 13 miles south on Highway 84, then turn east on Forest Road 656 for approximately two miles.

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 12 PM.

Reviews

9 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

Robert B

Loop:Loop A

Site:

Reviewed 2 months ago

Although it was very warm and the water was low, it was a great and clean space. The host kept the bathrooms and facilities clean. I really would like to say it was awful and do not reserve so we can have it again1

Randy W

Loop:Loop A

Site:

Reviewed 4 years ago

The reason we book this site is for privacy, and we expected to have privacy during our stay. Bob, the camp host, stated that he would not be bothering us during our stay, but in fact came over to our group multiple times over the course of the weekend, with no reason behind it. We called ahead to confirm we could have music playing at this campsite, which we did. However, Bob insisted on telling us that the music and our dogs bothered him at night. Bob also lied to us about the checkout time to rush us out at 11 AM, when check-out clearly states 12 noon on the reservation. He also locked the gate in the middle of the day after we told him to keep it open for our friends who were going to be arriving soon. We were told the camp host was there to unlock the gate upon arrival if there were difficulties, but Bob was nowhere to be found until around 8 PM the night of our arrival. Maintenance such as weed eating and painting of the bathrooms were performed on Friday, right in the middle of our stay. I understand these things must get done, but performing them at better times, like in between stays or at checkout, seem to be more ideal for everyone. Overall, this site is absolutely beautiful, but we enjoyed our previous stays in the past, without a camp host, much more.

Drew D

Loop:Loop A

Site:

Reviewed 4 years ago

Great camp site, tons of room and no traffic around. Bob, the camp host was very nice and it was very clean. The river was flowing and there was a great pool for the kids to play in.

Kerry S

Loop:Loop A

Site:

Reviewed 5 years ago

We loved it. We had a very small group but worth the group price. Our own private campground.

Bruce S

Loop:Loop A

Site:

Reviewed 5 years ago

Rio Blanco group camp is a very quiet, secluded campground. It only has water that must be manually pumped and it only has one two-hole pit toilet. The restroom is very clean and odor-free, but may not be suitable for some people or large groups. The river runs along the edge of the camp, but is not very accessible due to heavy growth along its banks. The water is also quite cloudy and definitely should not be ingested. The campsites within the group campground are quite nice and some are well shaded depending where the sun is. There is access to a horseshoe pit (bring your own horseshoes), volleyball poles (bring your own net) and a four-"hole" frisbee golf course (bring your own discs). Relatively conveniently located to downtown Pagosa Springs and it's activities about 20 minutes away.

Ida K

Loop:Loop A

Site:

Reviewed 5 years ago

A bit of guidance on the directions front -- most especially for those towing campers as turning around on this little road is difficult. Do not use GPS as you will not end up in the right place. Note that nowhere on the main road does it say "Blanco River Group Campground". The road you want to turn on is "Blanco River Access Road" which is just *before* the bridge over the river if you are driving toward Pagosa Springs, or just after if you are coming from Pagosa Springs. I want to say the turnoff is between mile markers 16 and 17. When you turn there will be a small brown sign that says "656" for Forest Road 656. Once you enter and come around the bend there will be a notice about the campground. Along the road are several small roads you might wonder if they are the turnoff to the campsite -- they are not. Keep driving until the end of the road and the gate is very visible and clearly marked.

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Reserve