A gray 4x4 Sprinter with a roof rack on a two-track through a wildflower meadow, cloud sitting on the mountains behind.

Forest Service campground

West Dolores Campground

Forest Service campground in San Juan National Forest, Dolores County, Colorado. About 7,800 feet. 13.5 miles from Rico.

Managed by
Forest Service San Juan National Forest
Elevation
About 7,800 ft As the Forest Service states
Sites
18 12 standard non-electric, 6 standard electric
Longest rig
65 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
Electric
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

West Dolores Campground is located on the West Dolores Road (Forest Road 535), which branches north from Colorado Highway 145 about 20 miles northeast of Dolores. It is a great place to relax and enjoy the outdoors by hiking, biking and fishing.

Recreation

The West Dolores River offers fishing for brown, rainbow, cutthroat and brook trout. A day-use parking area is available on-site. Several parcels of private property are found along the river. Visitors are asked to stay on the trail and not trespass.

Mountain biking is allowed on Forest Roads 532 and 535. Forest Service Trail 624 begins three miles south of the campground.

Facilities

West Dolores Campground, located approximately a mile north of Mavreeso Campground, has 18 campsites on 10 acres near the river. Most campsites are shady and level. There are 10 reservable campsites, 7 campsites with electrical hookups and several that are suitable for large RVs. A site near the restroom is designated for wheelchair access and has electricity. The campground also has 2 picnic areas.

Natural Features

The campground is situated on the banks of the West Dolores River, which has its headwaters in the nearby Lizard Head Wilderness. A shady forest of spruce, ponderosa pine and Douglas fir covers the campground. The campground is at an elevation of 7,800 feet.

Nearby Attractions

Southwestern Colorado, part of the Four Corners region, contains more than 4,000 archaeological sites and 600 cliff dwellings. Mesa Verde National Park is an hour and a half south of the campground, close enough for a day trip. Other sites within the region include the Anasazi Heritage Center in Delores, Canyon of the Ancients and Hovenweep National Monument.

Burro Bridge campground is loacated 19 miles north of the campground offering Horse camping and a trail from the campground into the Lizard Head Wilderness.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • biking
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking

The land around West Dolores Campground

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.