San Luis Lake SWA | Established Campground

June 16th, 2023 by casa.edmondson

This is not free!!
It’s a state wildlife area. And you have to possess a SWA pass, or hunting/fishing license for everyone in your vehicle.
Citations can be over $139. (Read online)

June 4th, 2023 by joel.christiansen

lots of spots some water and electric still work. No bathrooms accessable though.

May 28th, 2023 by amiecorey75

Busy but not full Memorial Day Weekend. Site 41 has great views of mountains in loop C. Loop B and C have pit toilets, none in loop A. Dump station still open, no water.

May 26th, 2023 by vivienogden

This is a great site lovely views, can be windy. We stayed two nights un disturbed. Not sure if the dump station is still operational, nothing to say it is not to be used.

April 30th, 2023 by instagram.com/grwflwrs

Wide open in the flats. Free. Didn’t stay here just rode through to check it out. Would be a perfect place to star gaze or watch a meteor shower No water in the lake

April 29th, 2023 by pancholina

Great camping outside of the GSDNP! We arrived around 9:30pm on Friday night and found a spot with electricity, though we had a few neighbors too. Nice and quiet place with amazing views of the night sky!

April 2nd, 2023 by Grayson

Nice place to spend the night very close to White Sands national Park. I had a mix between one bar of LTE and one bar of 5G on AT&T. There appears to be a electric hook up at each site, but I did not use them. Nice views, the mountains and pretty quiet in the beginning of April.

November 3rd, 2021 by northcountrytravelers

First it is not free! You must have a state permit or a hunting/fishing license. If you’re from out of state as we are it can cost up to $46. Reasonable for us so no problem but not free. No WiFi. 3G. Electricity. No water. Very quiet and about 10 miles to Nat. Park. Sparse with no trees.

October 4th, 2021 by Betty

It’s called the Mosca campground within the wildlife area. Loop C has a gorgeous view of the mountain and sand dunes. Lots of RVs. We talked to the camp host and were able to go online to buy a one day (or year) State Wildlife Area pass, otherwise you need a fishing permit. No water.

October 3rd, 2021 by jenni.davemcada

FREE!!! Great site. At least 50 sites with electric, fire ring, covered picnic tables.

September 9th, 2021 by furthuronthefly

Nice area, quiet not a lot of neighbors in Loop B. Most everyone here seems to be out in Loop A or C. We are at site 29, working electric and close to bathrooms. Only 1 other camper in this loop today.

**NOTE** everyone in your vehicle 16 or older needs to have a hunting or fishing license!! Luckily we both had a fishing pass however previous check ins here made it seem like it was one per vehicle. This can make it cost prohibitive if it's $16 each per person. The camp host was on it, came out of his trailer right away to check our passes.

June 22nd, 2021 by ningina

Huge campground, power, pit toilets, dump station and garbage. A great place to recharge. Only downside was biting no seeums in June. Good cell service. Water level at lake low.

February 24th, 2021 by John Field

Beautiful area! Loop B was closed, but Loops A and C were both open, with only a few other campers each this time of year. All of the sites in Loop C we checked had working 15A power (also had 20 & 30A plugs, but we didn't check those). Clean pit toilets. Camp host came by to check for our hunting/fishing permits on the second morning of our stay.

December 30th, 2020 by koniczech

Stayed the night with a full moon, fully illuminating the entire area and surrounding mountains. In the winter the main bathroom is closed (larger building with lots of skylights) but the pit toilets are unlocked - Look for the small buildings with red metal roof and big mushroom vent. A couple of other people here, some clearly stating long-term

July 22nd, 2020 by 94Ford

Now need a hunting/fishing license to camp.
$16.17 fishing license for 1-day license

June 2nd, 2020 by lme68vw

Plenty of room. Had restroom and trash cans. Some spots had electric. Nice picnic tables and burn rings with grill to cook on.

February 2nd, 2020 by mainer0311

Wide open; level sites. Electric at some sites, picnic tables and fire fit. Only a few other campers here in February. Campground host appeared to be on duty, but didn’t check in with us. Road didn’t appear to be plowed, but not enough snow to be an issue.

October 31st, 2019 by johanroos1961

Best spot ever had. With a few other RV's. Didn't buy a permit on internet because it didn't worked. Asked the camphost on the campground and he said you can stay for free

June 10th, 2019 by travelwithhank

Awesome FREE location near the Great Sand Dunes with electric hook up. Cant beat it

June 3rd, 2019 by Reise

Nice, big campground with lots of available sites (at least midweek) and free electricity. Lots of biting sandflies this time of year, though.

The sites are free but the SWA requires either a SWA pass or a hunting or fishing license to enter the Area. See https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/SanLuis/Pages/Camping.aspx for more information. 14 day camping limit and a friendly camp host!

When we first arrived they still had signs up saying everything is by reservation only and there are fees but I guess those have yet to be taken down.

Cell reception is dependent on your sightline to Alamosa, it seems. One site/loop we stayed at had excellent Verizon and T-Mobile coverage (30-60Mbps) but we moved to be closer to the lake (and introduced a small rise between us and town) and Verizon dropped to 10% what it was (T-Mobile still held around 30 down). YMMV.

May 31st, 2019 by facebook.com/onossoquintal

Amazing! So beautiful, free! Bring water to stay many days if you can! Electricity still working!
Best sites 14 to 19 ;)

May 27th, 2019 by Thriving Nomadic

Great FREE park with awesome Mountain View’s and Great Sand Dunes views. FREE ELECTRIC 15,30 & 50 Amp connections. 20 min drive to great sand dunes. Big rig friendly. Toilet pits and dump station available. NO WATER available anywhere so cone filled up

May 5th, 2019 by autumnscardina

Still free with state park pass (but nobody was there to check for it). Free electricity and dumping, but no water and toilets were locked in May. Good views and isolated.

December 4th, 2018 by antoine.dubray75

Amazing place! Big campgroup free, electricity available! Near the lake and the dunes. Enjoy!

October 30th, 2018 by m.m.e.gonecamping

Super great spot, and all free.
Great views all around.

September 10th, 2018 by Prosper on the road

Nice big free abandoned campground . Lots of big RVs because of free electricity ! View on the dunes . Will recommend .

June 7th, 2018 by n9t31

Super super spot!! Awesome sites in front of the sand dunes and the mountain behind it. Really a great spot!! Bring a lot of water

May 7th, 2018 by rdt9910

This campground requires a SWA pass that is $36 for non Colorado residents. They can be at the gas station 0.5 miles south on HWY 17. Free once you purchase the pass.

April 5th, 2018 by theslowdutchman

Great spot with awesome view. There is a dump station and pit toilets. Short drive to the dunes. If you park in the back you will have some ATT reception (spots 41/42/43/44).

March 26th, 2018 by dreamtime.gallery

Great place to stay! Still free and free electricity. Most of the pit toilets are open. We stayed for 3 nights :) There were not many people around.

July 30th, 2017 by Uphill Zen

Free campground, with free electricity! This used to be a state park, and they set up a big campground, well designed with good facilities. Then there was a problem with the water supply, and they turned it into a State Wildlife Area and made it free. You have a view of Great Sand Dunes right across the lake (easy drive from here). No water available.