ridgway state park

it was not crowed when we stayed. It is close to town and the restaurants. A lot of things going on in this small town. Ouray is 20 minutes and Telluride is about 45. We were able to get really clear internet and phone services. We had all hookups and the restrooms were clean. We will stay again this September.

This is a great State Park with three entrances to a variety of activities. The lake gets low in late summer, but it is fun to walk out and explore the bottom. It has a nice swimming area with a sandy bottom, including a fun play area. Ecellent, camping, including a wonderful walk in spot for tents. In the winter you are sure to see Bald Eagles. We go to walk the dogs on the many trails.

We spent the afternoon hiking and saw no people just wildlife. The trails were manageable even in the winter and the park staff were very friendly.

The effects of the drought are showing with low water levels everywhere. But the scenery was pretty and there was some wildlife wandering about. I would not make a special point to visit were it not on the highway.

We stayed 4 nights at Ridgway State Park, Elk Ridge Campground Loop. Our campsite was oversized with beautiful rock outcroppings and partial shade. It looked out over the reservoir. There are some very nice trails in and around this campground, with decks that overlook the reservoir and mountains beyond. A beautiful place to watch the sunset! The bathrooms and pay showers were clean and convenient. We really loved the little town of Ridgway, and the campground is very centrally located to make day trips to Ouray, Telluride, Silverton, and the Million Dollar Highway, a MUST see. (Plan to spend the day on the Million Dollar Highway!)We left this little slice of heaven reluctantly.....we will definitely be back!

There are two camping areas at Ridgway SP: Dutch Charlie and Pa-co-chu-puk. Dutch Charlie is a little further south (toward Ridgway and Ouray) and has two areas: Elk Ridge Campground and Dakota Terraces Campground. Pa-co-chu-puk Campground has two loops with full hookups, while Dutch Charlie has electric and shared water. When we stayed in Pa-co-chu-puk in September (because we wanted full hookups) the lower loop (Loop G), nearer the river, had reserved sites while the upper loop (Loop F) had first come-first served sites. We pulled in on a Thursday and had no trouble finding a spot in Loop F. We stayed for 4 days waiting out a little bit of rainy weather. The Uncompahgre River is beautiful in this area and the catch and release trout fishing looked to be excellent. In addition, there are a couple of really nice hiking opportunities and you can access the trailheads right at the campground. We took a self-guided trail called the Oak Leaf Nature Trail which gave us an opportunity to explore the entire Pa-co-chu-puk area including the tent camping loop (Loop H). Wow! It is beautiful and if you tent camp, you should check it out. We also hiked the Enchanted Mesa which has some parts that are steep and narrow. On this trail we got spectacular views of the San Juan Mountains and the reservoir. There was a family of deer who visited the campground in the mornings and evenings.We didn't use the showers but we did use the laundry facilities which were kept very clean and in good working order. I was excited to see that there was a small "leave one, take one" library just outside the laundry room. The roads into the campground and the sites themselves are paved and very level with reliable hookups. Satellite TV is your best bet here. We couldn't get any "over the air" channels and 3G was in and out. As with most of Colorado's State Parks, this one is well located. Visit Ridgway and Ouray. Both are stunning.

Beautiful hiking trails that are well marked and most are quite easy to access. If you are in to fishing the area is again an easy access to the river.. There are several camping areas including at least one tent camping area. There are several entrances off highway 550 from Montrose and just outside Ridgeway.

What a great place to visit and camp - we'll come back again and again! The park staff is very friendly and they know about the natural and cultural history of the park.

Tent camped here one night. All campsites are elevated with railroad ties and filled with small gravel. Extremely easy to push tent stakes into. All sites have a picnic table, grill and.... very important... a critter locker for your food.

Lots of camping spots with great opportunities to pull an RV through and have electrical hookups. Lots of privacy and they have spared no expense in making the sites finished with rock walls and fairly level paved drives. Restrooms squeaky clean with flush toilets, and there were showers and laundry to boot. Do not miss the visitors center which is one of the best I have ever seen with lots of stuffed animals and reading materials. Very homey.

What a great park off the highway. So much for everyone, no matter what you like to do from hiking to fishing you can find it there. Quite and peaceful.

Great park and fairly large. Several entrances into the park so make sure you ask the gate attendant or do some research as to exactly what you're looking for. There is a nice manacured swim beach, as well as a more dog friendly beach thats at the opposite end of the park so it help to know exactl ahead of time. Theres plenty of fishing, picnic areas, and camping opportunities that vary as well.

Ridgway State Park is a beautiful camping area and there is a wonderful lake for boating. Many of the camping spots have a spectacular view of the mountains. The lake is one of the nicest places to boat, and the swimming beach is great. We camped with our new RV, and it was the perfect place for our maiden voyage. The campsites have electric hookups, and plenty of water spigots when we needed to fill up with fresh water. I used my kayak on the lake and it was amazing! There are several walk in camp sites for tent camping, if that's your preference. The camping loops have showers and a laundry. The Park is not far from the small town of Ridgway, and we even took a drive over to Telluride. I plan to return to Ridgway next summer, and enjoy the lake from my kayak once again.

My husband, son (3 year old), and I spent 5 nights camping in Elk Ridge Loop E. Our stay was only supposed to be for 4 nights, but we loved the place so much we decided to stay for an extra night. The views from the sunset point are spectacular in the evenings. The swim beach was a great for my 3 year old son. The fishing in the pond was a blast. The park rangers were kind and helpful. Although, I did see some camp hosts get on to a neighbor for leaving a large fire unattended. So, if you follow the rules you will have a great time. The bathrooms were clean in the camper services building. I have nothing bad to say about this park. We enjoyed our stay and will be back as soon as we can!

Colorado has 42 state parks.. and Ridgway State Park is just north of Ridgway and serves the Montrose, Ridgway, Ouray area. It's on a VERY busy Hwy. 550 which leads to Durango. The place is a haven for outdoors enthusiasts. It has everything a park can offer.. in 3 different sections. The southern section is Dallas Creek and it's basically where the Uncompahgre River enters the park and where you will find the trout fishermen. The middle section and main area with the visitor center and campgrounds (and such) is called Dutch Charlie. The northern section is Pa-Co-Chu-Puk. Visited the official website for more information, but definitely visit the Visitor Center for current information and when you have questions that needed answering.Fishing, camping, hiking and such are excellent here. This is one of Colorado's better State Parks. You will more than likely really enjoy your time here. Get your supplies from Montrose.. Rigdway is a bit more expensive.