Dakota Terraces Campground

We loved the Dakota Terraces section of Ridgway State Park. It was much roomier than the space we had at Elk Ridge previously and were able to drive through this time so we could see which site might work best for us. But - with the "all by reservation" system, we then had to call the 800# and make the reservations for the site we liked which luckily was available for the next 4 nights! Staff was friendly, facilities were clean and in good repair, access was easy to and from and the scenery was beautiful! Verizon cell coverage was also very good!

We loved this campground! Large sites for the most part and we felt private. Great views with clean bathrooms including showers and laundry. The location is great to explore the area including Ouray and Telluride. Dakota Terrace doesn’t have much shade- some of the sites have shade structures but some don’t so check before you book. You also need to buy a daily state parks pass for each day you are there.

We stayed at both Elk Ridge and Dakota Terraces because we couldn't get a single spot for our 13 night stay. The state park is very nice with lots to do including fishing, hiking, boating, etc. The park is close to Ridgway, Ouray and Telluride as well.

Dakota Terraces is a nice enough campground with 30 amp power, lots of community water spigots and a free dump station. Access to the lake is via a short trail. Sites offer tables, fire rings and some even have shade structures. There are restrooms with flush toilets, laundry facilities and a free dump station for campers.

While Elk Ridge up the hill doesn't have lake access, it's nicer. Dakota Terraces lacks shade and trees. While there's a cell tower up in Elk Ridge (1/2 mile away at most), Dakota Terraces has spotty Verizon and we had to boost AT&T. The sites here are mostly unlevel. We got lucky but other's are performing feats of engineering to get level. There's more highway noise here too. The $8 entry fee on top of the $32 camping fee makes for a pricey stay.

Still a good place to stay though if we had the choice, we'd go with Elk Ridge and drive the mile down to the lake.

We have generally avoided staying at CO SPs because of their higher cost, and some of my rating is based on value (or lack there of in this case). We paid $32 for a 30 amp only site plus $8 a day totaling $40, but for $80 CO offers a yearly entry pass that waves the $8 fee.
The sites in Dakota Terrace/Elk Ridge are electric only, and there are shared water spigots throughout both campgrounds. We could reach ours (hose and half) while parked in our site, but they are only to be used for filling (not staying connected directly). Ridgway also offers FHU sites at the other (not connected, but nearby) Pa-Co-Chu-Puk campground. The dump station is well designed and can be accessed from either direction, includes a dumpster, rinse water, and separate potable water.
The sites are all over the map in terms of access and levelness- we saw more than one rig with half their tires off the ground. Site 41 was fine in a 5th wheel but could be harder in a class A - we were able to level with a few blocks, but the difference between the front and rear jacks was significant. Our site was also a little tricky to back into, working around a boulder and tree located at the front of the site across from us. The park offers a reasonable amount of space and privacy between sites, allows easy access to nearby towns/sites, and the reservoir and beach adds to the mountain scenery.
The campground also has laundry ($1.50 for a washer or dryer), and the camp hosts were nice the couple times we interacted with them. The one weekend we spent here felt very chaotic- the park was full and many sites held more than one family, but the week days were a very different (peaceful) story.

Verizon worked mostly fine and there was 0 T-Mobile.

Great place to stay for Winter RVing.... The park has about 6-8 sites they keep plowed and cleaned off. Bathrooms, heated, were open (no showers). We had electric hookup (site 6 - pull thru) They have water faucets centered so that few sites can share - you fill up then unplug your hose until you need to fill up again. We saw a lot of Deer in the park! We stayed in a 36 foot motorhome, diesel, and no problems staying nice and toastie! We stayed Jan 25-Feb 2 (2019) it had a couple nights it got down to 1 degree! - We stayed here mainly to ski at Telluride (5o mins drive). Montorse is about 20 minutes away has plenty of small town grocery store (oh yes and a Walmart and Home Depot!). Ridgway is about 10 mins away - nice quaint town, restaurants, and shops. The town of Ouray is about 18 mins - must go to the OURAY HOT SPRINGS!. Place is maintained by a Ranger that lives on the property.

We chose this SP because it just made sense logistically as a meet up for us and couple of friends who could make it there without too much problem. Looked like a decent place online on the SP website, but we weren't exactly expecting it to be great. But we were really happy to find a spacious, well kept and well managed park with great sites, great amenities, great views, great (insert many more things here). There is plenty to do if you are even a little outdoorsy in this area.

We really liked this state park offering great mountain views and access to some on-site trails. Bike ride along the trail leading to Ridgway but did not make the full ride due to the oppressive heat. Site were well spaced out and fairly level with concrete picnic pads. Sites have electric hook-up only which seems standard for CO State Parks. Each site seemed to have a tree for some shade. bathhouse and restroom was very clean, and laundry was also clean and reasonably priced. Weekends the CG is pretty full with vacationing families. The Elk Ridge area is more treed but less view. We preferred the Dakota Terraces Loop B as offering the better long range views. Verizon signal was good. Two lane dump station, clean and efficient. You can fill potable water at the dump station upon arrival. Note: site rate of $26 does not include the daily $7 day use fee paid at the park entrance.

We spent one night here on our way home to Florida from Alaska. This park is just a few miles up highway 550 north of Ridgeway, CO. While it is close to 550 there was very little highway noise. The ranger who checked us in was great. He asked me if I was a veteran and when I showed him my VA medical card he handed us a pass good for one month for entry into any Colorado state park. Awesome! Thank you Colorado!! We had our pick of a lot of sites since this was on a Monday night and the campground was not really being used by many campers. We camped in the Dakota Terraces section and it was lovely. Our pull through campsite had a nice picnic table with a shelter over it, a clean fire ring and a grill. It cost $26 a night for an electric only site. There is a nice two sided dump and there are potable water spigots around the park and at the dump. All the roads and pads are paved with asphalt and in very good to excellent condition. The buildings are in great shape. My wife (accidentally) walked into the men's instead of the women's restroom to check it out and said it was really nice inside. (We typically just use our own trailer's facilities.) There was a lake just below us and if we had not been in a hurry to set up before some rain hit, we could have pulled into a pull through site overlooking it. Later in the evening we went for a walk with our dog and saw a few deer and the following morning deer browsed their way a few feet away from our campsite. This park is kept up beautifully and we highly recommend it.

Plenty has been said about this lovely little slice of state park that left me so regretful for staying at an RV park in town when we had a craving for an electrical hookup the night before. We dug the lay of the land here (and have been having so much fun in the national forest) that we decided to stay here another night anyway. You can never plug in too, much, my grandaddy always said.

What annoys me is the rookie campers who come up, and don't put something on their site. So, as the rules go, you lose your site. If you're not aware, here's how it works:

1. Pay for a site.
2. Stick your tag AND something you own on the site.
3. Profit!

If you fail #2, you have failed. Don't come up later wearing your trucker hat and Keens asking me why my stuff is all over your site later that evening. It's not. My stuff is all over my spot, now, because (see #1 - 3 above).

Also, Colorado state parks are pretty rad. Laundry, dishwashing stations, clean bathrooms, paid showers but at least they're clean, too. Awesome playground in the campground at the top of the hill, too!

Just remember, rookies kill (good time vibes)! Don't be a rook!

PS. We have a CO State Parks pass, otherwise it'd have been $7 more expensive I do believe...

We stayed 4 nights in late September. This is a popular campground on the weekends, quiet on weekdays. We were in the "up river" part of the park, above the river - there is a path down to it. Terrain is bushes and plains grasses with some trees. Our site was not shaded. Pull through sites have a bush or two between the pad and the road. Beautiful sunsets with rosy light on the San Juan Mountains.

A little bit of road noise if Harleys or big trucks went by earned it only 4 stars, but very tolerable.

We had a pull-through site, did not have to use leveling blocks. Restrooms are clean and warm. Good, clean, cheap laundromat on site with 3 or 4 washers and corresponding dryers.

<1 hr drive to many different hikes, and into Ouray for a dip in the hot springs (highly recommended). Hot Springs admission is good for the whole day, so we soaked in the springs, went and did other things, ate dinner, and came back for an evening soak.