Saddlehorn Campground

I came on short notice and was able to reserve a site one day in advance. It seems that they hold a few sites for walk-ins. Many of the the sites are pull-ups along side the road and mine was not very level but with lots of blocks it was acceptable. Its a windy drive up to the monument through a couple of small tunnels. Its tempting to look at the vistas instead of the road. Like all national parks there is always something worthwhile to see. In the last part of Sept. it was pretty hazy from the California fires.

The campground sits right in the Colorado National Monument, so the views getting to and from the campground are stunning. Most sites on A & B loop have views looking over the valley and town of Fruita. Some sties on loop C (tent only, no trailers, RV’s less than 20 feet, 1 vehicle per site) had views back of the monument.

Site B24 was a pull-out, not a pull through, as described on recreation.gov site. We had to back into the site, down the one way road, in order to have our door open to our campsite, otherwise your door is opening onto the road. Site was not very level, but not the worst. This site also has community water spigot right behind it, so folks have to walk pretty much into your campsite to get to water.

We didn’t use the toilet facilities, so can’t comment on them. Nice big dumpster with recycle bins. Good TV with out antenna, cell service was very patchy. At some times it worked Greta and then nothing.

We were told by another Campendium supporter that if driving this route, you need to stop for the night. Thanks AGAIN Campendium for this wonderful night on top of the Monument. We also had the added benefit of seeing the comet Neo Wise. The campsites ate really nothing to brag about. But! The views and being in the Monument are worth every penny. If you are a bike rider, do the loop! Or even just ride part of it. Spend a bit of time driving past the campground to the various pull offs to see the sites. Really a Colorado Treasure. If you have a choice try and reserve campsites on outer loop of B loop. They are just pull offs from the road but the views are worth it.

Sandlehorn campground (Colorado National Monument)..June 8-10, 2020
I encourage anyone who is traveling around the United States or going on an extensive family vacation to invest in an annual national park pass. Most national parks charge between $25-$35, an annual pass $80 (its a no brainer)gets you into every National Park or Monument for one year!
plus, a campground inside of a national park usually has more spacing and, dude, you’re inside the National Park!
** Tbone camping scale: (0-10) “0”=horrendous “10”=phenomenal
—getting there: “3” (take the west entrance! Only 4 miles to campground, hug the yellow line going through the tunnels (only 10’3” clearance 2’ out from edge of road) the east entrance is 19miles on “white knuckle road”
— bugs: “9”(some ants, no bites)
— temps: “10”(day mid 80’s/night 60’s with breeze—slept like a baby, no AC)
—bathrooms: “7” (flush toilets, very clean, plenty of hand soap. no showers)
— yahoos: “9” (no one up past 9:30, no generators)
— supply access: “6”(Grand Junction 13 miles, Fruita-7miles)
—things to do: “7” (if you have a road bike this is the best 23 miles of scenery in America. Well over 20 miles of hiking trails. Every overlook is a photographer or artist dream.

• little gem: looking for a good way to cool off? Go to “the potholes” swimming hole see link: https://www.visitgrandjunction.com/blog/hidden-gems-miracle-rock-and-potholes

I wasn't quite prepared for this campground. I have a 3/4 ton diesel truck and a 28 foot travel trailer and I wouldn't want to come up with something much bigger. The road up is steep and windy and isn't for the faint of heart. The view from the top is just mind-blowing, and that's what you're paying for. Sites are just okay in terms of quality - no amenities at all in fall (in summer you can at least fill up with fresh water) and very un-level. None too big either, at least on the side of the road I was on (where you have the view). The view is really what you're paying for - and there's cell service up here! Wish I could have stayed longer but it was getting cold in mid-October.

Colorado National Monument is a true gem, just about 7 miles south of I-70 in Fruita, Colorado.

The Monument offers breathtaking views, fascinating geological formations, and awesome hiking and biking opportunities.

Saddlehorn campground offers the only RV and Trailer camping opportunity in the park. Tent campers are also welcome at Saddlehorn, but they can also obtain backcountry camping permits for hike-in camping.

The campground offers dry camping only, although the campground also offers shared amenities such as modern restrooms, and water (although you cannot fill your tanks from these spigots).

This campground is pretty tight with parking for RVs, trailers and other vehicles right on the campground loop roads. If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I would have suggested Class A owners skip this campground, but we did see one Winnebago Brave in one of the campsites.

We originally had site 33 reserved, but that site had a SEVERE slope along two axes and we couldn’t get level in our small 25 foot coach. We would have had to stack LEGO blocks to over 10 levels high in order to come close to level .... and that just didn’t seem safe.

Consequently, we spoke to the ranger and she said they just had a cancellation at site 20 which she said was much more level. We were able to get set up in site 20 using only 4 levels of LEGO blocks under the front tires.

But, in my opinion, the views within the monument are why you come here, not the campground. If you are spending your days hiking, biking and taking in the natural beauty of the monument, you likely won’t even notice the shortcomings of the campground. The campsites are close together, there is limited privacy, and most all of the campsites have substantial slopes to them.

According to the Ranger on duty, the campsite is almost always at 100% capacity during the summer months, so you would be smart to go to RECREATION.GOV where you can reserve your campsite up to six months in advance of your arrival date. If you prefer to roll the dice with your vacation planning, there are 20 first come first served sites at this campground.

We had usable Verizon coverage in the campground at 10 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up.

We would definitely stay here again, but mostly for the beauty of the surrounding area, not so much for the campground itself.

We paid $11 with national parks annual pass, without pass it would have been $22. A loop and B loop allow trailers/RVs. C loop doesn’t allow generators so it was nice and quite. All sites seemed to have plenty of space and amazing views. Clean bathrooms with flushing toilets and running water. Cell service fluctuated between 4G/LTE and 3G. Close to Fruita and Grand Junction

Awesome scenery with spectacular views of the Grand Valley. The National Monument is small but very scenic with many hiking and bike trails. All needed services are only 4 miles away in Fruita which is becoming famous for its Mountain Bike trails. The closest dump station is at the Fruita Visitor Center which is free, including potable water. There is limited water at the campground and no way to fill an RV's holding tank.

Our site was level and afforded much privacy from neighboring campsites. The campground was clean and well maintained. We never saw a 'host' but didn't really need anything. We'd recommend this campground to anyone looking for a short or long term stay in this area.

The road to the campground from the west entrance is steep with many switchbacks but no problem. We didn't use the restrooms but they look clean and cared for.

We just finished a 3 week vacation road trip from Missouri all the way to California. This was our first night camping spot! Although I can see how it could get busy and basically on top of each other during peak times, it was very nice for us! We stayed on site 75 and the wash station was in between our site and the next. Definitely lots to do within the park as well! Park rangers in front was very nice and helpful! Also if you plan to visit more than 2 NP buy the annual pass for $80!!