Williams Creek

Just got home from 2 nights camping with friends at Williams Creek Campground. The road in from Pagosa Springs was washboard in a few spots (mostly at the end closer to town—it got better closer to the campground) but not as bad as some of the reports here had us fearing.

This is a good campground for smaller rigs. Many of the sites are short and/or not level, so we had to scout a bit before finding one (site 41) that worked for our 23 foot trailer. As another reviewer mentioned, site 42 just up the road was the nicest site in the park—a longish, level, pull-thru with great views of the mountains.

It rained pretty much the whole time we were here, so we didn’t get out on nearby Williams Reservoir in our kayak. But it looked like, in nicer weather, it would be a great place to pass the day boating, fishing, or just taking in the spectacular view. We did squeeze in a couple really nice hikes between the raindrops—an out-and-back trek through the Weminuche Wilderness from Poison Park trailhead, and then a shorter walk along the Piedra River, with its gorgeous overhanging cliffs.

I thought $28 a night was a bit steep for a no-hookup site so far from civilization, so I’m subtracting a star for that. But the vault toilets were abundant and spotless, and there were water faucets throughout the campground. We’d love to come back in better weather!

TIP: Randomly, there is a pullout at the cattle guard a couple miles back down FR 631 (before the general store) that has 2-3 bars of cell service on Verizon. Useful if you need to connect for any reason.

This campground is 20 miles down a fairly well maintained gravel road A woman from the area told us that starting in July it becomes very rough. The camp hosts Pam and Tom very nice. Bathrooms are clean. Loop A has some threaded water spigots. Most sites can be tight for larger Rv also the roads are narrow and Aspens are starting to crowd the interior roads. Site 42 is by far the best site intake campground Our campsites was a challenge to get into. My husband is very talented and determined so we got in and loved it after but even the camhost came to watch us get in and offered us another spot 😀

This is a beautiful area with fine camping opportunities. There are a wide variety of sites in Wilson Creek CG. Not all are level or suitable for larger rigs, but most are well spaced and there are some with great position and privacy. The ponderosa forest has been thinned, leaving many stumps. Aspen, spruce and fir are colonizing.
The ‘premium’ reservable sites have water and sewer, but are open to the neighbors. There are ample water spigots dispersed throughout, and clean restrooms. No dump station.
The road from Pagosa Springs is 20 miles of rough dusty dirt and gravel. Roads within the CG are narrow and rough, and roadside overhanging trees need a trimming, yet we had no troubles towing a 23’ Airstream.
Teal CG on the lake is nearby with good kayaking, and Bridge CG is worth a look for creekside sites. There are also many dispersed camping sites within a few miles.