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East Fork Campground is located 11 miles northeast of Pagosa Springs, just off U.S. Highway 160, along the East Fork Road. Visitors enjoy the area for its fishing, hiking and scenic opportunities.
The East Fork offers plenty of fishing opportunities upstream from the campground. Trailheads for the Coal Creek Trail and the Quartz Ridge Trail are at Sand Creek, 2-5 miles beyond the campground.
The campground offers several single-family sites, many with views of the river below. There are a few level pull-through parking spaces for RVs. Accessible vault toilets and drinking water are provided.
The campground sits on a ridge overlooking the East Fork of the San Juan River. Some sites have views of the river, but it's a long way down the hill. Short, but steep trails lead down the hill, to the riverbanks. A forest of ponderosa pine and gambel oak trees shades the campground. At 7,700 feet, temperatures can be a bit warmer than at surrounding campgrounds.
Silver Falls is located a few miles up East Fork Road past the campground. A short trail leads to the base of the falls. Mountain bikers often ride to Silver Falls. Beyond its junction with Forest Road 684, the East Fork Road is negotiable only by 4WD. Off-road vehicle enthusiasts enjoy the upper section to Elwood Pass.
Treasure Falls, located just off Highway 160 about five miles from the campground, is an impressive 100' waterfall with a short hike.
From downtown Pagosa Springs, travel 11 miles east on Highway 160 to the junction with East Fork Road (Forest Road 667). Turn right and continue less than a mile to the campground on the right.
Great campground and Ken, the host, is a great person and very friendly, he kept the campground in great shape! The location relative to Pagosa Springs is nice. The campground has some decent hiking near by and is near the starting point for some off roading, so the access road to the entrance of the camp ground can be a little rough in spots.
The only downside had nothing to do with the camp ground, but a large group (70ish) coming in the day we left (Monday, Memorial Day 2018). We were approached our first night and asked very rudely by their "leader" when we were leaving so they could get their area set up, apparently this is an annual thing. From talking with other campers in the loop he approached them in a likewise manner.
We had a spacious and private site amidst the tall trees. It had been recently groomed and the fire pit emptied. The host, Mary, welcomed us. The outhouse was spotless. This is an excellent campground with an excellent host!
The East Fork Campgrounds are very beautiful. You will be completely immersed in the San Juan National Forest. The sites are very spacious and spread out. There are trails that lead down from the back edge of the campgrounds down to the San Juan River, though they can be a little steep in some areas. You can hear the river flowing from the campgrounds which provides an amazingly peaceful atmosphere. The vaulted toilets were clean and appeared to be well maintained. There are dumpsters available to deposit trash, and some of the sites have grills and picnic tables. I definitely will camp here again in the future.
It was our first time coming to Colorado to camp and boy were we glad we found this amazing site! Very clean, accessible, and conveniently spaced from town. Mary and buddy (the dog) were the campground hosts and they were amazing she kept everything clean and well stocked! Camping site has bathroom and toilet paper. Good place to camp and explore lots of trails and water!
