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Submission
Starting at I-40, go north via state road 3, 21 miles to the Small VIllage of Villanueva, turn right and travel east 1.5 miles to Villanueva State Park, starting at I-25, go south via state road 3, 15 miles to Villanueva State Park.
Took a day trip here and it was so worth it. The river trail was great and saw lots of cows along the river. The park was in great condition and there were a few shady tables to picnic. I'd definitely come back for some camping.
Great location! The whole family loved it and our dog would not stay out of the water for very long. The only down side was the bathrooms were closed when we went, because everyone was freaking out about COVID. Other than the closure, it was an amazing stay.
The adventures of Mutt and sidekick continue, we spent the weekend up here with them and had a great time. Spaces 1-6 are located right by the front entrance. If you’re looking for peace and squirt with limited traffic you’ll have to go to spaces 19 and up. The drawbacks to those spaces is there is no electric, they are first come first serve, and cell phone signal does not exist. For electric you’ll have to go to the spaces right by the visitor center, those are reservation only and unfortunately, those are usually booked through the season. Once April comes around though you can go up to the El Cerro campground. There isn’t direct river access, but the views are awesome. Still no electric or water at the sites but well worth it. The majority of the sites are close to the river and you have good access for the trails and fishing. Fishing this time of year is just plain rough. The snow melt is starting, there hasn’t been a hatch yet and the river itself is very silty. The trails that are here are pretty rough and I would highly suggest to bring water, good hiking boots/shoes. There is considerable elevation change through rough terrain, mostly single file. The views, again are worth the trek though. The showers are clean, there is only one though. During the busy season, plan on a wait or time your showers at off peak times. Overall this is an excellent park, rangers are great, they take pride in their park and it shows.
This is a great campground to take kids. Down by the end spots 22 21 and such they have a wonderful playground.
There is lots of easy hiking, access to the river (on out adventure it'd rained so the river was a little fast and high for the kids)
The camping sites have plenty of space between them.
