Lower Piedra Campground
This is an excellent area for wildlife watchers. The stream through the campground supports some of the best deciduous riparian thickets in southwest Colorado, as well as high-quality ponderosa pine forest. Here you can find nesting Gray Catbirds and Grace’s Warblers. The river is also a reintroduction site for river otter, a state endangered species and the world’s most entertaining mammal. Other wildlife you could encounter here range from the American Dipper to the Milbert’s Tortoiseshell butterfly.
Restrictions: None
County: Archuleta
Directions: From Piedra continue west on US 160 to FR 621, turn right onto the gravel road FR 621 continues north into the Lower Piedra Campground and is on the west side of the Piedra River. The campground is only one mile off the highway.
Alternate Directions: From Bayfield, travel east on US160 for 18 miles to CR 168, on the left (this turn-off is 22 miles west of Pagosa Springs). Turn and go about a mile to the campground.
Habitat: Ponderosa Forest, Lowland Riparian, Stream, Pond/Lake/Reservoir
Dates of Access: Roughly mid-May to mid-November. Closed in winter.
Hours: Any
Ownership: US Forest Service
Admission or Fees: Camping fee $24, free for day use
Parking: Unpaved parking areas
Lodging: Camping
Handicapped: No
Handicapped Access: Campsites are not accessible.
Delorme: 87 C6-C7
ROC: 147 F2
Latitude: 37.2419476
Longitude: -107.342826