Lower Hermosa Campground•San Juan National Forest

00:00     Title
00:15     Pinkerton Hot Springs
01:15     Molas Lake Park & Campground
04:40     Little Molas Lake Winter Recreation Area
08:15     Cascade Creek & Flume
12:50     Hermosa Creek Campground
17:10     Junction Creek Campground
19:05     Fin
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Finding a cozy little spot that few of the mainstream tourists know about definitely is a primary goal when planning a great escape. This is where the lesser known national forest destinations fit into the picture. National Forest destinations are not usually featured on the cover of motel lobby tourism brochures, so a little bit of research must be done prior to arrival. Doing a map search for campgrounds, trailheads or landmarks at a specific national forest website will often turn up many surprises. 

The San Juan National Forest covers a vast amount of mountainous terrain in southwestern Colorado and there are plenty of cozy spots to be discovered. Some of these destinations can be accessed with a regular passenger car, while access for others will require a 4x4 or doing some hiking. Most of the San Juan National Forest travel routes are dirt roads and the conditions do vary greatly. Some of the dirt roads are rated as 4x4 vehicles only and there are also roads where RV campers or trailers are not allowed. Once again, doing some research ahead of time will help to prevent headaches.

As a rule of thumb, the closer that a national forest is to a city, the better the dirt road conditions tend to be. This is especially true in the Durango area, which is where the Lower Hermosa Campground can be found. The dirt road going uphill from Highway 550 in Hermosa is nearly always smooth enough for a passenger car, so it is easy to escape to this cozy little spot! The campsites are equipped with fire rings, picnic tables and there is a pit toilet onsite. There is no water source, so be sure to pack plenty for the hiking trails.

The Lower Hermosa Creek Campground is closed for the winter and open all summer. Hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding on the Hermosa Creek Trails is what most of the daytime visitors come here to do, so this destination can be more like a day use area than a campground, especially on weekends. This may be surprising, but even when busy there are usually a few empty campsites available on any given day, because the primary focus is on the trails. 

The most important item to pay attention to when camping in a mountain pine forest is fire danger. The Hermosa Creek region was consumed by the 416 Wildfire fire back in 2018, so the fire danger is in fact real. This is especially true during seasons of drought. The photos for the Lower Hermosa Creek album were shot just a few days before the 416 Wildfire began. My home was only a couple miles away and watching the flames get closer certainly was a worrisome sight. Much of Hermosa Creek was scorched, but it has been a few years since the disaster occurred and plenty of new green growth has taken place. For this reason, the photos may not truly represent this area as it exists at this current time. 

The Lower Hermosa Campground was closed for a long time after the 416 Wildfire, but this area is now open to the public once again. When seeking a cozy campsite while touring the Million Dollar Highway, the cozy Lower Hermosa Campground is a good spot to keep in mind!