Durango, CO – We read reviews when booking campgrounds, like most people. My go to website is campgroundreviews.com, although we also look at google and tripadvisor. When looking for a campground in the Durango area we found one ideally situated, the Durango North/Riverside KOA. Over the years I’ve learned to take reviews with a grain of salt. For instance, there are a number of reviews for this campground that are of the ilk, “I complained about the [slow wifi, noisy neighbors, unsightly trash] and the manger kicked me out of the park on the spot”. Note to self, do not complain about anything here. Another review was even more out of left field, “after complaining to the manager about slow wifi, the manager’s son came outside and attempted to goad me into a fistfight”. Even stronger note to self: do not complain about anything here, especially the slow wifi.
Durango North KOA office
Interior roads are paved, sites are gravel
Our site was wide enough for slides
Another view of our site
Those reviews notwithstanding, most reviews for the park are positive, and I concur. This is a perfectly lovely Holiday KOA, perched on the edge of the Animas River, with many amenities for everyone, including an onsite ice cream parlor (my favorite amenity). The sites are fairly close together, typical of most KOAs, so you’re at the mercy of your neighbor in terms of noise and commotion. Our site (#26) was level and all utilities worked well. The campground offers a number of communal areas, such as a river overlook deck, a pizza parlor, a game room, and a pool, that we would frequent during a non-pandemic. Speaking of COVID-19, as I write this (June 12, 2020) this park is at 100% capacity, as were all RV parks we stayed at the past 2 weeks. We would stay here again. We did have a black bear come through the campground one afternoon. The bear was very interested in trash that was sitting out to be collected.
The Animas River and mountain view
The ice cream shack was a big hit
Pool Area
Play area
The riverside Kamper Kabins have porches overlooking the river
View from the south end of the park
A black bear walked through the RV park one afternoon
From Durango North KOA, we hiked 4 trails into the Weminuche WIlderness (Lime Mesa, Vallecito, Crater Lake, and Endlich Mesa). We hike the Lizard Head Trail, a section of the Colorado Trail from Molas Pass, and up Mount Snowden.
Rating: 
Date of Stay: June 10 – June 20, 2020
Campground website: Durango North/Riverside KOA
