Zapata Falls Campground

Campground was nice, great view of the valley and the peaks of the Sanger de Cristo Mountains. The trail to Zapata Falls is close, so no need to drive anywhere once you get to your campsite. Elevation is at about 9000 feet, so it was pretty cold when I when in early May. But it’s still a beautiful drive up, and very close to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Plan to hike to the falls and visit the dunes when camping here. Cell coverage was great - I was able to stream an NHL game while there.

Bear proof trash cans were overflowing with trash thru the whole
Campground ⛺️ n a very gusty wind day- so it was blowing everywhere. Meanwhile the forest service guy said n a white truck drove thru several times, he didn’t seem to address all the trash. Most sites were empty besides tents even though the website said all spots were full. Would have loved to camp
Under a tree that windy day but only site 13 was showing available.

Beautiful area

Loved this campsite. It is very exposed and there are no trees or rock features to break the wind. The site does have a bear/critter box to store your food. Camped here the end of April 2024 and experienced all the weather from sunny, to high winds, to rain that turned into snow. The view is breathtaking of the valley and the mountains. The vault toilets closest to this site were very clean and not smelly for being vault toilets.

The hike to the Zapata Falls was great! Easy hike and the base of the falls was still frozen over. You have to cross the river, stay left and you keep walking towards the falls to see it behind the cave. I would recommend wearing shoes with proper grip and bringing one hiking pole for extra stability on the ice but you can do without, just be cautious and take your time.

There was trash piled all around the trash cans. I understand our reservation was during the "off" season. However, there was no one servicing this campground on a regular basis and it showed.

The campground is on the mountain side making the sites feel fairly private. The bear boxes were a very nice feature and the bathrooms were clean and not terribly stinky. The views are incredible and Great Sand Dunes is a quick drive up the road. Will definitely stay here again. The falls trail from the grounds is an awesome hike.

First time reserving a site through Recreation.gov and it was easy since we had reliable cell service out there. We pulled up to the site we wanted and payed through the app. Got to see a beautiful sunset vista view and the campground itself has all the basic amenities you'd expect. Wish we got to stay here longer!

Beautiful campground. The views are spectacular.

Windy. Had to park the car close to the fire ring as a wind block to light the fire. Great views, had cell service, good proximity to the dunes and zapata. Camped out early March.

The campground is nice, with flat spots and vey good views of the valley, sand dunes, and mountains. The hike to the falls is easy, and the falls are beautiful when fully frozen.