Zapata Falls Campground

Most beautiful experience. We will be back!!

Great experience, and will go back. Only real complaint was there were no hosts on site, but luckily we had quiet and respectful 'neighbors' nearby, so no conflict there. (Driving in we saw a very large group of people (TX plates, I think) who were set up to party. Full bar set up, big speakers, etc. ... thankfully we were nowhere near them. And, due to no hosts, the garbage bins got really full, to the point you really had to stuff anything into it. Small downsides to a wonderful stay. Unreal scenery, quiet, nice sized bear boxes.

Very few sites had flat spots for a regular sized tent.
Most sites were very small, close together and on a slant. You could tell that they tried to level out a tent space for at least one of the lower sites but it still wasn't that flat.
Very little shade or privacy, and pretty windy because of that, but in november there was only 1-2 other groups with us so privacy wasn't an issue.
After seeing our original site we were lucky that there was barely anyone else there because we ended up buying a second site so that we could sleep on flatter ground.
However, our biggest problem with this campground wasn't the size or shapes of the sites. After moving to the second campground and beginning to set up camp we realized that our bear box was full of trash! Half drank hot chocolates, paper plates and fried chicken waste, and worst of all a literal loaded diaper. Gross. I don't blame any one else but the rude people who left the trash, but it would be nice it it had been cleaned between visits.
That being said, this campsite is only 20 minutes from great sand dunes and has an amazing view of the san luis valley. Also the sunset was amazing.

We loved this little campground. Perched high up on the side of the mountain, we had excellent views to the west of the San Luis Valley. The camping spots were very well laid out, and the toilets were well maintained. The short hike to Zapata Falls was beautiful. We will definitely return!!

I liked the distance from the highway and fantastic hiking beginning immediately at my tent site and traveling either up a challenging ridge or around the established path to falls and lake beyond

We did have some noisy moments at night, someone driving through honking incessantly past midnight once and people walking into the wrong campsite talking loudly at 2am once

Campgrounds themselves are perfect for my needs overall otherwise

Great campground close to the dunes. One loop dedicated to tents and the other loop to RVs. All sites are right off the road. Some are better than others. We boondocked during the week with our travel trailer. Spot 21 up against the forest. Shorter trailers have more camp site choices. We have a 16’ teardrop. Paved road right up to campground loops. Campground offers Vaulted toilets, fire rings,
Trash cans, bear proof storage boxes and picnic tables. Very well maintained campground. Superior views of plateau and alamosa at night if you like looking at twinkly city lights. Or you can just turn around and look east to the mtns. Stars were bright. We stayed for two nights. Short hike to Zapata Falls. Dog friendly.

campground close to trail entrance, bathrooms adequate (no running water), decent views. Good option for being close to Great Sand Dunes. We drove to the park to see the stars due to some light pollution at the campsite.

This is a hidden gem of a campground. We were in the last week in October and almost had the place to ourselves. The views were amazing, day and night. Bear boxes and secure garbage bins. Some of the cleanest bathrooms I’ve ever seen in a campground.
Did I mention the views? :)
We will definitely go back.

Sites are spread out pretty well and site 21 was fairly level for my van. The view down into the valley was spectacular, especially at sunset and sunrise. Bathrooms were clean. One of the better BLM campgrounds we’ve stayed at.

Beautiful views