Gallo Campground

Great Ranger led tour. Very much appreciate the knowledge and professionalism of the park service people.

Due to the summer heat, we were mostly in the campground only in the morning and at night. During the days we were out hiking or hanging out at the visitor center.
We spent four nights so we had three full days and we were able to see everything.

This is a GREAT place to camp. The road however is another story. It could use a couple of passes with a motor grader

Such a beautiful place! Only down fall is there are so many flies and bugs at the camp site.

The campsite was quiet in a nice setting. However, beware of the road coming into the park. At least 5 miles of it toward the end are washboard and very rough. We were able to bounce our trailer in and out, but it was harrowing. Forget the 51 short cut to get to I-40, it is even rougher for 20 miles and there is a sign posted: "Travel at your own risk." In the campground, one set of restrooms was locked and noticed "Out of Order." This was the central one near where the RV campsites are. It's a long walk to the only functional restroom. Tricky dump station (strange faucet where you have to pull down the brass ring) but it did work. Bottle filling station at the visitor center -- out of order. There are strictly no services and no food available. Be well-provisioned. Bring your own food, water and bring your own shade. The experience at the park is well worth it as you can explore the ruin sites without having a reservation and ranger guide. That was a strong plus against Mesa Verde however be warned that the park is not well-maintained, signs often unreadable, things out of order. There is no campground host whatsoever (signs noted - off duty).

Close to visitor center. Nice bathrooms.

Beautiful location in Chaco Canyon. A short drive to the visitor center/ major trails and access to an excellent trail that leads out of the campground up to the mesa for sunrise and sunset viewing. Sites are close together but you're here to sleep and get out into the incredible surroundings. The campground seems to have suffered from the recent rockslide - several sites are closed - and from a lack of staffing and resources. The bathrooms were closed and there was no apparent repair effort or staff support while we were there.

I've been visiting the Canyon yearly for over 17 years. Having never visited the canyon and campground in July, I rather liked the solitude as there were very few people there.
The campground on Tue. night held two other vehicles. On Wed night, it was me and one other.
NOT having a camp host proved uneventful (thank goodness) made me think of all the campsites that were NOT available on the website.
The men's bathroom was in working order, but NOT the Ladies.
It was an inconvenience for me (the male) to "watch the door" so my lady could use the facility.
It will not hinder our decision to make the 850 miled trek from Central/ West Texas next year, but it also hints at the campground's demise.

Absolutely beautiful!

Wonderful place, beautiful stars