Gallo Campground

We had a successful 5 night stay (weekdays) on site 18 in this crowded, but quiet campground. All the sites were level, but closely packed together. The bathrooms were clean and easily accessible, and the utility room sink for (cold water) dish washing was helpful. Drinking water actually tasted fine. Even with loop road construction (completed while we were there, I think) there was easy access to ruins and the trailheads to hikes. Don’t miss the quick hike from the campground to see the petroglyphs behind the communal fire ring, or the easy path up the cliff to look over the campground and surrounding areas.

The 12 mile dirt road accessing Chaco was doable in our van with no issues, but we took it pretty slowly due to ruts in places and washboard all the way. Once in the park, you really appreciate the paved road.

The volunteer-led tour of Pueblo Bonito was worth the time as it gave an excellent overview what you were seeing. The ruins were stunning to see up close, and from above on the Pueblo Alta trail. We were really glad to have the chance to stay a few days to see everything.

Oh, the stars! Oh the rocks! A magical place, wonderful to spend the night here and immerse yourself. But be prepared! Bring water, food, sunscreen, shelter. And Drink LOTS.

My 6th time here, all good except for some very noisy Boy Scouts in the group area. They were all quiet by dark.

This campground is my absolute favorite! From our site we had beautiful sunrises, sunsets and views of the gorgeous dark night sky. We also had haunting views of Fajada Butte and took great pleasure in watching its moods transform throughout the day. The other treat is that it is only steps away from the remains of ancient buildings & petroglyphs.

We had a small tent to sleep in and a shade tent. There is no shade in the campground, so some form of shade is recommended as the sun can be unrelenting. The restrooms were very clean and there was even a separate sink room for washing dishes and filling our bottles with water.
There are also trail heads right from the campground. This is the perfect place to stay while exploring Chaco Canyon.

An awesome please from which two base our Chaco Canyon adventure! Once we got through the gauntlet of getting two Chaco Canyon, it was lovely to stay there for a few days!

Timing is everything. We made plans to stay three months ago, required for this popular campground. However, we hit unusually warm temps, and terminally intrusive road construction on the loop. No campground host to help with a couple issues. Restrooms were OK, but some lacked toilet paper. BYO. The visitor center was understaffed, no tours on the one day we wanted. :-(. Many of the exhibits in the visitor center were empty due to renovation issues. The video was outdated, not worth watching. Watch Robert Redford instead.

Great location, next to Chaco Canyon Visitors Center and within close proximity to Pueblo Bonito, Chetro Ketl, etc., but very exposed. Shade structures in each site would have made our early May experience so much more enjoyable.

We had reservations for three nights. Everything was great except non the third day the person in our site for the evening didn't leave and we decided to leave Chaco and headed to Bluff, Utah. The campground was nice and clean and very quiet.

Gallo is a clean, well kept campground. The sites are spacious and extremely well-maintained, with pristine tent pads, ample parking room and picnic tables. The bathrooms were very well kept. The campground is small and thus there is not a lot of traffic noise. There are two trails leading directly from the campground, both beautiful and very easy. The skies are dark making for excellent stargazing or viewing from binoculars or telescopes.

Campsites are very close. No shade.

Beautiful and sacred surroundings under a dark starry sky.

Beautiful site with amazing views and trails and clean bathrooms with running water !