Buena Vista KOA

I have lost count on how many Kampgrounds and how many different states I’ve tented at, but I appreciate the reliability and amenities before and after backcountry pursuits. This one in particular is in a great location with an outstanding view.

I’ve never experienced some of the negative aspects of others reviewers. I’ve stayed at this KOA several times over the last two years and the new owners, Helen and Dom, are great. They love the area, they love the campground, and they’re not only investing in updating things but also in getting to know those who visit.
If you’re looking for beautiful views, a great area to explore, this campground is central nestled between the Collegiate Peaks. Buena Vista is a hop area, as is St. Elmo’s and Salida.
If camping, sites T-​14 through 16 offer some of the best views of the area. T-​16 is huge, so if you like a comfortable setup, I recommend that site.
The campground itself offers a cook shack, ice cream socials on the weekend, BBQs and other events. They were doing tie dye this past weekend when I was there, which was fun.

The great view was spoiled by the police state enforcement of absolute quiet at 10pm and lights off. Did I pay to be in prison? We could have had a better time sleeping in our car.

Best bathrooms I’ve ever had on a camping trip. We utilized 2 cabins and 6 tents and everyone had a blast. We had some complaints from 10 campers and 2 employee’s about our noise and cursing. We were 15 guys on a camping trip so we’ll take our blame, especially the cursing, but the late night was around 11 at latest and it was just 5 guys. That was my only issue, but Helen came over in the morning and we hashed it out and didn’t have any issues after that. We’ll definitely use it again. Driving up to it didn’t do it justice, the stay was better than the initial impression.

Wonderful spot with beautiful views. Very friendly hosts. The facilities are immaculate. We enjoyed our stay. Using a pull through site and camper cabin. We’ll be back.

The rules are ridiculous. The owners made threats on our group. They were mad we went to bed at 10:15 and awoke at 6am-it’s like having parents scold you at every move! The camp sites are too close together. You can’t even have a light on after 10pm & they sold us bunk wood! The wood we bought was wet and wouldn’t light. They did the same thing to a few other cabins. We had to go buy wood elsewhere. Ridiculous. Nice views though.

The views are amazing and the kabins are nice but I cannot recommend this place due to the extremely rude head caretakers (owners?). They patrol this place like a prison and are quick to yell at you and threaten your group with calling the cops. I have stayed at five other koa campsites and have enjoyed my stay but won’t be returning here.

The campground was nice and clean but I wouldn’t go back because of the lack of hospitality shown by the caretakers. They showed a complete lack of flexibility and were just down right cranky, old people. They have a very long list of rules that they expect you to follow to a tee. On the flip side, it was very quite and all the small kids in our group had a great time.

My Husband and I have been traveling for a month. More than 90% of the time we have stayed at KOA’s. This has been the Best so far. Beautiful views, helpful and friendly staff and clean bathrooms. We had a full breakfast one morning — cooked to order. It was very good and only $ 6.00.
We had a Brisket Dinner for $ 10.00 which was great and plenty of it. Only wish we lived closer. Thank you for all the hard work you put into making a great camping experience.

Great Hospitality and beautiful views! This is a well cared for campground with nice amenities and a kind, professional staff. I’ve stayed several times.

Friendly host. Super clean site. Two bedroom cabins available. Close to BV to run into town for dinner. Horses on site. HOWEVER, a fellow camper said there had been a mountain lion sited and that she discovered half eaten deer on the hiking trails nearby. I was disturbed that they didn’t even mention the remote possibility of an encounter when I we checked in. They lost a couple of stars for that. I come from bear country and after a child was killed by a bear in the campsite near our home I got very interested in knowing if wildlife was getting too brazen near campsites. Other than that, clean and attractive in a high mesa setting.

Nice one. All the regular stuff, plus horses. Laundry till 9:30. Bathrooms are nice. Definitely a recommended campground.