Alamosa KOA: Family Glamping Near Great Sand Dunes National Park
If you’re looking for an excellent campground near Great Sand Dunes National Park, plan to stay at the Alamosa KOA!
This campground is perfect for families, who will love the many on-site amenities, easy access to the national park, and beautiful views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.
Plus, the location of this KOA is close enough to Alamosa for quick grocery runs, but remote enough to ensure peaceful nights.
In the review below, you’ll find everything you need to know about this campground from site photos to an overview of the property’s amenities.
Our Winnebago trailer in our campsite at the Alamosa KOA
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Camping in Alamosa, Colorado: What to Consider
The entrance sign to the KOA on Route 160
First, know that Alamosa, Colorado, is remote, and you’re limited to a handful to camping places in the vicinity, and even fewer if you’re looking for full hookups.
When we stayed here, it was part of a summer-long camping and hiking road trip, and my kids had specifically asked for campgrounds with a pool whenever possible.
I wanted a laundry and bath house since we were living on the road for 2 months straight, and those chores and daily tasks don’t stop just because I’m exploring. (Unfortunately!)
All of those considerations were balanced against my desire to be near the national park—what we came to see in Alamosa, first and foremost—and near grocery stores and gas stations.
We ultimately picked the Alamosa KOA because it had so many wonderful things for my kids and I to do during our stay, which helped us look forward to our downtime at night after explore Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Plus, the campground was directly on our route from Colorado Springs to Ridgway State Park in Colorado, so we didn’t have to make unnecessary detours with the camper.
Other Camping Options Nearby
If you’re interested in staying inside of the national park, the Piñon Flats campground is your only option. There aren’t any hookups in Piñon Flats, though there is a dump site on property and campground wide access to water.
The sites can be very small, even for our 21’ trailer, and many are narrow and uneven. The 88 sites here are inexpensive, but we decided that full hook-ups and level lots were worth the extra money.
Note that the campground is at the back of the national park, the entrance station to which is already 30 miles to Alamosa.
The Great Sand Dunes Oasis RV Park was our second choice for camping in and around Alamosa, but it was kicked out of the running for us because it doesn’t have a pool.
If that’s not a consideration for you and your travel party, you’ll enjoy how close this park is to the national park entrance and Zapata Falls.
There’s a small cafe and camp store onsite, but expect to pay much higher price than if you were to drive the 25 miles into Alamosa.
Rio Grande National Forest’s Zapata Falls Campground was another consideration, but you’ll have to wind up 3 miles of paved switchbacks to get here.
Once you’re at the campground, the views of the national park and valley below are gorgeous, but know that you’ll have to boondock. The lots are small, so don’t attempt to stay here with anything much longer than 25’.
It is incredible close to the national park entrance, making it a good option for tent campers or those with small Class B vehicles.
The Cool Sunshine RV Park in downtown Alamosa was the final place I considered, and the layout is similar to the KOA. It has full hookups and decently sized, level lots. Plus, it is very convenient to the grocery stores and shops of Alamosa.
However, by staying in Alamosa, that puts you a half hour from the national park entrance, which doesn’t feel as convenient as the Alamosa KOA which was around 20 minutes. Plus, it didn’t have a pool or playground, though there is a gaga ball pit and giant chess board.
Alamosa KOA Review
Alamosa KOA At a Glance
Address: 6900 Juniper Lane, Alamosa, Colorado
Check-in: 2 PM
Check-out: 11 AM
Quiet Hours: 10 PM to 7 AM
Electric hook-ups: 50 AMP
With its convenient location between Alamosa and Great Sand Dunes National Park, I stand by our decision to stay at the Alamosa KOA.
This pretty campground is close to the incredible Great Sand Dunes National Park, which has naturally occurring dunes over 750 feet high! (Learn how to spend a day at Great Sand Dunes here.)
It’s also located in the San Luis Valley which is surrounded by the San Juan Mountains and Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
The well kept front office area
When we made it onsite, I began to realize that while this KOA had all of the usual things we love about this campground chain—including a great location, clean restrooms, a camp store, and a laundry—this specific location is essentially a summer camp for the entire family.
While we were only here for a few days, we had a blast every moment we weren’t in the national park or hiking in the nearby area. My kids get a bit stir crazy if we have to relax around the campsite too much, so they were thrilled to have a pool, daily activities, go karts, a playground, and friends around every corner!
This campground rivals the Colorado Springs KOA for the most activities we’ve seen at a campground, though the Alamosa KOA was so much cleaner and well organized than the one in Colorado Springs.
As I mentioned above, we stayed here as part of our 8-week road trip loop through the Mountain West, and it was our 2nd stop in Colorado. We traveled in our 21’ Winnebago Micro Minnie 1800BH, and the campground has sites to fit our camper and many for much larger trailers and RVs.
Check-in Process
We arrived here mid-day from our stay in Colorado Springs KOA, which had been plagued with annoyances (including a broken water park and some of the grossest bathrooms we’ve seen on our travels). Given that our road trip was just starting, and that was one of our first experiences, I was nervous about this next KOA.
I shouldn’t have been! We’ve been to many, many KOAs, and the Colorado Springs one was a one-off. The experience we then had at the Alamosa KOA was much more in line with what we normally have.
When we drove up Route 160 towards Alamosa, I was nervous but hopeful, but delighted to see how many signs there were for the KOA here. At the entrance, the cheery, yellow KOA sign was adorned in flags, further creating that fun, summer camp feeling.
There is dedicated and clearly marked RV parking while you check-in, and this area is plenty long enough for even larger Class A RVs.
When I went inside to check in, the 2 ladies running the desk were both on the phone, but apologetic that I’d had to wait. Both were incredibly friendly, and one quickly popped up some free popcorn to give us for waiting.
They walked us through the campground’s layout and the daily activities. They also pointed out recommended places to eat and a few of their favorite things to do in the area.
I was then directed by one of the campground workers on the KOA golf cart to our site. He helped me get situated in the site and ensured that I was happy with everything available.
Individual Campsite Review
We stayed in site 30, which is the third site on the 4th row back in the campground. It is located on the western side of the park and doesn’t have a direct view of Mt. Blanca, though you can see some of the Sangre de Cristo mountains from there.
Our site was pull through and had full hookups. There was enough room for our 21’ trailer and our Ford F-150, though we would’ve needed to upgrade to the next biggest site if we’d wanted to stay hooked up on a single night’s stay.
This site did have some shade from nearby trees, but the best shaded lots were on row 1. The least shaded lots were on the eastern side of the park, but this also allowed them to have better views of the mountains.
Campground Layout
Our KOA map that showed us how to get to our site
Towards the front of the campground is the pool, main office building, playground, pavilion, and bath house.
There are also a few tent spots near the go kart/pedal cart track, but these are near-ish to the dump station, so keep that in mind. (T11 is particularly close to it.)
As you make a 90 degree turn past the office, you’ll head into the RV section of the park. There are 7 rows for campers on the west side of the park and 3 on the east side of the park. All of these are pull through sites.
The front of cabin 2
At the easternmost border of the park is a walking trail and stargazing desk. You can get excellent views of the mountains and even the sand dunes in the national park on a clear day!
On the westernmost border, you’ll find the cabins and more tent areas. There are 7 small glamping cabins and another 8 tent sites here. They are set off from the main RV parking for more quiet space at night.
In between the cabins and RV sites is the water fill up for the tents and cabins as well as the spacious Kamper Kitchen. This covered, open air kitchen has work space, burners and grill for those who don’t have a kitchen or just don’t want to cook in their campers.
Campground Amenities
Bath houses
There are bath houses attached to the eastern side of the main office building, and they’re clean but basic.
There are a handful of showers with separate toilets, all of which are accessed via an external communal door. You’ll need a code to get into the restrooms, which adds another layer of security.
The water here was hot and the water pressure was strong. I hate showering in our tiny trailer bathroom, so it’s always excellent when the onsite bathroom is a good alternative.
Laundry
The laundry room was my one sore spot in my stay here as it was so small. There were just 4 washers and dryers, and someone was using all of them nearly every second. The first night that I went down to throw our laundry in, a woman had camped out in the laundry room and told me that she’d used all 4 washers and dryers.
The next night, I encountered the same thing, though with a variety of people, and not just the one woman.
I decided to try again at 7 the next morning, when I finally found a free washer and dryer.
Since our trailer is tiny and we were on a long road trip, we’d brought limited clothes and really needed to wash our laundry consistently. Given that, I was panicking that we’d had to wear sweaty hiking clothes multiple times if I couldn’t get into the laundry room.
The laundry room absolutely needs to be expanded here as the campground capacity is just too big for what the laundry room can reasonably absorb. Even adding another 2 or 3 washers and dryers would go a long way to opening up needed space in the laundry.
We were there in the late spring, and the campground wasn’t even full. I’d hate to imagine what the line for laundry is like during the peak of summer vacation.
Daily Activities
In addition to the free activities like the pool and playground, the staff also puts on multiple paid activities per day.
These activities can range from tie dyeing t-shirts to building and launching your own rocket in a competition.
We found that the activities offered were engaging enough to paid for them, and they added to that summer camp feel this place had.
The staff members at each of the activities were patient with the children participating and excellent and organizing the groups of kids there. Everything ran smoothly, and directions and expectations were communicated clearly but politely.
Be sure to ask at the front desk for that day’s activities so you can join!
Sandboarding Rentals
The campground has an on-site rental building, which is where you can book your pedal karts and rent your sandboards and sand sleds for Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Oddly, the national park doesn’t offer any sort of rental so you’ll need to bring in whatever you’d like to play on the dunes with.
We rented a sandboard and a sand sled for our time in the national park, and I am SO glad we did. Our experience at the national park wouldn’t have been as rich if we’d only been able to hike on the dunes. Plus, my kids loved trying out new ways to sled and board on the sand to go faster!
If you’d like to rent one of these boards, you’ll go to the front desk, and they’ll let the rental building know. One of the KOA employees will then bring the boards and/or sleds to your campsite. They’ll also pick them back up when you’re done if you stop by the front desk and let them know they’re ready for pickup.
The boards and sleds cost about $20 per day and can be billed directly to your credit card on file.
Free popcorn
The Camping Kiddos shopping in the store while nibbling on their popcorn
If you stop by the main office in the afternoons, there is likely some free popcorn being popped.
Or, if you’re my kids and you make friends with the front desk clerks, you get fresh popcorn whenever you ask nicely!
The staff gives out free paper bags filled with buttery hot popcorn, so be sure to ask them when they’ll be starting the snacks that day.
Cute shop
The office isn’t just the office—it has a full gift shop, a small cooler area with soft drinks, and basic RV supplies.
We found some adorable ornaments, postcards, and national parks-themed notebooks here, but there are also stickers, a coffee bar, chips, and much, much more.
Pool
The pool a simple rectangle, but it was refreshing, cool, and clean.
My kids loved this pool as there was a deeper end for my daughter to practice her strokes, while my younger child enjoyed tossing a beach ball around with other kids in the shallower end.
I would’ve enjoyed it more if there had been more seating and some sort of shade. Even an umbrella or fabric canopy would’ve helped in the mid-afternoon when the sun beats down on the pool area.
There isn’t a lifeguard here, so you’ll need to watch your kids closely. The pool is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year.
Playground
The playground is another of my kids’ favorite amenities on our travels since they make easy friends here.
The KOA is incredibly kid-friendly so there was always another child to play with.
The playground is located near the bathrooms and laundry, which was helpful when I needed to keep my kids occupied while I ran into get something at the front desk or moved my laundry over.
There is a small slide and climbing structure and a merry-go-round. The playground has sand for flooring which helps soften the landing if anyone trips or falls.
Covered Picnic Area
An art installation on the back of the covered picnic area
The main office does serve up a basic pizza menu during peak season, and the covered picnic area behind the main office is the perfect place to eat it.
Plus, your kids can play at the campground right beside it while you linger over your food.
Dog Park
If you’re traveling with your furry friend, this KOA does have a dedicated, fenced-in dog park. The dog park is located near the dumpster just down from the office.
Pedal Karts
A really fun feature at the Alamosa KOA is the pedal kart rental. These self-propelled karts work like a bicycle, so if your child can pedal a bike, the karts will be easy.
There are 2 different sizes of karts, so that even your younger child can join in on the fun.
My 10 year old used the larger size while my 7 year old opted for the smaller size. The seats are adjustable for a variety of sizes within each, so both my dad and I were able to get into the larger size.
You can drive the pedal carts through the campground (being careful of cars, of course), or you can race around the kart track near the pool for free. The kart track is mostly even ground, but there are a few areas that my kids really had to push to get over some minor elevation.
Final Thoughts on Alamosa KOA
The campground looking back over to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Mt. Blanca
I would not hesitate to stay here again when and if we’re ever back in town to explore Great Sand Dunes National Park and the surrounding area again.
I know my kids would love to see what other fun activities are on the schedule and take another lap around the pool.
Overall, this KOA campground is clean and well organized with friendly staff, engaging activities, and pretty campsites. I highly recommend it for any family looking for the perfect home base while in Alamosa, Colorado!
