After our five-day stay at Lightner Creek Campground, we decided we weren’t ready to leave Durango. A quick search of FreeCampsites & Campedium gave us lots of free camping options near town.
We chose Cherry Creek Rd in the San Juan National Forest because it was one of the closest sites to Downtown Durango.
Here’s our personal experience:
Location: Cherry Creek Rd in the San Juan National Forest
GPS: 37.328922, -108.119816
Date / Temp: We camped here for 5 nights in late September. The highs were mid 50s with lows creeping into the 30s. We had a mixture of rain & sun.
Amenities: This site offers no services and practices a “Pack In, Pack Out” policy. There is a dump station and water fill up in town.
Wifi / Cell: We received a 4G LTE signal with both AT&T and T-Mobile (using our WeBoost Cell Booster). The download speeds were fast enough to stream, but the upload speeds were too slow to get high-data work done.
Noise: This site is never quiet due to nearby highway noise. It wasn’t enough to really bug us, but if you’re sensitive to noise… this site might not be for you.
Grocery / Errands: Downtown Durango is 15 miles away and offers all the shopping we needed to complete our chores. There is a central post office, and lots of gas stations.
Dog Friendly: This site is dog friendly. River had a lot of space to play and explore.
Entertainment: Hiking, ATVing and horseback riding are the most popular activities at the campsite. The Durango area offers lots of tourist activities and great dining.
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