Mancos State Park

We spent three nights here in September 2026, on our late-summer 2026 filming trip through southern Colorado and Utah, the last big trip before Erin's surgery. We were in site 14 and paid about $20 a night for a basic site, no hookups. Our full field report is still being written, so here is what to know about the place itself.

The short version

Mancos State Park covers 553 acres just north of the town of Mancos in southwestern Colorado, wrapped around Jackson Gulch Reservoir, a 216-acre lake fed by the West Mancos River. Mesa Verde National Park, the San Juan Skyway and Durango are all nearby.

A little history

• Ancestral Puebloans lived in the Four Corners region from about 1 CE to 1300. Spanish explorers passed through from the 1600s to the 1800s, and the town takes its name from a Spaniard injured near the Rio de los Mancos.
• The Bureau of Reclamation completed Jackson Gulch Dam in 1948. It supplies drinking water to Mesa Verde and the surrounding area.
• Mancos joined the Colorado State Parks system in 1987.

What it is known for

• Fishing and quiet boating on the reservoir.
• 5.2 miles of trails and wildlife including mule deer, red fox, porcupine, Abert's squirrel and bald eagles.

Camping

• The main campground on the south side has 23 sites in a mature ponderosa pine forest, with drinking water.
• Nine sites on the northwest side are mainly for tents, with no drinking water nearby.
• There are no electric hookups at campsites and no showers. Two yurts have electricity and propane heat. Vault toilets, water spigots and a dump station.

Good to know

• The park is open year-round, but the west side closes to vehicles from November 1 to March 31.
• Campsite reservations are required, through Colorado Parks and Wildlife, up to six months ahead. Every vehicle needs a park pass.
• The concrete boat ramp can close when the water drops, often by late August in a dry year.