Paonia State Park

Are you thinking of heading to Colorado with your best furry friend for your next outdoor adventure? Paonia State Park dishes out panoramic views and all kinds of summertime fun for visitors and their pooches alike. While not a very big camping area, the vast Colorado wilderness that surrounds the Ragged Mountains more than makes up for the lack of amenities.

Only 13 campsites are up for grabs at Paonia State Park, meaning it is a good idea to reserve ahead if plans depend on you sleeping here. Nightly rates are $10 and none of the sites come with hookups of any sort, though they are large enough for back-ins and pull-throughs. Each lot has a campfire ring and picnic table, but you won't find drinking water at the facility, so bring enough with you to last your stay. Privacy is limited between the sites, but there is one that is officially designated as ADA-accessible. Three different washrooms are scattered through the park and a stream divides the grounds in half. Fires are allowed here unless a fire ban is in effect, so check with the park before you burn.

Paonia is the perfect place for outdoor fun with many people stopping here even just for the day. Water activities like fishing, kayaking, canoeing, jet skiing, and water skiing are popular out on the river while hitting the trails and taking in all of the surrounding nature keeps campers busy inland as well. This park is known for its incredible variety of wildflowers, making it very popular with photographers as well as adventure-seekers.

Four-legged campers are definitely welcome at Paonia State Park, provided that they stay on-leash at all times. This is for the comfort of all campers in the park and also helps keep your pupper out of harm's way. Help keep dogs welcome here for many seasons to come by bringing poop bags along and picking up your fur-baby's waste. 

If getting way out in the Colorado mountains sounds like something you want to cross off your bucket list, head to Paonia State Park next summer.