Self-sufficient (Dry) Camping
You paddle in, provide all your own food, water & gear; paddle out; and arrange for all your own transportation.
$50/night first guest, $20/night each additional guest, up to 3 guests, 2 night maximum.
This secluded, 2-acre campsite is the only place between the Royal Gorge and Lake Pueblo where you can fish and camp right on the banks of the Arkansas River. Accessible by watercraft only, we refer to it as “paddle in/paddle out”: You cannot drive to it or hike to it—you can only boat to it.
YOU MUST PROVIDE YOUR OWN WATERCRAFT.
There is no public-road access to the camp.
You will be our only guests at this private riverfront location—no one else vying for the trout…no one’s boom box disturbing your sleep…no swimmers disturbing the fish.
Please Note: We’re open May through October, and during those months, we might have to close temporarily for safety reasons when river flow-rates exceed 1,300 cfs (cubic feet per second). If we need to close when you have a reservation, and you can’t change your date, we will notify you of the closure and refund your money.
Here are suggestions for the many ways you can configure your Cottonwood Camp experience (but, remember: You must provide your own watercraft).
If you prefer a catered glamping experience, all you have to do is paddle to the camp.
We will provide…
- Dinner & breakfast catered at the camp
- Tent with full-size mattress (this is a real bed—not camp cots)
- Beautifully made-up bed with luxurious linens
- Fire pit & s’mores
- Battery lanterns
- Camp “bathroom” with fresh water, sink, towels, latrine-style toilet, TP and personal wipes.
- This is civilized camping!
You will be in your own private world without other campers intruding on your restful solitude—and yet, if you need assistance, we will be there in a flash, so your stay is safe and secure.
Price: 1 night/$250/couple/1 night limit
But no matter which option you choose, we provide:
Getting Here
- You can arrive by boat or by car. Either way, you need to check in with us at the house before paddling over to the camp.
- If you arrive by boat, you can take out on our south bank, secure your boat and just walk to the house.
- If you drive, you will leave your car at the house and then, after checking in, paddle over to the camp.
- For glampers, after checking in with us at the house, you will paddle over to the campsite where we will get you settled and show you how things work.
Our personal home and the bed-and-breakfast are on the south bank of the Arkansas River. Cottonwood Camp is directly across from that, on the north bank. The camp is on approximately 2 acres of cottonwood forest, with 500 feet of our private river frontage for fishing both sides of the river. In addition, east of us you can fish at the Florence River Park and on BLM land – from the banks or in the river. You will need a fishing license.
Sleep in the Arms of History . . .
Part of the campsite lies between two concrete walls that once supported a bridge across the Arkansas River. That bridge was erected in 1913 and taken down some time after the “new” SH115 bridge was built in 1951. At that time, the river ran along the bottom of the bluff north of the campsite. In the early 1960s, a major flood changed the course of the river, causing it to flow along its current path and cutting in two what eventually would become the Lark Landing property, leaving us with a lovely wooded campsite sitting between two historic concrete “walls.”
Camp cook-ring made from antique bricks salvaged from a local silo.
. . . and enjoy our wildlife.
The Rules
Camping (all your own gear): Limited to a maximum of 3 adults (no one under the age of 18).
Cooking: Allowed on a Coleman-type camp stove, or over an approved campfire.
Stay: Maximum of 2 nights & 3 days.
We also ask that you agree to:
- Pay in advance by personal check or credit card (3.7% convenience fee for credit).
- Sign a waiver releasing us of liability for injury or damage to yourselves and your personal effects.
- Not encroach upon the adjoining lands and private road.
- Have a cell phone with you and provide us with the number.
- Have a valid fishing license if you plan to fish.
- Refrain from any type of hunting.
- Stay out of the river, except for fishing (if you wish to swim or body surf, you can boat across the river to the Florence River Park).
- Pack out your trash.
- Use the camp potty (no pooping in the woods!)
- Leave the campsite as you found it.
* * *
Three more important things for you to be aware of. We’re not trying to scare you; we just want to make it clear that we are not responsible for other people’s carelessness:
- The river can be very dangerous. Do not attempt to wade across it! We are serious about this. The river bottom consists of extremely slippery, round rocks and the current is deeper and swifter than it appears. If you fall down in the water you might not be able to get up. If you get your foot wedged between the rocks you could break an ankle, or get stuck and not be able to get yourself free. We are not able to “rescue” stupid people who get in trouble out there; we are not liable for a guest’s foolishness; and our insurance will not cover river-related injury or death.
- Just so you know, we have seen a rattlesnake, a red racer (snake), and a bear at the camp – just one time for each critter in more than 20 years, but we want our campers to be aware of this.
- To camp with us, you will need to sign a waiver releasing us of any liability for injury or death incurred while on our property.