Camp V

High-desert scenery gives this place a stark, surreal beauty. Courtesy of Camp V

Snuggled against a bend in the San Miguel River, Camp V occupies a 120-acre swath of juniper-spotted high desert. The site is a playful maze of dwellings and trails, which makes it easy to design your own experience. You can shell out for a luxury cabin, post up in a space-age jupe, or settle into a yurt or refurbished Airstream trailer. (Tent pads and RV sites are also available.)

The community that Camp V’s founders have built draws visitors from around the world. That influx has helped boost the economies of nearby Naturita and Nucla. Both high-desert mining towns, Naturita and Nucla have struggled to remain relevant in recent years. But now, the local community is hoping to steer its economy toward sustainable tourism. Camp V is a powerful example of that transition.

Once the site of a company town for uranium miners, Camp V has elements of its past interwoven throughout its design. Some of the luxury cabins are renovated mining cabins. Pieces of old equipment have been reimagined into sculptural installments, and an abandoned water tower is now open to the sky and used for stargazing—evidence that this region is looking up in more ways than one.

Know Before You Go

Camp V is located right off Highway 141 just outside of the town of Naturita. It’s a two-hour drive from Grand Junction. Naturita is a small town, but the surrounding landscape offers limitless opportunities for outdoor adventure. The Camp V property hosts a mountain bike loop (rent bikes from nearby High Country Bicycles), and Escalante Canyon and Unaweep Canyon offer high-quality rock climbing. On your way back to camp, grab a burger at Blondies Drive-In in Naturita, or save your appetite: Camp V has its own farm-to-table menu.