We weren’t towing when we stumbled across this lot, but we took a moment to pull in and take a closer look. We love exploring small towns like Ridgway, but when we’re towing it’s usually safe to assume that there won’t be any place for us to park our rig while we walk around. I wish more of these towns had lots just like this one. It’s very large, right off a paved road, and is within walking distance of all the towns restaurants and shops. The lot itself is dirt and relatively bumpy, but nothing to worry about if you’re driving slowly. The pictures in my review are from yesterday (a Saturday, late morning) and there were literally zero other vehicles parked there. Of course, it’s late in the season (September is next week) and there was rain in the forecast. So not sure if this lot is always this empty, but it’s good to know that it’s here for future reference!
It’s great that there’s an RV parking lot in this small mountain town. The lot is right inside the downtown area and close to the local hot springs. It’s free to park there. So if you’re passing through the town and want to stretch your legs or even check out the local scene, it’s good to know this is available. That said, once you turn from Main Street on to 9th Ave, it’s a relatively steep dirt/gravel road with no shortage of ruts, holes, and washboarded sections. Fortunately, it’s not far to the lot. The lot itself is pretty big, but when we took a look yesterday afternoon (a Saturday), it was pretty full—and most vehicles were not oversized. Instead, it was mostly occupied by ordinary cars and trucks. So be prepared that you may not find a spot suitable for your rig once you get down there. Like the road leading to it, the lot is mostly dirt and gravel and is similarly rutted. Still, all in all, it’s good to know that a lot like this is available. Ouray is a super cool town with lots of fun shops, restaurants, and bars. It feels like ice cream is sold from every other storefront.
Super cool place to take a break! The burritos were amazing. Lots of fun stuff in the gift shop. Bathrooms in good shape. Parking lot is huge and easily accessible from the highway. That said, the lot has seen better days. Lots of ruts and pot holes, but nothing you can’t maneuver around. Plenty of space to park rigs of any size. I will never be able to drive past here without stopping for a snack.
We first stopped here 5 years ago on our very first big road trip. Either we were so excited about the trip that we didn’t notice how run-down it was, or it has gotten significantly worse over the years. I mean, even in primo condition, it wouldn’t be anything special. Just a relatively small rest stop / picnic area. But it would be nicer if the pavement wasn’t in such bad shape. For a while, we started skipping this place because it was filled with construction equipment and the concrete barriers were covered in graffiti. It has at least improved since those days. Now it’s just a convenient spot to pull off the highway, take a break, and hop back on. I haven’t looked at the picnic table itself in a long time (now that we have an RV, there’s no need), but I’d assume it’s in about the same shape as the pavement.
Never been in here and unfortunately never will. We’d never be able to turn around with our 30′ Airstream and 20′ truck. We’ve towed passed this place many times and I’ve always been curious about it, but one look at satellite images proves that if we dared to venture in, we may never get out! Unless you have a tiny RV, you should skip this one too. That said, it seems like the lot is always empty when we drive by, so if you can fit it might be a good stop for you.
We’ve stopped here several times while driving between Austin and the Ft. Worth area. Super convenient. Brookshire’s actual parking lot is a decent size for a store of its size, but it gets fairly busy with their normal grocery store shopper traffic. The high school lot next door, however, is huuuuuge and since we’ve always passed by on the weekends, it’s always been practically empty, making it very easy to pull in and park just about anywhere. It’s probably not a great option on a normal school day or if there’s some sort of even happening. Beyond just stretching your legs, this is a good place to get some groceries or lunch from the deli. The deli is small, so they don’t have an enormous selection, but there’s more food here than you’ll find at your typical “rest stops”!
We’ve used both Pamela Dr and Stadium Dr to enter and exit the lot. We have plenty of clearance with our 30′ Airstream + 20′ truck, but both routes are slightly steep. If you’re bigger/longer than us, use your best judgment.
This place was a lucky find. We were driving from Gunnison to Somerset and just happened to pass through Crawford. As we rounded a turn driving through the town’s main strip, the Lazy J Coffee Shop caught my eye. We weren’t planning on stopping, but neither were in a big hurry that day, and coffee sounded really good. Most of the time I’d still keep driving because I’m not usually too keen on hunting for parking in a strange town while towing our 30′ Airstream. But lo and behold, just beyond the coffee shop was a long stretch of especially wide road and PLENTY of street parking. I pulled our rig to a stop along the curb rather spontaneously while my wife scratched her head wondered what the heck I was doing. Is something wrong, she asked? Nope, but we just passed a coffee shop, let’s go check it out! So glad we did. The coffee was great and so was the food. It was a great way to break up the drive. Highly recommended if you happen to be driving this way.
I’ve been to this rest area many times because I somewhat regularly drive between Torrance and Paso Robles. It’s one of the nicer, larger rest areas out there, which is nice. I’ve never had a hard time finding parking, regardless of whether I’m just in my truck or towing a boat or trailer. The bathrooms are pretty well kept (for a rest area, of course) and the entire premises in generally pretty nice. I wish there were more rest areas like this in the country. On our way out last time I noticed that there’s even a dump station here! Good to know for future reference.
This is our standard first stop anytime we’re heading north on 183 out from our hometown of Austin. It’s super convenient. There’s always plenty of street parking available and it gives us a chance to grab some food and go to the bathroom before getting back on the road. There are also coffee shops and restaurants within walking distance. Getting back on the main road is as easily as drive around the block. The streets in that neighborhood are super wide.
Another view of our preferred spot.
This is our 'normal' spot. It was occupied by another trailer today.
We weren’t towing when we stumbled across this lot, but we took a moment to pull in and take a closer look. We love exploring small towns like Ridgway, but when we’re towing it’s usually safe to assume that there won’t be any place for us to park our rig while we walk around. I wish more of these towns had lots just like this one. It’s very large, right off a paved road, and is within walking distance of all the towns restaurants and shops. The lot itself is dirt and relatively bumpy, but nothing to worry about if you’re driving slowly. The pictures in my review are from yesterday (a Saturday, late morning) and there were literally zero other vehicles parked there. Of course, it’s late in the season (September is next week) and there was rain in the forecast. So not sure if this lot is always this empty, but it’s good to know that it’s here for future reference!
It’s great that there’s an RV parking lot in this small mountain town. The lot is right inside the downtown area and close to the local hot springs. It’s free to park there. So if you’re passing through the town and want to stretch your legs or even check out the local scene, it’s good to know this is available. That said, once you turn from Main Street on to 9th Ave, it’s a relatively steep dirt/gravel road with no shortage of ruts, holes, and washboarded sections. Fortunately, it’s not far to the lot. The lot itself is pretty big, but when we took a look yesterday afternoon (a Saturday), it was pretty full—and most vehicles were not oversized. Instead, it was mostly occupied by ordinary cars and trucks. So be prepared that you may not find a spot suitable for your rig once you get down there. Like the road leading to it, the lot is mostly dirt and gravel and is similarly rutted. Still, all in all, it’s good to know that a lot like this is available. Ouray is a super cool town with lots of fun shops, restaurants, and bars. It feels like ice cream is sold from every other storefront.
Super cool place to take a break! The burritos were amazing. Lots of fun stuff in the gift shop. Bathrooms in good shape. Parking lot is huge and easily accessible from the highway. That said, the lot has seen better days. Lots of ruts and pot holes, but nothing you can’t maneuver around. Plenty of space to park rigs of any size. I will never be able to drive past here without stopping for a snack.
This was a perfect place to pull over for a quick pit stop. Wide open, smooth lot surface, easy in, and easy out.
We first stopped here 5 years ago on our very first big road trip. Either we were so excited about the trip that we didn’t notice how run-down it was, or it has gotten significantly worse over the years. I mean, even in primo condition, it wouldn’t be anything special. Just a relatively small rest stop / picnic area. But it would be nicer if the pavement wasn’t in such bad shape. For a while, we started skipping this place because it was filled with construction equipment and the concrete barriers were covered in graffiti. It has at least improved since those days. Now it’s just a convenient spot to pull off the highway, take a break, and hop back on. I haven’t looked at the picnic table itself in a long time (now that we have an RV, there’s no need), but I’d assume it’s in about the same shape as the pavement.
Never been in here and unfortunately never will. We’d never be able to turn around with our 30′ Airstream and 20′ truck. We’ve towed passed this place many times and I’ve always been curious about it, but one look at satellite images proves that if we dared to venture in, we may never get out! Unless you have a tiny RV, you should skip this one too. That said, it seems like the lot is always empty when we drive by, so if you can fit it might be a good stop for you.
We’ve stopped here several times while driving between Austin and the Ft. Worth area. Super convenient. Brookshire’s actual parking lot is a decent size for a store of its size, but it gets fairly busy with their normal grocery store shopper traffic. The high school lot next door, however, is huuuuuge and since we’ve always passed by on the weekends, it’s always been practically empty, making it very easy to pull in and park just about anywhere. It’s probably not a great option on a normal school day or if there’s some sort of even happening. Beyond just stretching your legs, this is a good place to get some groceries or lunch from the deli. The deli is small, so they don’t have an enormous selection, but there’s more food here than you’ll find at your typical “rest stops”!
We’ve used both Pamela Dr and Stadium Dr to enter and exit the lot. We have plenty of clearance with our 30′ Airstream + 20′ truck, but both routes are slightly steep. If you’re bigger/longer than us, use your best judgment.
This place was a lucky find. We were driving from Gunnison to Somerset and just happened to pass through Crawford. As we rounded a turn driving through the town’s main strip, the Lazy J Coffee Shop caught my eye. We weren’t planning on stopping, but neither were in a big hurry that day, and coffee sounded really good. Most of the time I’d still keep driving because I’m not usually too keen on hunting for parking in a strange town while towing our 30′ Airstream. But lo and behold, just beyond the coffee shop was a long stretch of especially wide road and PLENTY of street parking. I pulled our rig to a stop along the curb rather spontaneously while my wife scratched her head wondered what the heck I was doing. Is something wrong, she asked? Nope, but we just passed a coffee shop, let’s go check it out! So glad we did. The coffee was great and so was the food. It was a great way to break up the drive. Highly recommended if you happen to be driving this way.
I’ve been to this rest area many times because I somewhat regularly drive between Torrance and Paso Robles. It’s one of the nicer, larger rest areas out there, which is nice. I’ve never had a hard time finding parking, regardless of whether I’m just in my truck or towing a boat or trailer. The bathrooms are pretty well kept (for a rest area, of course) and the entire premises in generally pretty nice. I wish there were more rest areas like this in the country. On our way out last time I noticed that there’s even a dump station here! Good to know for future reference.
This is our standard first stop anytime we’re heading north on 183 out from our hometown of Austin. It’s super convenient. There’s always plenty of street parking available and it gives us a chance to grab some food and go to the bathroom before getting back on the road. There are also coffee shops and restaurants within walking distance. Getting back on the main road is as easily as drive around the block. The streets in that neighborhood are super wide.
Another view of our preferred spot.
This is our 'normal' spot. It was occupied by another trailer today.
Shot of our spot up close.
Nice shady spot for us!