San Juan del Lago | Established Campground

Mexico

WARNING: THIS PLACE IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED!

Details

Verified:
about 2 years ago
Altitude:
1912.2 masl
Website:
Phone:
None
Contributor:
bobandmarilyn

Amenities

Electricity:
Yes
Wifi:
No
Kitchen:
No
Restaurant:
No
Showers:
No
Water:
Non-Potable
Toilets:
Running Water
Big Rig Friendly:
No
Tent Friendly:
Yes
Pet Friendly:
Yes
Sanitation Dump Station:
Unknown

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Description

Hi all the travellers, unfortunately we have to close down the park temporally until further notice. Thank you for staying with us.

Campground overlooking Lake Cuitzeo with large private sites. Great central location from which to visit Cuitzeo, Morelia, Patzcuaro and the butterfly sanctuary. Full hookups (or boondocking) available, fast WiFi, communal kitchen, cheap ($1 - $2) mineral baths in the small town.

Arturo can arrange for guided horse tours by the lake for a 200-300 per person. He does not make a cut, just arranges it through his friend for you.

Hikes up the local mountain access able from the campground.

Art, the owner/host speaks excellent English and is a great host. Art can meet you to guide you to the campground if desired. GPS coordinates to the entry gate: 19.90672, -101.11954. Open the gate, drive up the hill and you're there!

The owner, Arturo, is creating his dream campground here. Bathrooms are great, view is great, sites are spacious and have excellent hook-ups. electricity 15 amp, 30 amp and 50 amp. He's built his own sewage plant. It's a steep drive in but do-able for everyone unless driving a low-powered big rig. Arturo took us all over the little town of San Juan Tararameo which is sitting on top of a hot water reservoir. There are hot water wells all around town and a very simple, basic hot water bath where you can soak for as long as you want for $1 US. He also took us to Cuitzeo, across the lake, which is very historic and interesting. So much potential here!

The gate is always locked, if possible you should call or email Arturo before you come. The number is 443-228-3839. Or, park in front of the gate and walk in to find Arturo (or another camper who can give you the gate code).

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Latest Check-Ins

The road in isn’t that bad. The hill is somewhat steep and but very do able. The rest of the description is spot on. Call before you get to the gate. I stayed 3 nights and it was very good family friendly. Would recommend this place

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This is not big rig friendly at all. The way in through the town was horrible we were lucky that we didn't take our roof off. If you are anything larger than a sprinter van don't do it.
It's gravel road all the way which is difficult but once you actually get through the gate it's more gravel and a 45 degree incline up a dirt and gravel road. We turned around and left. That was just a hard almost took out our mirrors on the coach.
This is a definite hard pass. Your better off to drive towards Mexico city and stay at a Pemex overnight then try and get into his place.

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The place was pretty lonely during covid. I can see that once it was lovley and bustling with life. Now the kitchen is not functioning. The place felt a bit eerie.

We arrived after dark having had a longer day on the road then expected. The gate wasn’t locked. Arturo came and met us and gave us a little tour and turned on the water heater for us to shower. He was lovely and accommodating. I hope the tourists will return after covid

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nous avons pas les mêmes notions sur ce qui est un camping. personne pour nous accueillir. code du cadenas 2020, pas de wifi, pas de gas, pas de papier toilette, pas de porte ou rideau de douche, grosse route juste à cote en descende donc tous les camions pétaradant et ça toute la nuit.

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Such great descriptions above and all so true. My family has the pleasure of spending 4 days with Art, Christina and kids. Such a welcoming family that we now feel forever a part of. We hiked to town and soaked in the mineral baths (100 pesos per person) and took a day trip with Art and kids to see the butterflies! Already missing them all! The town is very small without many offerings, but you can get fresh corn tortillas and veggies. The perfect spot to stop when you are in this area.

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Arturo, the owner, is very welcoming and devoted for his guests. The secret code “Monarch” is no longer available for a discount. That discount was given during the construction because there was no services. Now this is 400 pesos/night for water, electricity, sewer and a wonderful view on the lake.

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This is a great place to visit and spend some time. The owner Arturo is a great host. He will make sure that you are welcome and taken care of. The nearby town Cuitzeo has something to offer to the visitors as well.

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We gave Aturo 30mins notice before our arrival mid afternoon and he was very accommodating. He and his family are really lovely people and are creating an eco park out of these lands which will accommodate like minded RVers. However they do indeed welcome overnighters and drop-in visits. We really wish we could stay for another couple of days here, but we are on the clock to meet some friends in the east.

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Spent 5 nights here with Arturo and the family. It is a beautiful spot - Site 8 has good shade and a view of the lake that is perfect. Great place for longer term stays - there is excellent shopping and restaurants in the area. The thermal baths are quite fun. There are also water-parks nearby. Quitzeo, across the causeway is a Pueblo Magico with beautiful churches, museums and a botanical garden. Morelia is less than an hour away and is worth several visits. The hookups are North American standard and great care has been taken to give lots of space between sites. This was our second visit with Arturo, Christine and the children and we certainly hope it will not be the last. Arturo is promoting possible connections with other sites in Mexico. He wants to make your visit full of special memories!

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Nothing much to add others have not said. Arturo is a great guy. We were tent camping on motorcycles and had to search a bit for a site that had a non-gravel base to set up the tent, but it was lovely. Google takes you to the gate as others indicated. Called Arturo once there and he gave me the code to unlock. I made reservation with him in advance so he knew we were coming.

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You must call before to arrange for the gate to be opnned. We call several times an emailed the same day, did not get an answer and went there anyway. Gate was closed, and far away from site. We left

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Great campsite: one of our favorites in Mexico. Use DISCOUNT CODE "MONARCH" when you camp here; Art made it available.

Very friendly and welcoming host Arturo who can help you with what you need, including tips for sightseeing in the area. Camp with full hookups (or boondock and pay less), including laundry, and a great view from the hillside onto the lake and lake-front towns. We stayed 2 weeks and received a better rate. We took day trips from here to the butterflies (Sierra Chincua), Morelia and the nearby pueblo magico of Cuitzeo. This is a large campground with plenty of room to walk your dog and you can easily walk to the lake (not suitable for swimming unfortunately). You can walk to the small town and buy fresh groceries, drive a few minutes to Cuitzeo for sightseeing and the bi-weekly market, or find all you need (Walmart, Home Depot, ...) in Morelia 20 minutes away. Great natural warm spring water baths in town to relax.

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150 pesos with no hookups. The place is beautiful and quite. Although there is a road very close to it, so a little noisy but you are in the middle of nature. Don’t feed the horses as they can become aggressive.
The location shown here in ioverlander is for the gate, then you need to go up, closer to the main road. On the gate is only written private property, nothing else. If you ask the locals they don’t even know there is a campground.

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Nice campsite, some of the sites have great views.
Bathrooms are super, big, clean and hot shower.
We paid 400 P a night.

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hermoso lugar en la montaña con vista al lago! muy amable Arturo y su familia

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Emailed. No reply. Phoned. No answer. Drove there. No one there. From all the others comments it sounds wise not to go unless you have a booking. Disappointed.

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Arturo, as mentioned by every one in the post was as described(very friendly, generous and welcoming nature). We stayed 2 nights instead of planned one night. Met Christina and her lovely 3 kids. Our daughter enjoyed meeting new friends and they had a lovely time. Of course not to forget the dogs(I think 9 of them).

We had dinner together the last evening and yapped until late about life and travel :-) had an excellent time. Thanks to the beautiful people!

We crossed the village with 25ft RV, few km of dirt road and then we arrive in front of the gate. We could not reach him so we settled to eat outside the gate. Later we tried and he gave us the gate code to enter. We stayed below the campsite, excellent lake view and quiet.

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No one answered the phone so we poked around. Looks like they left for the holiday. We went a bit further down the road, took a left, and within 150 meters we dry camped on the shore of Lago de Cuitzeo. Were joined by some local day users. Fantastic birding!

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Great stay, wonderful spot to chill. Arturo is a great host. We had a great time here.

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J’ai appelé Arturo et il ne prends plus de camper pour un soir. Trop de trouble pour venir nous chercher à la jonction de la route. Il me recommande d’aller dans la ville voisine passé le lac il y’a un arrêt touristique. L’autoroute à quand même coûté assez cher par la 43D alors appelé d’avance si vous ne voulez pas être déçu.

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Arturo is wonderful! My vehicle wasn't able to get up the steep hill to the main campground, but he set me up in a flat spot with a view of the lake further down. It was a nice, quiet, safe, peaceful spot to spend a couple of nights, and I had good LTE cell service here.

He said he's really hoping to find visitors who will stay longer, like at least 5 days or more. Ideally those would be people who want to stay awhile and explore the area, or perhaps get involved with his new permaculture project.

He said there are a couple of other options for people who are just passing through, but neither of them is listed on iOverlander yet -- one is in the town of Cuitzeo (other side of the lake), and the other is a Balneario, I think a bit west of this campground. I haven't checked out either of these places.

Even though I didn't fit his ideal visitor profile (I only stayed 2 nights), he was a very gracious host, and even invited me to dinner at his house one evening. If you'd like to visit this area for awhile, or find out more about the permaculture project, then this is a great place! (-:

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The place is on Google Maps now (not on maps.me though) so it’s easy to find. Just follow the directions given by the app and you’ll end up at the gate mentioned below.
Unfortunately most of the sites are exposed to the loud noise of the autopista running right behind.

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Amazing place with amazing people!!!
We ware in a rush so we stayed just two night but we would of stayed months!
Beautyfull permaculture project, family environment and cheap price! Dont go by without staying at least one night here!!! 😃❤️

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Amazing place to stay. planned to stay just for the night, ended up staying three nights. More than just an RV park, they are creating an ecological, self sufficient farming expat community, that will cooperate with the local people. They are currently looking for people to join them. Host is an inspiring person.

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Beautiful place to stay with everything you need. Art is a very kind host. The property has 9 or 10 rescue dogs that are friendly, five horses and even a cat! We loved it here. I've added some GPS co-ordinates to the description to help with navigation. Don't follow Google Maps.

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A lovely place - wish we could have stayed longer. Arturo is a great host and our kids had fun roaming around with the other family that is currently staying there for an extended period. The showers were hot and the views over the lake unbeatable. There was a bit of noise from the highway but it wasn't bothersome. Make sure you use the coordinates listed here as you have to drive through town to get out to the site. A great spot. We went through in the wet season and had no problem on the road with our truck camper but I'd check first with Arturo (with a bigger rig) before driving in.

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Artura has built a wonderful, centrally located RV Park here 20 minutes north of Morelia. The services are top notch including site size, electric and WiFi. He delights in taking his guests around the area and explaining everything to them.

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English version below.
Nous conduisons un motorisé classe À, 40' pusher/diesel et sommes restés une semaine. Le site est situé à la jonction de la 15 et la 43, à 20 minute au nord de Morelia. Le Campement est niché en haut d'une colline et offre une vue imprenable sur le lac Cuitzeo, le 2e plus grand au Mexique. Vous devez réserver à l'avance en tout temps ( http://www.sanjuandellago.com ) pour deux raisons: barrière donnant accès au parc est toujours barrée (pour votre sécurité) et si vous faite plus de 30' (attendez au point GPS suivant: N19.920026 W101.143565) vous aurez besoin d'être guidé par le proprio, Arturo, afin de manœuvrer dans les rues étroites au travers de la ville. Ensuite vous aurez une côte d'une bonne inclinaison et en très bonne condition à monter. Nous l'avons fait sans aucun problème.

Le campement vous offre:
Eau, électricité 15,30 ou 50 amp, et égout.
Des lots immenses pour vous garer avec vue sur le lac et les montagnes. Tranquillité assurée. Douches et toilettes impécablement propre. Cuisine publique. Terrasse avec vue etc.

Un excellent arrêt (court, moyen et long terme) pour visiter: Sanctuaire papillons Monarque, Morelia, plusieurs Pueblo Magicos, Patzcuaro, Cuitzeo, sites eaux thermales ... Belles randonnées à cheval ou à vélos (plusieurs sentiers), kayak, pêche...Arturo adore servir de guide, demander-lui de vous faire découvrir la région!

300 pesos/nuit

Nous recommandons fortement et nous reviendrons l'automne prochain!

We are driving a class A, 40 'pusher/diesel and stayed for one week. The site is located at the junction of 15 and 43, 20 minutes north of Morelia. The Campement is nestled on top of a hill and offers breathtaking views of Cuitzeo Lake, the 2nd largest in Mexico. You must book in advance at all times (http://www.sanjuandellago.com) for two reasons: barrier giving access to the park is always barred (for your safety) and if you make more than 30 '(wait at point GPS following: N19.920026 W101.143565) you will need to be guided by the owner, Arturo, in order to maneuver in the narrow streets across the city. Then you will have a hill with a good inclination and in very good condition to climb. We did it without any problems.

The camp offers you:
Water, electricity 15,30 or 50 amp, and sewer.
Huge lots to park with views of the lake and the mountains. Tranquility assured. Shower and toilet immaculately clean. Public kitchen.

An excellent stop (short, medium and long term) to visit: Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, Morelia, several Pueblo Magicos, Patzcuaro, Cuitzeo, hot springs ... Beautiful horseback rides or bikes (several trails), kayak, fishing. ..Arturo loves to serve as a guide, ask him to make you discover the region!

300 pesos/night
We definitely recommend and we will be back next fall!

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This campground is not for free anymore. It was to promote the campground, to get it started. Arturo is now asking a donation of 300pesos full hooked up, 200pesos without electricity. Very nice shower, good wifi. Nobody mentioned the road passing by behind the campground. At the height of the site is a sound barrier but when you are a bad sleeper, use your earplugs that is good enough.

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FYI when driving towards the camping use the "libre" not the "toll " road because the camping is not accessible from the toll road although it is right beside the toll road. nice spot for relaxing a few days. will report after a few days.

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Un des plus beaux terrains de camping de tout le Mexique.
Nous avions prévu rester une nuit, nous y sommes restés 5 nuits.
Eau, électricité 15,30 ou 50 amp, et égout.
énormément d'espace entre chacun des emplacements. Hyper tranquille malgré l'autoroute qui passe près.
Pour accéder au camping, il faut traverser un village avec des rues étroites, si vous avez un véhicule de plus de 30 pieds, il est préférable d'attendre que le propriétaire vienne vous chercher au point GPS suivant: N19.920026 W101.143565
si vous êtes plus court, vous pouvez vous rendre à la barrière sans problème. La barrière est barrée en tout temps, mais le propriétaire Arturo habite sur place, appelez le sur la route une heure avant d'arriver. Après la barrière, il y a une bonne côte à monter. Nous avons un classe C de 32 pieds avec un Ford E450 et on a monté sans problème. En ce moment, il y a 2 fift-wheel et 3 classe A.

Le site internet est très complet: http://www.sanjuandellago.com.
300 pesos par nuit
ou 3500 pesos pour un mois pour du 30 ampères.
Un excellent arrêt pour ceux qui reviennent de la mer et qui veulent visiter les environs.

Nous recommandons!

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This Facility is NOT closed! This is a hidden gem of a hideaway with gorgeous views! We spent a week here relaxing, doing maontenamce, and exploring the area. Amazing views of the lake and towns below. Enjoy hikes, natural hot water baths, comfortable weather, and uncomparable hospitality of the owner, Arturo (Art). Art speaks excellent English and is proud to show you around the area and make recommendations. The showers are very nice and clean and hot. There Is A restaurant/Common AREA Kitchen With Fire pits.

We were offered a free weeks stay to explore and enjoy the area. The coordi.ates are spot on and will bring you right to the gate. You must call Art who lives onsite and will open the gate for you. The number is in the other visitors review. Large sites, with water, electric and sewer available. The WiFi Is fast. The climb to the entrance is a little steep but concrete offers plenty of traction and very doable. We visited Morelia from this site, very convenient. Check it out!

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free for 'boondockers' not requiring electricity. Large spaces but access is not easy through small village streets and steep hill. No signs, ring first - and don't follow google maps, follow the GPS coordinates from the website!!

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Great place. Huge spaces and nice large and clean restrooms. Not really convenient to any grocery stores, etc. make sure to call ahead of time too let Art know you're coming.

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called number listed and no answer. gate locked.

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rv park with much space for every one. you got a beautiful view to the lake. just 35min. from Morelia. Electricity also for big rigs available. water and dump at every place. the owner was very friendly and show you everything you want. bathrooms and showers are in good condition. great and quiet place to hang out.

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Owner Arturo is working hard to get a good thing going. 21 enormous spaces, full hookups, hot showers, and great view of lago cuitzeo. A very steep climb to the camp, but apparently big rvs do make it. He is still working on things so is offering one week FREE to anyone who wants to come and enjoy this great area. Art also loves taking people around to show off his favorite spots. You MUST call first so he can be there to open the gate

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Don’t try to show up unannounced. Don’t follow your GPS. Don’t attempt it with your big rig. We tried and get lost. Went downtown for a while. People were acting sort of strange to our presence. On the way back to the highway we tried to find it once again. We saw a large military presence at the end of the road just past the entrance gate. We honked the horn at the gate for a while with no response. My wife didn’t like the vibe of the area and said let’s leave. The next day when we read the news, we saw this. This happened in the field right past their entrance gate.

https://www.businessinsider.com/mexican-mayor-arrested-for-allegedly-ordering-a-massacre-2016-8

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Located on a hill above Lago Cuitzeo at the junction of Mexico 15D and Mexico 43D just north of Morelia. The owner, Arturo, is creating his dream campground here. Bathrooms are great, view is great, sites are spacious and have excellent hook-ups. He's built his own sewage plant. It's a steep drive in but do-able for everyone unless driving a low-powered big rig. Arturo took us all over the little town of San Juan Tararameo which is sitting on top of a hot water reservoir. There are hot water wells all around town and a very simple, basic hot water bath where you can soak for as long as you want for $1 US. He also took us to Cuitzeo, across the lake, which is very historic and interesting. So much potential here! He says he isn't officially open because he's still working with the city to get a better entrance road. Because of that, he didn't charge us a penny to spend 2 nights with all amenities, plus a free guided tour of the area. As of January, 2016, you should call before you come because he doesn't have a sign up. The number is 443-228-3839. Arturo loves where he is and wants everyone to love it as well.

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