Campgrounds · Curecanti National Recreation Area

Elk Creek (Blue Mesa) campground: reservations and cancellations

A large Blue Mesa Reservoir campground near the marina, boat ramp and visitor center.

Watch Elk Creek
  • ReservableLoops A, B and D
  • First-comeLoop C
  • Openings we logged, Oct 1–26125

When do Elk Creek reservations open?

Neither the park's Elk Creek map nor the campground's recreation.gov page states a booking window. Check which dates are on sale on its recreation.gov page before you plan around a release day.

The park's Elk Creek map shows Loops A, B and D as reservable and Loop C as first-come, first-served. In winter, recreation.gov notes the flush toilets, water and dump station are off and vault toilets are in use.

Rules verified Oct 29, 2026 against the park's Elk Creek map and recreation.gov. Rules change: check before you book.

How often does Elk Creek open back up?

Between Oct 1–26, 2026, a site-night at Elk Creek came back as available 125 times, across 112 different site-nights. The median opening was for a night 3 days out, so the best odds are for trips in the next week or two.

What time openings showed up

12 a.m.: 2 openings12a1 a.m.: 1 opening2 a.m.: 0 openings3 a.m.: 0 openings4 a.m.: 1 opening5 a.m.: 2 openings6 a.m.: 2 openings6a7 a.m.: 1 opening8 a.m.: 15 openings9 a.m.: 16 openings169a10 a.m.: 0 openings11 a.m.: 6 openingsnoon: 1 opening12p1 p.m.: 16 openings2 p.m.: 4 openings3 p.m.: 3 openings4 p.m.: 12 openings5 p.m.: 4 openings6 p.m.: 13 openings6p7 p.m.: 8 openings8 p.m.: 7 openings9 p.m.: 8 openings10 p.m.: 2 openings11 p.m.: 1 opening11p

Busiest stretch: 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., with 26% of openings. Peak hour: 9 a.m. (16).

  • Median lead time3 days before arrival
  • Nights within a week82% of openings
  • Friday and Saturday nights47% of openings

Want Elk Creek for your dates?

Pick your nights and we’ll email you when a site opens. You book it yourself on recreation.gov. Setting a watch is free.

Watch Elk Creek

Nearby and related

South Rim campgroundLive conditions board
Where these numbers come from

Our census checks the campgrounds we cover on recreation.gov on a regular schedule and logs each time a site-night switches to available. These counts cover Oct 1–26, 2026. A site someone cancelled and someone else booked before our next check isn’t counted, so the real number is higher. The census can’t tell a cancellation from a site released for the first time. Sites recreation.gov marks as first-come (“Open”) aren’t counted. More in our cancellation data.

Common questions

When do Elk Creek reservations open?

Neither the park's Elk Creek map nor the campground's recreation.gov page states a booking window. Check which dates are on sale on its recreation.gov page before you plan around a release day.

What is the season at Elk Creek?

The park's Elk Creek map shows Loops A, B and D as reservable and Loop C as first-come, first-served. In winter, recreation.gov notes the flush toilets, water and dump station are off and vault toilets are in use.

Do Elk Creek sites open up after it sells out?

Yes. Between Oct 1–26, 2026 we counted 125 times a site-night at Elk Creek came back as available on recreation.gov, across 112 different site-nights. Most were for nights close in: the median was 3 days before arrival.

Can Campsite Ranger book Elk Creek for me?

No. Campsite Ranger never books for anyone and never asks for your recreation.gov login. It emails you when a site for your dates opens, and you book it yourself on recreation.gov.