Guides · Booking windows

When do Colorado campsites open? Booking windows, agency by agency.

Most reservable campgrounds open 6 months ahead. The exceptions are where people miss their dates.

A yellow tent at Piñon Flats Campground at dusk, below the snowy Sangre de Cristo peaks
Photo: NPS / Patrick Myers · Public domain
  • Most campgrounds6 months ahead
  • recreation.gov releaseUsually 8 a.m. MT
  • State parks6 months, at midnight

How far ahead can you book a Colorado campsite?

It depends on who runs the campground. recreation.gov says each facility sets its own window, and most campsites can be booked 6 months before arrival. Here’s each agency, from its own pages.

National parks

Booked on recreation.gov
  • Usually 6 months
  • Piñon Flats: 3 months

Rocky Mountain National Park opens summer sites 6 months ahead of each camping date. Great Sand Dunes opens Piñon Flats only 3 months ahead. Mesa Verde’s Morefield Campground isn’t on recreation.gov at all: the park’s concessioner, Aramark, takes those bookings.

RMNP camping page ↗

National forests

Booked on recreation.gov
  • 6 months
  • Group sites: 12 months

San Juan and Rio Grande forest pages state 6 months ahead for individual sites and 12 for group sites. Some sites use shorter windows, such as two weeks or four days. No Colorado-wide Forest Service page states a window.

San Juan campground guide ↗

Colorado state parks

Booked on CPWshop.com
  • 6 months
  • Opens at midnight

Colorado Parks and Wildlife opens each arrival date 6 months ahead, at midnight Mountain Time. Its own example: a July 3 arrival opens at 12:00 a.m. on January 3. Campsite Ranger doesn’t watch state parks, so book these on CPWshop.com directly.

CPW reservations page ↗

BLM land

Mostly first-come
  • Set campground by campground

BLM says its campsites are typically first-come, first-served, and some take reservations on recreation.gov. Windows are set campground by campground. At Mill Creek near Lake City, 13 sites can be reserved up to 180 days ahead in peak season, and the rest are first-come.

BLM camping page ↗

What time do new dates open?

On recreation.gov, usually 8 a.m. Mountain Time (7 a.m. Pacific, 10 a.m. Eastern). recreation.gov’s own words are “but not always,” so check the campground’s Seasons and Fees tab for its time. At Saddlehorn in Colorado National Monument, same-day sites open at 8 a.m. each day.

On CPWshop.com, midnight. State park dates go live at 12:00 a.m. Mountain Time, six months before arrival.

Our release reminders put the morning a campground’s dates open on your calendar, so you’re at the screen when it counts.

Get release reminders

Which Colorado campgrounds don’t follow the 6-month rule?

These are the ones that catch people out. Plan around the wrong window and you show up on release morning to dates that sold out weeks ago, or haven’t opened yet.

Piñon Flats

  • 3 months ahead

Great Sand Dunes’ only developed campground opens half as far out as most, so summer dates go on sale later than you’d expect.

NPS Piñon Flats page ↗

Group sites

  • Up to 12 months ahead

The San Juan and Rio Grande forests open group sites up to 12 months ahead. So does Glacier Basin in RMNP, on a rolling window.

San Juan campground guide ↗

Short-term releases

  • 2 weeks or 1 week ahead

RMNP holds some sites back for short-term release. At Glacier Basin, some open 2 weeks before the camping date and some 1 week before.

Glacier Basin on recreation.gov ↗

Morefield (Mesa Verde)

  • Not on recreation.gov

Aramark runs reservations, and its page says reservations are accepted but not required for dry tent and RV sites. It doesn’t post a booking window.

Morefield on visitmesaverde.com ↗

First-come campgrounds have no window at all. You can’t book them, only show up.

First-come campgrounds in Colorado

Booking windows for popular campgrounds

Each campground below has its own page with its rules, its source and how often sold-out sites open back up, from our own logs.

Moraine Park

Rocky Mountain National Park
  • 6 months ahead

Summer reservations open on recreation.gov 6 months ahead of each camping date, one night at a time. The park hasn't posted summer 2027 dates yet and says to check back in mid-November.

Moraine Park page

Piñon Flats

Great Sand Dunes National Park
  • 3 months ahead

Individual and group sites can be reserved on recreation.gov up to 3 months ahead, per the park. That's shorter than the six months many campgrounds use, so summer dates open later than you might expect. Group sites must be booked at least four days ahead.

Piñon Flats page

Zapata Falls

BLM land near Great Sand Dunes
  • 6 months ahead

BLM says reservations open on recreation.gov up to 6 months ahead. That comes from BLM's 2021 announcement, and the current campground page doesn't restate it, so confirm the window on recreation.gov.

Zapata Falls page

Dowdy Lake

Red Feather Lakes, Roosevelt National Forest
  • No window posted

Neither the Forest Service page 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.

Dowdy Lake page

Black Canyon South Rim

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
  • No window posted

Neither the park's camping page 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.

South Rim page

Elk Creek (Blue Mesa)

Curecanti National Recreation Area
  • No window posted

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.

Elk Creek page
All campground pages

Missed the release morning?

Sold out isn’t final. Set a watch for your dates and we’ll email you when a site opens. You book it yourself on recreation.gov. Setting a watch is free.

Set a watch
Sources, verified Oct 29, 2026

Every rule on this page comes from the agency’s own page, read on Oct 29, 2026: recreation.gov’s reservation tips and FAQ, Glacier Basin, the RMNP, Piñon Flats and Saddlehorn pages, Morefield, the San Juan and Rio Grande national forests, the Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and BLM’s camping and Mill Creek pages. Agencies change these rules. Check the campground’s own page before you plan around a release day.

Common questions

What time do recreation.gov campsites open in Colorado?

recreation.gov says most campgrounds go on sale at 8 a.m. Mountain Time (10 a.m. Eastern), but not always. The exact time and date for each campground are on its Seasons and Fees tab. Colorado state parks are different: new dates open at midnight on CPWshop.com.

How far in advance can you book Rocky Mountain National Park campgrounds?

Six months ahead of each camping date, on recreation.gov. The park lists its summer 2027 opening dates as to be decided and says to check back in mid-November. Longs Peak Campground can't be booked at all: it's the park's only first-come, first-served campground in summer.

When do Colorado state park campsites open?

Six months before your arrival date, at midnight Mountain Time, on CPWshop.com or by phone. A July 3 arrival, for example, opens at 12:00 a.m. on January 3.

Is the booking window always six months?

No. recreation.gov says each facility sets its own window. Piñon Flats at Great Sand Dunes opens 3 months ahead, many group sites open up to 12 months ahead, and some campgrounds hold sites back for releases 2 weeks or 1 week out.

What if my dates sold out the morning they opened?

Sold out isn't final. People cancel all season, and those sites go back on sale on recreation.gov to whoever books first. Set a free Campsite Ranger watch and we'll email you when a site for your dates opens. You book it yourself; Campsite Ranger never books for anyone.