BLM · Gunnison · Colorado

Oh Be Joyful Campground

Approximately 5 miles from Crested Butte, Colorado, Oh Be Joyful Campground is a 30-unit campground along the Slate River. The campground itself gets its name from nearby Oh Be Joyful Creek that features massive waterfalls and colorful wildflowers in the summer months. The campground is located at approximately 9,000 feet in elevation and the views are spectacular. There is no cell service at this location, please save or print a copy of your reservation confirmation prior to arrival.

Reservable · Recreation.gov 30 sites From $20 per night 58 ft max No hookupsPets ok

More like this: reservable in Colorado · big rigs in Colorado · pets allowed in Colorado · group sites in Colorado

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗

Photos courtesy of BLM · Recreation.gov

1fire
active

Willow · 39 mi away · 7,359 acres

Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-16

Incident details ↓

Site mix

Walk-in		15
RV, no hookups		13
Group tent areas		1
Host/management		1

Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

Will my RV fit

Towing a trailerRear or front mounted accessoriesi

Tow vehicle length, ftTrailer length, ft

The longest site here provides 20 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter.

Have the trailer VIN? It carries the trailer length.

29 sites in 3 loops. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

Site	Loop	Type	Entry	Fits, ft	Surface	Shade	Waterfront	People / vehicles	Fires	Accessible	Rating
18	Group Campsite	Group tent	Back-in		Gravel			20 / 5	Yes	Yes	Preferred
1	Main Loop	RV	Back-in	43	Gravel	Partial	Riverfront	8 / 2	Yes	Yes	Preferred
2	Main Loop	RV	Back-in	34	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes	Yes	Preferred
3	Main Loop	RV	Back-in	34	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes	Yes	Preferred
4	Main Loop	RV		21	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes	Yes	Preferred
5	Main Loop	RV	Back-in	48	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes	Yes	Preferred
6	Main Loop	RV		16	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes	Yes	Preferred
7	Main Loop	Walk-in	Back-in	18	Gravel	Partial		8 / 1	Yes		Preferred
8	Main Loop	Walk-in	Back-in	18	Gravel	Partial		8 / 1	Yes		Preferred
9	Main Loop	Walk-in	Back-in	18	Gravel	Partial		8 / 1	Yes		Preferred

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 02:00 PM, checkout 02:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

Hookups	None
Max vehicle length	58 ft
Equipment	RVs & trailers, Tents
Pets	Allowed
Fees	Fee $20 per night at individual sites, $60 per night at group sites. 22 Sites can be reserved 180-days in advance. The remaining 7 sites can be reserved 4 days in advance. Reservations are required for all sites. 14 Day Max Stay
Accessibility	Sites 18, 1, 2, 3 and 9 more are listed accessible

This 30-unit campground was recently renovated and has 14 RV campsites, 15 walk-in tent campsites, one walk-in group campsite and 3 vault restrooms. This campground is normally full and not available unless you have a reservation. Each campsite has a parking space, metal fire ring, picnic table, tent pad and bear proof food storage locker. Drinking water, electric hook-ups and trash service are not available at Oh Be Joyful so bring your own water and plan to take your own trash with you when you leave. Parking is available for day use visitors who come to Oh Be Joyful to hike, play in the water, picnic, etc. The access road (BLM Road 3220) into Oh Be Joyful Campground is steep and can be rough. The campground can accommodate RVs but the rough road down to the campground may not be suitable for larger low clearance rigs. Be aware BLM is a multi-use land management agency, cattle may enter the camping area during your stay.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Crested Butte, 4 miles from the campground at 8,867 feet, station USC00051959 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 24 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 203 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

From the town of Crested Butte, drive north on Gothic Road. (County road 317) towards Mount Crested Butte. Cross the Slate River and turn left on Slate River Road (County Road 734). Follow this up the valley for approximately 5 miles to BLM Road 3220.

Coordinates

38.9144° N, 107.0328° W · Directions ↗

Charges and cancellations

Reservations cannot be modified less than 72 hours prior to reservation start date. This means no modifications can be made to a 4-day advanced reservation.
Only 2 modifications can be made to a 180-day advanced reservations sites.
Reservation cancellations occurring less than 72 hours prior to reservation start date are subject to NO REFUND.

Fire nearby

Wildfire
Willow
39 mi from the campground · 7,359 acres · 92% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Outdoor gear	Butte & Co. ↗	3.7 mi
Dump station	Dump station ↗	23.8 mi
RV sales & service	Holiday RV ↗	58.4 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

Oh Be Joyful Campground Crested Butte, Colorado

Worth a stop

3.4 mi
Kebler Pass Winter Trailhead ↗Trailhead
13.1 mi
Erickson Springs Picnic Site ↗Day use

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

0.5 mi
Oh-Be-Joyful
3.5 mi trail · hiking, horse
0.7 mi
Slate River Snowmobile/Ski ↗
5.8 mi trail · snowmobile, snowshoe, ski
1.8 mi
Daisy Pass ↗
10.3 mi trail · hiking, horse
2.1 mi
Gunsight Pass ↗
5.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more
2.5 mi
Washington Gulch Snowmo/Ski ↗
5.1 mi trail · snowmobile, snowshoe, ski
2.9 mi
Snodgrass Spur 2A
0.6 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests.

in
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests ↗
National Forest · Forest Service · 3,153,199 acres
3.8 mi
Raggeds Wilderness ↗
Wilderness · Forest Service · 64,307 acres
4.2 mi
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness ↗
Wilderness · Forest Service · 181,973 acres

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Other campgrounds nearby

Lost Lake Campground-Paonia RD

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Town of Crested Butte (Boundary Increase and Boundary Decrease)Historic district · Crested Butte · 4 mi
Crested Butte Denver and Rio Grande Railroad DepotBuilding · Crested Butte · 4.2 mi
Crystal MillBuilding · Crystal · 10.7 mi

Natural features

The campground sits directly on the east bank of the Slate River and is nestled in a valley with mountains on either side of the valley. Due to the abundance of moisture in the spring and early summer, wildflowers are abundant. Look for our State flower the Columbine and other species including Indian Paintbrush and Avalanche Lilies.

Recreation

This premier area is known for camping, fishing, horseback riding, sight-seeing, hiking/walking, water play, kayaking, mountain biking, wildflower viewing, and motorized recreational uses. A foot bridge allows visitors to access the west side of the Slate River to hike along Oh Be Joyful Creek and into the Raggeds Wilderness.

Guidebooks for Gunnison and Colorado

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

TRUE GRIT the Real Uncompahgre Explorer Gunnison River Indian Tribes
Robert Rees, 2017
Find at Bookshop.org
Your Guide to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Michael Oswald, 2012
Find at Bookshop.org
Best Tent Camping: Colorado
Kim Lipker and Johnny Molloy, 2018
Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Oh Be Joyful Campground?

Sites at Oh Be Joyful Campground are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at Oh Be Joyful Campground?

Fee $20 per night at individual sites, $60 per night at group sites. 22 Sites can be reserved 180-days in advance. The remaining 7 sites can be reserved 4 days in advance.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Oh Be Joyful Campground?

Check-in 02:00 PM, checkout 02:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Oh Be Joyful Campground have?

30 sites, including 15 walk-in sites, 13 RV sites without hookups, and 1 group tent area.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Oh Be Joyful Campground?

The longest site here provides 58 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Are pets allowed at Oh Be Joyful Campground?

Yes, pets are allowed at Oh Be Joyful Campground. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are there accessible sites at Oh Be Joyful Campground?

Sites 18, 1, 2, and 3 are listed accessible on Recreation.gov, 13 sites in all. What that covers (a paved pad, an accessible table, a nearby accessible restroom) is on each site's booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Oh Be Joyful Campground?

Source: Recreation

What if Oh Be Joyful Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Lake Irwin (4.6 mi), Gothic (4.9 mi, first-come), and Lost Lake Campground-Paonia RD (10 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby