Open Year-round
No
Reservations possible?
No
RV Hookups
No
Potable water
No
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

Joy is described as a feeling of great pleasure or happiness, so it’s no wonder that Oh Be Joyful Campground in the heart of the Gunnison National Forest is a popular place for outdoor enthusiasts to lay their head at night between adventures in the region.

Those adventures are seemingly endless and include abundance of hiking and backpacking trails, world-class mountain biking, paddling, fly fishing, horseback riding, skiing, four-wheel roads, wildlife watching, and more. While campers are immersed deep in a valley along the Slate River, the town of Crested Butte is located a convenient 5 miles away with restaurants and stores to resupply.

The campground itself gets its name from a nearby stream that features massive waterfalls and colorful wildflowers in the summer months. There are 15 campsites, and over half are accessed by high-clearance vehicles that can safely cross the Slate River when water levels are low late in the season. The campground can accommodate RVs, although the short, rough road down to the campground may be unsuitable for larger rigs. There are no hookups or potable water sources, but each site contains a fire ring and a picnic table.

The views from the campground are particularly stunning, especially in early fall when much of the valley is blanketed with gold aspen leaves. All sites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Fees cost $10 per night for a designated site (a designated site has a numbered post, parking space, picnic table, and fire pit), $5 per night for an overflow site (all other camping), and $30 per night for a group campsite.

The campground is typically open late May through the end of September, though half of the campground is inaccessible when the Slate River is running high with spring snow melt.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Summer
Fall

Parking Pass

Not Required

Open from

May 27 to September 30

Price per night (basic site)

10.00 $ (8.40 €)

Pros

Scenic. Great location.

Cons

Small campground. Few amenities. River crossing to access some sites.

Pets allowed

Allowed

Managed by

Bureau of Land Management

Features

Vault toilet
Horseback riding
Family friendly
Picnic tables

Access

Vehicle

Recommended Campsites Without Photos

8

Location

Nearby Adventures

Nearby Lodging + Camping

Comments

07/20/2018
This campground is no longer free. Called the rangers office today, they said it was $5/night. So still quite affordable.
06/21/2018
I'd be willing to pay $20 a night for the simple pleasure of knowing I have a place to stay. Showing up and discovering there isn't a place to stay and then spending more time trying to find a place is not very joyful.
06/09/2018
Coming from out of state. This site looks perfect to hit the local MTB trails. Driving in with a low clearance sedan with a bike rack.

How rugged is the road in? Will my little Toyota make it in and out?

Planning to arrive June 20th

Thanks y'all!

-Tyler
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