Buckeye Recreation Area (CO)
- Right now
- Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
- A night
- $15From, per site
- Sites
- 31All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 9 notices
In the agency’s own words
The Buckeye Recreation Area is located adjacent to Buckeye Reservoir in Montrose County, Colorado. The area is popular for camping, OHV/ATV trails, hunting and fishing. Note: Some GPS or driving app directions are sending people on 4WD roads or to locked gates that are on private property. If you are unfamiliar with the area, please visit our "Facility Information - Getting Here" section for instructions on the best route to get to Buckeye Reservoir before reserving. DO NOT rely soley on Google Maps or Apple Maps for getting to this campground. Keep reading
Recreation
Recreation in the area centers around the reservoir which provides excellent opportunities for fishing and canoeing. Forest roads in the area provide for off-highway vehicle touring and the nearby state lands provide motorized trails for Off-highway vehicles and motorcycles. The La Sal Mountains are nearby which provide many hiking and biking trails.
Facilities
The Buckeye Recreation Area is located adjacent to Buckeye Reservoir. The Recreation Area is spread out around the reservoir and consists of the Pioneer Campground (30 single family reservable campsites), a boat ramp for small fishing boats (5 HP motor limit and wakeless speed), a reservable group site, a day-use picnic area and 18 less developed dispersed campsites scattered around the reservoir. Campsites in the Pioneer Campground include graveled parking spurs, concrete picnic tables, fire rings, a utility table and access to vault toilets. There is a 14 day stay limit at this campground.
Natural Features
The recreation area is located in a valley at 7,600 feet in elevation and is set amongst mature stands of Ponderosa Pines. The high peaks of the La Sal Mountains are visible from much of the area. The scenic Paradox Valley and the town of Paradox, Colorado are located approximately 10 miles to the southeast.
Nearby Attractions
The scenic La Sal Mountains are very close to the area and provide numerous opportunities for recreation. Canyonlands and Arches National Parks are about 1.5 hour drive away from the area as well as numerous recreation opportunities around the towns of Monticello and Moab, Utah. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (435) 259-7155.
What the agency tells you
Note: Some GPS or driving app directions are sending people on 4WD roads or to locked gates that are on private property. Please follow the below directions or make sure your alternative directions are accurate before following them. Best Route: Head south from Moab on US 191 for approximately 27 miles and turn left onto Highway 46 at La Sal Junction. Continue on Highway 46 for 32 miles into Paradox, Colorado. Turn left at 5.75 Road at the USFS sign. Continue to the T-intersection and left on U5 Road and follow the USFS signs to Buckeye Campground. It is about 13 miles on Forest Service Road 0371 from Paradox to Buckeye Campground and it is winding gravel road. Please drive with caution. Alternative Route: Very muddy or impassable when wet, please use caution and discretion: Head south from Moab on US 191 for approximately 27 miles and turn left onto Highway 46 at La Sal Junction. Continue about 12 miles and take a slight left at Upper Two Mile Road (Forest Service Road 0208). Continue on Upper Two Mile Road for approximately 18 miles. Follow the signs to Buckeye Campground. This route crosses private property, please respect the wishes and property and do not trespass on this land. DO NOT RELY SOLELY ON APPLE MAPS OR GOOGLE MAPS FOR GETTING TO THIS CAMPGROUND.
Bears do frequent the area so it is important to store food properly and keep a clean camp.
Water is not available at the campground.
Everything else this campground posts · 6
A Colorado State Fishing License is required to fish in the reservoir.
Boats on the reservoir are limited to 5 HP motors and wakeless speed.
The water in the reservoir is owned by the Paradox Water Users and is primarily used for irrigation, which means on low water years the reservoir could be drained completely.
Off-highway vehicles can only be used coming and going from campsites.
The mailing address of this facility is Moab Ranger Station, 62 East 100 North, Moab Utah, 84532 and the physical address is Montrose County, Colorado, US. The nearest town is Paradox, Colorado.
Don't Move Firewood: Help prevent the spread of tree-killing pests in our national forests by obtaining firewood near your destination and burning it on-site. For more information visit dontmovefirewood.org.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 31 · 1 group
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 74 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- 30 of 31 sites
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- VAULT TOILETS on 1 of 31 campsite records
- Boat ramp
- Yes
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Reservoir
- Canoeing
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Kayaking
- Off Highway Vehicle Trails
- Paddle Boating
- Paddling
- Stargazing
- Water access
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 28th darkest of 522 in CO
- Bortle 2
Nothing on the booking system for the next 30 nightsread 16:43 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
Every one of the next thirty nights is in recreation.gov’s record and not one site is being offered on any of them. That’s a campground closed or not yet released for booking, not a sold-out one.
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 13
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $15 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 16:43 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
31 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 31 mapped sitesAll 31 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 31 of the 31 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| Pioneer Campground | 01 | standard nonelectric | 39 ft | 89 ft | 276 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 02 | standard nonelectric | 73 ft | 89 ft | 226 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 03 | standard nonelectric | 53 ft | 93 ft | 157 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 04 | standard nonelectric | 48 ft | 93 ft | 186 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 05 | standard nonelectric | 51 ft | 111 ft | 77 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 06 | standard nonelectric | 52 ft | 136 ft | 176 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 07 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 136 ft | 96 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 08 | standard nonelectric | 74 ft | 147 ft | 146 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 09 | standard nonelectric | 43 ft | 102 ft | 293 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 10 | standard nonelectric | 41 ft | 102 ft | 362 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 11 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 194 ft | 231 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 12 | standard nonelectric | 53 ft | 43 ft | 135 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 13 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 43 ft | 177 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 14 | standard nonelectric | 66 ft | 99 ft | 197 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 15 | standard nonelectric | 41 ft | 96 ft | 259 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 16 | standard nonelectric | 52 ft | 123 ft | 408 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 17 | standard nonelectric | 43 ft | 134 ft | 410 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 18 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 111 ft | 522 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 19 | standard nonelectric | 44 ft | 129 ft | 489 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 20 | standard nonelectric | 49 ft | 111 ft | 537 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 21 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | 106 ft | 522 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 22 | standard nonelectric | 46 ft | 129 ft | 616 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 23 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 106 ft | 484 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 24 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | 133 ft | 610 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 25 | standard nonelectric | 48 ft | 133 ft | 435 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 26 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 133 ft | 568 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 27 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | 152 ft | 518 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 28 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | 152 ft | 367 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 29 | standard nonelectric | 55 ft | 125 ft | 384 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | 30 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 125 ft | 477 ft | $15 |
| Pioneer Campground | Group Site | group standard area nonelectric | 40 ft | 1399 ft | 201 ft | $50 |
25 of 31 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Warner LakeManti-La Sal National Forest · 14 miMason Draw CampgroundManti-La Sal National Forest · 16 miBest Route: Head south from Moab on US 191 for approximately 27 miles and turn left onto Highway 46 at La Sal Junction. Continue on Highway 46 for 32 miles into Paradox, Colorado. Turn left at 5.75 Road at the USFS sign. Continue to the T-intersection and left on U5 Road and follow the USFS signs to Buckeye Campground. It is about 13 miles on Forest Service Road 0371 from Paradox to Buckeye Campground and it is winding gravel road. Please drive with caution.
Alternative Route: Very muddy or impassable when wet, please use caution and discretion: Head south from Moab on US 191 for approximately 27 miles and turn left onto Highway 46 at La Sal Junction. Continue about 12 miles and take a slight left at Upper Two Mile Road (Forest Service Road 0208). Continue on Upper Two Mile Road for approximately 18 miles. Follow the signs to Buckeye Campground. This route crosses private property, please respect the wishes and property and do not trespass on this land.
Note: Some GPS or driving app directions are sending people on 4WD roads or to locked gates that are on private property. Please follow the above directions or make sure your alternative directions are accurate before following them.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for La Sal, UT
Typical weather
Typical October night 36°F, day 62°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 17°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Buckeye Recreation Area (CO) is in Colorado’s 3rd congressional district. Its representative, Jeff Hurd (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →