South Fork (White River)
We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 2 of the next 2 nights read 14:29 UTC
- A night
- $25From, per site
- Sites
- 18All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 12 notices
In the agency’s own words
South Fork Campground in the White River National Forest offers a scenic camping experience along the South Fork of the White River . Approximately 7,600 ft nestled in the South Fork Valley. Offers 18 sites suitable for tents, trailers, RVs, and equestrian rigs. The campground has well maintained gravel roads and parking spurs, with cement pads at individual campsites. Vault toilets and trash services are available. There is no potable water or hookups. Sites have picnic tables and fire-rings. It's a popular spot for tubing and swimming in the river. There is also excellent fly-fishing access along the South Fork of the White River right beside the campground. Keep reading
Recreation
The South Fork Campground in White River National Forest offers opportunities for fishing, hiking, and horseback riding, with access to the South Fork of the White River and the Flat Tops Wilderness. The campground is situated among cottonwoods and willows, and moose, elk and deer may be seen in the area. Caving in Spring Cave is allowed with a registration permit.
Facilities
South Fork Campground in the White River National Forest offers a scenic camping experience along the South Fork of the White River . Approximately 7,600 ft nestled in the South Fork Valley. Offers 18 sites suitable for tents, trailers, or RVs. The campground has well maintained gravel roads and parking spurs. Vault toilets and trash services are available. There is no potable water or hookups. Sites have picnic tables and fire rings. It's a popular spot for tubing and swimming in the river. There is also excellent fishing access along the South Fork of the White River right beside the campground.
Natural Features
South Fork Campground in White River National Forest is situated amongst spruce, cottonwood, and willow trees, offering shaded campsites alongside the South Fork of the White River. Moose, elk and deer are known to frequent the area. The campground provides access to hiking trails. Spring Cave is close to the campground. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (801) 226-3564.
Nearby Attractions
Located adjacent to the Flat Tops Wilderness, the area around South Fork Campground is crisscrossed with numerous trails suitable for various skill levels. Trail Access: South Fork Trail #1827, Spring Cave Trail #1834, Cliff Lake Trail #1831, Fowler Bench Trail #2253, Fowler Creek Trail #2254, Hill Creek Trail #2255. Peltier Lake Trail #1826, Oyster Lake Trail #1825 Spring Cave is a short hike from the campground across the river ¾ of a mile open April 15 th through August 15 th. Be sure to check local regulations and complete a cave registration form at a ranger district office prior to entering the cave. Trappers Lake is further up County Road 8 and is a popular spot for fishing and is surrounded by the Flat Tops Mountains.
What the agency tells you
Campers must occupy the site the first night at a campsite. This prevents booking the site for Fri-Sun and showing up on Saturday.
Campers may leave the site for 24 hours and must occupy the site otherwise. This allows a camper to say go for an overnight backpack trip in the woods for one night and come back to their campsite the next day.
Please Note: One RV with tow per single site or one vehicle per tent site. Most sites can accomidate 1 extra vehicle that is not included with the reservation. Extra vehicle will be charged a per night fee and collected at the campground.
Everything else this campground posts · 9
Prevent the spread of invasive species by inspecting and cleaning, equipment and tires before using lakes or trails.
Reserved Sites: Will be held until check out time (11:00am) the day following your arrival date. Sites must be occupied by the checkout time of the following day to hold a reservation or the site will be forfeited and released to other guests.
Fire Restrictions: Fire restrictions may be imposed at any time due to hot, dry weather conditions, at which time campfires and charcoal fires may not be allowed.
Don't Move Firewood: Prevent the spread of tree-killing organisms by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. For more information visit dont move firewood
Any accepted passes must be entered for the discount at the time of booking for single sites only.
Pets are welcome but need to be on a leash and accompanied by owner at all times.
Click for more information about White River National Forest: White River National Forest
Check in time is 2:00pm and Check out time is 11:00am It is imperative that you are clear from the site at 11:00am on your check out day so the host can come prepare the site for the next event. Please don't be the group that makes the incoming group have to wait.
Customer Service Contact 801-226-3564 or Help.WhiteRiver.Blanco@AmericanLL.com
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 18
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…cement pads at individual campsites. Vault toilets and trash services are available. There is no…”
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “…and trash services are available. There is no potable water or hookups. Sites have picnic tables and…”
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Creek
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Horseback riding
- Wildlife viewing
- Fall color · reported 13 days ago, 39 km away
- Past peak
Full this Saturdayread 14:29 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
OpenBooked
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
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 · 12
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $25 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 14:29 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
18 sites
All 18 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. 18 of the 18 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| South Fork | 1 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 10 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 11 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 12 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 13 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 14 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 15 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 16 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 17 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 18 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 2 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 3 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 4 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 5 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 6 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 7 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 8 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
| South Fork | 9 | standard nonelectric | $25 |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Deep Lake CampgroundWhite River National Forest · 0.0 miEast MarvineWhite River National Forest · 0.0 miYeoman CampgroundWhite River National Forest · 0.0 miGypsum Rec. SiteColorado River Valley Field Office · 7.0 mi
Gypsum CampgroundColorado River Valley Field Office · 7.1 miLyons Gulch CampgroundColorado River Valley Field Office · 12 miThe South Fork Campground is located 29 miles east of Meeker, CO. From Meeker, take Colorado Highway 13 east for 1 mile, then turn right (east) on Rio Blanco County Road 8 and follow this for 18 miles. Turn south and Rio Blanco County Road 10 for 2 miles, jog north .25 miles, then continue east for 10 miles to the campground. Horse trailer parking is available to the east just after entering the campground.
The agency publishes this point for 4 campgrounds; it’s likely a district office, not the campground. Use the agency’s own page for directions.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Gypsum, CO
Typical weather
Typical October night 30°F, day 55°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 10°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 · a letter you can send
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
South Fork (White River) 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 →
Who can change it · 3
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The member who votes the moneyJeff HurdU.S. Representative · Colorado’s 3rd district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationJohn W. HickenlooperU.S. Senator · Colorado
- Your senator, on the same appropriationMichael F. BennetU.S. Senator · Colorado
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at South Fork (White River), White River National Forest, Colorado
Dear Jeff Hurd, I’m a constituent in Colorado’s 3rd district. I tried to camp at South Fork (White River), White River National Forest, Colorado, and couldn’t. All 18 sites at South Fork (White River) are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 3 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. South Fork (White River) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run South Fork (White River). I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about South Fork (White River) (White River National Forest, Colorado) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at South Fork (White River), White River National Forest, Colorado
Dear John W. Hickenlooper, I’m a constituent in Colorado. I tried to camp at South Fork (White River), White River National Forest, Colorado, and couldn’t. All 18 sites at South Fork (White River) are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 3 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. South Fork (White River) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run South Fork (White River). I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about South Fork (White River) (White River National Forest, Colorado) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at South Fork (White River), White River National Forest, Colorado
Dear Michael F. Bennet, I’m a constituent in Colorado. I tried to camp at South Fork (White River), White River National Forest, Colorado, and couldn’t. All 18 sites at South Fork (White River) are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 3 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. South Fork (White River) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run South Fork (White River). I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about South Fork (White River) (White River National Forest, Colorado) via campanac.com