Openings · last 7 days
84
Booking reality
Campsite Sniper detected 84 site openings here in the last 7 days
01 · Detected Opening History · the openings record · file CS-261780
When Sand Gulch Campground reopens
Sand Gulch Campground's openings record: every site-date Campsite Sniper detected turning available, logged and time-stamped. Refreshed hourly.
Openings · last 30 days
407
Openings · last 90 days
480
Weekday pattern
Detected openings by day of week · 90dNo strong weekday pattern is evident in the openings Campsite Sniper has detected: 480 openings spread across the week.
Hour-of-day pattern
First detected by hour · local time · last 90 daysThe largest concentrations of detected openings were first detected during the 06:00 and 13:00 local-time hours. Those hours contained 113 of 480 detected openings (23.5%). Hours show when Campsite Sniper first detected each opening, in Mountain Time, not when the change was made upstream.
Lead-time profile
Days before stay date · percentilesHalf of the openings Campsite Sniper detected appeared at least 30 days before the stay date; the middle 50% land 29–30 days out. Set an alert if you want Campsite Sniper to monitor future openings.
Highest-churn sites
Most openings · 90d| Site | Openings | Share of all openings |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 34 | 7.1% |
| 1 | 34 | 7.1% |
| 2 | 34 | 7.1% |
| 3 | 34 | 7.1% |
| 5 | 34 | 7.1% |
Site 15 had the most detected openings in the last 90 days: 34. One free watch covers every site here.
02 · Availability Outlook · Sep 18, 2026 – Mar 19, 2027 · of 31 monitored sites
Of the 5,673 tracked site-nights (Sep 18, 2026 – Mar 19, 2027): 718 open for online reservation · 96 reserved · 2,591 on sites not offered for online reservation (first-come, first-served or administrative) · 10 closed · 2,258 not yet released. Of the facility's 31 monitored sites, 17 can be reserved online and 14 are first-come, first-served.
Where the open windows are
87.3% of tracked site-nights are not currently open for online reservation. 718 of 5,673 remain open; here is where they are.
Load status
Sep 18, 2026 – Mar 19, 2027Not open online87.3%
Open site-nights718 / 5,673
Reserved (of online inventory)96 / 814
Weekday openings461
Weekend openings257
Of the open site-nights on mapped sites, 461 fall on weekdays and 257 on weekends (Fri–Sun).
Open dates by month
Sep 2026 – Mar 2027January shows no online availability. 0 of 961 tracked site-nights are open there — 434 on sites not offered online, 527 not yet released.
Holiday windows
Sites open per night · of 31 sites| Window | Night | Sites open | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor Day | SAT Sep 5 | 0 | None open |
| SUN Sep 6 | 0 | None open | |
| MON Sep 7 | 0 | None open | |
| Thanksgiving | THU Nov 26 | 2 | Open |
| FRI Nov 27 | 2 | Open | |
| SAT Nov 28 | 2 | Open | |
| Christmas | THU Dec 24 | 2 | Open |
| FRI Dec 25 | 2 | Open | |
| New Year | THU Dec 31 | 0 | None open |
| FRI Jan 1 | 0 | None open |
Labor Day: no online availability on any tracked night. Thanksgiving: 2 sites are available for the complete three-night stay. Christmas: 2 sites are available for the complete two-night stay. New Year: no online availability on any tracked night.
Best-availability sites
Most open site-nights · tracked window| Site | Open site-nights |
|---|---|
| Group Site 1 | 79 |
| Group Site 2 | 79 |
| 1 | 40 |
| 10 | 40 |
| 12 | 40 |
The 5 sites with the most open site-nights in the current snapshot. Pair a bookable date with a free alert to cover everything else.
Next windows
As of Sep 18, 2026 snapshotNext open dateMon · Sep 21
Next open weekendFri · Sep 25
January0 of 961 · no online availability
The next bookable night is Sep 21; the first open weekend starts Sep 25. Campsite Sniper can watch later dates for you.
Stays and site detail
718 open site-nights across 17 sites at Sand Gulch Campground, from the same hourly snapshot as everything above.
Multi-night stays. 44 2-night, 43 3-night, 19 7-night openings where a single site is free for every night, per Campsite Sniper's current snapshot — soonest Sep 21 at site 1.
RV length. Longest recorded site here is 99 ft. 22 sites take 25 ft, 17 sites take 35 ft, 12 sites take 40 ft.
All 17 sites with current availability
| Site | Max RV | Hookups | Open site-nights | Longest run | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Site 1 | 20 ft | None | 79 | 46 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14 +67 more |
| Group Site 2 | 20 ft | None | 79 | 45 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 12, Oct 13 +67 more |
| 1 | 40 ft | None | 40 | 40 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +28 more |
| 10 | 35 ft | None | 40 | 40 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +28 more |
| 12 | 25 ft | None | 40 | 40 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +28 more |
| 15 | 20 ft | None | 40 | 40 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +28 more |
| 2 | 40 ft | None | 40 | 40 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +28 more |
| 5 | 90 ft | None | 40 | 40 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +28 more |
| 7 | 90 ft | None | 40 | 40 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +28 more |
| 8 | 75 ft | None | 40 | 40 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +28 more |
| 9 | 90 ft | None | 40 | 40 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +28 more |
| 3 | 35 ft | None | 38 | 34 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +26 more |
| 6 | 85 ft | None | 38 | 20 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +26 more |
| 4 | 45 ft | None | 34 | 17 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +22 more |
| 13 | 30 ft | None | 32 | 13 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6 +20 more |
| 11 | 99 ft | None | 30 | 26 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 9, Oct 10, Oct 11, Oct 12 +18 more |
| 14 | 45 ft | None | 28 | 13 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 12 +16 more |
About Sand Gulch Campground
Overview
With easy walking access to sport rock climbing routes in the popular Shelf Road Recreation Area, Sand Gulch Campground is a 31-site camping facility, open year-round. The campground is located 14 miles north of Cañon City at an approximate elevation of 6,400 feet and features spectacular views of the surrounding limestone cliffs.
Recreation
Sand Gulch Campground offers sport climbers easy walk-in access to tall monolithic cliffs. Climbers can access Contest and Freeform Walls with bolted routes via the Sand Gulch trails. A variety of other recreation opportunities easily accessed from the campground include hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding as well as 4wd routes. In addition to campsites, Sand Gulch Campground offers a small day-use parking area for recreationalists.
Facilities
Sand Gulch campground has 29 individual sites, two group sites, and two vault toilets. Individual sites are limited to 2 vehicles and 8 people. The group site is limited to 4 vehicles and 20 people. Each campsite includes a parking space, a metal fire ring and picnic table. Many sites are designed for tent or van camping. Large camp trailers are accommodated best in pull- through campsites 5, 7, 11 (see map). Drinking water, electric hook-ups and trash service are not available at Sand Gulch Campground. Please bring your own water and firewood. Plan to take your trash with you when you leave.
Natural Features
Sand Gulch Campground and the surrounding area is well known amongst rock climbers and outdoor enthusiasts for the long bands of limestone cliffs dominating the landscape. Stunning rock features paired with the piñon pine and juniper vegetation, enhance the dramatic vistas and a picturesque camping environment.
Nearby Attractions
The region around Shelf Road offers numerous attractions and recreation opportunities. Popular activities include visiting the Royal Gorge via the Royal Gorge Bridge, the Royal Gorge Train, hiking trails or a rafting trip with one of a number of river outfitters. The Arkansas River offers whitewater rafting as well as outstanding angling. There are numerous trails for all activities in the region as well as agricultural and heritage tours along the Gold Belt National Scenic Byway. The local communities offer a range of shopping and dining experiences.
Visit the Royal Gorge Region web page for more information about local attractions:
Explore - Royal Gorge Region: royalgorgeregion.com
31 monitored sites14 FCFS sitesRVs up to 99 ftNo hookupsPets OKFire pitsMax party 20
Getting there
From Highway 50 in Cañon City, Take Dozier Avenue north following it as it turns west. At the four-way stop sign turn right on Field Avenue and follow it north until it turns into CR 9. In approximately 10 miles, take a left turn at the sign for Sand Gulch Campground.
Bureau Of Land Management, Canon City, CO 81212719-269-8500
BackpackingBikingBirdingCampingHikingHorseback RidingMountain BikingPhotographyRock ClimbingScenic Drive
View on Recreation.gov ↗ Get directions ↗
03 · Field Photos · roll CS-261780 · facility + sites
Photo gallery
Roll CS-261780 · Sand Gulch Campground · Canon City CO12 frames · facility + sites
FAQ
How do I get a reservation at Sand Gulch Campground?
Reservations for Sand Gulch Campground are made through Recreation.gov. 87.3% of tracked site-nights are not currently open for online reservation; 718 of 5,673 remain open. Campsite Sniper has also detected 480 site openings here in the last 90 days, so further dates may appear. Pick a site on the map to see its calendar, or set a free Campsite Sniper alert. You complete the reservation yourself on Recreation.gov.
Does Campsite Sniper book this campground for me?
No. Campsite Sniper sends alerts and direct Recreation.gov links. It never books, pays for, holds, hoards, or resells reservations.
How current is this availability data?
Campsite Sniper re-checks public Recreation.gov availability for this facility every hour and republishes whenever anything changes. This facility's data last changed at Sep 18, 2026 16:19 UTC; an older timestamp means nothing has changed since that time, not that checking stopped. Always confirm final availability on Recreation.gov when you book.
How often do new openings appear at Sand Gulch Campground?
Campsite Sniper detected 84 site-date openings at Sand Gulch Campground in the last 7 days, 407 over 30 days and 480 over the last 90.
Can I get a multi-night stay at Sand Gulch Campground?
43 three-night openings are showing, counting only runs where the SAME site is free for all three nights. The soonest starts Sep 21 at site 1. Confirm and book on Recreation.gov.
Which sites at Sand Gulch Campground fit a 35-foot RV?
17 of the 31 sites that support RV analysis have a recorded maximum of 35 ft or more; the longest recorded is 99 ft.
Which month has the most availability at Sand Gulch Campground?
October 2026, with 462 open site-nights in the current snapshot of 961.
How far ahead of a stay do openings appear at Sand Gulch Campground?
Half of the openings Campsite Sniper detected appeared at least 30 days before the stay date; the middle 50% landed 29-30 days out. Campsite Sniper can monitor future changes for dates you select.
When is the next open date at Sand Gulch Campground?
As of the Sep 18, 2026 snapshot: the next open date is Mon, Sep 21 and the next open weekend starts Fri, Sep 25. Detected openings can add earlier dates at any time; a free Campsite Sniper alert catches those the moment they appear.
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