Tunnel View Recreation Site

Arkansas River headwaters just outside of Buena Vista, CO. Beautiful dirt pads, protected by large rock outcroppings, trees, and post fences between the site pads. Tunnel View recreation site. 3 miles from town. With showers and laundry available. 5 miles from the Cottonwood hot springs. Just a handful of RVs here in October. Access road is in very good shape, and graded for easy access for TTs up to 35 feet.

This used to be just plain old dispersed camping, but it appears they are developing the sites - they've added fire rings, log rail entrances to each of the sites (as seen in some of the recently posted pictures), and have numbered all the sites. I believe there are 18-19 sites total (there didn't appear to be a site #1 - they started at #2 - not sure why!). The sites are of various sizes, from small tent sites (#14-16 are walk-in tent sites with amazing privacy) to a number of sites that could accommodate multiple tents/campers.
The road in is a bit daunting - mainly because it is a narrow one-way road with a drop on one side - meaning there's no place to pull over once you start. And from the top, unless you get out & peer over the bushes, you may not be able to see someone coming past the slight bend in the road. I would not want to have to back an RV or trailer back up or down that road if you meet someone coming the other way. Thankfully, there's little traffic in/out, so the odds are with you. :-) But I would see no issue pulling a larger rig in here (and we did see some larger ones camping) except for that potential concern.
We were in site 11 - and it was the 2nd to last site available on a Friday evening (we got lucky- the last site filled within an hour of our arrival). It was a great site - nice views, a bit of shade if we needed it, and we couldn't see any of the other sites from our site. There are some trails you can take along the river from the main parking area near the entrance road. It's close to downtown Buena Vista, and not to far off the highway - so easy access - but aside from hearing one train horn some nights (early in the evening - maybe between 8-9pm?), and the occasional traffic sounds from across the river on CR371, you'd never know it. Some sites are closer to the river than others, so you can hear the sounds of the Arkansas, but other than that, it was crazy quiet at night.
Verizon cell service in our site was just enough to make quick phone calls and send/receive texts, but not good enough for data - but the signal did seem to vary when we walked between sites.

This is the BLM area on the WEST side of the river (there are 2 other free campgrounds on the east side as well). From US-24, take County Road 384A to the east of 24 (right if coming from south; left is coming from north). Head down 384A, which turns from pavement to dirt. BLM land starts near the end of the road to the left. There is some signage and then a steep grade down to get to the sites.

We have a 35’ fifth wheel and braved the path. The road only has about 6” of clearance on either side for us, with a steep drop off on one side (it was scary). We made it without incident, so it is possible, but not for the faint of heart. Once at the bottom, you can turn right or left to find sites. There are only a handful a sites for large rigs, but many options for sm. rigs/vans/tents. Check satellite view for more detail.

We stayed June 2018 and there was some traffic, and a 30-year old’s birthday party, but we felt safe and were never hassled. The river is beautiful, and you will hear daily “Woo Hoo”-ing from river travelers, but it is otherwise peaceful. We did see a Park Ranger drive by once.

We had 1-2 bars Verizon LTE, which was usable for internet work most of the time. There were times it was unusable. There are otherwise no services available. Pack it in, pack it out, please (including your animal’s droppings).

There is a goat farm with lots of fresh cheese and meats just across the street on the west side of 24. Highly recommend getting some samples and buying local!

We stayed because it was in between Salida and Buena Vista as we wanted to hike both areas. It was 22 degrees and the weather said it felt like 11 and I believe it. We came in at 8pm and left at 6am. Many deer on the washboard road so please be careful and the road is narrow and only passable for one in many places. River noise was wonderful and that was the only noise. Site was clean and had a lot of space. There was 35 mile an hour wind that day so no hiking was done. Loved the views and this area. Will come back with the weather is better.

Nifty little place to hang out if you plan to visit Buena Vista. Note that's pronounced "Bee-you-na" Vista. The word Colorado itself is Spanish, so it's kind of messed up that these folks have a hard time pronouncing things en espanol (see nearby Salida, tambien).

Either way, bring your own wood, there's very little left as summer rolls away. The river sounded nice, the scenery was lovely, but at the end of the day the alternative options (Salida BLM North and the various sites around Twin Lakes) make it hard to fully commit to this one.

Oh, and if you follow Google's GPS from downtown Beoona Vista, you'll likely end up on the wrong side of the river. This spot is on the west / highway side.

toots!

I stayed here for 5 nights in the first half of July. Temperatures were comfortable with windows open and the Fantastic Fan.

There are a number of dispersed sites along the river. The sites are large and private, and provide Arkansas River access. The sounds of the rushing river are very relaxing and you will see some wildlife in the area, mostly small game.

Cell reception is spotty and like most areas along the east side of the Collegiate Peaks, the service tends to take a dive in the later part of the afternoon, to the point where a booster won't even help. No TV reception is available at this spot.

As noted, the long road down into can be a challenge when traffic is coming from both directions. I had to back half-way down the long shelf road once, without my trailer. I wouldn't want to do it with the trailer.

There are some mineral mine claims in the area and I saw a shady looking bus parked at the opposite end of where I was camping, appearing to try to hide in some trees. However, I felt safe and no one bothered me while I was there.

It is dusty down at these sites, so be prepared for that.

First, let me say that the road leading into this area is very tight (see photos), and there absolutely no room to pass another vehicle if you meet one coming up or down. You can haul a trailer down there, but use caution. First thing you should do is come to a stop before proceeding and look down. You can see all the way down, so just be sure no one else has started up before you start down. If you have a co-pilot, it would be wise for him/her to walk down to prevent anyone else from coming up when you are half way down. It happened to us on one occasion down the road (other driver did not look before proceeding up), luckily without the trailer attached. We arrived on Memorial Day weekend and the place was full. After the weekend most spaces emptied and it was very peaceful.

Once at the bottom you have the choice of left or right. To the right is some great tent or van/truck/car spots and no room for a large rig to turn around. To the left is the larger spots for RVs.

Cell signal is blocked by the cliff you come down, but gets better the further you get away from that cliff. 1-2 bars of 4G is what you will get, but with a booster we got 4 bars of 4G. Not the speediest, but it does the trick.

Fresh water can be found in town at the city park (visitor's center).