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Taylor River Ranger District

Quick Facts

Commissary Campground

Capacity:	70 People
Elevation:	7,900 Feet (2462.6 Meters)
Length of Stay:	14 Days
Number of Sites:	7
Reservation Status:	Not Accepted

General Description

Commissary Campground lies north of Blue Mesa Reservoir and provides access to the West Elk Wilderness. Four-wheel drivers will enjoy Soap Creek Road, which leads north from this site to the West Elk Wilderness boundary. Anglers can cast on Soap Creek, which runs through the campground. Hikers, backpackers and equestrians can take advantage of Commissary's close proximity to the pristine terrain of the West Elk Wilderness. It lies two miles east of the site.

Directions from Gunnison: Travel west from Gunnison on Highway 50. Continue past Blue Mesa Reservoir toward Sapinero. Approximately 2.25 miles west of Sapinero turn north on to Highway 92. Travel about 1.5 miles on 92 and make a right turn on to Forest Road 721. Follow this along the western lake shore and past Ponderosa and Soap Creek Campgrounds. Commissary Campground lies 3 miles passed Soap Creek Campground.

Seasonal Information:
Normal Services Available: Late May through September .

Fee Information

Type	Price	Remarks
campsite, single-unit	Call for Current Fee	Facilities include parking spu

		Current Conditions & Trip Reports
		Add your own trip Report! Newly re-released feature. One of the most popular features on Wildernet, trip reports allow you to share your experiences with others. This is an invaluable resource for determining what to expect on your outdoor adventure, so please participate! To prevent spamming, you must be a registered user of Wildernet in order to submit a trip report Filed By: joanne and richard Number of People Encountered: 0-10 ppl Recommend to a Friend: Highly Report: This is an awesome campground! We learned of it in Don Wright's camping book. There are no signs for Commissary Campground until you get there. Go past the other campgrounds along Soap Creek. Just keep going along the beautiful canyon til you get to the Commissary Campground sign. There were deer all around the entrance when we arrived. There is a beautiful clean creek running right through the campground. You can walk down to Soap Creek, or hike up the logging road. The stars were unbelievable. We really enjoyed this campground. Big RVs can disperse camp along the road leading to it. Conditions: It was early June, the roads were dry and good. At the campground, the road starts to get really rough and steep. It would take a 4-wheeler to go on the logging road past the campground. But you don't need a 4 wh. to get to Commissary. Water Availability: We take our own water along, but we filtered the little creek running throught the campground. The other campgrounds on the way to Commissary have running water. You can resupply there if need be.

Recreation Opportunities

Activity		Remarks	On Site
	Backpacking	West Elk Wilderness	Yes
	Camping	Commissary Campground	Yes
	Cold Water Fishing	Soap Creek	Yes
	Four-Wheel Driving	Soap Creek Road	Yes
	Hiking & Walking	West Elk Wilderness	Yes
	Horseback Riding	West Elk Wilderness	Yes

Related Activities

Coal Mesa Trail - The trail climbs from Soap Creek to West Elk Creek. It follows a ridge for a distance with excellent views.

Soap Creek - An inlet of the Reservoir allows both Reservoir and creek fishing for rainbow, brook, cutthroat and brown trout. The fishing is rated as good.

Soap Creek Road # 721 - Soap Creek Road leads north from Highway 92 and Curecanti National Recreation Area. It provides access to Soap Creek and the West Elk Wilderness.