itOpened Guides · Mendocino Lake
How to actually get a site at Bushay Recreation Area — the verified facts, the release reality, and the cancellation route in.
Watch it with itOpened
Proof, from our own scanners: 673 confirmed openings across 34 campgrounds since Oct 29, 2026 — each one re-verified before logging. See the live cancellation index.
Watch Bushay Recreation AreaFree to start. We never book, hold, or resell — you book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. Fees pay for monitoring; openings are first-come and cannot be guaranteed.
Overview Bushay Recreation Area is situated on Lake Mendocino in California's Mendocino Range, where redwood forests meet wine country. The access road to Bushay Campground is subject to high water levels. For this reason the campground is often closed during the rainy months. If high water levels continue into the late spring and early summer months, reservations may be cancelled by Lake Mendocino staff with a full refund. Every effort will be made to provide advance notice in the event of cancellations. The lake is formed by the Coyote Dam on the Russian River.
| Total sites | 167 |
|---|---|
| Site types | Standard, Group, Picnic area |
| Site mix (directory count) | Standard 43 · Group 1 |
| Area | Mendocino Lake |
| Managed by | US Army Corps of Engineers |
| Activities | Biking, Boating, Camping, Day Use Area, Fishing, Hiking |
| Directory phone | 707-467-4200 |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov campground page |
| Book through | Recreation.gov |
Bushay Recreation Area is reserved through Recreation.gov, on the release pattern stated in its official listing. In demand, reservable sites are claimed within minutes of each release — which is why the campground reads as sold out for most of the year, and why the realistic route in is rarely the release itself.
Sites booked months ahead get cancelled as trips fall through, and each cancellation returns its nights to the official calendar instantly — first-come, no waitlist, no announcement. itOpened scans the Recreation.gov calendar for Bushay Recreation Area around the clock; when a site matching your dates and vehicle opens, you get a text with a direct link, and you book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell. The mechanics are the same ones documented in how campsite cancellations actually work.
Watch more than one calendar. These nearby or same-area campgrounds take the same trip — and their cancellations are independent chances:
| Kyen Campground And Oak Grove Day Use Area | 102 sites · same area |
|---|---|
| Chekaka Recreation Area Lake Mendocino | 24 sites · same area |
| Pomo Day Use Area | 3 sites · same area |
| Pine Mountain Lookout | 1 sites · nearby alternative |
| Letts Lake Campground | 45 sites · nearby alternative |
| Mill Valley Campground | 4 sites · nearby alternative |
Full directory facts and sibling campgrounds: Bushay Recreation Area campground page · Mendocino Lake park page.
Watch it with itOpened
Proof, from our own scanners: 673 confirmed openings across 34 campgrounds since Oct 29, 2026 — each one re-verified before logging. See the live cancellation index.
Watch Bushay Recreation AreaFree to start. We never book, hold, or resell — you book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. Fees pay for monitoring; openings are first-come and cannot be guaranteed.
Every figure in this article traces to one of the sources above. If a number isn't sourced, we don't print it.
Last updated 2026-10-30.