Buckskin Mountain State Park closes riverfront campsites for Parker Tube Float weekend

Buckskin Mountain State Park closed riverfront campsites 69 through 84 for the Parker Tube Float weekend, and it shut off day use on June 13, turning one of the Colorado River corridor’s most useful base camps into event space. For anyone headed to Parker, the practical hit was immediate: the park’s waterfront edge was off-limits just as the 48th Annual Parker Tube Float pulled thousands of people onto the river.

The float was set for Saturday, June 13, 2026, and Buckskin’s own park page framed Parker as Float Town, U.S.A. during the tradition. That mattered because Buckskin is not just a launch point. It is one of the main recreation hubs on the Parker Strip, with camping, waterfront camping, a beach, hiking trails, a boat ramp, a picnic area and a park store, plus a visitor center with exhibits and a book exchange. On a normal summer stay, that mix makes the park feel open and easy. During float weekend, it becomes a tightly managed corridor.

Float-goers had to plan around the shuttle system. Participants parked at La Paz County Park, paid $10 per vehicle in cash only, and rode shuttles to Buckskin Mountain State Park for the launch. The last shuttle left shortly after registration closed at 12 p.m., and the float ended at 5 p.m. when the no-wake zone expired. Ice and air compressors were available at both La Paz County Park and Buckskin for anyone trying to keep tubes, coolers and gear in shape through the heat.

Online pre-registration for the 2026 event opened March 2 and closed at midnight June 7, but same-day registration was still available the morning of the event at La Paz County Park. Personal vehicles were not allowed into Buckskin for Parker Tube Float day, which meant the access pattern changed completely from a normal riverfront camping stop. The 48th annual run followed the Parker Strip, the 18-mile stretch between Parker Dam and Headgate Dam that Buckskin overlooks.

For non-participating campers, the message was simple: sites 69 through 84 were not an option, and the whole riverfront felt less like a quiet campground and more like a controlled launch zone. Even with the rest of the park’s camping and river amenities, this was the weekend when Buckskin stopped behaving like an ordinary overnight and started functioning like the front door to Parker’s biggest summer float.