Reservations versus No Reservations

mandt

I realize there is no single answer to this question... but going out on a 6 week to 12 week planned itinerary tour of the US and preferring state campgrounds, national forest campgrounds or national parks... is it best to try to reserve as many of the campgrounds as possible ahead of time or be more freewheeling and catch them as you can. The rigid schedule approach does not sound good, but then again the security of knowing you have a home that night does sounds good. Possibly those of you with more experience might have some insight.

Marceline

Based on my “winging it” experience last summer in CA OR & WA, weekdays aren’t too hard but weekends (Friday & Saturday nights) can be tough. 

jkjenn

It depends in when and where. I am goibg to Yellowstone the week of July 4th and then to the Grand Tetons. I have reservations for Yellowstone because their CGs fill up early. I don't have, nor can I make a reservation to Gros Ventre in GTNP. State parks due tend to get busy in certain areas, I know Colorado and Utah fill up their parks, quite often. If you are arriving in a Monday, your chances will be better than a Friday.

Forest Service CGs vary quite a bit. There are a slew of them in Almond, CO, going up the Taylor River valley. They have started filling up in the summer, some, but there are abundant options in the area. Not all areas have abundant options. 

Some places are habitually full, like the CG at Arches NP and some are more seasonal, so it's best to do a little research before you go, unlike my friends who blindly went to Yellowstone last summer, arrived late, and couldn't even find a place to overnight park near the park!

SweetlyHome

I agree that time of year, day of the week, and place make a big difference.  Reservations are a must in Florida during season. We have also been taken by surprise by local events filling the campgrounds in a local area.

jgram2

Sometimes you get lucky. On a Friday, we stopped at a county park that said full (due to some car race on the weekend) and asked if they had any site for just one night. They confirmed there were a couple which were reserved for Friday Saturday and Sunday, but didn't expect the campers til Saturday. So we got a site and the campground got paid twice for that night. Win win!

ScottG

I agree that it depends on where and when, and how long you are looking to stay.

Popular public campgrounds in the northeast will fill completely during high season (mid June through Labor Day). Choice sites are often booked within seconds of a reservation window opening.

Many places to retain a few non-reservable sites. Arriving mid-week may improve your chances of getting on of those.

Luckyj

I would suggest that if you already know witch campground you want to go, give them a call and ask them what they think about it.  They have a fairly good idea of their busy time of year.  That could gove you some flexibility.

LSkrabut

Since Zion NP was mentioned, there has been a recent change for reserving a spot at the South CG.

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46270765&nid=1288