Book A Last-Minute Campsite At A National Park With A Must-Try Trick

Campsites inside most national parks are notoriously hard to reserve, especially our top-ranking parks for tent camping and the best national parks for RV-camping. The booking process is usually an early bird (and relentless bird) gets the worm kind of situation. Recreation.gov and Reserveamerica.com are where most national and state park campsites can be booked. Most campsites require advance reservations and are made available six months or more in advance (and snapped up just as quickly). But there are a couple of tricks to navigating the reservation system and beating the crowds. The biggest tip is to monitor a park's booking page regularly to learn when lottery application periods open, when sites will be released for booking, and when someone cancels their trip and becomes available again.

You'll need to sign up and be logged in with the region name, campsite, and number of campers ready to quickly navigate the site and book it. It's also a good idea to have backup itineraries to continue searching if your first choice isn't available. With millions of outdoor enthusiasts hoping for the same campsite, popular bookings at popular times (Fourth of July, Labor Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day) sell out in minutes or even seconds. Some parks offer advance-booking lotteries, where you can enter to win early access to the booking site.

The key to scoring your desired campsite and dates is to not give up. It is not uncommon for people to cancel that mid-July Yosemite campsite they booked way back in February. They then call or log in and cancel their reservation. Once they do this, the site will goes back online and is available for re-booking.

Set up your account to receive availability alerts for previously booked sites that become available again. Most people change their booking plans at the last minute, too, so as the date approaches, stay vigilant and ask anyone in your camping party to do the same (reservation windows at many parks including rolling 2-week and 4-day advance booking for these cancellations). Campers can cancel a reservation up to the day before the check-in date, so don't give up.

We've also heard that some good citizens will provide a heads up for cancellations on forums like Reddit, or regional Facebook groups, like PNW Camping Reservations Re-Listings. These scenarios are usually a first-come, first-served situation. If you set up alerts, you might be able to snag a last-minute campsite in one of America's national parks. Be aware that new federal requirements to show U.S. identification on entry to national parks may render this hack useless.

Finally, consider primitive camping. Many parks have a handful of backcountry spots (even more in the winter), with little or no services, that are first-come, first-served. The trick there? You'll know when you show up at the visitor's center if the site is available. Once you secure a spot, be sure to review the park's camping rules and know how to prepare for an overnight in a national park.