Reserve Early for Campsites in U.S. National Parks, Forests

Closings and staff cuts at national parks has led to some confusion for family travelers planning summer and camping trips. One thing remains clear, however: Reserve early.

The demand for prime campsites in the most popular parks usually exceeds capacity in peak seasons, so early reservations are always a good plan. With the possibility of further staff and hiring cuts that may limit the number of campsites open, it is even more important — this summer especially — for the more popular parks.

Reservations usually open six months ahead and can be made through Recreation.gov. For information on an individual park, visit that park’s website at nps.gov, which will detail the opening dates for reservations.

The website for Maine’s popular Acadia National Park, for example, indicates 90 percent of its campsites can be reserved six months in advance on the first of each month. The remaining 10 percent are released 14 days ahead.

The Recreation.gov website also includes reservations for campsites in 157 national forests with campgrounds. You can also reserve sites in these by calling the National Recreation Reservation Service at 877 444 6777. The Forest Camping website is an excellent resource for information on National Forest campgrounds across the United States.

Reservations must be made a minimum of four days in advance, but, in popular campgrounds, such as those in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest, you may find reservable sites already taken. Although some campgrounds keep a few sites available on a first-come, first-serve basis, that’s not the best option for a family needing a place to camp that night.