How to Reserve a Campsite Online

By Roy Scribner

Family camping is more popular than ever as families simplify vacation plans in order to stretch hard-earned vacation dollars. But a family camping trip should not be thought of as something less than a real vacation. North America features some of the most interesting and varied landscapes in the world, and wherever you live there are interesting destinations that satisfy all of the prerequisites for a great summer vacation. Best of all, camping is a great way to unplug and spend some quality time with your family.

How to Choose a Destination

To get the most value out of your vacation dollar, limit the amount of time you waste driving and maximize your actual camping time. One of the quickest and easiest ways to find camping destinations near you is with ReserveAmerica (www.reserveamerica.com), a reservation site for private campgrounds, state parks and federal campgrounds. In essence, it is a one-stop shop that offers online reservations for campsites at thousands of campgrounds across America.

The ReserveAmerica interface is very straightforward. Simply enter your zip code (1) and arrival date (2) in the search form and click the search button (3). You will be presented with a list of campgrounds, sorted by distance from the zip code entered on the search form. Additional information about the campground is provided by graphical symbols that tell you, for instance, if the campground allows pets or has hookups for RVs.

 

The listing of amenities helps you easily refine your search to campgrounds that suit your vacation plans. If your plans include swimming or boating, it is easy to scan through the campground list and choose the ones that display the water activities symbol. For other outdoor activities, such as hiking, the description provided on the details page will tell you about the trail system in the park.

The campground details page provides a great overview of the amenities and features available in the campground.  In addition, you can view a simple map of the campground which may aid you in selection of an individual campsite.

 

 

How to Choose a Campsite

One you have selected a campground for your family's summer camping vacation, you will want to select the best possible campsite in that campground. If you are tent camping, most campgrounds have a section or loop that is oriented more to tent campers. This section will be a bit more rustic than the loops that accommodate RV campers, but you will likely have a bit more privacy and not have to listen to RV generators all evening.

The largest campsites in a campground are usually the ones on the outside of a loop (1). Campsites located on the inside of a loop (2) are usually tighter and provide less privacy. If you are camping with young children, pay particular attention to what is behind your campsite and where the main traffic arteries are within the campground. When I am planning a trip to a campground that I have not stayed in before, I always locate the campground on Google Maps and use the satellite view to check out the area.

Other considerations may include the distance from the campsite to the bathroom facility. Young children tend to make lots of trips to the bathroom, but if your children are older you might want to be located further away from this high-traffic area.

 

One of the best things about using ReserveAmerica is that you are likely to discover an interesting state or federal park that you did not know about. People new to camping are often surprised to learn how many campgrounds are available in their area, which is a great excuse to get the kids outdoors more often and spend more time together as a family.

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Comments

[holyland tours]

This entire concept sounds ridiculous to me. I mean going to the great outdoors and setting up a tent in the middle of nowhere shouldn't be something you need to book online.

[Al]

How do we cancel a res....2-14535328?

[Penny]

I know where and when I want to go ...Nothing is ever available...What do people do....stay up all night....I should be able to go camping with a year in advance notice!! What should I do?

[kamy]

I know we have tried for 6 years to book a goup site at the earliest possible time and they are always booked up. What is the trick?

TO cancel reservation you must go to your reservation by signing on. Look up your reservation, click on Details, this will give you an opportunity to change or cancel your reservatino

[Lori Platts]

Is Reserve America open to book sites on SUNDAY, Jan. 2nd?

[Elizabeth]

as I sit here all morning trying to book. I think the answer is NO. any luck?

[kc]

Getting a spot at a State Beach in So Cal is the worst. I now login 30 min ahead, select my site,dates and wait until 7:59 and seconds before 8:00(watching clock on computer/cell) hit enter, cross my fingers,etc.. Didn't get what I wanted this year, but.. did get another site. Hope this helps.

[Richard Nalder]

any ideas why I can't book a site through reserve america. I go through all the steps but it doesn't take me to the page where I can enter ehicle length, number of vehicles, etc.

[Larry Reimers]

My two friends do not have computers. I go to make them a reservation along with mine and they tell me "only 1 reservation can be made for the same arrival date. How do I get to camp with my friends? What has happened to the State Of Illinois?

[Tracy]

Can you only book 14 days a year for the same campsite now??? Whats up?

[mary]

How many months in advance can I reserve a campsite through this website?

[Tent Camping Gear]

Booking a campsite online is the only way I know of on how to get a camping spot for the big summer holidays.

[Mark T]

I'm starting to believe this is a 'you've gotta know someone' kind of thing, at least to stay anywhere prime. Maybe you have to call the parks directly and just beg for help? I've tried forever to get a tent site in any one of 4 state parks we want to visit and they are always booked 11 months out to the DAY. If I'm lucky, a few days in August when it would be positively miserable are available.

A few years ago I worked on a lottery reservation system for campsites in the Australian state park system. I thought it was insane then but now I see why it was needed.

[Rene A. Gowin]

We are senior citizens and there are three of us couples, only one has a computer and they won't let him book for the rest of us using the same date.

[Barbara S]

There must be some new rule about booking more than one cabin under the same account as I have done this in previous years but suddenly this year was not allowed. All I did was open another account for my sister to book for her. It would have been nice if this new rule was actually posted somewhere.

[Kathy Hooker]

I tried to reserve 2 camp sites but was unable to do so even though I've always reserved several sites at the same time. What happened? Is this a glitch in the reservation system? Do I need to reserve as a group for 2 sites? We camp as a family and need more than one site.

[Wolf]

Reservations are a gub-mental ludicrous red tape disfunctional joke. On Jan 16, 2011 I went through the process to make a reservation from May 13 - Aug 5 & every weekend was already full for a 2night stay. People reserve every weekend & then cancel week by week so they at least have them reserved. If I could I'd reserve every weekend to, just haven't figured out the right time to find them available yet.

[Backpacking Camping Tent]

What a nightmare! It seems that looking for campgrounds that are not on this system makes sense. Going to the places less traveled may be a better way.

[mike]

Well it looks like Reserve America is nation wide as I am from Mass. and seeing all the comments from around the country. Complaining to them does no good as they only answer to the federal goverment and like everything else no one is paying attention, and we all know how fkd up they are

[Jackie]

Remember you can only book 6 months in advance for most sites. The sites you want to book more than six month in advance won't even be available to book until February (i.e. reservations in August). Today is Jan. 22, 2011 and I could only book until July 22, 2011.

[Barbara S]

Actually the reservation window depends on where you are going. Here in NY state parks, you can book 9 months in advance.

[Nan]

Florida State Parks the reservation window is 11 months.. and it's still hard to get into some of the parks, especially the ones in the Florida Keys. Wish they had a waiting list, that way you could take advantage of cancelations.

[shiney1]

This is the most frustrating and aggravating system on the face of the earth. It is next to impossible to get a site when you want one, and completely impossible to get a specific site that you may want. It's no better if you call or go on line, either way you cant make it work.

[Lily]

i also try and never get anything online or on the phone, everything gets booked in seconds for the summer for Carpinteria, CA does anyone know of another camp site close by? or any tricks to get a site online?

[Mary]

Hi Lily -

I tried to get Carpinteria this morning also! I got in at 8:03 and everything was sold out for 8/31 (7 nights). So aggravating!

Try McGrath State Beach...a little windy sometimes, but not bad.