Campsite Booking Guide: Understanding Camping Reservation Policies

Every day, I help fellow campers find campsites at sold-out parks. (Curiously, this is how I make a living.) Along the way, a lot of folks call me asking questions about campsite booking policies. Sometimes I have these answers. At other times, I need to look them up and find out.

Here’s the deal. Parks and campgrounds have lots of different policies ranging from when you can book a campsite to the size of your refund should you cancel. Knowing these policies can help a lot when you’re booking a campsite, changing your reservation, or even choosing where to camp.

In this article, I’ll introduce you to some common campsite booking policies. These aren’t definitive, as there are many different jurisdictions, parks, and reservation systems. Policies will vary from one to the next. That said, these general policy types should provide a starting point. Once you choose where you wish to camp, you can review that park’s specific policies.

Reservation policies

In the old days, we’d just roll our truck and camper into a park with hopes of finding a vacant campsite. A few parks still operate on this model of only allowing reservations to be made in person, on-site.

These days, most parks must be reserved in advance by phone or through an online booking system. A few notable ones include Reserve America, Recreation.gov, Florida State Parks, Reserve California, BC Parks, Ontario Parks, Washington State Parks, Parks Canada Reservations, and Michigan State Parks. Most public parks prioritize online reservations and allow you to book a campsite several months in advance.

Most parks do have some first-come, first-served campsites FCFS available that can only be reserved on site. The number of these varies from one park to the next. Additionally, some parks require reservations to be made at the park if it’s super close to the arrival date (e.g. within 48 hours or on the day of).

Reservation window policies

It’s now common to see parks open up some dates for booking several months in advance. This is commonly referred to as the reservable period and it opens up at a scheduled time on the launch day. Reservations for popular parks will sell out within minutes of the reservation window opening up for bookings.

Booking windows include rolling booking windows that allow you to book any day between today and a set date in the future (and sometimes a little past that date into otherwise unbookable dates). There are also block release windows that release entire months of reservation availabilities at a set time each month.

Each park agency’s reservation window policies can be unique, so, it’s helpful to research how your park handles booking release dates. Being familiar with these policies in advance can help you avoid getting skunked on opening morning.

Reservation change/modification policies

Most park agencies allow you to modify your campsite reservation to some extent. For example, you might be able to modify the date of arrival or duration of your stay. Typically such changes can be made through your chosen park’s booking website or by calling their phone support line.

Do keep in mind that you’ll probably incur some fees when you change your campsite reservation. These fees typically aren’t significant, but they can add up. Also, many agencies limit the types of changes you can make to a reservation. This is commonly done to bad actors from booking up many days in advance and then dumping all but the weekend dates.

Campsite reservation transfer policies

Let’s say you can’t make your camping trip, but want to pass along your reservation to a friend. Doing so involves transferring your campsite reservation, and each park organization will have set policies on whether you can transfer your reservation. Some allow you to transfer a reservation outright. Others require you to modify the reservation to reference the new holder. Yet others prohibit transferring campsite reservations altogether.

A couple of years ago, I researched (and sometimes contacted) each state, provincial, and national park’s governing body’s campsite reservation transfer policies. Although some of these might be out of date, you can view the results in my post Can You Transfer a Campsite Reservation?

Campsite reservation transfer policies vary significantly from one jurisdiction to the next. Part of this relates to parks wishing to prevent third parties from reselling reservations at a profit. So, do your research before transferring or accepting a reservation from someone else. Some areas expressly forbid doing so and will boot you from a campsite if your name isn’t on the reservation.

Cancellation policies

Plans sometimes change. With camping, plans often change. The weather turns bad, your kids get sick, or you just decide you’d rather do something else. Campsite reservations get canceled all the time. (Pro-tip💡: You can scan parks for these canceled reservations, and book them—even when campgrounds are sold-out.)

Some park organizations allow you to cancel within a certain window and receive a full refund, minus the reservation fee. Some will tack on a cancellation fee for making this happen. For example, canceling a reservation on recreation.gov, eight or more days in advance, forfeits your $7.25 reservation fee and adds a $7.25 cancellation fee​.

Most parks have a cancellation cut-off, after which point they’ll only refund a portion of your booking payment. The refund you’re eligible for could seem trivial, but you should still cancel if you can’t make use of that reservation. Doing so frees up the campsite for another camper, and can keep your account with that park organization in good standing.

Every jurisdiction has its unique cancellation policies and these are typically well documented on their websites, so, be sure to check them closely. Odds are high that you’ll be affected by these policies at some point.

No-show policies

Ever walked around a “sold-out” campground only to spot a shocking number of vacant campsites? You aren’t alone. This misuse of reserved campsites is a great source of frustration for many campers. So, if you can’t use your campsite reservation, please cancel your booking. Doing so is a nice thing to do. 🙂

Those who manage parks recognize the significant problems caused by no-shows. Therefore, many parks have no-show policies. The most common practice involves the forfeiture of your campsite should you fail to claim it within a reasonable amount of time. This might also involve loss of the booking cost and the reservation fee you paid.

Some recent initiatives involve banning repeated no-shows. Wyoming State Parks has a four-strike policy for no-shows. Similarly, a new law will ban anyone who no-shows three times in a year at California State Parks. In my opinion, these policies are perhaps overly forgiving. There’s little excuse for not using your campsite booking or canceling one you can’t use.

Pro-tip💡: If you’re running late and can’t make check-in on your arrival date, call the park and let them know. Parks staff are likely to extend your check-in date to accommodate your situation.

ADA campsite policies

Parks leaders are working to make campsites more accessible to differently-abled people. These might involve accessible trails, accessible restroom facilities, or accessible campsites. The latter might be located close to restrooms, offer level surfaces, and even be on paved pads. Folks often ask me whether they can book an ADA campsite. This is a hard question to answer, as it varies so much from one area to the next.

Some areas treat accessible campsites more like accessible bathroom stalls than accessible parking spaces. By this, I mean that while these ADA sites offer accessible provisions, these campsites might be made available to all campers. Or, these sites might be made available to others should the rest of the campground be sold out. (Campers without disabilities staying in an ADA site might be transferred to a non-ADA campsite should one become available.)

Campers without disabilities might only be able to occupy an ADA campsite for one night, or after a certain time. California State Parks use this approach. Conversely, some parks limit the use of ADA campsites solely to those with accessibility requirements. Personally, I never book ADA campsites as I think they ought to be saved for those who truly need them. That’s just me though. In any event, do check your park’s ADA campsite policies before reserving an ADA campsite.

Pro-tip💡: Some parks require documentation (e.g., a valid Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) disabled placard) to occupy an ADA campsite. As such, be sure to have such documentation on hand when you travel.

Length-of-stay policies

Of all the policies that make me pull my hair out (I’m very good at this, as I’m now entirely bald), length-of-stay policies are high on the list. As these duration policies are so highly varied and often weird, I’ll limit myself to just a few examples.

Maximum booking lengths policies are common but vary in duration. Some parks will not allow you to book more than 21, 14, or some other number of consecutive days. Similarly, there may be a limit to the number of nights you can stay at a park in a given season. You’ll see these policies enforced in parks like Yosemite, which are under extremely high demand.

The weirder length-of-stay policy relates to minimum durations. I’ve seen some parks that require you to book in full-week blocks starting only on Saturdays. Some parks require a 3-night minimum booking starting on specific days for all long weekends. These policies can be particularly frustrating for those who find a campsite that’s open for two nights—but it can only be booked for a minimum of three nights. 🤷‍♂️ What can I say? I don’t make up the rules.

Check-in and check-out policies

Most parks have a specified time at which you can take occupancy of the campsite you reserved. This tends to be at some point in the afternoon, once departing campers have left the park, and the staff has had time to tidy the recently vacated campsites.

Similarly, you’ll often be asked to vacate your campsite by 10:00 or 11:00 AM, on your departure date. Leaving on time or early—and leaving your campsite in good condition—will make your friendly park attendant’s job a little easier.

Sometimes you can arrive a little early, or leave your site a little later than the park’s policy might specify. Just know that if you’re permitted to do this, it’s a kindness on behalf of the park’s staff and not something they’re obliged to do.

Pro-tip: Some parks close their entry gates for the night at a scheduled time. Check in advance on this if you expect to arrive late in the evening.

Early departure policies

Sometimes you just don’t want to stay for the entirety of your reservation. Maybe the weather goes awry, the kids are cranky, or you want to unload your gear and get a jump on the week ahead. Fair enough. I’ve certainly been there.

If you wish to vacate your campsite early, notify the park ranger. Occasionally their policies will allow for a partial refund for leaving early. (I wouldn’t hold my breath, though.) Letting them know does open your site up to another camper, which is better than letting it sit empty.

Cancellation locking policies

Some regions lock canceled campsites for release at a future day/time. Locked sites will typically display a lock icon on the locked date in the booking calendar. This approach is most commonly seen at state parks in California and Florida.

Site locking and unlocking policies vary a bit from one jurisdiction to the next. Some regions try to release at a regular time, whereas, others tend to be a bit less consistent in the release of locked campsites. For more details on how these work, read this article about unlock alerts.

Refund policies

Getting a refund on a camping reservation can sometimes happen—but not always. Parks take very different approaches to refunds, so, the park and circumstances of your cancellation will have an impact on what kind of refund you’re eligible for, if any.

BC Parks offers refunds for incorrect charges, evacuations, poor air quality, serious medical issues, a death in the family, or a serious car accident. They won’t refund based on leaving early, the presence of wildlife, poor weather, change of plans, reservation errors, and so on.

This region is a bit of an exception—and a pretty nice one should you experience bad circumstances. (Ontario Parks takes a somewhat similar approach). In most regions the reason for your cancelation won’t affect your refund. However, when you cancel likely will impact the size of your refund.

Emergency closure policies

In our changing world, incidents ranging from forest fires to floods are increasingly common. These events often affect parks. This is a real tragedy and something we should all do our best to prevent. Such events can result in park closures that last days, months, or years.

Most park agencies have emergency closure policies in place. Should your stay at a park be made impossible due to an emergency closure, you’ll likely be eligible for a full refund of your reservation. Again, such policies do vary based on the park and booking system.

Campsite booking policies by region/provider

The above article is a general survey of campsite reservation and booking policies that I’ve observed across the board. It doesn’t deal with the specifics of each region, campground, or booking system. Once you know where you wish to camp, you can research specific policies in greater detail. Here are some links you might find helpful:

• Reserve America Fees & Cancellation Policies
• Recreation.gov Rules & Reservation Policies
• Parks Canada reservation policies
• Reserve California Camping Information
• Florida State Parks Reservation Information
• BC Parks Cancellations and refunds
• Alberta Parks Individual Campsite Reservation Rules

Recommended reading

• Campsite Booking Guide: Decoding Campsite Booking Fees

Back to Blog index