Your ultimate guide to booking a campsite on Recreation.gov

At Campnab, we help people go camping. We mostly do this by notifying campers when there’s a cancellation at an otherwise sold-out park. That said, a lot of campers are frustrated with how hard it is to find a campsite.

I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s. We didn’t have a lot of money, so, camping offered us an affordable way to get away as a family. My mom loaded up the van on Fridays and once my dad got home we were off. We’d drive down some logging road, find a lake in the boonies, and park there (sometimes in torrential rain).

You can still do this if you’re adventurous and willing to drive a bit. Most people don’t, though. Instead, they rely on handy tools like recreation.gov to book their campsite reservations months in advance. This adds assuredness to one’s planning, but some are intimated by this new technology.

That’s why I wrote this article: To offer you a step-by-step guide that’ll walk you through creating an account on recreation.gov, finding a place to camp, and making a campsite reservation. Let’s go!

What is recreation.gov?

Recreation.gov is a government service that facilitates travel planning and reservations. The interagency system was conceived in 1995, by the Forest Service and the US Army Corps of engineers. Recreation.gov’s values include equity, fairness, conservation, and customer experience.

Today, 13 federal agencies rely on recreation.gov as their means of making public lands and waters accessible to residents and visitors in one stop. The platform includes facility management, online reservations, a mobile app, and a call center.

You can reserve tickets, tours, permits, venues, and passes on recreation.gov. Through the platform, you can book cave tours, visit lookout towers, reserve a wedding location, or even apply to cut down a Christmas Tree. That said, you’ll probably use recreation.gov to make campsite reservations.

There’s more to recreation.gov than that, though. You can also use the platform to find tools, tips, and information. These resources can help you plan your visit to recreational sites across the United States.

How do you register to use Recreation.gov?

I recommend creating an account on recreation.gov as soon as possible. Signing up for an account is easy and only takes a few moments. That said, you don’t want to leave this until launch day. Otherwise, you might find yourself scrambling to create your account, while others are booking all of the campsites.

Here’s how you can create an account on Recreation.gov

1. Visit https://www.recreation.gov.

2. Click Sign Up / Log In link from the top right corner.

3. Click Create an account under the Log In heading.

4. Complete the form by entering your First name, Last name, Email address, and Cell phone number.

5. Click Sign up.

6. Check your email inbox for a welcome email from recreation.gov and click the big blue “Confirm Email Address” button.

7. Doing so will open up a screen where you can set your password (and re-enter it to ensure you didn’t make a typo). Fill in these fields and click “Set Password”.

8. Click the Close button and you’re all set!

After doing this, I recommend signing into your new account. When you do, save your username and password to autocomplete in your web browser. That way you won’t need to look up those sign-in credentials when you’re in a rush to book a campsite.

How do you find a park on Recreation.gov?

Recreation.gov offers several ways to look for a park or campground. I recommend visiting the site and just clicking around for a while. You’ll find a few neat ways to browse parks all over the United States. That said, the following steps will get you there going quickly:

1. Visit https://www.recreation.gov.

2. Click on the Camping & Lodging tab. (You can just use the Explore All tab, but I prefer the Camping & Lodging tab as it includes some camping-specific search parameters.)

3. Choose where you’d like to visit. If you know the name of the park or campground, enter it here. If not, you can browse by location, state, or zip code.

4. Note your camping preference (Tent, RV, Cabin / Yurts, All).

5. Enter your arrival and departure dates.

6. Click Search.

7. The system will present you with a list of available camping options. Browse these in the left column, or navigate the map in the right column to see nearby parks and campgrounds. If you see availability at your chosen campground, you can move on to the next step.

How do I select a campsite on Recreation.gov?

The first time you attempt to select a campsite on Recreation.gov can be a little overwhelming. There are a lot of different options and tools, as well as unfamiliar symbols to decode. Once you’ve done this once or twice, it’ll all be second nature. I’ll walk you through it for the first time, though:

1. Click on the preview panel of the campground you’re interested in.

2. This brings you to the Campground page. This screen shows you the campground rating, cell coverage information, and reservation rules.

3. A series of tabs allows you to access more specific information. You can find a Campsite List as well as information about Seasons & Fees, Rules & Cancellations, Facility Information, and Ratings & Reviews.

4. Let’s look at the Campsite List. Here, you can view a campsite grid or individual campsite panels. (I prefer the former as it’s more compact.) You can also apply filters if you have specific requirements.

4. Scroll down the Campsite List and check the calendar for suitable availabilities. You’ll quickly become familiar with the way these dates are labeled:

• “A” in a blue box = Available
• “R” in a grey box = Reserved
• “X” in a grey box = Unavailable
• “NR” in an orange box = Not released
• “FF” in a teal box = First-come, First served

5. Click on the campsite you’re interested in. Doing so will open a new tab with information about the site’s availability, details, allowable equipment, driveway details, amenities, and other useful information.

6. If that campsite isn’t suitable, return to the campsite list and repeat the process.

7. Alternatively, you can navigate the map on the right of your screen to check other nearby sites.

How do you book a campsite on Recreation.gov?

Found the campsite you wish to book? Awesome! Here’s what’s next:

1. Click on your arrival date. Your chosen date and the one to the right will change to dark blue. Each will display a checkmark. (Don’t worry—this isn’t a two-night booking. These two date selections just identify your arrival date and departure date.)

If you accidentally select the wrong campsite or date, click on the red circle containing an X. Doing so will remove this selection.

2. If you wish to book additional nights, select which morning you wish to depart. Note that you can depart on the morning of a day that someone else has reserved. (These dates are indicated with a half-blue, half-grey fill to denote your departure and the other party’s arrival.)

3. At the bottom of the Campsite List you’ll find the reservation summary. This indicates the site number and campground, length of stay, and cost of the reservation (plus fees and taxes). To reserve this selection, click Add to Cart.

4. The system will then display the text “Booking reservation” and you’ll have to wait for a few seconds. The system is adding the selection to your cart. Once it’s done so, you’ll have 15 minutes to complete your purchase.

5. Next, you’re taken to the Order Details screen. Carefully review your reservation information in the right column. Then complete the required fields in the left column. Your total cost will be updated as you do so.

6. Scroll down and read the Need to Know information. Click on the box indicating that you have read and agree to this information.

7. If all is A.O.K., click Proceed to Cart in the left column.

8. Your Shopping Cart will load, showing your selection and Order Summary. Review this carefully and click “Proceed to Payment” when ready.

9. Now enter your payment information and click Next to complete your purchase.

Success! You’ve got your campsite reservation. Do a happy dance! No, seriously. Do it… Happy dance. Now!

What are “booking windows” on recreation.gov?

Wondering why you can’t book certain dates that aren’t reserved? Odds are that you’ve advanced the calendar past the booking window. I’ll explain:

A booking window indicates when dates become available for reservation. Recreation.gov has a few different types of booking windows including Rolling Booking Windows, Block Release Windows, and First-Come, First-Served.

Rolling Booking Windows allow you to book any date from today to a set day in the future. Most rolling windows are 6 or 12 months.

Example: Let’s say a park is operating on a 6-month rolling window. If today is February 1st, you’re allowed to reserve any day up to August 1st. This window advances each day. So, on the morning of February 2nd, August 2nd will open up for reservations.

Block Release Windows open up a block of dates for reservations at a set time and date. Month-long blocks typically release 5 months in advance.

Example: Most campsites at Yosemite National Park are released on a block release window. So, if you wish to camp at Yosemite Lower Pines on June 20th, you need to visit recreation.gov on January 15th at 7:00 AM Pacific Time (10:00 AM Eastern Time).

At that exact time, recreation.gov releases the month’s inventory (dates between June 15th and July 14th) for booking. The next month the subsequent block will be released. Many permits are released using this method.

First-Come, First-Served dates are the odd-one-out when it comes to booking windows. (In fact, it’s not a booking window at all, but I need to mention it somewhere.) First-come, first-served (FCFS) refers to campsites that are held for release on-site at the park. Many campgrounds have some FCFS availabilities for those who arrive without reservations. Also, many campgrounds switch to FCFS entirely in the off-season.

How do I beat the bots when parks open for reservations?

Although many speak of campsite booking bots with disdain. we don’t consider bots a real concern. This is why:

If you didn’t watch the video, here’s the scoop: Demand for camping greatly exceeds the limited supply of campsites. So, when campsites appear to book instantly on launch day, it’s actually due to a lot of humans manually booking those sites.

Do you have any tips or tricks for booking reservations on recreation.gov?

Trying to book a campsite when they’re released? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you might find launch day to be quite frustrating. (Most campers feel this way.) On the opening morning it’s a free-for-all, in which thousands of eager campers hit the site and all click the Reserve button frantically.

That said, I do have some tips:

1. Do your research in advance and know which sites you want to book.

2. Sign in to your recreation.gov account in advance so you don’t lose any time fiddling with your username and password. Also, have your credit card ready.

3. Synchronize your computer clock so you’re ready to act the moment sites are released for booking.

4. Pull up the campground page in advance of the release time so you’re ready when it opens up.

5. Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays book up fast. So, consider opting for dates that are in less demand. Mid-week and shoulder season dates tend to be easier to reserve.

6. Don’t hesitate. If your desired spot is there, snap it up as quickly as possible. You’ll have 15 minutes to complete your reservation.

7. Have a few backup options at hand if your first choice is no longer available.

8. Have a family member (or two) attempt to book other workable campsites at the same time. Maybe one of you will get lucky. (If you end up with multiple bookings, please cancel one of your reservations to free those up for other campers.)

9. Check for cancellations. A lot of folks book more than they can use, or their plans change. When they do, they’re bound to cancel their reservations. You can create a scan on Campnab to notify you of suitable cancellations. You can create a campsite cancellation scan right now if you’d like.

Why do I have to pay booking fees on recreation.gov?

The short story: The booking fees you pay fund recreation.gov and the member agencies that manage the places you visit.

Recreation.gov is a complex platform. It supports over 21 million users, more than 113,000 locations, and 4,200+ sites and activities. This is no small thing. It requires ongoing management, support, and improvement from the selected contractor (Booz Allen Hamilton). This provider earns a portion of your booking fee.

Participating agencies aren’t forced to use recreation.gov. Instead, they opt into the program to streamline their operational, financial, and visitor management. Essentially, they use recreation.gov because it affords them value that’d be hard to match individually.

Recreation.gov isn’t funded through agency budgets or appropriations. It is entirely funded by fees collected through the Recreation.gov website. Most of the funds collected go to the agencies and facilities that participate in this platform. Those fees pay for maintenance, staffing, and facility upkeep.

Got other questions about recreation.gov?

With the above, I tried to compile a useful overview of what recreation.gov is and how you can use it to book campsites. I also worked to provide some context on how campsites are released and why booking fees are charged. I could have added a lot more to this post but thought I might overwhelm you.

With that said, I appreciate that I may have missed some important points, or been unclear in some descriptions. So, if you find an error, or have questions that I haven’t answered here, please send me an email. I’m happy to lend a hand as best I can. I’ll also update this post from time to time with pertinent additions.

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