to reserve or not

gp2down · 05-20-2016, 09:31 AM

Love this Forum!! Great info and sharing...Thanks for that.

Just wondering how many of you make campground reservations. Seems as though many of the popular RV parks get full, but I want to maintain freedom to explore without having to hurry to the next reservation. We are going to Glacier, Yellowstone, and the Utah National parks this June/July from Atlanta and have made some reservations, but want to maintain some flexibility, too. Thoughts from you veteran campers?

Mountndream · 05-20-2016, 09:36 AM

how big is your rig? that is going to be a big factor in your ability to find spaces

I know 2 years ago at Many Glacier in Glacier people started circling the campgrounds before 7 am looking for people who were packing up.

Yellowstone had just one week where we could make a reservation not at Fishing bridge because they calculate length as truck plus trailer.

You need reservations IMHO

**Mr. Dan** · 05-20-2016, 09:38 AM

For short trips not far from my house, I make reservations when there's a system for it. When it's first-come-first-served, I go on Mondays or Tuesdays to get spots weekend tourists have vacated.

On long trips, I use the iPhone app RV Parks & Campgrounds by ParkAdvisor LLC. Sometime (generally between noon and 3 p.m.) I use this app to locate candidate parks near when I think I'll land for the night. I review details including costs, etc., and click "Call" to make an over the phone reservation (hands-free, or course) while I'm driving.

EDIT: It has been pointed out to me I left the impression that I drive down the road while studying fine details on my iPhone. That is not true at all. If you folks knew my DW, you'd know I couldn't get away with that even if I tried. I was merely attempting to provide detailed answers to the questions asked. In my future posts, I will attempt to not only answer questions but to remove any ambiguities others may see in my posts. I admit it's hard to write for such a wide spectrum of readers. Sorry.

youroo · 05-20-2016, 09:39 AM

We try to Go "Spring or Fall" when kids are in school,that has changed now because so many are now "Home Schooled" and Families are on the Go all year!

Youroo!!

Mary Ellen · 05-20-2016, 09:44 AM

Hi! We're making a similar trip. Really similar, in fact, because we're starting here in Gwinnett County, Atlanta suburbs.

We're camping with my husband's brothers, and we'll need 3 campsites, so we're very definitely making reservations first. But when it's just us, and we're driving cross-country from Point A to Point B, we don't reserve. We call ahead in the afternoon, for a place we'll stay that night.

Here at home, for short, local trips, we always reserve, so we're sure to have a spot for the weekend.

Have a great trip!

Jim34RL · 05-20-2016, 09:49 AM

We reserve all of our campgrounds in advance. We like full hook-up sites and when traveling we try to get pull thru sites. I do not like to tow our CC 34RL and find out their are not any sites at a campground. We do tend to stay at private parks and not state parks as their sites are too small for my liking. But we have found C.O.E. campgrounds that do fit our needs with large sites and full hook-ups, which we reserve in advance.

Oaklevel · 05-20-2016, 09:54 AM

For summer at the beach we have to make reservations over a year in advance.

Locally if not a holiday it depends on the time of year. Fall locally are probably already booked.

Depends on the area, and the time of year.

and the size of the camper.

JohnF · 05-20-2016, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

For short trips not far from my house, I make reservations when there's a system for it. When it's first-come-first-served, I go on Mondays or Tuesdays to get spots weekend tourists have vacated.

On long trips, I use the iPhone app RV Parks & Campgrounds by ParkAdvisor LLC. Sometime (generally between noon and 3 p.m.) I use this app to locate candidate parks near when I think I'll land for the night. I review details including costs, etc., and click "Call" to make an over the phone reservation (hands-free, or course) while I'm driving.

So the call is hands free but the "reviewing the details including costs, etc." is not?

Pinn · 05-20-2016, 10:13 AM

We kinda make plans at the last moment and we do make reservations. Don't want to be caught with out a place to stay.

**Mr. Dan** · 05-20-2016, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnF

So the call is hands free but the "reviewing the details including costs, etc." is not?

DW reads the details aloud and clicks "Call". I do the talking. Got any hard questions?

BandJCarm · 05-20-2016, 10:43 AM

I reserve if/when I can.

A sidenote:

Every campsite I pass in America........and I mean every single one......whether it's a KOA, or a private campground, or a COE campground, or some guy's impromptu setup in his field (and yes, there are TONS of these, especially down south), are FULL. F U L L. EFF YOU ELL ELL!!! All the time. Year round.

You wanna get rich? Got some land? Put in septic, electric, water, and make campsites. Stack 'em 9 inches apart if you're greedy (everyone apparently is). Hire your worthless brother in law to sit in the gate and take money. Pump out the septic twice a year. Mow the grass.

Voila. You're now Warren Buffett.

rattleNsmoke · 05-20-2016, 10:46 AM

We call ahead 99% of the time because we do not like bad surprises. As the OP mentioned, when trying to get a beach spot or a site near a Nascar track it's imperative you make the call.

acsimon · 05-20-2016, 10:50 AM

With the retirement of the "baby boomers" now in progress, reservations are now almost a necessity. Almost all of the national parks have experienced an attendance explosion.

dieselguy · 05-20-2016, 10:52 AM

At the lakes and parks in the midwest on any holiday if you want even the minimal hook-ups , you'd better reserve about 4-6 months in advance or you'll be boon docking it up on a hill.

JohnF · 05-20-2016, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

DW reads the details aloud and clicks "Call". I do the talking. Got any hard questions?

I saw over a half dozen "I's" in your post and no "we's".

toymaker · 05-20-2016, 12:01 PM

On trips we make reservations for our destination and wing it on the way. That way we know we have a spot and many times if we didn't have a reservation we would be out of luck. Locally our favorite campground we don't bother with reservations, but since it is close we do head out midweek.

aceinspp · 05-20-2016, 12:18 PM

We always make sure to reserve. Hate surprises. Later RJD

**Mr. Dan** · 05-20-2016, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnF

I saw over a half dozen "I's" in your post and no "we's".

I'm sorry, JohnF. Should I go back and edit my post so you can accept the information I intended?

**Mr. Dan** · 05-20-2016, 02:25 PM

For the sake of clarity and the continued safe operation of our recreational vehicles, I have added an edit to my post #3. You should read it for your own safety.

MNtraveler · 05-20-2016, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gp2down

Love this Forum!! Great info and sharing...Thanks for that.

Just wondering how many of you make campground reservations. Seems as though many of the popular RV parks get full, but I want to maintain freedom to explore without having to hurry to the next reservation. We are going to Glacier, Yellowstone, and the Utah National parks this June/July from Atlanta and have made some reservations, but want to maintain some flexibility, too. Thoughts from you veteran campers?

Make reservations ahead of time, especially if you have a larger unit, and especially if you hate arriving at a desired location and finding it full. You can call ahead, and if there are 3-5 campgrounds or RV parks in an area maybe you can find another one. But if you are going to a specific park like Yellowstone, get a reservation for sure or you may not be going to Yellowstone this year. (At least during the summer season.)

As far as flexibility, remember that once you make a reservation, you may still be able to make changes. There will be a change fee involved, but it may be worth it. Keep in mind, it's easier to call and cancel the first day when running late than to try to get additional days on the end when someone else may have already booked them. For that reason, if you are not quite sure of your plans, you can book extra days on one end or the other and then when your plans are clearer you can cancel out those days. To be clear and before the roar of the crowd rises, I do NOT suggest being piggish and please, please release the non-needed days ASAP. I'm talking about not being sure if you are arriving on Saturday or Sunday, not reserving 2-3 weeks when you only need one.

We have a 2-1/2 week trip planned to Canada this summer and all dates are reserved except the last few days which are closer to home and we know there will be options available. While we would love to be more foot loose and flexible, we wanted to be darn sure to get into the campgrounds we wanted and even to pick from an ample selection of available camp sites, trying to get nice sites by the water, with more elbow room, and away from the bathroom and shower buildings. We made most of our summer reservations in February and early March.

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