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Old 11-10-2021, 11:36 AM   #21
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Originally Posted by glen1971 View Post
A month ago, we made reservations for a week next summer for our daughter's wedding. We didn't want to risk not finding something. If you can book, I would..
Especially in popular areas (National Parks, major tourist attractions/areas, beaches & coastal areas).


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Originally Posted by jrollf View Post
If trying to get sites at first come first serve, the best bet is to show up Tuesday/Wednesday and less so, Thursday, there are often a lot more open sites. Check ins on Friday thru the weekend can be a challenge.
Even later on Mondays is an option after the "extended weekenders" have gone.


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I've already starting making reservations for next winter's trip and it's not even this winter yet!



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Originally Posted by dave961 View Post
We will be gone for 100 days starting mid-April 2022. While I would rather wing it so we can leave or stay at will, that is just not possible from what I've been reading.

Therefore, I spent a lot of time plotting our course, thinking about road days vs rest days vs sightseeing locations and decided how long to stay at each place (one day to seven days). As those dates hit the six month out date, I am booking them. Even then, some of the specific sites (and even whole loops) are gone within minutes of opening up.

You can chance it and probably find something, but I decided to stick to a schedule and know I have a site available.




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Originally Posted by Cabinfever97 View Post
All of our sites are booked for next year. As soon as the reservation window opens we make the reservation.




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Originally Posted by PoppySteve View Post
We got back from our 10 week, 3800 mile trip from East Texas to Yellowstone at the end of October. We made reservations for all of our stops. Fortunately, I don't mind spending a lot of time online looking for places to stay. Practically all of the reservations were made a year in advance.

What I like to do is plan the stops we will make and then use Google maps to really search that area for places to stay.

How bad is it out there? We have only been RVing for the last 4 years, but if you mean crowded, it is the worst we have ever seen. Like you mentioned, even those secret spots have been found.
Google Maps can also give you an indication of what's in the area if you zoom in enough so that the "labels" pop up.

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Old 11-10-2021, 12:34 PM   #22
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Often I make next years reservations when we check out. I had April 2022 reservations made in April this year. Others won't allow that far on advance so I will book first week in Jan.
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Old 11-10-2021, 12:52 PM   #23
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...As I think about planning our trip for next year I'm wondering if I should preemptively try to make some reservations along our route at locations that might prove a pain (think Denali Nat Park). I know this could hinder our timeline/make us feel rushed etc.
If Denali is in your plans I would start on December 1st making reservations. There are only 3 campgrounds available to RV's in the park. There is no water or electric at any of the campgrounds. Riley Creek is the biggest and located at the entrance to the park. It has a small store and dump station. You are only allowed to drive your vehicle to the Savage River Bridge, roughly milepost 15 on the Denali Park Rd. Past there you must use the shuttle. There are private CG's located in nearby CANTWELL, HEALY and ANDERSON. Most have all amenities. Alaska State Parks, for the most part, have no reservation system. It is first come, first serve. If Denali is in your sights I would get a copy of "Milepost". It is published annually and will provide you with information you need to know about traveling in Alaska and Canada.
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Old 11-10-2021, 02:21 PM   #24
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KOA's and private places? Harvest Host?
What are your thoughts? Prefer parks and boondocking where available? KOA's are nice for popping in for amenities (to do laundry) etc? Thoughts overall?
We prefer national and state parks and book, but plan a stop at KOAs every few days to do laundry. Since state parks are usually booked way in advance for Friday and Saturday, we usually end up at a private park on the weekends if traveling. Haven't used Harvest Hosts yet.
By booking in advance, you take a lot of stress out of traveling. Just write down their cancellation policies so you don't get stuck paying for a site you don't use. We had difficulty on one trip and didn't have any trouble cancelling or rescheduling reservations.
We've done unplanned trips and planned trips with reservations. Reservations are a better experience.
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Old 11-15-2021, 07:21 PM   #25
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We took the trip of a life time to Alaska summer 2019.
Long before we even heard of covid. I was a year planning and mapping and booking sites. I am glad I did as there were several times when checking in where others pulled in hoping for a site without reservations and were turned away.
We planned it so we stayed a few days in many places so we didn’t feel rushed or that we were on tight schedule. This is specially important for some spots in Alaska. If you haven’t seen Denali before be prepared to have your breath taken away. We also did the top of the world highway.
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Old 11-15-2021, 08:16 PM   #26
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2021 was the hardest year ever to reserve sites. Sites I could have reserved a month in advance now required 6 months or a year. Especially popular parks. But, even smaller ones like on the North Shore of Lake Superior. People are just starting to use those expensive covid campers they bought. It should ease up in a year or 2.
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Old 11-16-2021, 02:02 PM   #27
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I see that you are going through or near Amarillo. I want to reccomend Palo Duro St. Park south of Amarillo. Look it up. Unbelievable.
I grew up in the Amarillo area and totally agree about Palo Duro Canyon, but… I would avoid mid-June to mid-August as temperatures on the canyon floor commonly reach 105-110. It’s a beautiful place with excellent hiking trails and good campsites but it can get really HOT in the summer.

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Old 11-16-2021, 02:20 PM   #28
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I'm a planner....always have been and always will be. As such, our reservations for ANYWHERE are typically made a good year out. I have reservations for Thanksgiving 2022 already as well as our 2 week long trips in '22 were made a year plus in advance. With campgrounds being full these days, I don't want to ever find myself with no sites available or trying to put a 40' 5er in a pop-up space.
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Old 11-16-2021, 04:15 PM   #29
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Originally Posted by colomap View Post
I read a blog recently (or saw a youtube video) where the people mentioned that spending tons of time online and on the phone trying to find avail campgrounds/RV parks etc for their next destination was a real pain.

As I think about planning our trip for next year I'm wondering if I should preemptively try to make some reservations along our route at locations that might prove a pain (think Denali Nat Park). I know this could hinder our timeline/make us feel rushed etc.

I get that we could hopefully always overnight on BLM land or a Walmart parking lot if we're desperate. Part of the reason I think about this is that here in Colorado it's a freaking zoo and I generally start booking random campsites starting in January when the window opens. Even my "secret" out of the way public lands are now completely overrun with 4 wheelers, guns going off everywhere etc.

People have mentioned there are a lot of first-come first-served sites but even that doesnt work here (we tried one weekend last summer).

Anyone have advice on this as far as planning ahead? KOA's and private RV parks etc will be totally new to us. And places like Denali open for reservations a year in advance.

I guess another way to ask this is: with everyone doing the "van life" how bad is it out there?
We made reservations at twenty USFS/USCOE/NP/SP campgrounds for our 33 day trip to the east coast this past summer as soon as the reservation window opened. Only had to change one because of flooding and ended up boon-docking under a fire lookout tower somewhere in Missouri for one night. Very glad that we did since all the CGs were full when we were there. Yes, it holds you to a strict itinerary, but better that than a truck stop or commercial store parking lot.
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Old 11-17-2021, 11:39 AM   #30
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I'm a planner....always have been and always will be. As such, our reservations for ANYWHERE are typically made a good year out. I have reservations for Thanksgiving 2022 already as well as our 2 week long trips in '22 were made a year plus in advance. With campgrounds being full these days, I don't want to ever find myself with no sites available or
trying to put a 40' 5er in a pop-up space.

Creatively, it can be done!
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Old 11-19-2021, 10:05 AM   #31
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We've always been planners. Just more comfortable for us. We are already planning and reserving sites for the '22-'23 winter season. We pull a 45' 5th wheel so not much National Park, State Park or boondocks space available for us anyway. I sleep better knowing that when I get to my stop they'll be a site for us. But I know folks who wing it too. Just not my style.
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Old 11-19-2021, 10:51 AM   #32
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I made reservations for my 2022 summer trip before I even took my trip this past June. It is terrible these days to get places last minute so as someone posted above, if you have a window to book I would grab it while you can. I was in Orlando, and St. Augustine both last week and CG's were pretty well full. Traveling I95 I saw RV's of all shapes and sizes going North and South.
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Old 11-19-2021, 01:31 PM   #33
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Starting the last week of a three week trip through MS, AL, LA, didn't make any reservations more than 1week in advance, moist a couple days.

BUT we are just relaxing and didn't have required destinations in mind. Booked the next site after arriving at the 'current' site. No RV parks (not my cup of tea, like to be in the sticks, not a parking lot full of RVs stacked on top of each other), all reservations were at state parks, national forests, national rec areas, Army Corp of Engineers, and a boondockers welcome location. Some locations were dry camping (no hookups), most were water and power with a dump station, only one had full hookups. Most camps had little to no cell service.

All this to say it is still possible to do last minute reservations as long as one is willing to be flexible and not insist on full hookups and having cell service and willing to be out in rural locations.
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Old 11-19-2021, 02:47 PM   #34
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Creatively, it can be done!
Just give it more gas when your backing in.
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Old 11-19-2021, 03:04 PM   #35
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We have been doing an annual family camp trip, for the past 6 years. We reserve around 7-8 sites at a small campground. Over tbe past 5 years, we've been able to reserve them in January or February, for the week following the 4th of July week.
Well, a family member informed us that sites were already disappearing, starting 10 days ago. We panicked and barely got any campsite that was still available. We couldn't get any of the sites we always got before.
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Old 11-19-2021, 04:11 PM   #36
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I've reserved most of our first month next year as we traverse the west US. I'm like a lot of you in that it at least feels good to have SOMETHING reserved. After that month we are in Canada and I haven't decided how to handle that just yet.
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Old 11-19-2021, 04:27 PM   #37
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I years past I would begin making summer trip reservations in January for most of the normal destinations. Reservations for the special destinations were usually made when we departed the CG the previous year. If you want a premium, ocean front site, a year in advance is usually not enough.

In addition, many CG’s do not take reservations until January, or maybe later.

For sure this year CG reservations will be different and perhaps difficult to get.
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