Campground prices are starting to feel a lot more like airline tickets. Some parks are rolling out AI tools, big reservation systems are getting updated, and even state parks are talking about new pricing models. Many people hear the term dynamic pricing and assume it just means weekends cost more, but the story is more complicated. Understanding how this works can help campers avoid surprises and still find decent rates.
In the video at the end of this post, Jason Epperson of RV Miles breaks it all down.
Jason points out that airlines and hotels have used pricing algorithms for decades, but campgrounds are only now jumping in.
Reservation software companies are adding AI pricing tools. The state of Oregon has said it is moving to dynamic pricing by charging different amounts at different times of year. The problem is that many systems and officials are calling almost everything dynamic pricing, even when it is not.
That confusion makes it hard for campers to know what they are really up against.
Flexible pricing: The old-school campground model
Most campers already know the basic pattern. Summer weekends cost more. Winter weekdays cost less. Holidays sit at the top of the chart. That is flexible (or variable or seasonal) pricing. Rates change based on the date of the stay, and those prices are set long before anyone books.
With flexible pricing, the park builds a rate chart in advance. It might be as simple as two prices, one for peak season and one for the off-season. Other parks break it into many tiers, with special rates for certain dates, site types, and weekends.
Once those charts are in place, they barely move. Managers might adjust them here and there, but the numbers are not in constant motion.
What real dynamic pricing looks like
True dynamic pricing works in real time. It changes based on when the camper books, not just the dates of the stay. This is the airline and hotel model. Algorithms and AI look at how many sites are left, demand trends, cancellations, booking history, weather, and local events. Then the system updates prices on its own.
No staff member is sitting at a computer changing numbers all day. Once the rules are set, the system runs nonstop.
- Book early, and the rate is often lower.
- Book late during a spike in demand, and the rate climbs.
- When demand drops, the rate may dip, but only down to a preset minimum.
Chains like KOA have used forms of dynamic pricing for years. With new AI tools built into popular reservation platforms, more private parks will adopt them too, because they boost revenue and help keep sites filled.
Oregon’s announced plan is closer to classic seasonal pricing than true dynamic pricing. The state is talking about higher prices on popular dates and lower prices at slower times, all set in advance on a rate chart. Those prices do not shift minute-by-minute based on bookings. That is flexible pricing, not full dynamic pricing.
Why prices do not drop to rock bottom
Many people expect dynamic pricing to work both ways. Prices jump when demand is high, so they assume prices will fall to dirt-cheap levels when demand drops. In practice, that rarely happens. Campgrounds set a price floor, and the algorithm does not go below it. Parks still pay for electricity, water, sewer, and wear-and-tear when a site is occupied.
There is also the perceived value to consider. If one camper pays $75 and the next pays $25, people feel burned. To avoid that, the park may set a floor, say $50, and save anything lower for special sales, coupon codes, and loyalty deals instead of automatic drops.
Where dynamic pricing goes wrong for campers
Dynamic pricing has a big downside: trust. Campers never see price history. They do not know if tonight’s rate is higher than last week’s or lower than yesterday’s.
If a system is tuned poorly, prices can spike so high that customers feel tricked. Many people already feel this way about major concert tickets when prices surge as availability drops. Jason notes that in concerts, a lot of that comes from the secondary market, but the bad feeling is the same.
Retailers are chasing similar control with digital price tags, like those seen in Kohl’s. That tech lets stores change prices any time without workers swapping labels, all to adjust perceived value on the fly.
Jason draws on his time as a theater and concert producer. When theaters added a “premium” section, many buyers paid extra even if the seats were only slightly better than the rest, or sometimes not better at all. They bought the feeling of something nicer.
Campgrounds can play the same card. Two sites might be nearly identical, but one has a small gazebo or sits closer to the bathhouse. That site becomes the premium option, and many campers choose it without really needing the perk. Dynamic pricing rides on that same human habit. Some campers want the nicer choice and assume a higher price must mean better.
Practical ways campers can beat the system
There are still ways for campers to work with, not against, these systems.
- Book early when possible. Real dynamic models usually reward the early planner with lower prices.
- Be flexible with dates. Shifting a trip by even one night can drop the rate, especially midweek.
- Watch shoulder seasons and bad-weather windows. Prices sometimes slip during those slower times, though they will stop at the price floor.
Realize that many of the best discounts come from marketing, not from the algorithm. Parks often share coupon codes, loyalty deals, and limited-time offers through email and membership programs.
Coming soon: Surveillance pricing
Dynamic pricing is only one stage. Jason flags a newer trend that many people find even more troubling: personalized pricing, sometimes called surveillance pricing.
In that model, companies use data on a person’s demographics, web history, and past purchases to estimate the maximum that person will pay. AI then sets other prices for the same product for different customers, all to squeeze out more profit.
Final thoughts
Campers do not have to love dynamic pricing, and most probably never will. Still, knowing the difference between flexible and dynamic pricing, understanding price floors, and learning how algorithms react to demand can help people plan smarter trips.
This trend will not slow down, especially as AI tools get cheaper and easier for campground owners to use. The best response is awareness, early planning, and a healthy dose of skepticism around every “limited time” rate. Campers who pay attention stand the best chance of keeping their camping budget under control as pricing models keep changing.
MORE ON CAMPGROUNDS AND RV PARKS:
- Virtual campsite planner receives rave review from Forbes
- Oregon considers major overhaul of state park reservations amid crowding and cancellations
- What I told a campground owner about improving his park
- When campgrounds seem too quiet during off-season RVing
- How to automate RV campsite bookings for 2026 to get hard-to-book spots
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There will be no “pricing down” below the floor price even if the park is empty. Dynamic pricing only goes up as vacancy decreases. Unlike airlines, sports events and concerts where there’s more money on the table to penalize unfulfilled reservations, I think this will make park owners wish they hadn’t done this. I understand the desire to squeeze one more dollar but they stand to lose as much as they gain.
Is there any way to know if dynamic pricing is being utilized?
I thought prices were going to be lower.
What led you to believe that? Camping prices have been increasing for years.
Yes, AI pricing is happening, especially with municipalities and chain campgrounds. On one trip to San Diego in mid-2024, I needed to stay for 5 weeks in the June/July timeframe. I booked early and got a decent rate. While there, at one of the only two RV parks in San Diego, I had to extend for another week and the rate doubled during “prime time”. If the demand is high, so will prices be! It’s called GREED!
While searching 7 months in advance for a campground in Virginia, I found one that looked OK. We needed to stay 10 days, so that included a weekend and no sites were available for those two days. I figured we could find something else for the weekend and come back. When I looked for a Mon-Wed site there were lots of them, but the price jumped from $60/night to $130/night for the same site…all weekdays.
I backed out, while mumbling under my breath that they could kiss a special place, and booked nothing with them.
I just won’t tolerate this model. If that means I quit camping or completely change up the model, so be it. If we tolerate it, we deserve what we get.
Side note: Kept searching and found an absolutely gorgeous shaded family owned campground in the area that was way better and got a $42/night 50 amp FHU site for all 10 days. Perfect.
Hi Denny: It is called Supply and Demand….. applies to virtually everything in a free capitalist system which we have and enjoy. AI is a whole new animal to deal with and I see a great deal of problems coming – privacy being probably number 1; if not the ultimate demise of the human race by machines as machines gain “intelligence?”
When we were in Pennsylvania, if you are from out of state, the price goes up. We learned that in the near future, prices may increase as a percentage to the cost of your rig. Jayco get’s a lower price than the Airstream.
AI is a scourge in every way possible. It’s extremely detrimental to the environment because it relies on huge data centers which are being built all over the country. They require enormous amounts of electricity and water to be operational. People have already lost their jobs to AI. And these are not just low level jobs. Health insurers are using AI to determine and deny coverage. And the list goes on.
That’s just one more reason to avoid campgrounds as much as possible. On a recent two-week trip, we spent exactly two nights in campgrounds; the rest were at Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome locations. When we do stay in campgrounds, we pick smaller state parks or (rarely) private campgrounds where the rates are reasonable and we don’t have to deal with crowds.
Dynamic pricing will be the death of the RV industry! When you can no longer predict the price you will pay each month, day, minute…you cant budget. Back “in the day” the monthly rate was he same each month of your booked dates. KOA in Galveston bought a park that used that model. They then started changing the rate each month of your stay WITHOUT telling you when you booked a 3 month stay. So, you find out the new monthly rate when you went to pay for the next month! NOT the same rate that was quoted when you booked it.
Year after year the rate climbed……to the point it passed our “no can do” point. We no longer stay at “the island” since others liked the new pricing!
Donald…a lot of people appararently have more money than brains. Same people that bought RVs at greater than MSRP during the pandemic.
How would one avoid surveillance pricing which is based on a person’s demographics, web history, and past purchases? Would rejecting all cookies work? Should a person use a VPN, incognito, or dark mode to search and reserve campsites?