Think about the last time you tried to book a campground you really wanted. You had your dates picked out, maybe even set a reminder… and then—gone. Fully booked. Argh!
For today’s poll, we want to know if you have missed out on reserving a specific campsite or even campground you really wanted to stay at this year.
For some of you, the answer is a frustrated yes. Popular parks and campgrounds seem to fill up faster than ever. Reservations open and within minutes—sometimes seconds—the best sites are gone. It can feel like you never even had a chance.
Part of the challenge is how competitive booking has become. More people are RVing, planning ahead, and jumping online the moment reservations open. And then there’s the added wrinkle of technology—some RVers believe bots or automated tools are scooping up sites instantly, especially at high-demand destinations. Whether that’s widespread or not, it definitely feels that way when everything disappears in a flash.
(Here’s an article we wrote about booking those hard-to-get spots.)
Others have found ways to work around it. Flexible travel dates, checking for cancellations, using first-come, first-served sites, or simply choosing less crowded destinations can still lead to great trips—even if it’s not the original plan. Plus, sometimes those “backup” spots end up being the best ones.
And, of course, some of you haven’t had much trouble at all. Maybe you book far in advance, travel off-season, or avoid the busiest parks altogether.
So what about you? Have you missed out on a campground you really wanted to stay at this year, or have you managed to snag the sites you were after? Go ahead and vote in today’s poll, and if you’ve got a booking tip (or a horror story), feel free to share it. Thanks!
RELATED
- How to automate RV campsite bookings for 2026 to get hard-to-book spots
- The best time to book RV sites for 2026 travel
- How to score crowded National Park campgrounds reservations
- How I scored a National Park campsite on a weekend
RVT1257
I don’t know, Otsego State Park is not taking reservations right now. Supposed to open in June after renovations, but I am not holding my breath.
We always plan our main trips well ahead of time. This year I started making reservations in November and December last year for our May and September trips. Even any overnight stops are already scheduled.
As far as any spur of the moment trips, we avoid weekends and holidays.
Normally Sundays through Thursdays are not a problem.
But, we are both retired.
Not yet.
We don’t book months in advance. If there’s nothing available when we stroll through, we move on to next available.
We *might* book up to a week in advance but I prefer just showing up and seeing what’s open. Being locked in to a specific site eliminates the opportunity to enjoy a better option along the way or in the campground if we encounter one.
TLDR: If a campground is sold out on opening day or within minutes of vacancy, it’s way too full for my preferences.
We plan way ahead for major trips, especially when routes take us through areas that don’t have a lot of options for the kind of campground we prefer or we know a smaller campground is highly popular. I’ll research how far in advance I can book and then schedule alarms to make sure I’m on the reservation site the second it opens – often with multiple computers ready to log in for our first, second or third choice spot. I’ll even take the hit of reserving the 2 weeks in front of our actual dates to get a top rated spot in a campground that is highly sought after (think Pfeiffer Big Sur). I do always release the dates we’re not using as soon as allowed. Even with all that I’ve been shut out.
The fun days of just taking off and stopping anyplace you want started to end around 2012 when folks stared posting on FaceBook ” We found this really great RV Park/Spot in —-.” That was it for just pulling in and getting a spot. Places only the “locals” knew about suddenly had RVs from states far away. Then along comes Covid and instead of a flight to Europe or a Cruise Ship, it’s a TT or Class C with 1st timers that know nothing about RVing or even camping. For a trip this summer I booked one place 12 months ago and a 2nd place 10 months ago. Both places are full for the summer. Geeeeeezzzzz
We have booked camp grounds in Oregon for several years. Starting about 3 years ago we couldn’t get a single space in any of them. Yes we knew how to start 6 months in advance. When we would drive thru them there would be several empty spaces, well after check in.
I have no idea where I am spending the night, and have always found a way when out having fun.
I have seen folks who have reserved a site they have never seen before and upon arrival a post or tree makes it a place they will never be able to get into.
So, I just leave it up to my good Karma and I keep having fun, and usually get a swell night’s sleep.
I said I was able to reserve every campground I wanted . Actually I was, but I had to change around two reservations to get into a state park in Georgia.