Fighting for campsites 6 months in advance!

GordonThree wrote:

Durb wrote:
We booked the last two sites at a popular state park in Oregon for Tuesday through Friday. Even though the park was booked full it was 80% empty and did not start to fill until Friday. People are gaming the reservation system and are even being coached how to do so on this thread.

In my mind - $200 booking fee of which $192 will be refunded to you when you physically show up on the first day of your reservation. Forfeited if the reservation is cancelled. Too many people with too much time on their computers taking pride in locking up campsites so others can't use them. Tough medicine but hitting people in the wallet is the only thing that will stop the abuse. This plan provides for no extra cost if you actually plan to use the site.

Nothing angers me more than showing up to a state park that showed sold out online yet is mostly empty.

Onsite staff don't even have the power to override the computer without a several day wait.

^^^ This! Total agreement.

Last year, on a trip to RMNP, Moraine Park CG had the sign out front that said Campground Full. And yet, there were sites on both side of us that were never occupied for the weekend, and several others in our loop that were also not occupied.

Same thing at a USFS CG. Sign out front said FULL, but a walk around the CG several times during the weekend, we saw several sites that were never occupied.

This is frustrating, for those of us that try to use the system correctly, and for those who want to try a last minute booking, or even a walk in to a specific CG. If the sign out front says full, can the CG host override that? Can the area Ranger? Seems like at some point the site should be fair game for any takers.