Forum Discussion

Dutch_Oven_Man's avatar
Dutch_Oven_Man
Explorer
May 27, 2022

Florida State Parks Early Reservation

We’ve been camping for over 30 years, so not a newbie here, but apparently I still have not learned the tricks for Florida state park reservations.

Back in the day (pre-COVID) we could almost always find a reservation 3-4 months out for even the most popular State Parks outside of maybe the Key’s or a few other places. Nowadays, it’s seems you have to attempt to reserve 11 months+14 days at exactly 8:00 EST AM to even have a chance. But what is really odd, even dates that would not be considered popular and “out of season”, like February in the Panhandle on a Wednesday, are snatched up quicker at 8:00 AM than you can physically even hit the buttons. I just don’t see how it’s possible that every single site for every single day on a one day reservation in the middle of the week can be snatched up so quickly.

Is there some trick I’m missing, or a bot running in the background that is grabbing all these sites? Forget a holiday weekend, I never see reservations open for those. I’ve been running a “test” getting on at exactly 8:00 AM 11months+14 days to book a site preparing for a holiday weekend in 2023, and even just random dates I can’t seem to get a site quick enough. What gives?
  • Camper445's avatar
    Camper445
    Explorer
    May 28, 2022
    Dutch_12078 wrote:
    We have our next winter Georgia and Florida state park stays booked into next April, all with our preferred sites. As said, you need to be ready to click at exactly the moment the reservation windows open, 11 months ahead in Florida and 13 months ahead in Georgia. I haven't timed it with Florida's new system, but one trick with Reserve America parks if you don't get in the first time, is to go back again 15 minutes later. Many people have multiple windows open ready to click on, and they sometimes hit on more than one site. While they complete the process for one site, the others are released back into the system in 15 minutes. That has gotten us into some popular parks on several occasions in the past few years. Some park systems have tried to control the "book two weeks ahead and then change the dates later" game by not allowing any changes for at least 18 days. When you go back to make the change then, your preferred dates may already be taken.


    Proof to confirm my previous comment. Snowbirds gaming the system.
  • Dutch_12078's avatar
    Dutch_12078
    Explorer II
    May 28, 2022
    We have our next winter Georgia and Florida state park stays booked into next April, all with our preferred sites. As said, you need to be ready to click at exactly the moment the reservation windows open, 11 months ahead in Florida and 13 months ahead in Georgia. I haven't timed it with Florida's new system, but one trick with Reserve America parks if you don't get in the first time, is to go back again 15 minutes later. Many people have multiple windows open ready to click on, and they sometimes hit on more than one site. While they complete the process for one site, the others are released back into the system in 15 minutes. That has gotten us into some popular parks on several occasions in the past few years. Some park systems have tried to control the "book two weeks ahead and then change the dates later" game by not allowing any changes for at least 18 days. When you go back to make the change then, your preferred dates may already be taken.
  • Camper445's avatar
    Camper445
    Explorer
    May 28, 2022
    Florida residents have been bellyaching (and rightly so) about the state parks since before the internet. It has nothing to do with RV sales, bots, or anything other than snowbirds. They game the system to no end and have done so forever, moving from park tobpark or site to site to avoid stay limits along with other tactics such as having friends and family reserve for them. The poor Florida working guy with family, who has to schedule camping around vacation schedules and approvals etc, is forced to camp in the off season for the most part at FL state parks. Nothing new here.
  • Retired_JSO's avatar
    Retired_JSO
    Explorer
    May 27, 2022
    We were Florida residents until 2020. We always booked popular Florida and Georgia state parks 12 months in advance. For 10 years in a row, we would book Rainbow Springs SP every Christmas/New Year and Goldhead SP every Thanksgiving. Up until, 2018, we never worried because we could get the site we wanted. Now it has become a lot harder. Our Georgia SP’s are upgrading with a lot more offering 50 amp and sewer. Vogel SP in our county has started to upgrade every site adding sewer, half being closed during the makeover. I understand ST Andrews in Florida has added paved roads and sewer.
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    May 27, 2022
    I agree that it is time for Florida to clean up their state park reservation act.
  • agesilaus's avatar
    agesilaus
    Explorer III
    May 27, 2022
    First there are bots that people use to grab sites, there is a fee attached to use these. I probably should not mention this since it will encourage people to use them.
    Second FL Parks are very popular and hard to reserve
    Third the FL Park reservation system seems to be ...ah fouled up. We tried to reserve a spot at a local park, Pad length 30 feet site length 61 feet. the website showed openings. But we could not log in since the software insisted that our address was not in the official US list of addresses. A big surprise since we have been getting mail there for 30 years. Tried a neighbors address, same response.
    Called the reservation phone number, the women there was adamant those sites were tents only?! Drove out to the park and looked at those sites, they had RV's in them. The sites are dirt, no pads, and plenty long enough. And wide enough to park truck next to the RV which is 30 feet long.
    Gave up.

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