National Parks - ReserveAmerica shows full - accurate?

Lots of tent campers here using portable a/c's...

drsteve wrote:

We have stayed in many National Forest campgrounds. All of the ones we have stayed in had electric hookups.

Interesting. Every one I've seen has been rustic.

Yes, right. Most NF are rustic sites, but some are moving toward allowing private hosts to run the camps. They install power pedestals and raise the rates. AND, only give the ATB pass discount for the basic rate, and charge extra non-discount rate for the power.

Probably a wave of the future because many campers today are not the tent campers of the past - many want the "upscale" sites with power.

RGar974417 wrote:

drsteve wrote:
National Forest campgrounds are primitive, i.e. no hookups, which makes it more likely to find a spot.

We have stayed in many National Forest campgrounds. All of the ones we have stayed in had electric hookups.

I would guess that less than 1 in 10 NFS CG's in CO has electricity. I have a little less experience in our neighboring states, but I'd still guess the ratio is about the same in UT, WY, AZ, MT, etc.

OP, the only NFS CG near Ouray is Amphitheater in is definitely not RV friendly. Look at Recreation.gov and you'll see most sites are 20' or so. And in this case they aren't kidding. If one is in a TC or tent, it's a great CG. Anything bigger just doesn't fit. There are three on CO 145 south of Telluride, but they fill early.

To stay on the OP, At the NF website of a particular CG - look at the complete list of sites, they will be numbered - when you see a site missing from the list it is most likely a non-reservable site (walk-in) - keep in mind most NF and a lot of State CG's have a size limits - don't assume you can fudge a little on length especially during high season.

drsteve wrote:

We have stayed in many National Forest campgrounds. All of the ones we have stayed in had electric hookups.

Interesting. Every one I've seen has been rustic.

You need to come out West. :) Some even have nice paved sites with electric. We love them!

drsteve wrote:

We have stayed in many National Forest campgrounds. All of the ones we have stayed in had electric hookups.

Interesting. Every one I've seen has been rustic.

Many don't, but there are several in the George Washington NF we have been to that do, & Bakers Hole outside West Yellowstone does also.

We have stayed in many National Forest campgrounds. All of the ones we have stayed in had electric hookups.

Interesting. Every one I've seen has been rustic.

10-4 rexlion - My research has indicated the same. Our plan is to stay a few nights at an RV park in Ouray (already reserved) and then venture out for a couple nights of boondocking (our first time).

Even if you were to have trouble finding a campsite among the NF campgrounds, you're not out of luck. There are some boondock spots on NF land where you can camp. I stayed at one such place about 1/3 of the way from Ouray to Silverton, just off the east side of the highway, where I spotted several other rigs. I've heard of some spots east of Silverton a few miles, too.

ok thx everybody