Forum Discussion

Quint_Da_Man's avatar
Quint_Da_Man
Explorer II
May 11, 2016

National Park Camping

What is the best way to get information on national parks for camping. Wife and I will be going full time in a 40' Class A and we like rural camping. Is there a goto source for campgrounds that covers maximum RV length, facilities, length of stay etc. that people use.

20 Replies

  • I think the OP just meant he preferred the "state park" type camping experience over resort camping as do I.
  • Since you mentioned national parks...each national park or national monument has an excellent web site with lots of good information, including campgrounds. Just look for the 'nps' national park service web sites for where you're going. Here is Yellowstone's and you can see all the campground information:

    https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm
  • Quint Da Man wrote:
    What is the best way to get information on national parks for camping. Wife and I will be going full time in a 40' Class A and we like rural camping. Is there a goto source for campgrounds that covers maximum RV length, facilities, length of stay etc. that people use.


    each national park has a website that has details on camping in that park.
  • rgatijnet1 wrote:
    We find the best times to visit the more popular National Parks is during the Winter months. There are usually very few people there and you pretty much have the park to yourselves.
    Around the Summer months you will probably be lucky if you can get in to the Trailer Village RV park at the Grand Canyon. It is usually booked months in advance. Here is a picture of that same RV park in January. I doubt if you will see any deer in the RV park when it is full. No reservations needed during the Winter and we have found the same things in Yellowstone and most of the other National Parks.

    Not as many deer but the Elk where a pest in the campground in July. You didn't want to startle one.
    Bill
  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    X2 on USCG.info. Allstays has a Good CG and boondocking site.
  • msmith1199 wrote:
    Just curious, but you say you like "rural camping" but your question is about camping at National Parks. Although there are some rural National Parks, most National Parks are fairly well developed tourist type destinations. They would still be considered rural I guess, but if you go camping in many of them (Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Etc.) you'll be camping with thousands of other people. If you really like rural camping (as in remote away from the crowds) then you should look at National Forest and BLM campgrounds. And in many places on BLM or National Forest land you don't even need to be in a campground. You can just camp anywhere.


    This.

    And, each national park has its own web site---start at nps.gov. It will give you different types of information than recreation.gov.

    UScampgrounds.info
    has a map with probably 80% or more of the publicly owned campgrounds in the US--national parks, national forests, BLM, state, county, city, and Corps of Engineers.

    National Forests have some of the loveliest campgrounds in the country.
  • We find the best times to visit the more popular National Parks is during the Winter months. There are usually very few people there and you pretty much have the park to yourselves.
    Around the Summer months you will probably be lucky if you can get in to the Trailer Village RV park at the Grand Canyon. It is usually booked months in advance. Here is a picture of that same RV park in January. I doubt if you will see any deer in the RV park when it is full. No reservations needed during the Winter and we have found the same things in Yellowstone and most of the other National Parks.
  • Just curious, but you say you like "rural camping" but your question is about camping at National Parks. Although there are some rural National Parks, most National Parks are fairly well developed tourist type destinations. They would still be considered rural I guess, but if you go camping in many of them (Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Etc.) you'll be camping with thousands of other people. If you really like rural camping (as in remote away from the crowds) then you should look at National Forest and BLM campgrounds. And in many places on BLM or National Forest land you don't even need to be in a campground. You can just camp anywhere.