Do I need to reserve in advance?
I'm planning to start my first rv trip in May. I have already read information about some locations that are booked in advance in minutes, but what about parks (private and public) that are not in th...
Forum Discussion
It depends. I know that's not a very helpful answer, but it's the best one I can give.
If you're going someplace or some time (e.g. a holiday weekend) that is quite popular, reservations well in advance are essential, doubly so on weekends. If you're going someplace that is not especially popular, reservations are usually quite unnecessary, though I still often make them particularly for weekend trips so I know I'll have a place when I get wherever I'm going. It has sometimes meant having a reserved site at a park where there are only a couple of other campers there to occupy the dozens of sites.
If you're limited in what sites you can take (say because you have a long RV and it's a park with mostly little sites, or because you want one of the few full hookup sites, or something), then reservations are more important than if you can take any old site.
If you'll be arriving late in the evening, reservations are often more necessary than if you arrive earlier in the day. Whatever first-come, first-serve sites may get taken as the day wears on.
If you'll be camping on a weekend, reservations are more often necessary than if you're arriving on a Monday or Tuesday as you won't be competing with people who work during the week.
Many of the online reservation systems let you see how many sites are available on a given date. If you generally keep an eye on how many are left unreserved as time goes on, you can get a reasonable feel for how necessary a reservation might be. If it's a month out and all but a couple are reserved, it would probably be prudent to make a reservation yourself before they're all gone. On the other hand, if nearly all the sites stay available, it's pretty well likely that you can get one without a reservation in advance.
If you're going someplace or some time (e.g. a holiday weekend) that is quite popular, reservations well in advance are essential, doubly so on weekends. If you're going someplace that is not especially popular, reservations are usually quite unnecessary, though I still often make them particularly for weekend trips so I know I'll have a place when I get wherever I'm going. It has sometimes meant having a reserved site at a park where there are only a couple of other campers there to occupy the dozens of sites.
If you're limited in what sites you can take (say because you have a long RV and it's a park with mostly little sites, or because you want one of the few full hookup sites, or something), then reservations are more important than if you can take any old site.
If you'll be arriving late in the evening, reservations are often more necessary than if you arrive earlier in the day. Whatever first-come, first-serve sites may get taken as the day wears on.
If you'll be camping on a weekend, reservations are more often necessary than if you're arriving on a Monday or Tuesday as you won't be competing with people who work during the week.
Many of the online reservation systems let you see how many sites are available on a given date. If you generally keep an eye on how many are left unreserved as time goes on, you can get a reasonable feel for how necessary a reservation might be. If it's a month out and all but a couple are reserved, it would probably be prudent to make a reservation yourself before they're all gone. On the other hand, if nearly all the sites stay available, it's pretty well likely that you can get one without a reservation in advance.
