Can I find a last minute Labor Day camp site?

The less you want in services the easier it is to get a site. The FHU sites are always most in demand. Finding a dry site is easy. The problem with them is that many are small, intended for tent camping only. It becomes a question of how long your rig is.

I checked the status of one of our favourite SPs in MD for next weekend. On Sunday there were about 4 sites still available in the power loop. The dry loop is about deserted.

Lucky for us, we don't arrive at the CG till Monday. Only 3 sites in the power loop are booked that night. Going to have the place about all to ourselves.

Yes - I can tell you what to do...

Get online, and start looking, or calling CG's your interested in staying at.

mitw44 wrote:
Yes, I learned to not to wait till the last second on a major holiday weekend. The funny thing is, all the campgrounds I checked that are full Labor day have plenty of spots in mid September weekends. When its cooler and nicer. Go figure.

School for the kids and weekend activities related to school pretty much end the camping season for most families with Labor Day.

Back in the 60s my dad would take us to the lake (Greeson near Hot Springs) every weekend until Halloween.

As we got older and into high school, we started to have things to do on the September and October weekends.

Once I got my driver's license, he solved the problem by leaving me, and my younger sister and/or brother at home while he enjoyed the lake. (Back then a couple teenagers in a small town of 600 people wouldn't dare think about doing anything that could get back to him.)

I had good luck getting one for the Labor Day weekend on my second call this past Saturday. We avoid the holiday weekends like others due to the crowds. Labor day is the one holiday when we do try to go since it is our anniversary weekend.
Wife is a nurse and her schedule is rather fluid so we are usually booking last minute. She had someone who wanted the hours and we suddenly had an open weekend.
We are headed to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Campground has full hookups, but no cable. Why would I go camping to watch TV? I'll sit under the awning and read a book with a beverage of my choice and chat with anyone who comes by.
Maybe even get to watch a newbie backing in and getting set up!

Start calling and keep calling until you find one. Someone will have an opening. We have had our reservation since Feb/March.

Really, it is mostly the big three you need a res for. When we go on non-holiday weekends I usually make a res, but it's not really needed.

Kind of a shame that many of the campgrounds are so under-utilized most of the year, but whaddya do? People can only go when they can go.

Tin Pusher wrote:
mitw44, one of the unpleasant surprises to me was how early you have to book for a summer holiday weekend (Memo Day, 4th, Labor Day). I just sort of hate to have to plan that far ahead.

Bout all you can do is, if camping with friends who have a res, is get them to set a tent on (and pay for) any open spot.

Who knew camping was so competitive? :)

Yes, I learned to not to wait till the last second on a major holiday weekend. The funny thing is, all the campgrounds I checked that are full Labor day have plenty of spots in mid September weekends. When its cooler and nicer. Go figure.

~DJ~ wrote:
Maybe now is the time to try boondocking!!! :B

We're spoiled in our corner of the country when it comes to options to get away from people with very little effort.

mitw44, one of the unpleasant surprises to me was how early you have to book for a summer holiday weekend (Memo Day, 4th, Labor Day). I just sort of hate to have to plan that far ahead.

Bout all you can do is, if camping with friends who have a res, is get them to set a tent on (and pay for) any open spot.

Who knew camping was so competitive? :)

Tin Pusher wrote:
mitw44, I usually camp at Ft. Gibson, and while there are number of walk-up only sites at most campgrounds, I'm tellin' you it'll be tough on Friday. I wouldn't go on Friday w/o a reservation.

You're about a stones throw from Hudson, but I'm not familiar with the camping there.

Good Luck

One of my favorite campgrounds is Sequoyah State Park (the one with the golf course), but it's full. There are several COE's on Gibson, such as Flat Rock. It's one of my favorite areas. Lake Hudson has Snowdale State Park, but after that, there are a few private CG's, but they are usually full of seasonal campers. Grand Lake has numerous state parks, but they are all full.

When I look out in Western Oklahoma, away from the water, there are quite a few spots, but that is farther to me than Arkansas and Southern Missouri. I would love to spend a couple weeks just going through and staying at the campgrounds in the western side of the state, but a 3 day weekend is barely enough time to get there and back.

I wasn't even planning for Labor day, so I am really coming to it at the last minute.