Anybody tried the new Recreation.gov website?
Maybe there are some bugs that need to be worked out but, so far, it has been awkward for me to see available sites and available dates for a favorite campground. As a retiree, I am often open to a da...
Forum Discussion
Mikestock wrote:
"Other than the better maps I would like to hear what particular features you like better."
I like the fact that it is a lot "cleaner" looking than the old site and it's easier to toggle among the various tabs without waiting for an entire page to open as before, so it's quicker to pick out number of sites, fees and season.
However, I will admit that there doesn't seem to be as much general information about each location as there used to be - I miss that, since I'm trying to gather as much info about each spot as possible. In the case of US Forest Service locations, the Forest Service is still maintaining their own websites on each facility, so you can always Google that.
As I noted in my original post, their availability chart ought to be in two-week blocks as it used to be.
My ideal model for all federal facilities would be an interactive map similar to the US Forest Service Interactive Visitor Map, but including BLM, COE, NPS, BOR, FWS and any other federal locations as well. The BLM last year published their own version of a similar-style map. I contacted both BLM and USFS to suggest that they pool their efforts on a single map - no response. The COE has its own map. Wouldn't it be really slick to have all these various sources on one map?
The map I'd like to see should also include latitude/longitude on the border of the area showing to make finding places a little easier. Or even better, show the coordinates when the mouse pauses on a location. The map would have icons for all the locations; clicking on an icon would take you the website for that location. From there there should be a link to the reservation page for each spot.
Too bad web designers wouldn't reach out to users to try to learn what features would be most useful BEFORE they design the site.
Ted H.
"Other than the better maps I would like to hear what particular features you like better."
I like the fact that it is a lot "cleaner" looking than the old site and it's easier to toggle among the various tabs without waiting for an entire page to open as before, so it's quicker to pick out number of sites, fees and season.
However, I will admit that there doesn't seem to be as much general information about each location as there used to be - I miss that, since I'm trying to gather as much info about each spot as possible. In the case of US Forest Service locations, the Forest Service is still maintaining their own websites on each facility, so you can always Google that.
As I noted in my original post, their availability chart ought to be in two-week blocks as it used to be.
My ideal model for all federal facilities would be an interactive map similar to the US Forest Service Interactive Visitor Map, but including BLM, COE, NPS, BOR, FWS and any other federal locations as well. The BLM last year published their own version of a similar-style map. I contacted both BLM and USFS to suggest that they pool their efforts on a single map - no response. The COE has its own map. Wouldn't it be really slick to have all these various sources on one map?
The map I'd like to see should also include latitude/longitude on the border of the area showing to make finding places a little easier. Or even better, show the coordinates when the mouse pauses on a location. The map would have icons for all the locations; clicking on an icon would take you the website for that location. From there there should be a link to the reservation page for each spot.
Too bad web designers wouldn't reach out to users to try to learn what features would be most useful BEFORE they design the site.
Ted H.
