Any hints to score a reservation on Recreation.gov

[atodalen]

Myself and a couple of family members have been trying unsuccessfully to get a reservation at a popular Forest Service campground in Idaho. We hit the BOOK NOW button the second that reservations open for the day and get the message that INVENTORY IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. It was listed as available immediately prior. Any hints or ideas to improve our odds?
Al

[toedtoes]

2gypsies wrote:
A thought just occurred to me: We've been camping for over 50 years. We always left after work on Friday night and parks didn't accept reservations at that time. We always got a spot. How on earth did we do it?

I think a lot of it depends on where you go camping. There are some places I don't worry about reservations, I know there will be campsites available. There are other places that I'm not going to get into without a reservation.

Back before internet, most campgrounds were first come - first serve. That meant folks weren't reserving campsites 6 months in advance, booking 2 weeks for a single weekend's camping, booking an entire summer of camping at once, etc. I also think folks weren't as particular about what campsite they got.

[LaunchnRetrieve]

I wonder if it's time for lottery-based reservations.

[2gypsies1]

A thought just occurred to me: We've been camping for over 50 years. We always left after work on Friday night and parks didn't accept reservations at that time. We always got a spot. How on earth did we do it?

[SuzzeeeQ2012]

atodalen wrote:
Myself and a couple of family members have been trying unsuccessfully to get a reservation at a popular Forest Service campground in Idaho. We hit the BOOK NOW button the second that reservations open for the day and get the message that INVENTORY IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. It was listed as available immediately prior. Any hints or ideas to improve our odds?
Al

we gave up and called lol


we try to reserve stuff in Oregon twice a year, and we find it easier just to call.

When we want a spot, say July 26, 2015, we call 6 months in advance at 7 am THEIR time, and someone always answers.

hope that wasn't answered above already..

[alliemac9]

Wow. I just went through this exact same thing the last two days booking sites at an apparently very popular cg in TN for a family reunion. I literally couldn't even get three sites with electric ANYWHERE in the park for our weekend (let alone near each other)! And I'm an old pro with getting concert tix and opening day baseball tix, so I know the tricks.

I got one electric site because I'm planning to arrive Wed or eat the first night fee if I don't make it until Thursday (there were no other options I could do this with for the others). I was trying to get two more sites this morning for the Thursday arrivals, and I got neither. Kept getting "it's too early" - I could tell when it switched over because it took longer to load, but went straight to "no inventory." SO frustrating when you're trying to plan a family reunion that people are traveling cross-country to attend. I even called the call center to see if there was a trick I was missing (for next time, of course). Nope. And there's NO WAY that could be faster given the menus + hold time given they don't start answering until the same times the sites open.

Ultimately, I booked non-electric sites for the other family members as there were plenty available - I'm fortunate that was an option (unlike Great Sand Dunes during runoff season where you're like to get a site at all).

Thanks to you guys, I now know the trick to it. I agree, I don't like it. But, if it's the only way to schedule what I want during peak times, I'll have to take an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach. Now I also know to keep an eye out in case people cancel and those dates magically open up (since they are over a July weekend, it's unlikely).

[toedtoes]

I agree with all this. I understand why people do what they do, but it still sets off my initial reaction of "and that's why we have the problem!"

I'm not sure how to solve the problem. Perhaps for the most popular campgrounds, a lottery system would work. You could submit your name and preferred dates and the rangers would pull from a hat until all spaces are filled for the season.

First come - first served is fine IF you are able to arrive/camp mid-week. If you can only camp from Friday to Sunday, then you're screwed.

Reservations are fine IF the campground isn't wildly popular one. If it is that popular, then we have the issue of this thread.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Nunyadamn wrote:
This make sense on how you have explained, but you do realize that this is the problem. You are booking a site that for days that you don't need, then cancelling them once you get the few days that you need. If everyone does this, it really screws with planning trips for everyone else. This is also part of the reason that spots will open up a few days later once you get your specific dates. The problem with that is, others now only have the option of getting that spot for a few days before and a few days after you, so someone that really wants the whole 2 weeks can't get into that park easily or at all. I don't like it, but I guess I will have to start doing this also to get into a site. Now I will become part of the problem. Sorry to all the others that wanted the spot that I will be in. Looks like you have play the system that is setup.

Don't blame me - I didn't make up the rules.

(The only way I can think to end this practice is to NEVER give people a refund on their cancellations - and then the folks with the most money would get the good spots)

Requiring the spot be put back into the reservation pool for 24 hours before the same person could re-book won't work. Some people have multiple IDs. Only a national identity card system could enforce such a system - and one that links all the family members together.

Maybe requiring a complete cancellation of the entire trip - only allowing the spot to be re-booked at the start of the next booking day - might work.

I even know one couple who reserve one spot at a popular COE campground every weekend. Thursday-Sun - and call on Thursday morning to notify the CG they will be arriving on Friday. So they pay for three nights for every two nights they camp there. It raises their camping cost from the $20 per night to $30 per night - i.e. $60 per weekend.

One reason I usually never make reservations unless it is a holiday weekend.

But this has gone on for many years - long before on-line reservations.

My father ran into it in 1966 in Arkansas at a popular state park - back when you had to call the park for a reservation no more than one month before arrival. (And when you really had to consider the cost of long distance phone calls).

He got the same basic example when we finally got to the park for a less than perfect weekend.

I only heard about it about 10 years ago when complaining about on-line reservations - and he explained it to me.

I had always wondered why our trips got better in my later HS years.

I also learned back in the 60s the secret about 'First come, First served' campgrounds - always arrive before the weekend. Wednesday is best, Thursday early is okay. Never show up after dark on Friday.

Dad would take his vacation weeks - and we would not leave until Sunday afternoon - almost always getting a great spot on the lake as somebody left to go back to work. Whenever he tried to make the vacation longer by leaving Friday or Saturday - we (1) got a poor spot, and (2) ended up moving Sunday night or Monday.

That I picked up on early.

[bukhrn]

Nunyadamn wrote:

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:

Oasisbob wrote:
I checked availability the night prior and found several sites already taken. I asked the reservations folks how this could be?

Because they don't understand how reservations work.

If you want a site starting July 28 - and go to book it - I might already have that site booked - because I booked the site for 14 days starting July 25.

All the reservation systems I've seen allow the end of my stay to be outside the available booking window.

At a really popular CG/ site - I always book a reservation starting on a Wed or Thur (actually we normally try to travel mid-week - and be set-up before the weekend).

Sometimes you have to book a site for two weeks starting Wednesday the week prior to your intended arrival, then after the booking gets to the period you actually want - adjust the booking to the dates you really want.

Oregon uses Reserve America - which is pretty easy to secure the campsite you want.

i.e. - if you really, really want to be in site #81 at Silver Falls SP - arriving on Friday, July 3, departing Monday, July 6 - make a reservation for 14 days on June 22 (You need to make this reservation on December 23 the year before your arrival if there is a 6 month booking window). After the booking window goes to cover through July 7 (approx. Jan 8), go back into the system and adjust your reservation to be only three nights - July 3-5.

(Oregon has a 9 month reservation window - to book for Jun 22, 2015 - you could have made the reservation on Sep 22, 2014)

Yes - it will cost you a reservation fee and a change fee. It will also tie up two weeks worth of campsite fees for about three weeks on your credit card.

But you get the site you want.

fill wrote:
I now live in Sandpoint, ID (Don’t know how to change my personal info on the left). All of the forest service campgrounds around here are closed until spring. They, and and their reservations, are closed for the winter. They won't open for several months

I can today book sites at Sam Owen, Priest River, Osprey, Outlet at Priest Lake, Pioneer Park - for the 4th of July weekend. One of the sites at Devil's Elbow that would fit my 36' TT is already booked for the nights of Jul 2, 3 & 4.

Normally with federal recreation areas - you can reserve starting six months before you want the reservation.

For July 4 at a popular CG - I would start trying to reserve in late December.

There of course is a risk of having to cancel the reservation and lose some money if you reserve that far out and have to change plans.

Note - Yosemite NP campgrounds, and some other locations like Katmai NP (Alaska) permits; Camp Misty Mount (Maryland) cabins and group site; Fort Hunt (Virginia) picnic area; and a few others - have special rules and reservation windows. Check their facility information on recreation.gov

---------------------

Learn the rules for the campgrounds you want to visit. Not knowing the rules is like sitting down to play poker, and you only know the rules for blackjack.

This make sense on how you have explained, but you do realize that this is the problem. You are booking a site that for days that you don't need, then cancelling them once you get the few days that you need. If everyone does this, it really screws with planning trips for everyone else. This is also part of the reason that spots will open up a few days later once you get your specific dates. The problem with that is, others now only have the option of getting that spot for a few days before and a few days after you, so someone that really wants the whole 2 weeks can't get into that park easily or at all. I don't like it, but I guess I will have to start doing this also to get into a site. Now I will become part of the problem. Sorry to all the others that wanted the spot that I will be in. Looks like you have play the system that is setup.

X-2, to Paraphrase an old song,...I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.

[Nunyadamn]

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:

Oasisbob wrote:
I checked availability the night prior and found several sites already taken. I asked the reservations folks how this could be?

Because they don't understand how reservations work.

If you want a site starting July 28 - and go to book it - I might already have that site booked - because I booked the site for 14 days starting July 25.

All the reservation systems I've seen allow the end of my stay to be outside the available booking window.

At a really popular CG/ site - I always book a reservation starting on a Wed or Thur (actually we normally try to travel mid-week - and be set-up before the weekend).

Sometimes you have to book a site for two weeks starting Wednesday the week prior to your intended arrival, then after the booking gets to the period you actually want - adjust the booking to the dates you really want.

Oregon uses Reserve America - which is pretty easy to secure the campsite you want.

i.e. - if you really, really want to be in site #81 at Silver Falls SP - arriving on Friday, July 3, departing Monday, July 6 - make a reservation for 14 days on June 22 (You need to make this reservation on December 23 the year before your arrival if there is a 6 month booking window). After the booking window goes to cover through July 7 (approx. Jan 8), go back into the system and adjust your reservation to be only three nights - July 3-5.

(Oregon has a 9 month reservation window - to book for Jun 22, 2015 - you could have made the reservation on Sep 22, 2014)

Yes - it will cost you a reservation fee and a change fee. It will also tie up two weeks worth of campsite fees for about three weeks on your credit card.

But you get the site you want.

fill wrote:
I now live in Sandpoint, ID (Don’t know how to change my personal info on the left). All of the forest service campgrounds around here are closed until spring. They, and and their reservations, are closed for the winter. They won't open for several months

I can today book sites at Sam Owen, Priest River, Osprey, Outlet at Priest Lake, Pioneer Park - for the 4th of July weekend. One of the sites at Devil's Elbow that would fit my 36' TT is already booked for the nights of Jul 2, 3 & 4.

Normally with federal recreation areas - you can reserve starting six months before you want the reservation.

For July 4 at a popular CG - I would start trying to reserve in late December.

There of course is a risk of having to cancel the reservation and lose some money if you reserve that far out and have to change plans.

Note - Yosemite NP campgrounds, and some other locations like Katmai NP (Alaska) permits; Camp Misty Mount (Maryland) cabins and group site; Fort Hunt (Virginia) picnic area; and a few others - have special rules and reservation windows. Check their facility information on recreation.gov

---------------------

Learn the rules for the campgrounds you want to visit. Not knowing the rules is like sitting down to play poker, and you only know the rules for blackjack.

This make sense on how you have explained, but you do realize that this is the problem. You are booking a site that for days that you don't need, then cancelling them once you get the few days that you need. If everyone does this, it really screws with planning trips for everyone else. This is also part of the reason that spots will open up a few days later once you get your specific dates. The problem with that is, others now only have the option of getting that spot for a few days before and a few days after you, so someone that really wants the whole 2 weeks can't get into that park easily or at all. I don't like it, but I guess I will have to start doing this also to get into a site. Now I will become part of the problem. Sorry to all the others that wanted the spot that I will be in. Looks like you have play the system that is setup.

[atodalen]

fill wrote:
All of the forest service campgrounds around here are closed until spring. They, and and their reservations, are closed for the winter. They won't open for several months
Fill

It is true that most campgrounds around here are closed for the winter but you can make reservations 6 months out for many of them. So today you can make reservations starting July 23 plus 13 additional days on Recreation.gov. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear in the original post.
Al

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Oasisbob wrote:
I checked availability the night prior and found several sites already taken. I asked the reservations folks how this could be?

Because they don't understand how reservations work.

If you want a site starting July 28 - and go to book it - I might already have that site booked - because I booked the site for 14 days starting July 25.

All the reservation systems I've seen allow the end of my stay to be outside the available booking window.

At a really popular CG/ site - I always book a reservation starting on a Wed or Thur (actually we normally try to travel mid-week - and be set-up before the weekend).

Sometimes you have to book a site for two weeks starting Wednesday the week prior to your intended arrival, then after the booking gets to the period you actually want - adjust the booking to the dates you really want.

Oregon uses Reserve America - which is pretty easy to secure the campsite you want.

i.e. - if you really, really want to be in site #81 at Silver Falls SP - arriving on Friday, July 3, departing Monday, July 6 - make a reservation for 14 days on June 22 (You need to make this reservation on December 23 the year before your arrival if there is a 6 month booking window). After the booking window goes to cover through July 7 (approx. Jan 8), go back into the system and adjust your reservation to be only three nights - July 3-5.

(Oregon has a 9 month reservation window - to book for Jun 22, 2015 - you could have made the reservation on Sep 22, 2014)

Yes - it will cost you a reservation fee and a change fee. It will also tie up two weeks worth of campsite fees for about three weeks on your credit card.

But you get the site you want.

fill wrote:
I now live in Sandpoint, ID (Don’t know how to change my personal info on the left). All of the forest service campgrounds around here are closed until spring. They, and and their reservations, are closed for the winter. They won't open for several months

I can today book sites at Sam Owen, Priest River, Osprey, Outlet at Priest Lake, Pioneer Park - for the 4th of July weekend. One of the sites at Devil's Elbow that would fit my 36' TT is already booked for the nights of Jul 2, 3 & 4.

Normally with federal recreation areas - you can reserve starting six months before you want the reservation.

For July 4 at a popular CG - I would start trying to reserve in late December.

There of course is a risk of having to cancel the reservation and lose some money if you reserve that far out and have to change plans.

Note - Yosemite NP campgrounds, and some other locations like Katmai NP (Alaska) permits; Camp Misty Mount (Maryland) cabins and group site; Fort Hunt (Virginia) picnic area; and a few others - have special rules and reservation windows. Check their facility information on recreation.gov

---------------------

Learn the rules for the campgrounds you want to visit. Not knowing the rules is like sitting down to play poker, and you only know the rules for blackjack.

[fill]

I now live in Sandpoint, ID (Don’t know how to change my personal info on the left). All of the forest service campgrounds around here are closed until spring. They, and and their reservations, are closed for the winter. They won't open for several months

Fill

[LaunchnRetrieve]

Oasisbob wrote:
Hard to grasp why you are having this problem. We have to deal with it. Only way to get a reservation. Keep trying.
One of our favorite Oregon state parks (ainsworth) began requiring reservations beginning 8Am on a Monday. I checked availability the night prior and found several sites already taken. I asked the reservations folks how this could be? They had no idea. What a sad joke on us

Allowing that something fishy is occurring I'll offer another possibility. At the end of each day the rangers update the availability of sites and the rez system updates their availability. Sites might become unavailable because the rangers move people around or something is wrong with a site etc. I like to look for the least sinister possibility first. I also allow for the possibility of sinister doings.

[TNRIVERSIDE]

bukhrn wrote:

jandjbaums wrote:
I've tried it. Didnt like it at all. They charge you to make a res.? Mid week is the only way to go. It should go back to first come first serve.

That's easy to say when you live close by,, but not a good thought when you're driving a 1000 miles or more, it would be nice to know you've got a site when you get there.

X2