Reservations about Reservations in USFS campgrounds

[mockturtle]

I recently pulled into a beautiful Forest Service campground in UT and found that all but two camp sites in the loop were reserved for three days, including the day I arrived. This was not on a weekend. I noticed that the dates on the reservation cards were the same but the names were different. So I felt fortunate to get one of the remaining sites and expected campers to start pouring in later in the day. It never happened. And when I left in the morning I noticed that only two of the sites were occupied (of about twenty). This is not the first time I've seen 'reserved' sites remain empty. I try to choose campgrounds with a 'no reservations' policy for this very reason but it seems to be more common now for USFS to allow them.

[mike-s]

'round here, you can camp in any state forest with minimal restriction and all for free.

Federal lands have a few more restrictions, but not many. \\

No 50 amp hookups though.

[Durb]

Campers game the reservation system for their benefit at the expense of others. $200 reservation fee, you get $192 back when you show up on the first day. Don't show up, lose the $200 and the rest of your reservation is cancelled. Problem solved.

I make reservations with the intention of showing up. I feel everyone else should too.

[ktmrfs]

to get weekend sites at some campgrounds around here means booking for thursday night. and in most cases campgrounds hold the site till the next evening. Bingo...... book thursday through sunday, show up friday night, pay an extra day and have a site. try to book friday 6 months in advance, nada.....book thursday get a jump on the weekend campers booking opens a day earlier and pay the extra day.

Case 2: we had 2 days booked at a FS campground. decided we wanted a different campground. the cost to cancel the 2 days was greater than the cost of the 2 days. It would have cost us money to cancel!! So...... didn't cancel, yes we paid the golden eagle cost for 2 days, but cancelling cost more than that!

[Braces]

Just returned from 10 days in USFS CG in east Tennessee. Rec.gov reservation website was impossible to get a reservation on until I called "around" and found which sites were available and asked for a specific site. In the time I was there the "no Vacancy" sign was up every day except two but the 50 amp sites were practically empty except for the weekend. On the loop we were on only 3 or 4 sites out of about 20 were ever occupied. Another USFS CG about 45 miles away
was almost full the whole time.. There were 3 or 4 hosts in the busy cg who knew what sites were available every day. I don't think the host in the empty CG kept the office informed as to what was open. The office was 7 miles from the CG. Facilities in each were pretty much the same. I think management could have helped fill the sites but you have to go through Rec.gov to get a reservation. Maybe it will get to be easier as I understand Rec.gov contract will not be renewed.

[Jetstreamer]

If you were to second guess your decision on booking a trip to a Native American community.....
Would that be a reservation reservation reservation??

[afidel]

Padlin wrote:
First time I encountered it was the Environmental Campsites, now called Steep Ravine, ocean front walk in sites just north of San Francisco. The sites were only $2 a night if I remember right in 2000. They were pretty much impossible to get and almost full of no shows when we were there. I blamed it on both popularity and too low a price. Got to make it hurt a little so folks cancel when they're not going to show up.

Be careful what you wish for, the cheapest housing in SF is north of $1M so for it to be expensive enough to hurt you're going to end up with $250/night camping spots.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Mountain Mama wrote:
I don’t remember what the cancellation policy is but if they didn’t care about the cost I feel they could have called and maybe the host could have taken the tents down and let someone else use the sites.

In the summer of 2016 we had a series three Oklahoma State Parks booked for a 12 day period.

Five days before the first one, we suffered an axle problem that put the TT in the shop.

Called Rec.gov because we were due at Burns Run West (COE) that evening. They were thankful I had called to release the spot, and even waived the cancellation fee because it was a breakdown, not a choice to cancel (I had to pay one night which was $10, but did not have to pay the additional $20 for cancelling the next four nights.

Oklahoma State Parks however, did not refund anything. The fee was my deposit and the first night's rental - which was equal to the deposit. $170 in total.

[mockturtle]

Sounds like you should spend some time with the abomination that is Ontario parks reservation system to appreciate what you have.

No, thanks! 😉 Actually, most of the USFS campgrounds I visit are first-come-first-served and it is only recently that some are using a reservation system. So I do, really, appreciate what we have here. The state park reservation systems in a lot of states is a lot worse.

[mike-s]

mockturtle wrote:
First of all, this wasn't on a weekend nor even on a Thursday. It was for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Second, I assume it was a group since the same three days were reserved in all cases. I'm assuming they just wanted to assure a block of time for their get-together even though they knew they weren't going to be there until Monday.

Nothing wrong with that, only with your attitude. As far as you know, they all checked into the sites on Monday, before the required check-OUT time. If you wanted to get on site early in the day, but the campground/s check-out/check-in times were in the afternoon, what reservation would you make?

[Jebby14]

Sounds like you should spend some time with the abomination that is Ontario parks reservation system to appreciate what you have.

[FunnyCamper]

sites are booked and no one shows, well that is what it is 🙂 I mean only the policy of the cg will handle no shows, cancellations and all that in their stated policies.

but having a cg booked and truly it sits empty not being used?? crazy for sure when someone could be actually in those sites, I get ya on that....but again, it is what it is and it stinks mostly!

[Mountain_Mama]

We stayed at a popular state park CG in Oklahoma that only has one section that is reservable. But they allow a small tent to be put on a non reservable sites which has to be paid for to hold the site. We were there during Thanksgiving week and two non reservable sites next to us had matching tents ... no one ever showed for the five days we were there. The sites were $25/night so they were out some money (approx $250) but I guess it didn’t matter to them. I don’t remember what the cancellation policy is but if they didn’t care about the cost I feel they could have called and maybe the host could have taken the tents down and let someone else use the sites.

[Padlin]

First time I encountered it was the Environmental Campsites, now called Steep Ravine, ocean front walk in sites just north of San Francisco. The sites were only $2 a night if I remember right in 2000. They were pretty much impossible to get and almost full of no shows when we were there. I blamed it on both popularity and too low a price. Got to make it hurt a little so folks cancel when they're not going to show up.

[mockturtle]

First of all, this wasn't on a weekend nor even on a Thursday. It was for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Second, I assume it was a group since the same three days were reserved in all cases. I'm assuming they just wanted to assure a block of time for their get-together even though they knew they weren't going to be there until Monday. From the responses here it sounds as if this is a common custom among some. I still don't like it.