Everything I need to know about camping in National Parks?

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jymbee

jymbee

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Joined
Feb 20, 2018
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Location
Upstate NY
During our previous two extended travels we stayed almost exclusively at State Parks (our 1st choice), some local county parks, several Boondocker sites and few stays on properties of family friends. Just not a fan of commercial parks and only stay at those when we have to.

But this Fall, probably around the beginning of September, we're contemplating venturing West from our home in Upstate NY and visit a number of National Parks. How far we end up going or even IF we go of course depends in large part on what the virus situation looks like at that time. But, thinking positively, if conditions are favorable, perhaps someone could offer some general advice as to what to expect when visiting National Parks?

My thinking is that if we take a northerly route towards the NW that this time of year parks would perhaps be less crowded? If we poked along for a number of weeks, then as weather got colder we could wander South and stay around that latitude going into Winter.

As I understand it, most National Parks do not have hookups? Dump stations nearby?

Do you need to make reservations in advance at most parks or would be ok with our usual MO of making things up as we travel?

Any discount programs worth joining?

Any access limitations with our 34' motorhome?

Once I get up to speed with the basics, I'll back asking for some specific recommendations & routes!  :)





 
Start north then move south. It gets cold quickly at the elevations of the northern parks. As for campsites, there are fewer people in September, and you might be able to find spots for your rig in the no reservation campgrounds. Those will be almost exclusively no hookup, though they will have a central dump and waterfall. Usually pretty restrictive generator hours too, so read up on each individual park before you show up. The trick to getting a site is to be at the gate early, like 6 or 7 for some parks. Most list a time of day when everything is full, but you should be there much earlier because you need more than a tent site. If you want the most popular parks, Yellowstone for example, you either take your chances or reserve at a campground outside the park. Those are full until,snow flies and they close the campgrounds.
 
Each NP will have specific circumstances so that generalizing about them as a group is difficult.  That said, what I have found is that September is no longer "out of season", that is, the crowds are not that much different than at other times. October is the busiest month for parks around Moab for example.  Second thing, you do risk snow and campground closures at northern parks beginning in mid-September.  Lots of northern NPs close campgrounds as early as September 15-20, and many more by October 1.I think this is due to shutting off the water.  IMO, I would move my adventure up by two weeks, and begin by mid-August.  Further south at elevations below 4,000 feet or so, you won't run into as many closings.

I would try for reservations if possible.  Many people just show up as Pam describes and don't have any problems however.  Also, some NP campgrounds are exclusively first-come first-served, so reservations are not an option. I just don't seem to ever be in a location that getting to the park by 7-9 a.m. has been possible. And . . .what do I do if I don't get a spot.  Your 34 foot size will keep you out of some campgrounds, as many have a 30 foot limit, but certainly not all.

The best thing to do is to Google a site that lists ALL the national parks, and also National Monuments as many great places have been preserved as monuments because of the bureaucratic hassle of attaining national park status. The amenities and set ups are just like national parks.  Choose the ones you're considering and access their web sites.  EVERY NP/NM web site is set up the same, that is, under the tab "plan your visit", select the drop-down option of "eating and sleeping" and then select "camping".  Compared to other fed agencies, I find the NP information is usually clear and concise, providing you with what you need to know about campgrounds in the park.  Or, use a site like RV Parky or Campendium and enter the name of a specific park directly if you already have some in mind.  The results will provide you with a web link to the individual park's web site.

I'm a full timer.  So far this season (since May 1) I've found that NPs are not crowded at all.  Yes, there are people out and about, they are not empty.  But, there are no long lines waiting for parking spaces at trail heads and points of interest.  Pull out areas almost always empty.  Now I haven't been to Grand Tetons or Yellowstone yet this year (headed there soon) but I would expect them to be busier.  Biggest reason I think is that there are no large tour buses of visitors - both in country tours and foreign tourists.  You can socially distance at overlooks etc., although I do have to practice patience at times and remind others to do the same. 

I have found that State Parks seem more crowded.  Although, as I pass campground signs in both types of parks, they always have their "FULL" sign out.

Unless your goal is to simply "stay IN a National Park", there are forest service CGs, state parks, and dry camping spots located within 10 miles or less of many, many national parks.  Takes more work to find them on the internet and evaluate them of course, but they may be an option.

Hope your adventure comes together as you wish.

Linda

 
The biggest thing to me about National Parks is many of them don't have electric but well worth it because they are so beautiful.

Having a generator is great but they have quiet hours. Not an issue unless it's really hot because you can't run your air conditioner. We stayed at Alexander Springs in Florida in August. Temperature at night was in the mid 80s. We ran the generator and cooled off the RV before quiet time and closed the windows.

One other thing, I have found the smartest raccoons in National Parks. One of them opened our playmate cooler which is amazing so don't leave your cooler out thinking it's okay because it's locked.

 
jymbee said:
As I understand it, most National Parks do not have hookups? Dump stations nearby?
Click to expand...
The Grand Canyon, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Zion, and Flamingo at the Everglades are the only parks with FHU inside the park (unless some have been added lately). However in just about every case if there is no FHU inside the park there will be commercial parks very close to the entrance.

Do you need to make reservations in advance at most parks or would be ok with our usual MO of making things up as we travel?
Click to expand...
I hate making reservations and they are not necessary at all if you have a clue as to how to travel. Arrive between 9 am and noon on a Sunday at any RV park and just about every RV site in the country is empty since most people get up early Sunday to get back to work for the start of the week.

Any discount programs worth joining?
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If you are over 65 then they are all free with the Senior Pass. If anyone in your group has a disability then it is all free with the Access Pass. Otherwise the America The Beautiful Pass is $80 and will save you 50% at most campgrounds. You can buy them online or at any NP visitor center or entrance.

Any access limitations with our 34' motorhome?
Click to expand...
Yes there are several campgrounds you cannot get into such as Mather at the Grand Canyon has a 30 foot limit with big lines painted at the check in so you can't lie.

 
Just a minor point of clarification for those that may be following along, Mather has a length limit of 31 ft, though only a handful of their sites officially support lengths over 28 ft.
 
Excellent advice by Dreamsend.

It's generally true that NP campgrounds focus more on location than amenities, but some do have FHU or at least water & electric, and some have big rig sites too. Also, the popular parks will have commercial campgrounds nearby and they are often quite pleasant too. Yellowstone, for example, has in-park campgrounds with services and numerous nearby commercial parks.

I think reservations are pretty much a requirement at the popular national parks, e.g. Yellowstone,  Zion, Smoky Mountains, Yosemite, etc. They are heavily booked and "the season" extends well beyond the usual July-August  peak. But there are dozens more NPs and NMs that are not so heavily visited or booked.

If you are over 65 then they are all free with the Senior Pass. If anyone in your group has a disability then it is all free with the Access Pass.
Click to expand...
To clarify a bit: Entrance to the park is free with Senior or Access passes, but camping and other "extended amenities" are discounted (typically 50%).
https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm
 
Bring rubbing and polishing compound so you can remove the scratches from the branches you'll squeeze past getting into and out of your sites. Next paint job make it all horizontal stripes and you'll never notice the scratches.


Also, if the rig get's scratched don't lose any sleep - you bought it to USE it, not to keep up with the Jones's. (Right?)



And - have fun!
 
GREAT info Dreansend-- thanks much. Just the kind of information I need in order to better plan our travels!  :))

Dreamsend said:
Each NP will have specific circumstances so that generalizing about them as a group is difficult.  That said, what I have found is that September is no longer "out of season", that is, the crowds are not that much different than at other times. October is the busiest month for parks around Moab for example.  Second thing, you do risk snow and campground closures at northern parks beginning in mid-September.  Lots of northern NPs close campgrounds as early as September 15-20, and many more by October 1.I think this is due to shutting off the water.  IMO, I would move my adventure up by two weeks, and begin by mid-August.  Further south at elevations below 4,000 feet or so, you won't run into as many closings.

I would try for reservations if possible.  Many people just show up as Pam describes and don't have any problems however.  Also, some NP campgrounds are exclusively first-come first-served, so reservations are not an option. I just don't seem to ever be in a location that getting to the park by 7-9 a.m. has been possible. And . . .what do I do if I don't get a spot.  Your 34 foot size will keep you out of some campgrounds, as many have a 30 foot limit, but certainly not all.

The best thing to do is to Google a site that lists ALL the national parks, and also National Monuments as many great places have been preserved as monuments because of the bureaucratic hassle of attaining national park status. The amenities and set ups are just like national parks.  Choose the ones you're considering and access their web sites.  EVERY NP/NM web site is set up the same, that is, under the tab "plan your visit", select the drop-down option of "eating and sleeping" and then select "camping".  Compared to other fed agencies, I find the NP information is usually clear and concise, providing you with what you need to know about campgrounds in the park.  Or, use a site like RV Parky or Campendium and enter the name of a specific park directly if you already have some in mind.  The results will provide you with a web link to the individual park's web site.

I'm a full timer.  So far this season (since May 1) I've found that NPs are not crowded at all.  Yes, there are people out and about, they are not empty.  But, there are no long lines waiting for parking spaces at trail heads and points of interest.  Pull out areas almost always empty.  Now I haven't been to Grand Tetons or Yellowstone yet this year (headed there soon) but I would expect them to be busier.  Biggest reason I think is that there are no large tour buses of visitors - both in country tours and foreign tourists.  You can socially distance at overlooks etc., although I do have to practice patience at times and remind others to do the same. 

I have found that State Parks seem more crowded.  Although, as I pass campground signs in both types of parks, they always have their "FULL" sign out.

Unless your goal is to simply "stay IN a National Park", there are forest service CGs, state parks, and dry camping spots located within 10 miles or less of many, many national parks.  Takes more work to find them on the internet and evaluate them of course, but they may be an option.

Hope your adventure comes together as you wish.

Linda
Click to expand...
 
Ah-- a fellow "free traveler" as far as reservations are concerned.  :) Thanks much for the insights.

I've found the same strategy to be effective-- early Sunday in-person check in-- with the main problem being if you want to stay for a full week or more, we've often found at popular State Parks that the following weekend is booked solid. That was the case in a number of TX Parks we visited anyway.


SeilerBird said:
The Grand Canyon, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Zion, and Flamingo at the Everglades are the only parks with FHU inside the park (unless some have been added lately). However in just about every case if there is no FHU inside the park there will be commercial parks very close to the entrance.
I hate making reservations and they are not necessary at all if you have a clue as to how to travel. Arrive between 9 am and noon on a Sunday at any RV park and just about every RV site in the country is empty since most people get up early Sunday to get back to work for the start of the week.
If you are over 65 then they are all free with the Senior Pass. If anyone in your group has a disability then it is all free with the Access Pass. Otherwise the America The Beautiful Pass is $80 and will save you 50% at most campgrounds. You can buy them online or at any NP visitor center or entrance.
Yes there are several campgrounds you cannot get into such as Mather at the Grand Canyon has a 30 foot limit with big lines painted at the check in so you can't lie.
Click to expand...
 
Mather at Grand Canyon South Rim may have a length limit and no hookups,  but there is nothing wrong with the next-door and still in the park, Trailer Village.  It has recently been redone and has full hookups.  It also has a shuttle stop right by it. 

And Zion has electric only at the Watchman campground.  And many other National Parks DO have electric sites, so do your research using recreation.gov.  If you want things like electric, select that as a filter and it will show you sites that have that amenity.  Just look around. 
 
jymbee said:
Ah-- a fellow "free traveler" as far as reservations are concerned.  :) Thanks much for the insights.
Click to expand...
I finally made a reservation and got burned royally. I wanted to see the fireworks in NYC today so I booked a flight last year that left two days ago and returned a week later. Now I cannot fly to NYC and stay there unless I quarantine there for 14 days. So I got screwed by the pandemic. I hate reservations.
 
We hardly ever book. We normally travel from May thru October.  We do not always get a spot where we want, but apart from Fishing Bridge at Yellowstone and Gros Ventre in the Tetons we normally stay outside the parks.  Probably because of the requirement to reserve.  We did get in at Fishing Bridge 2 years in a row less than a week before we planned to go as they often have cancellations.  That site is closed at the moment. 

I think most NP sites have as a minimum a dump station with water at each campsite or at another not far away.

I have also noticed that more of the State Parks are now asking for reservations instead of allowing walk ins.  I am hoping that this is only for this year due to the virus.  Most of the SPs we have been to have a dump and water station.  Some have hook ups.  If you are in the warmer states then they usually have water and electricity.

I suggest you have a good look at Campendium.  We use that a lot to scout out places.  We like to use the Forest campsites too as they tend to be nice and quiet.  This site often has reviews which show how long an RV will fit which is handy.  We are 28ft but with the truck 54ft and we have found plenty of places to stay.

www.campendium.com

https://www.rv-camping.org/usfscampgrounds/

I think there may be an app for both of these.

A lot of the small towns will have a dump station and we have found fresh water to fill tanks too.  We have only used a couple but they have been surprisingly good and very clean.  Link to a site to see these below.


www.rvdumps.com
 
jackiemac said:
We hardly ever book. We normally travel from May thru October.  We do not always get a spot where we want, but apart from Fishing Bridge at Yellowstone and Gros Ventre in the Tetons we normally stay outside the parks.  Probably because of the requirement to reserve.  We did get in at Fishing Bridge 2 years in a row less than a week before we planned to go as they often have cancellations.  That site is closed at the moment. 

I think most NP sites have as a minimum a dump station with water at each campsite or at another not far away.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the insights-- and links Jackie. I have used Campedium in the past and agree it's an excellent resource.

I think the key to a "wandering" MO when it comes to camping is flexibility. Some people need to have every hour of every day planned out ahead of time, others like myself don't start seriously thinking about tomorrow-- until I wake up in the morning. Ok, ok... a bit of an overstatement, but..  :D
 
jymbee said:
Thanks for the insights-- and links Jackie. I have used Campedium in the past and agree it's an excellent resource.

I think the key to a "wandering" MO when it comes to camping is flexibility. Some people need to have every hour of every day planned out ahead of time, others like myself don't start seriously thinking about tomorrow-- until I wake up in the morning. Ok, ok... a bit of an overstatement, but..  :D
Click to expand...
We don't want to plan as if you get somewhere and love it or hate it then you can make decisions based on that. We have often gone somewhere and found it to be an unexpected gem and stayed longer.

We have friends who had planned and booked for several months. Something unexpected came up and they had to spend hours changing and cancelling bookings. They were really disappointed at not getting to some of the places they had booked.

I guess you take your chances. I understand the nervous feeling of not knowing where you are going to stay but if we know a place will be busy we look a few days ahead. We also try to have a couple of  options. The thing about out West is that there are so many places you can stop if you need to for just one night.

That sense of freedom is just so invigorating to me and several times when we have been out on the road I've just burst into tears. We go our whole lives being dictated by work and commitment so this new way of doing things is so alien yet so liberating.

I suggest doing homework each of the Campgrounds in the parks. Some awe have seen have very small sites. Some larger but may only have a few spots for larger vehicles or the drive through the Campground difficult to manoeuvre.

If there is one you desperately want to stay in then you might want to book. As I said earlier I was surprised at getting a spot in Fishing Bridge, one was July the other may have been August.  But we got 4 nights both times and could have had 5 nights the 2nd time. Not sure what this campground will be like when it reopens. I expect they might have bigger sites but maybe less of them but who knows.

We got a site in an RV park in West Yellowstone last year after a few calls too.

Having the ability to be flexible is key I think. There can be lots of places outside the parks just as nice although you do need to do a bit more driving. That said being in the parks can be pretty special.

I'm not sure how things will be next year, I think it might be busier because of this year's events but that's speculation and I hope I'm wrong  :D

 
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