Campground Reservations 101: Two Strategies That Actually Work

Here's a confession: our family rarely books campgrounds the moment reservations open. We've camped at Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Lake Tahoe, and dozens of other "impossible to book" destinations, often booking weeks or even months after the reservation window opened.

The secret? We use two different strategies depending on the situation. For most trips, we let cancellation alerts do the work. For must-have dates like holiday weekends or group trips, we wake up early and book at the exact moment reservations open.

Both strategies work. Here's how to use each one.

Strategy 1: Set It and Forget It (Cancellation Alerts)

This is our go-to method for 90% of camping trips. Here's how it works:

1. Pick your favorite campgrounds, the ones you'd happily visit any weekend the weather looks good
2. Set up alerts for dates during the prime season (we typically monitor Friday-Saturday nights from May through October)
3. Wait for a text message. When someone cancels, you get notified instantly.
4. Book immediately. Cancellations get snapped up fast, so act quickly when you get the alert.

Why This Works So Well

People cancel reservations all the time. Plans change, weather forecasts shift, life happens. There's usually a steady trickle of cancellations starting months before the reservation date, and then turnover really picks up in the weeks leading up to the trip. Even "fully booked" campgrounds regularly have openings.

The key is being first to know when that cancellation happens. Without alerts, you'd have to manually refresh the reservation page dozens of times a day, and you'd still probably miss it.

Set up a cancellation alert and let availability come to you.

Best For

• Flexible weekenders who can travel when availability opens up
• Families who need time to plan but don't want to commit 6 months out
• Anyone who doesn't want to wake up at 7 AM to compete for reservations
• Solo travelers and couples who only need one site

Strategy 2: Early Bird (Book at the Window)

Some trips are too important to leave to chance. Holiday weekends, family reunions, group camping trips with friends. These require booking the moment reservations become available.

How Booking Windows Work

Each reservation system releases sites on a specific schedule. Understanding these windows is critical for booking popular campgrounds.

Recreation.gov (Most National Parks & Forests)

• Window: 6 months in advance, rolling daily
• Release time: 10:00 AM Eastern
• Example: To book July 4th at Joshua Tree, be ready at 10 AM ET on January 4th

Yosemite National Park

• Window: 5 months in advance, on the 15th of each month
• Release time: 7:00 AM Pacific
• Example: All June reservations open at 7 AM PT on January 15th
• Pro tip: This is one of the most competitive booking windows in the country. Have your account logged in, site selected, and dates ready before 7 AM.

ReserveCalifornia (California State Parks)

• Window: 6 months in advance, rolling daily
• Release time: 8:00 AM Pacific

Use our Early Bird Calculator to find the exact date and time reservations open for your trip.

The Insider Trick: Book Earlier Than the Window

Here's something most campers don't realize: popular campgrounds say they book "6 months in advance," but experienced campers know there's a way to reserve your dates days or even weeks earlier than the window suggests.

The Trick: Book Extra Nights, Then Trim

If a campground books 6 months ahead and allows 7-night stays, you can book your desired dates up to 7 days earlier than the official window. How? Book the maximum nights ending on your checkout date, then trim the early nights you don't need.

Here's an example:

• You want: June 15-17 (2 nights)
• You book: June 10-17 (7 nights) when June 17 first becomes available
• You modify to: June 15-17 (trimming the early nights)

This lets you lock in your site 5 days before anyone else waiting for the "official" June 15 window. Pretty clever, right?

Sliding Modifications (ReserveCalifornia Only)

ReserveCalifornia has a powerful feature called "sliding modifications" that lets you move your reservation forward to newly available nights before anyone else can book them. This is a game-changer for California State Parks.

How it works:

1. Book the earliest dates you can that include your target checkout date
2. As new nights become available, "slide" your check-in forward
3. You can modify up to 2 times per reservation, potentially doubling your head start

This makes California State Parks significantly easier to book than national parks for competitive dates.

Recreation.gov Modification Lockout

Important caveat for federal campgrounds: Recreation.gov has an 18-day modification lockout on reservations that include dates beyond the booking window. You can't shorten or cancel until 18 days after booking.

This means if you use the "book extra nights" trick on Recreation.gov, you're committed to those nights for at least 18 days. Make sure you're okay with the full booking before using this strategy.

Our Early Bird Calculator accounts for these rules and shows you exactly when to book.

Tips for Booking at the Window

1. Know the exact release time and convert to your timezone
2. Create your account beforehand and save your payment method
3. Have backup sites ready in case your first choice sells out
4. Use a computer, not your phone. Faster checkout wins!
5. Refresh the page a few seconds before the window opens

Best For

• Holiday weekends (Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day)
• Group trips that need multiple adjacent sites
• Specific sites you must have (waterfront, walk-in, etc.)
• Ultra-popular campgrounds (Yosemite Valley, Big Sur)

Real Example: Nevada Beach, Lake Tahoe

Nevada Beach is one of the hardest campgrounds to book in America. It's a small beachfront campground on Lake Tahoe's east shore with just 37 sites and a 99.4% occupancy rate during peak season.

Last Labor Day weekend, we scored two sites there. Here's how we did it:

Site 1: Early Bird Strategy

We knew the dates months ahead. Labor Day weekend with family. So we used the Early Bird Calculator to figure out exactly when reservations would open: February 24th at 7:00 AM Pacific.

That morning, laptop open, coffee ready, account logged in. At 6:59 we were refreshing. At 7:00:01 we clicked "Book Now." Got it.

Site 2: Cancellation Alert

Our friends wanted to join, but by February the campground was fully booked for Labor Day. No problem! We set up a cancellation alert for Nevada Beach, same weekend.

In April, we got a text: "Site available at Nevada Beach for Aug 30 - Sep 2." We booked it within minutes.

Two sites at the "impossible" campground. Two different strategies. Both worked.

Which Strategy Should You Use?

Use cancellation alerts when:

• You're flexible on dates
• You only need one site
• You don't want to plan 6 months ahead
• You're monitoring multiple campgrounds and will take whichever opens up

Book at the window when:

• You have non-negotiable dates
• You need multiple sites together
• It's a major holiday weekend
• You want a specific premium site

The best campers use both! Set up alerts for your favorite spots year-round, and mark your calendar for early-bird booking when you have must-have dates.

Get Started

Set up a cancellation alert. Pick a campground, select your dates, and we'll text you when a site opens up.

Use the Early Bird Calculator. Find out exactly when reservations open for your target dates.

Read the full Nevada Beach story. A detailed breakdown of how we booked America's hardest campground.

Happy camping!