If you're reading this and you're THAT person that makes a camping reservation months in advance and you don't cancel when you know your planned trip isn't going to happen... there's a special place in you know where for you. The number of no shows at Zion and Glacier that I've personally seen is nauseating. Don't be THAT person, cancel your reservations!
We recently stayed twice at Davis Mountains State Park in Fort Davis, Texas. A ranger called us the day before and asked if we were still on schedule to make our reservation! Excellent service and I'm sure that helps with keeping the campground fully utilized. BTW, Davis Mts. is a very, very clean campground.
@@rd4660 that's good to hear, I'm glad they're making an effort to curb unused reservations. When we rolled into Many Glaciers campground last September, not only had they closed down half of the campground for the season, the remaining half was almost completely booked up and I would say over those four days we were there half of that campground was empty because of no-show reservations. So, it was completely booked on paper but half full in actuality. I actually just made a reservation for Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park, and in bold print it said that if you hadn't shown up by noon the day after the start of your reservation they would give it away to somebody else. I'm glad the national parks are finally getting their stuff in order.
Agreed. My girlfriend and I went to Glacier last July and found a spot at Many Glacier the day before. The campground was fully booked but was only half full. Really pisses me off.
I spent most of February and march trying to get reservations for the southern Utah National parks for September/ October It’s a very frustrating experience. They don’t let you cancel unwanted days for 3 weeks, assuming the excess dollars held would discourage people from booking 14 days.
This content is gold. Just finishing up a 19 national park trip and much of what Jason discussed is spot on. Planning and more planning will help. While the concessionaire might be expensive, if your trip is dates are set, then spend the money as their reservations can be up to 12 months in advance. Practice and become proficient at dry camping. It expands your options greatly.
We've traveled from the East Coast to the Rocky Mountains in our 17 foot RV trailer. Thing I like is that the pad might be small for big campers the spaces have plenty of room around them. Your next store neighbor is not an arms length away. 99% of the time we stay at fed., state, or Army Corps. Campgrounds. The staff is always friendly and helpful. Their are some books out there that list the different campgrounds, which is helpful when you don't have cell phone service. The park system is one of the jewels of this country.
We visited Arches last October. Waited till 6pm the night before each day to book the reservation for the next day. Never had any issues getting a pass. They were usually 10:00am or later passes but they were available and, at that time of day, the line to go through the entrance wasn’t very long.
If for some reason you cant get a timed entry pass you may still be able to enter the park. For instance at Arches the timed entry is between 7am and 4 pm. If you arrive before or after that time you wont need a timed entry pass. Also at Arches, if you have a 4wd high clearance vehicle, there is a 4wd road to access the park. To do this you must have already paid the entry fee or had an annual or other pass.
I remember years ago waiting for hours to enter glacier national park, and before that Yellowstone NP, they were turning larger 5W and trailers away. Evidently there were no more spots for large RV’s, and the other time some landslides that limited vehicle size. I realized then that I wouldn’t want to have reservations, get there, wait for 3 hours in line only to get to the window and hear the sad news. We asked one of the park officials (park ranger or whatever) what was too large. He replied depending on the situation, we start cutting 5W’s at 30’ and trailers at 26’. Since then, I try to only consider RV’s at those maximum lengths.
Really great video with soo much good information! Also thank you for sharing your personal experiences. I'm 62 years old and just started really traveling three years ago, mostly snowbirding to get away from Wisconsin winters. I use pop-up truck camper and tow an enclosed trailer with a UTV for trail riding and just returned from a 105 day and 6,429 mile trip to the SW USA. Thank you for sharing all latest & greatest RV news along with your knowledge & experiences.
Nice tips Miles! I do a lot of camping, mostly in NP campgrounds in a 21 foot no-slide travel trailer and mid-size truck. I can get in 95% of places with this rig. In terms of reserving a site and picking one that will fit an RV, I'll add a couple of things that Miles did not mention: (1) The trick/loophole to reserve 14 days ahead of your actual desired date DOES NOT allow you to cancel 5 minutes later like was mentioned. Sometimes it can be weeks until you are able to make the adjustment for the dates you actually plan to use the site. You do have to pay for all the 14 days at the time of reservation, and then get a refund when you make the adjustment. Not everyone can afford this on their credit card, but people do it... (2) In addition to the site length, also pay close attention to width if you have a slide on your RV, and also how level the site is. Since many older NPS sites were designed for parking cars and tent camping, it is quite frequent for the sites be relatively narrow or have side obstructions (trees, rocks) that do not allow you to open a slide. Also, leveling an RV (front-to-back) is a lot easier for a shorter rig than for a longer one (it's a matter of geometry). SO, a 30 ft site may allow you to park a 30 ft trailer in it, but you may not be able to level it and you may not be able to open your slides. So my advice for NP campgrounds is to have the shortest RV that suits your needs, and hopefully without slides. Recreation.Gov has excellent and insightful notes on each site, and people have increasingly reviewed the sites and add note about level and obstructions, so do check those out in addition to the aerial images.
A 20ft van gets you into anything except walk-in tent sites. Also lets you onto restricted roads. Get high clearance 4x4 and go even more places. Get a tent for the kids. You are camping!
Thanks... we have 40" class A and have stayed in majority of lower 48 National Parks. Like you, we have fit in sites listed shorter than our length and utilize Google Maps, virtual tours, RUclips reviews, Campendium et al to ascertain suitabily. More so for obstructions that proclude our opposing slides. These tools are also useful to pick optimal sites for Starlink. When there are no or limited campgrounds at the NP we almost always have an option of a State Park, BLM, Coe, NFS , etc campground in close proximity. Last but sometimes only choice is a commercial park. campground.
I know people who reserve several state and national forest campsites well in advance. They sell and make a little money off what they don't use but this way they are assured they will geet the weekend they want, with mutliple groups if they choose.
Thank you so much Jason this great information to know. It’s so helpful. Glad they have websites that will you find a campground that would fit your Rv.
Great info! I couldn't wait to get my NP senior pass. Though I usually boondock, I have taken advantage of the 50% campground discount. However, I was unaware of the discount also being applicable to some tours! Thank you so much!
Roads were one of our biggest concerns. Able to arrive to a site, just too narrow to maneuver our 36' fifth-wheel back into it without turning into drainage ditch or a huge tree/fence blocking our movement. Smaller has been better, easier to park and with our truck camper we even remove it off our truck to have the freedom to explore.
Yes, and when buying your new RV, Do not let the salesman tell you could get your 44 foot RV in anywhere you want that’s a big no-no. They will tell you that. A lot of state and Federal Parks will tell you the minimum, maximum size RVs that you can get into a site, in California there’s a lot of 30 feet or less, but not all of them a lot.
@@RVMiles if you mean the USDA and forest service, sure. But recreation . Gov also excludes all campgrounds that are exclusively first come first serve
Some of the forest service stuff is weird because they'll sometimes hire a concessionaire just to collect fees. So, yeah, there's going to be a few that aren't on rec.gov. Obvliously we're talking about booking campgrounds when we're talking about rec.gov, and though it does list some FCFS sites, not all of them.
This is great information. Next summer/fall of 2025 we're taking a long road trip and want to hit the big parks out west (Yellowstone, Teton, Glacier.) Saving this for reference. Thank you!!
Two comments! First, I was dying as you festured Watchman AND explained how to game Rec.gov. I may blame you if I can’t get my booking now. (Kidding! Sort Of!). Second--the overhang is no longer really usable for us in a diesel pusher. We’ve de-aired over enough tall concrete plintgs that I just don’t count on the ability to overhang anymore. Great video Jason!
I was considering after I retire into next year eventually purchasing a very small RV and driving out west to these parks. But after watching the complications due to over crowding, reservations, frustrations, potential disappointments etc. “Why bother?” It’s better to avoid the zombie masses. Find other destinations, or don’t even bother with the whole RV bit period. Life is to short.
WOW, very informative information. Thank you very much. I have been a subscriber to your channel for quite some time and the information you put on your channel is fantastic.
I should be closing on an RV in the next two weeks and then I will really make progress on my quest to visit all 428 sites in the National Park Service. A little worried about the more popular parks but I will remember to take to slow and don't force it.
Buffalo herds in the campground! You don't find that outside the parks. We've seen some issues with the reservation windows. The time period can start early, like a Monday, or the first of the month. As said, every campground has different rules!
Beware of buying annual passes AT a park. I was told "we have no passes left" and they couldn't credit my admission fee towards an annual fee, or say when annual passes would be available again. In other words, just keep coming back and paying a daily fee every day, until months later when the got cards back in stock. This feels like an intentional scam to me, since one phone call could get cards shipped down to them overnight, and applying a credit (even to a prepaid application) is nothing more than paperwork and courtesy. A really good policy would be to simply say "we're out of passes, just come in and enjoy your day."
Help! I have a question about National Park reservations. They are very confusing to me. I am looking at a site in Madison Campground, Yellowstone. I says "RV SITE UP TO 30-FT WITH EXTRA VEHICLE PLUS TENT UP TO 12 X 12 Sleeps up to 6. These sites may be used as RV only, tent only, or a combination of RV and tent. If RV or trailer/tow only, maximum combined length of vehicles is 30 feet, plus one additional vehicle is allowed (maximum length of 20 feet for extra vehicle). The picture shows a Class C (large) and an SUV. I know our 23" TT and HD pickup will easily fit in this site, however per the wording it looks like we would not be allowed to reserve it. How does this work?
Small point, Madison is booked through Xanterra not rec.gov. I agree though that the Xanterra descriptions are confusing for the reason you mentioned. We have a travel trailer and choose the "extra vehicle" sites to be on the safe side. We figure the trailer is the RV, ignoring the combined length part, and count the tow vehicle as the additional vehicle. On the good side you can book through Xanterra up to a year ahead. We met someone at Gros Ventre last year who told us they have also been able to request a specific site by calling Xanterra. No guarantee but is has worked for them.
Problem with reservations site for national parks, is that there is no way to see if there's been a cancelation. Their alert does Not work. We've had issues with it
Upgrade your battery system to a big lithium system. That will cost money, yes, but it will allow you to use an Incinolet, an incinerating toilet that produces a handful of white sanitary ash--AND NO BLACK TANK EVER AGAIN.
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Use code RVMILES for 25% off your next RV Mattress from Brooklyn Bedding at rvmattress.com/rvmiles.
If you're reading this and you're THAT person that makes a camping reservation months in advance and you don't cancel when you know your planned trip isn't going to happen... there's a special place in you know where for you. The number of no shows at Zion and Glacier that I've personally seen is nauseating. Don't be THAT person, cancel your reservations!
We recently stayed twice at Davis Mountains State Park in Fort Davis, Texas. A ranger called us the day before and asked if we were still on schedule to make our reservation! Excellent service and I'm sure that helps with keeping the campground fully utilized. BTW, Davis Mts. is a very, very clean campground.
@@rd4660 that's good to hear, I'm glad they're making an effort to curb unused reservations. When we rolled into Many Glaciers campground last September, not only had they closed down half of the campground for the season, the remaining half was almost completely booked up and I would say over those four days we were there half of that campground was empty because of no-show reservations. So, it was completely booked on paper but half full in actuality.
I actually just made a reservation for Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park, and in bold print it said that if you hadn't shown up by noon the day after the start of your reservation they would give it away to somebody else. I'm glad the national parks are finally getting their stuff in order.
I need Zion for Sat.. 9/29/24 anyone… anyone..
Agreed. My girlfriend and I went to Glacier last July and found a spot at Many Glacier the day before. The campground was fully booked but was only half full. Really pisses me off.
I spent most of February and march trying to get reservations for the southern Utah National parks for September/ October It’s a very frustrating experience. They don’t let you cancel unwanted days for 3 weeks, assuming the excess dollars held would discourage people from booking 14 days.
This content is gold. Just finishing up a 19 national park trip and much of what Jason discussed is spot on. Planning and more planning will help. While the concessionaire might be expensive, if your trip is dates are set, then spend the money as their reservations can be up to 12 months in advance. Practice and become proficient at dry camping. It expands your options greatly.
We've traveled from the East Coast to the Rocky Mountains in our 17 foot RV trailer. Thing I like is that the pad might be small for big campers the spaces have plenty of room around them. Your next store neighbor is not an arms length away. 99% of the time we stay at fed., state, or Army Corps. Campgrounds. The staff is always friendly and helpful. Their are some books out there that list the different campgrounds, which is helpful when you don't have cell phone service. The park system is one of the jewels of this country.
We visited Arches last October. Waited till 6pm the night before each day to book the reservation for the next day. Never had any issues getting a pass. They were usually 10:00am or later passes but they were available and, at that time of day, the line to go through the entrance wasn’t very long.
If for some reason you cant get a timed entry pass you may still be able to enter the park. For instance at Arches the timed entry is between 7am and 4 pm. If you arrive before or after that time you wont need a timed entry pass. Also at Arches, if you have a 4wd high clearance vehicle, there is a 4wd road to access the park. To do this you must have already paid the entry fee or had an annual or other pass.
I remember years ago waiting for hours to enter glacier national park, and before that Yellowstone NP, they were turning larger 5W and trailers away. Evidently there were no more spots for large RV’s, and the other time some landslides that limited vehicle size. I realized then that I wouldn’t want to have reservations, get there, wait for 3 hours in line only to get to the window and hear the sad news. We asked one of the park officials (park ranger or whatever) what was too large. He replied depending on the situation, we start cutting 5W’s at 30’ and trailers at 26’. Since then, I try to only consider RV’s at those maximum lengths.
Really great video with soo much good information! Also thank you for sharing your personal experiences. I'm 62 years old and just started really traveling three years ago, mostly snowbirding to get away from Wisconsin winters. I use pop-up truck camper and tow an enclosed trailer with a UTV for trail riding and just returned from a 105 day and 6,429 mile trip to the SW USA. Thank you for sharing all latest & greatest RV news along with your knowledge & experiences.
You are so welcome!
Nice tips Miles! I do a lot of camping, mostly in NP campgrounds in a 21 foot no-slide travel trailer and mid-size truck. I can get in 95% of places with this rig. In terms of reserving a site and picking one that will fit an RV, I'll add a couple of things that Miles did not mention: (1) The trick/loophole to reserve 14 days ahead of your actual desired date DOES NOT allow you to cancel 5 minutes later like was mentioned. Sometimes it can be weeks until you are able to make the adjustment for the dates you actually plan to use the site. You do have to pay for all the 14 days at the time of reservation, and then get a refund when you make the adjustment. Not everyone can afford this on their credit card, but people do it... (2) In addition to the site length, also pay close attention to width if you have a slide on your RV, and also how level the site is. Since many older NPS sites were designed for parking cars and tent camping, it is quite frequent for the sites be relatively narrow or have side obstructions (trees, rocks) that do not allow you to open a slide. Also, leveling an RV (front-to-back) is a lot easier for a shorter rig than for a longer one (it's a matter of geometry). SO, a 30 ft site may allow you to park a 30 ft trailer in it, but you may not be able to level it and you may not be able to open your slides. So my advice for NP campgrounds is to have the shortest RV that suits your needs, and hopefully without slides. Recreation.Gov has excellent and insightful notes on each site, and people have increasingly reviewed the sites and add note about level and obstructions, so do check those out in addition to the aerial images.
A 20ft van gets you into anything except walk-in tent sites. Also lets you onto restricted roads. Get high clearance 4x4 and go even more places. Get a tent for the kids. You are camping!
Thanks... we have 40" class A and have stayed in majority of lower 48 National Parks. Like you, we have fit in sites listed shorter than our length and utilize Google Maps, virtual tours, RUclips reviews, Campendium et al to ascertain suitabily. More so for obstructions that proclude our opposing slides. These tools are also useful to pick optimal sites for Starlink.
When there are no or limited campgrounds at the NP we almost always have an option of a State Park, BLM, Coe, NFS , etc campground in close proximity. Last but sometimes only choice is a commercial park. campground.
I know people who reserve several state and national forest campsites well in advance. They sell and make a little money off what they don't use but this way they are assured they will geet the weekend they want, with mutliple groups if they choose.
Thank you so much Jason this great information to know. It’s so helpful. Glad they have websites that will you find a campground that would fit your Rv.
Great info! I couldn't wait to get my NP senior pass. Though I usually boondock, I have taken advantage of the 50% campground discount. However, I was unaware of the discount also being applicable to some tours! Thank you so much!
Roads were one of our biggest concerns. Able to arrive to a site, just too narrow to maneuver our 36' fifth-wheel back into it without turning into drainage ditch or a huge tree/fence blocking our movement. Smaller has been better, easier to park and with our truck camper we even remove it off our truck to have the freedom to explore.
Yes, and when buying your new RV, Do not let the salesman tell you could get your 44 foot RV in anywhere you want that’s a big no-no. They will tell you that. A lot of state and Federal Parks will tell you the minimum, maximum size RVs that you can get into a site, in California there’s a lot of 30 feet or less, but not all of them a lot.
I have been wondering how on earth people are booking more than 6 months ahead!! Thank you for leveling that playing field!!
You were overflowing with good info on this video! Thanks!!
My pleasure!
Wow. We’re very intimidated and overwhelmed by what we thought was going to be a relaxing ,simpler life. You are a god send!
One of your best information videos ever, Jason!
Glad it was helpful!
Not all federal campsites are on recreation . Gov.
A good example is between the lakes.
That’s because it’s ran by a concessionaire
@@RVMiles if you mean the USDA and forest service, sure.
But recreation . Gov also excludes all campgrounds that are exclusively first come first serve
Some of the forest service stuff is weird because they'll sometimes hire a concessionaire just to collect fees. So, yeah, there's going to be a few that aren't on rec.gov. Obvliously we're talking about booking campgrounds when we're talking about rec.gov, and though it does list some FCFS sites, not all of them.
Thank you very much for the great info. I’ll be joining that Facebook group for sure!
I am sitting in Bryce as I watch this. Love FCFS at least until May 19Th here.
Excellent! SO helpful! Thank you!
Add Red Rock Canyon in Nevada to the timed entry parks
Thank you Jason. Very helpful video and content.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good stuff!
Thanks!
You definitely covered it all well! Beat places to camp, for us!
This is great information. Next summer/fall of 2025 we're taking a long road trip and want to hit the big parks out west (Yellowstone, Teton, Glacier.) Saving this for reference. Thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
When talking to Vetrens let them know they can use thier DD-214, thier discharge papers to get the pass.
Love 💘 your videos.learning alot😊
Thanks for this information! You managed to include a whole bunch of good stuff in one video and I appreciate it.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Two comments! First, I was dying as you festured Watchman AND explained how to game Rec.gov. I may blame you if I can’t get my booking now. (Kidding! Sort Of!). Second--the overhang is no longer really usable for us in a diesel pusher. We’ve de-aired over enough tall concrete plintgs that I just don’t count on the ability to overhang anymore. Great video Jason!
Thanks. Great information.
Glad it was helpful!
I was considering after I retire into next year eventually purchasing a very small RV and driving out west to these parks. But after watching the complications due to over crowding, reservations, frustrations, potential disappointments etc. “Why bother?” It’s better to avoid the zombie masses. Find other destinations, or don’t even bother with the whole RV bit period. Life is to short.
WOW, very informative information. Thank you very much. I have been a subscriber to your channel for quite some time and the information you put on your channel is fantastic.
Really appreciate the comment. Safe travels!
Very nice job, Jason
I should be closing on an RV in the next two weeks and then I will really make progress on my quest to visit all 428 sites in the National Park Service. A little worried about the more popular parks but I will remember to take to slow and don't force it.
Many happy travels to you!!!
Buffalo herds in the campground! You don't find that outside the parks.
We've seen some issues with the reservation windows. The time period can start early, like a Monday, or the first of the month. As said, every campground has different rules!
Hearing Disability with hearing aids and wife was on top of ensuring I got the lifetime access pass.
Beware of buying annual passes AT a park. I was told "we have no passes left" and they couldn't credit my admission fee towards an annual fee, or say when annual passes would be available again. In other words, just keep coming back and paying a daily fee every day, until months later when the got cards back in stock. This feels like an intentional scam to me, since one phone call could get cards shipped down to them overnight, and applying a credit (even to a prepaid application) is nothing more than paperwork and courtesy.
A really good policy would be to simply say "we're out of passes, just come in and enjoy your day."
Help! I have a question about National Park reservations. They are very confusing to me. I am looking at a site in Madison Campground, Yellowstone. I says "RV SITE UP TO 30-FT WITH EXTRA VEHICLE PLUS TENT UP TO 12 X 12 Sleeps up to 6. These sites may be used as RV only, tent only, or a combination of RV and tent. If RV or trailer/tow only, maximum combined length of vehicles is 30 feet, plus one additional vehicle is allowed (maximum length of 20 feet for extra vehicle). The picture shows a Class C (large) and an SUV. I know our 23" TT and HD pickup will easily fit in this site, however per the wording it looks like we would not be allowed to reserve it. How does this work?
Small point, Madison is booked through Xanterra not rec.gov. I agree though that the Xanterra descriptions are confusing for the reason you mentioned. We have a travel trailer and choose the "extra vehicle" sites to be on the safe side. We figure the trailer is the RV, ignoring the combined length part, and count the tow vehicle as the additional vehicle. On the good side you can book through Xanterra up to a year ahead. We met someone at Gros Ventre last year who told us they have also been able to request a specific site by calling Xanterra. No guarantee but is has worked for them.
He has several videos that simplify ,update and have valuable tips on that. Helped us a bunch
Does the Seniors pass apply to Canadians? Any of the other passes too?
Is the Senior Pass the same as the Golden Age Pass,
Yep, it’s no longer officially called golden age.
If there’s a pit toilet, there’s a way.
Great information. My husband has an lifetime pass. He was recently disabled. Is there any advantage to getting a forever access pass?
Does he have the lifetime senior pass? If so, there’s no advantage. If he has the military pass, he should get the access pass
And how long can a ClassB expect to be, to fit in urban metered parking on streets?
Problem with reservations site for national parks, is that there is no way to see if there's been a cancelation. Their alert does Not work. We've had issues with it
Entrance fees to NP's should be waived for actual taxpayers. Ridiculous.
Upgrade your battery system to a big lithium system. That will cost money, yes, but it will allow you to use an Incinolet, an incinerating toilet that produces a handful of white sanitary ash--AND NO BLACK TANK EVER AGAIN.
You don’t own an incinolet do you?
Do not buy a burn toilet!!! You are screwed when they don’t work! Buy a composting toilet!
Or you can get a Laveo dry flush toilet
i would like to visit the national parks, just too many social media smooth brain folks acting like they do
Oh, poor advice! Always plan for your truck. The people you impact are your neighbors.
These parks are owned now by China.
Good info thanks!
You’re very welcome!
And how long can a ClassB expect to be, to fit in urban metered parking on streets?
Standard parking spaces are 18-20 feet. Parallel spots are usually a little longer (22'), but you need the extra room to get in and out of the site.