WSJ: Secrets to Snagging Campsites After They’ve Sold Out

The most popular national park campgrounds sell out months in advance. That doesn’t mean all hope is lost for your bucket-list camping trip, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Not every person who snags a reservation at a national or state park ends up using it, whether they go through the process of canceling or not. You can snatch up these empty spots with a little help.

More than a half-dozen services now comb websites for canceled reservations. They charge anywhere from $10 per search to $80 a year with the promise that they will alert campers about canceled campsite reservations. Campers also have free options, including Facebook groups and, time permitting, simply refreshing their web browser repeatedly in the hopes that something pops up.

In 2022, 51.4 million people camped in the U.S., according to the Outdoor Industry Association. The number of campsites in national parks has stayed relatively flat, said Geoff Baekey, managing director for CHM Government Services, a hospitality and recreation consulting firm that has done campground analyses for clients including the National Park Service.

Read the full report by the Wall Street Journal.

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/wsj-secrets-to-snagging-campsites-after-theyve-sold-out/