Reserve America

[crazylev]

I have always been a fan of first come first serve. During the summer months, at any popular campground, you won't find a site to be had because most people are looking for a weekend.

Our dilemma has been we want to stay at a place monday thru sunday, but most site for the weekend are taken, so you have to move to another campground.

You are also at the mercy of what sites are available and most descriptions are less than helpful. I like to drive around and pick and choose. Especially if I see/hear potentially bad neighbors.

Army Corp campgrounds

In general, we try and avoid campgrounds that have a reservation system. The two state parks in Door County, WI. are perfect examples. After the first week of being able to reserve (months in advance) they are still sold out.

Jonathan

[dmoore]

I too feel the frustration of trying to get a site in the Keys. Since the second week of January I have attempted every morning to get a site. (I have probably missed only 5-6 days -- when I have not had internet access). I choose the site that I am going for and start hitting the "book these dates" button a few minutes before the reservations open. In less than a minute after reservations are open, all available sites are booked. I have called the campground directly and was told that this was the best way to get in. Unfortunately, the campground gods have not yet smiled upon me. But I keep trying . . . hope springs eternal . . .

My husband and friends keep telling me that something strange is going on. They think I'm wasting my time. If anyone has had any luck I'd love to hear about it!!

Thanks!

[StreamNTyme]

I agree, there is something funny about the reservation system. How could every site be gone every morning and how would you get more than one night, no one wants to drive 10 or more hours for one night. The state of Fl. should limit snowbirds to 2 weeks each SEASON in Keys park instead of hogging the parks for months so the rest of us could enjoy a vacation there too.

[crazylev]

I've found that calling the park you want to visit and asking if they have any first come sites helps. Most of the places we visit have a set amount of sites that are of this nature.

We also write down notes and numbers of reserveable sites in a log that would be acceptable and keep that for future reference if we visit that campground again. If none of those sites are available, we look for another park.

State forests are very nice and most of them out our way don't seem to have that manicured golf coarse look with no privacy between sites, or the ubiquitous titanic motorhomes that block your view to the world. This does involve boondocking.

Sorry if I'm coming across as grumpy, but when it is harder and more expensive to get away and we really want to enjoy the great outdoors. But there are things that are as annoying as the conversation going on next to you in the movie theater after you just dropped ten or so dollars. The reserve system is one of those.

Jonathan

[Paul&Dee]

dmoore: How many days are you trying to book? Only 1 new day will be available tomorrow morning since all the others have already been booked. If you try to book a 5 day stay instead of a 1 day stay you will always fail.

But then you probably already knew that.

[HowieE]

Originally Posted by Paul&Dee

dmoore: How many days are you trying to book? Only 1 new day will be available tomorrow morning since all the others have already been booked. If you try to book a 5 day stay instead of a 1 day stay you will always fail.

But then you probably already knew that.

I am sorry your interpretation is wrong. If you look at a campground 11 months out, ie Feb. 19th 2010, you will see all the site in that campground that are available as of that date. If you select a site and ask for a 10 day stay you will be able to make that reservation up to and including the 29th..

However if you were to ask today for an arrival date of Feb.20th 2010 you would see no sites available. Go back in tomorrow and do the same request and you will see all the sites that are available.

You can not book a starting date more than 11 months out but you can book a stay starting less than 11 months out that includes dates beyond 11 months out.

[Paul&Dee]

I just tried booking a 10 day stay starting Feb 19, 2010
for Stephen Foster State Park in White Springs. It's a great park, but never very crowded. It shows the first day with a capital A, and the other nine with a smaller A.
So I was wrong, Reserve America will let you book a longer stay
if only the first day is available.

But when I look at Oscar Scherer in Venice, every spot has an R already
on Feb 19. There are a few scattered days available earlier than Feb 19,
but only 2 or 3 days together at the most.

So each morning when you try for a spot, there might be only 1 or 2 coming open. The rest are already booked for longer stays. It would help if Reserve America would show which sites are reserved in the upcoming days beyond Feb 20 instead of just an X on every day.

[Sugarfoot]

Originally Posted by TwinkytheKid

I used reserve america, and got an unwanted magazine subsricption that I can't cancel. Anybody want "backpacking magazine"?

Originally Posted by maxandgeorgia

We've been getting Field and Stream also--without ever subscribing, to our knowledge. . . . G

That explains it. I've been geeting both Backpacker and Field and Stream. Cancelled F&S once, but the next year it showed up again. I gave up. Now Backpacker, I read that. But I'd rather have the dollars than the mag.

[Jack46]

I made a reservation for the first time, with Reserve America for a state park in Virginia. I had to also later change the reservation. In neither case did I expereince anything but great service.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Jack46

I made a reservation for the first time, with Reserve America for a state park in Virginia. I had to also later change the reservation. In neither case did I expereince anything but great service.

Been using RA since NYSP started it several years ago, no complaints.

BUT...we were very familiar with the area and it's accessable facilities.

Sight un-seen might be kind'a hard.

BC