National Park Reservations

[Sully54]

My wife and I are planning a 5 week trip, September-October, in 2020. Leaving NYS September 4, hitting; Mt. Rushmore-Custer State Park 2 nights, Glacier 3 nights, Yellowstone 5 nights, Arches/Canyonland 3 nights, Bryce/Zion 3 nights, Grand Canyon 3 nights. My question is how early should/can I make my reservation in the parks. For the nights in Arches/Canyonland and Bryce/Zion we're thinking of staying outside the parks. Any suggestions for the trip will be appreciated.

[Steve1152]

6 months ahead is the limit. i think its the same in national parks. sounds like a wonderful trip, and you have plenty of time to plan it. weather will be good that time of year, little chilly at night.

[Scott_Trailer_Newbe]

If your saying don’t reserve any later than 6 months ahead, I’d say correct, but better do it earlier. Grand Cayon is usually booked earlier than 6 months ahead. Most you should book on the first day in the Southwest (364 days prior).

[les45]

Check the weather to plan the order of your visits. Many of the northern parks close facilities at the end of September and snow can drastically affect your travel in those areas from about mid-September.

[Kim Gass]

You better run through info on each park. Yellowstone has very limited camping after Labor Day. Glacier too. There are campgrounds open in each but depends on what services you want.
Both would be a snowy nightmare in Oct. You need to be prepared for winter camping.

Reservation windows may be different for different areas. Within 6 months of visit reservations can be made at Yellowstone

Also be aware that it can snow near Moab.. We had nasty snowstorm at end of Sept. Bryce too.

Your schedule may be a tad off as all these parks are high elevation places.Save for Mt Rushmore.

[Out4Fun]

Great trip plan! We did Grand Canyon (both rims), Mesa Verde, Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef this summer - July. We had a wonderful time. Your only option in Grand Canyon South Rim is Trailer Village unless you are dry camping. For Zion, Bryce and Cedar Breaks (very close to both) our advice is to stay outside the parks at one location, and do day trips into the parks using the shuttle services offered. You can even do North Rim of the Grand Canyon from such a location. That worked well for us, and it was much easier traffic-wise. Zion has a tunnel you need to navigate and pay extra for depending on your vehicle. Since we did not tow a vehicle, we actually found a central RV park and rented a car for the days we were in the region - easy in to all locations and easy parking once there. Have fun planning and doing.

[dexstrom]

Originally Posted by Out4Fun

For Zion, Bryce and Cedar Breaks (very close to both) our advice is to stay outside the parks at one location, and do day trips into the parks using the shuttle services offered. You can even do North Rim of the Grand Canyon from such a location.

We are planning just such a trip this next year and I need to know who to contact for the shuttles. Do the RV campgrounds offer those or is it a third party operation in the area? TIA.

[2018SLXBAJA]

I worked in Custer State Park for a few years, by September a few of the campgrounds might be closed but Game Lodge CG stayed open the longest. We visited Yellowstone in September this year and stayed at the KOA in West Yellowstone, MT and liked it, we were able to tour Yellowstone for a few days and than Grand Tetons for a day. We did Arches/ Canyonlands in May and stayed at the BLM campgrounds along the Colorado river just north of Moab, it was a great central location to see both parks and you were along the river in the canyon which made for a spectacular view and only $15/ day and no hookups. We just got back from St. George, UT and visited Zion while we were there. The closest town to Zion is Springdale and their were shuttles picking people up in town. I would highly recommend staying outside of Zion/ Bryce/ Capitol and doing day trips into them. Look into Cedar City, Beaver, or Filamore Utah for a place to stay.

[Out4Fun]

The RV parks, or at least the ones we checked, do not have shuttles. They are accessible once in or near the parks. For GC South Rim, they are easily accessible once in the Park or from Trailer Village; no shuttles on GC North Rim; for Zion, they are accessible from Springdale to the Park, then you walk across a bridge into the Park and access the Park Shuttle; for Bryce, they are accessible from BC Village or once in the park; none for Cedar Breaks; none for Mesa Verde, Arches, Canyonlands or Capitol Reef. Hope this helps.

[GarlicDude]

Wife and I visited Yellowstone this year, we learned that the Fishing Bridge campground will be closed for renovation. This link might help:

https://www.yellowstonenationalparkl...ervation-tips/