Camp Reservations

[JudyB]

Always have a plan B or C....Did similar trip in reverse 2 years ago..NV too MI. We booked for the first night and winged it the rest of the way. Plan was to stay a few weeks in MI....That was the worst and ended up staying at relatives properties because those Michiganders are serious about their camping stays and book a year in advance!

[backpack1953]

We plan out our trips as well. If it is a long trip we will book six to twelve months in advance. We stay in state and federal parks a whole lot so that is a necessity in most cases. I have had to sit at the computer and punch reserve in a few cases at the time a campground has an opening to get it. We have been camping for over forty years. We started out tent camping, then popup, and now a FW. We used to be able to go anywhere at the spur of a moment. Not any more.

[TnHiker]

Originally Posted by 24travel

We are planning a trip from Southern California to Michigan and back. We are planning on stopping in San Antonio/Austin, Nashville/Knoxville, then up to Michigan. On the way back St. Louis and New Mexico.

My question is do I need to make reservations in advance for all of the stops (other then Michigan) or can we just wing it for the stops listed?


We are going to be on the road June-July.

Any suggestions of campgrounds to look for would also be great. Any suggestions for long trips would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I just finished my trip planning for a trip in the summer of 2020. 4855 towing miles from Tennessee, a loop out west with a visit to all 5 national parks in Utah. I am retired but I like being on a schedule and I have every stop planned. There are 21 camping spots (Campgrounds) already picked out and much of the information collected. I will do a little research now at each stop to determine how much time I will spend in each stop. Before the end of the year I will make reservations for each campground. I live in East Tennessee and am very familiar with the area around Knoxville and can give you info on places to stay and fun things to do in the area. To me the planning that I have been working on is really fun. You can find out so much about an area and discover things you want to see and do. I made a similar loop in 2017 out west in Badlands, Yellowstone, Tetons, Rocky Mountain National parks and the planning made the trip so much more fun. Good Luck and enjoy the trip as much as the destination.

[spark of insanity]

From Michigan to Denver we spent the nite at a rest stop. It was wonderful. The truckers were very friendly. Although we found out it is illegal to spend the nite at any rest stop in Colorado due to the homeless and vagrant problems. And the truck stops? Avoid. We ended up with problems. Some Wal Marts will not let you do over nites. We did an all niter back to Michigan from Arizona. Wish we never did that. It was rough. I do recommend stopping and finding a campsite where you do not have to unhook, spend the nite and start over in the morning. Otherwise our vacation was planned out 12 months prior. We did Denver to Bryce Canyon (if you need a great tour place Bryce Canyon Scenic Tours) was wonderful. We stayed at the KOA Cannonsville. Wonderful campsite. Then the Grand Canyon to Mesa Verde. We too plan out our huge trips. Now that our daughter is finish college it will be a while before we do another huge trip like this one. Good luck.

[Leesway]

The summer is busy for rv travel. It depends on how picky you are about your overnight. There are many places that are first come/first served and you'll have a spot if you land early enough. Others, you can call ahead when you're an hour or so out and they'll hold a spot for you. Campgrounds: Near Nashville we stayed at Seven Points Campground, which is a corp of engineers campground. It was off the beaten path, but lovely for several nights' stay and CHEAP at $22/night, half price if you're 62 or over! We also stayed at Grand Ole RV Resort. It was fine for an overnight or two, but easier to reach. Near St. Louis, we liked the St. Peter 370 Lakeside Park. If you find yourself swinging thru Lexington, KY, we highly recommend a trip to see the Ark Encounter, too.

[Flyrotor]

KOA in San Antonio is a decent place, nice amenities and close to all the downtown attractions, don’t miss the Alamo, the river walk, and one of my favorites is the Marketplace in downtown, with Mi Tierra as one of my favorite restaurants for ambience and great Mexican food. The missions are also very interesting. Nearby if you have kids who like water parks, Schlitterbahn is in New Braunfels. And of course Six Flags Fiesta Texas has a lot of great roller coasters.

[Robbie1947]

Out here in Washington State, we have to go online in December/January to book camping space for the coming Summer. If you try to just head in, you'll get turned away at the state parks, even during the week. As a consequence, we tend to camp in USFS campgrounds, which tend to have openings for drive up and in some cases are much nicer as far as privacy is concerned.

[Chet & Marie]

When we take extended trips we make reservations for the entire trip 1 or 2 months in advance during the summer. In the spring or autumn we travel during the week without reservations but pull in around 4:00 to get a spot.