Should I book campsites in advance?

This is a matter of preference. If you will be traveling between June and September, it’s always a good idea to book several months in advance for the more popular destinations (sites for the summer in Yosemite Valley are usually sold out around January/February, for example). You can pre-book campsites at the following links:

• Reserve America is the biggest campground management/booking site in the US. It’s utilized for all national and state parks nationwide.
• Recreation.gov is another federal government site to assist with bookings.
• Hipcamp and Campground Views are like Airbnb for campgrounds and are great for finding unique private sites and experiences.

At the same time, many past renters have gotten by for an entire summer without booking or paying for campsites at all! It all depends on your comfort level. Here are some blogs with great tips for finding where to camp:

• Interview with Sandra, a past renter who traveled solo for 84 days and dispersed camped for free the entire time.
• Our Dispersed Camping 101 guide.
• When to book National Park campsites for the summer
• How to find camping in Yosemite without reservations
• How to find camping at the Grand Canyon without reservations