Outdoor Adventures: Where to Go Camping

If you’ve checked out our Essential Gear Checklist, and picked up some of the necessary equipment to ensure you are prepared for your first trip, then it is time to plan where to go camping! With a little bit of advanced planning, you can reduce the time spent searching for a site and enjoy more time around the campfire.

Camping is as popular as it has ever been. More people are recreating outdoors than in the past. According to The Dyrt’s 2023 Camping Report, over 80 million people camped in 2022. Since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, campsite availability has become more scarce, and it is getting more challenging to find campsites, particularly at the last minute. How much harder? About five times harder (The Dyrt, 2023).

In Dyrt’s 2023 Camping report, over 48% of survey respondents who sought a campsite in the Western US reported difficulty finding a site. This led me to look more deeply at the challenges campers face in Colorado when it comes to finding a site. What I found was enlightening, and it shows why it’s getting harder to figure out where to go camping.

About Colorado

Colorado can be a very challenging state to find reservations. First, Colorado is a state full of outdoor adventurers. The proximity to the mountains and the activities one can pursue brought me to the state over 15 years ago. I wasn’t the only one who decided to relocate. Since 2008, the population in Colorado has grown by roughly 1 million (US Census Bureau).

The geography of Colorado is unique. The heart of the Rocky Mountains lies just west of the Front Range. The Front Range is where the mountains transition into the Great Plains of the central US. This transition also happens to be where most of the settlements in Colorado popped up. It makes sense if you think about it. It’s easier to build houses and other infrastructure on the flat land of the plains than it is to build in the mountains. As a result, about 85% of Coloradans live along the Front Range.

Camping in Colorado

You’re probably asking yourself, at this point, what does this have to do with camping? Great questions. I mentioned before that a lot of Coloradans are outdoorsy people. We like to camp, hike, fish, bike, etc. So, where do you think we are most likely to go camping? We head into the interior mountains in droves. Instagram is full of accounts documenting the snarled traffic along I-70 from Vail to Denver as people rush to return from the mountains at a reasonable time to return to their ordinary lives. It begs the question, If you haven’t spent 6 hours on I-70 trying to get home on a Sunday, are you really a Coloradan?

It leads to a reasonable question of how far will you drive to go camping? For most people, it’s 2-3 hours. On any given weekend, one can expect the campgrounds within this radius of the Front Range to be completely booked. These days, if you left work on a Friday night and hoped to find a first-come, first-serve sight not too far from the Front Range, you’d likely be skunked.

Camping Crunch

In 2021, the Center for Western Priorities released a report examining the available data to identify camping trends. The occupancy of reservable sites in Colorado increased from 43% in 2014 to 71% in 2020. Colorado isn’t the only state facing this crunch. Many campsites in the Western US have become nearly impossible to book, especially those inside National Parks.

National Park Camping

Visitors should expect significant challenges to camping in the National Parks. First, the reservation windows are limited. Some sites are available for reservation six months in advance. Others can’t be booked until 1-2 weeks before arrival. It will be difficult to snag a site regardless of when you book.

We looked at the data from two seasonal campgrounds in Rocky Mountain National Park and found that over 85% of the reservable sites are filled. The ones that aren’t are often tent-only sites that don’t see a lot of traffic in the spring and late fall due to the rapidly changing weather. There are a limited number of first-come-first-serve sites inside the National Parks. However, as we’ve learned from experience, many are filled for the day by 7 am. If you can’t find a site, you might drive for hours in hopes you locate an acceptable spot for the night.

The National Parks do a better job tracking occupancy rates than many USFS campgrounds run by various concessionaires. However, you can expect similar occupancy rates. Usually, they are full on the weekends, with some availability during the week if your dates are flexible. After all this, if you still want to find a campsite, we recommend planning your trip well in advance, using the following resources to help you find a spot.

Recreation.Gov

To find a campsite, the first place you should check is Recreation.gov. Recreation.gov allows you to locate and book campsites across the US. Just enter the dates you want to travel and the location you want to visit. When you search, you will receive a lot of information about nearby attractions, day-use areas, and even permit information in addition to campsites. Be sure to use the filter settings to help you find exactly what you are looking for.

For instance, you can search for standard and tent-only sites if you plan on tent camping. While standard campsites can be booked by tent, trailer, or RV campers, tent-only sites are for tents. Choosing tent-only will expose you to options you might not have realized were available.

Are you planning on camping with a large group? Make sure to set the filters for group campsites. Many folks ask where to take a group when they only need to select group sites as a filter on Recreation.gov. It allows you to identify your options quickly.

Most reservations can be made starting at 8 am MT, six months in advance of your date of arrival. You can typically book a site for a maximum of 14 days. When making reservations, you should try to be as flexible as possible. For instance, if your heart is set on one campground but it happens to be filled, you can search for nearby campgrounds instead. We have had a lot of success finding campsites if we are willing to explore nearby options if our first choice isn’t available.

State Parks

If you cannot reserve a campground through Recreation.gov, you can look at State Park options instead. Colorado has an extensive network of State Parks, and most have many reservable campsites. We’ve frequently utilized State Park campgrounds in New Mexico and Wyoming. They’ve become some of our favorite places to visit. If you are looking for a site, check each state’s list of State Parks offering additional camping options.

Private Campgrounds

In addition to public options through Recreation.gov and State Parks, hundreds of private campgrounds exist in the US. This includes everything from large RV parks to small plots of private land. A quick Google search of “camping near” followed by a destination often results in several camping options. The upside to these options is that they often include several amenities unavailable on public lands, such as wifi and showers.

RV Parks and Large Campgrounds

The first one that comes to mind is KOA. The Kampgrounds of America (KOA) has over 500 locations across the US. Wherever you are traveling, there is likely to be a KOA nearby. KOAs offer abundant camping options, from RVs and trailers to tents and even cabin rentals. Most offer an extensive list of activities and amenities. These large campgrounds are perfect for new campers or those with young kids who get bored quickly. Thousands of private campgrounds are similar to KOAs. With a bit of searching, you can find the right one for you.

Another site that will help you find private campgrounds and RV parks is Good Sam. Although it targets the RV crowd, you can use the site to find recommendations for RV parks and other private campgrounds that allow everything from tent camping to cabin rental. If you struggle to use Google to tell you where to go, the Good Sam website can give you more direct guidance.

Hip Camp

Perhaps the idea of a large campground bustling with other recreators doesn’t appeal to you, and you’d like to find a more secluded spot. If so, check out Hip Camp. Hip Camp allows private landowners to rent spaces to campers. Whether you want to find a unique glampsite, a secluded cabin, or a small space for you and a few friends, Hip Camp has got you covered.

Campnab

Another way to get a site at your preferred campground is to use a service such as Campnab. For a small fee, starting at $10, Campnab will scan your preferred campground for cancellations. If someone cancels their reservation during the dates you want to travel, you’ll get a notification from Campnab. This allows you to book a reservation quickly after a cancellation. This service is most helpful if you are trying to gain access to a campground at one of the famous National Parks.

Social Media Groups

Many social media groups are geared towards campers. A quick search on Facebook revealed four Colorado camping groups with at least 17,000 members. We belong to several of these groups and frequently see members reselling their campsites at the last minute when they find out they can’t go.

Although I typically prefer to cancel our reservations if a conflict arises, I understand why there is a market for campsite resale. An early cancellation, at least two weeks before arrival, results in a minimum of $18 in fees. You lose the $8 reservation fee charged by Recreation.gov and State Park websites, plus another $10 fee that goes to the concessionaire or State Park. For most campgrounds, roughly 25-35% of the reservation cost is not refunded to those who cancel.

Those who decide to cancel within a few days of their reservation have to pay the $18 cancellation fee, and they often forfeit the campsite fee for the first night. That means you may only be entitled to a refund of $12-15 for a reservation that initially costs $56 plus taxes for two nights. This results in people selling their sites through social media, typically for the amount they originally paid. When buying a site from an individual, some risk is involved. Ensure you get documentation, such as proof of the reservation transfer and emails showing the reservation has been changed.

Closing Thoughts

Spring is right around the corner, so it is time to start planning those summer camp trips. Many sites book up months in advance, so it is best to try and book six months in advance, especially for access to the most popular campgrounds. If you haven’t started planning, don’t fret. If you are flexible, you can still find many incredible places to visit this summer. Using the resources above will help you figure out where to go camping so you can make unforgettable memories this summer.

Be sure to check out our Essential Camp Gear Checklist to ensure you have everything you need to make this summer the best one ever! Use the link above, or check out our Wilderness Page.

Happy Exploring!