How hard is it to book a Recreation.gov campground?
We check public availability for 1,000 popular reservable campgrounds on Recreation.gov every day and turn it into a simple booking-difficulty score: how much of the next 90 days of weekend inventory is already reserved, versus weekdays, and how many dates still have at least one open site.
This site started collecting data in October 2026. Today each page shows a current snapshot (latest: Oct 10, 2026, 38 campgrounds measured). History accumulates daily, so trends such as "how many days ahead weekends sell out" will appear as data builds up.
Hardest to book right now
| Campground | State | Difficulty | Weekends booked | Open dates (30d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwoods Campground Acadia National Park | ME | Very hard | 100% | 2 |
| Upper Pines Campground Yosemite National Park | CA | Very hard | 99% | 4 |
| Fallen Leaf Campground Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit | CA | Very hard | 96% | 3 |
| Devils Garden Campground Arches National Park | UT | Very hard | 99% | 9 |
| Lodgepole Campground-Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | CA | Very hard | 100% | 12 |
| Rocky Mountain National Park Moraine Park Campground Rocky Mountain National Park | CO | Very hard | 93% | 8 |
| Chisos Basin Campground (Big Bend, Tx) Big Bend National Park | TX | Very hard | 99% | 13 |
| Jumbo Rocks Campground Joshua Tree National Park | CA | Hard | 94% | 23 |
| Indian Cove Campground Joshua Tree National Park | CA | Hard | 91% | 23 |
| Rio Grande Village (Big Bend, Tx) Big Bend National Park | TX | Hard | 83% | 18 |
| Pinon Flats Campground Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve | CO | Hard | 82% | 19 |
| Defeated Creek Park Cordell Hull Lake | TN | Hard | 95% | 30 |
| Furnace Creek Campground Death Valley National Park | CA | Moderate | 84% | 25 |
| Elkmont Campground Great Smoky Mountains National Park | TN | Moderate | 82% | 26 |
| Assateague Island National Seashore Campground Assateague Island National Seashore | MD | Moderate | 86% | 29 |
| Platte River Campground Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore | MI | Moderate | 68% | 21 |
| Big Meadows Campground - Shenandoah (Va) Shenandoah National Park | VA | Moderate | 72% | 24 |
| Black Rock Campground Joshua Tree National Park | CA | Moderate | 68% | 25 |
| Pinnacles Campground Pinnacles National Park | CA | Moderate | 67% | 25 |
| Cottonwood Campground (Ca) Joshua Tree National Park | CA | Moderate | 66% | 24 |
| Ives Run Tioga-Hammond Lakes | PA | Moderate | 62% | 21 |
| Watchman Campground Zion National Park | UT | Moderate | 64% | 25 |
| Fort Pickens Campground Gulf Islands National Seashore | FL | Moderate | 62% | 25 |
| Cades Cove Campground Great Smoky Mountains National Park | TN | Moderate | 63% | 26 |
| Gunter Hill Alabama River Lakes | AL | Moderate | 58% | 28 |
Easiest bookable picks right now
Popular campgrounds that still have plenty of open weekend inventory.
| Campground | State | Difficulty | Weekends booked | Open dates (30d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Peaks Campground Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument | AZ | Easy | 6% | 30 |
| Mather Campground Grand Canyon National Park | AZ | Easy | 33% | 30 |
| Oregon Inlet Campground Cape Hatteras National Seashore | NC | Easy | 33% | 28 |
| Eastbank Lake Seminole | GA | Easy | 39% | 30 |
| Maumelle Arkansas River - Murray Lock and Dam | AR | Easy | 43% | 30 |
| Davidson River National Forests in North Carolina | NC | Easy | 47% | 27 |
| Hickory Creek (Tx) Lewisville Lake | TX | Easy | 52% | 27 |
| Lake Powhatan National Forests in North Carolina | NC | Easy | 50% | 26 |
| Fruita Campground Capitol Reef National Park | UT | Moderate | 46% | 21 |
| Gunter Hill Alabama River Lakes | AL | Moderate | 58% | 28 |
Browse by state
- Alabama (17)
- Alaska (5)
- Arizona (41)
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- California (147)
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- Connecticut (1)
- Florida (15)
- Georgia (28)
- Hawaii (4)
- Idaho (13)
- Illinois (15)
- Indiana (4)
- Iowa (16)
- Kansas (18)
- Kentucky (22)
- Louisiana (2)
- Maine (3)
- Maryland (6)
- Michigan (16)
- Minnesota (12)
- Mississippi (15)
- Missouri (39)
- Montana (26)
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- New Hampshire (3)
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- New Mexico (10)
- North Carolina (30)
- North Dakota (3)
- Ohio (2)
- Oklahoma (39)
- Oregon (45)
- Pennsylvania (12)
- South Carolina (7)
- South Dakota (9)
- Tennessee (30)
- Texas (64)
- Utah (38)
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (18)
- Washington (41)
- West Virginia (9)
- Wisconsin (6)
- Wyoming (20)