Recreation.gov availability rules
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Recreation.gov is a shared reservation site for many separate facilities. It has standard policies, and it lets each facility replace them. Availability on Recreation.gov is therefore a question about one campground, not about the site as a whole.
Quick reference
| Topic | Standard rule | Where exceptions appear |
|---|---|---|
| Booking window | Most campsites: six months before arrival | Campground's Seasons and Fees tab |
| Release time | Most campgrounds: 7 a.m. PT / 8 a.m. MT / 10 a.m. ET | Campground's Seasons and Fees tab |
| Cart hold | 15 minutes | None published |
| Change lock | 18 days, for reservations past the window edge | None published |
| Cancellation fee | $10 service fee | Facility policy overrides |
| Late cancellation | $10 plus the first night's fee | Facility policy overrides |
| No-show | $20 plus the first night's fee | Facility policy overrides |
| Return time for cancelled sites | Not published |
Booking window and release time
Recreation.gov's guidance states that most campsites can be booked six months prior to the arrival date. It also says some locations offer shorter booking windows in addition to the standard one. Both the window and the release time are shown on a campground's page under Seasons and Fees.
The stated default release is 7 a.m. Pacific, which is 8 a.m. Mountain and 10 a.m. Eastern. Recreation.gov qualifies this with "but not always". It recommends matching your clock to the site's own, which runs on Coordinated Universal Time.
One park, four schedules
Yosemite's campgrounds are all booked through Recreation.gov and follow four different release rules, each at 7 a.m. Pacific.
| Release | Campgrounds |
|---|---|
| Five months ahead, on the 15th of the month | Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Wawona, Hodgdon Meadow |
| Two months ahead, on the 15th of the month | Half of Tuolumne Meadows |
| Two weeks ahead, rolling daily | Bridalveil Creek, Crane Flat, Tamarack Flat, White Wolf, Yosemite Creek, Porcupine Flat, the other half of Tuolumne Meadows |
| One week ahead, rolling daily | Camp 4 |
Under the monthly schedule a whole block of arrival dates opens together. The National Park Service gives the example that arrivals from January 15 through February 14 are released on September 15.
This is why no single date calculation works for Recreation.gov. The rule has to be read from the facility.
The cart hold
Adding a site to the cart locks it for 15 minutes. During that time it is not available to anyone else. If the reservation is not completed, the site is released. A campground that shows nothing at the release minute can show sites again shortly afterwards as incomplete checkouts expire.
The 18-day change rule
A reservation that includes dates beyond the maximum booking window cannot be changed until 18 days have passed from the booking date. The rule covers a stay that begins inside the window and runs past its edge. For 18 days the holder cannot shorten or move it, so those nights cannot be freed by a change.
Cancellations, changes and no-shows
These are the standard policies for individual campsites. Recreation.gov states that location-specific policies take precedence.
| Action | Cost |
|---|---|
| Cancel two or more days before arrival | $10 service fee withheld from the refund |
| Cancel the day before or the day of arrival | $10 service fee and the first night's use fee |
| Cancel a one-night reservation late | The full amount paid, with no added service fee |
| No-show | $20 service fee and the first night's recreation fee |
| Change to dates entirely outside the original stay | $10 change fee |
| Extend or shorten a stay that keeps some original dates | No change fee |
| Switch to a same-priced site in the same facility | No change fee |
A no-show is a reservation that is not cancelled by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival.
The policy page does not say when a cancelled site becomes bookable again. No release hour for cancelled inventory is published.
Availability Alerts
Recreation.gov has its own alert feature. It sends an email or notification when a booked campsite matching the camper's preferences becomes available. Two limits are stated in the official guidance: the alert goes to everyone who set one for the same date, and it does not guarantee a reservation.
OpenCampsite is a separate service that also watches supported Recreation.gov campgrounds. It sends a text or email when a check finds a site matching the dates, and the camper completes the booking on Recreation.gov. Neither kind of alert holds a site.
What to look up for a specific campground
- The Seasons and Fees tab: season dates, booking window, release date and time.
- Any shorter secondary window listed on the same tab.
- The facility's own cancellation policy, where one replaces the standard fees.
See Recreation.gov campgrounds OpenCampsite can watch
Questions
- What time do Recreation.gov campsites become available?
- Recreation.gov says most campgrounds go on sale at 7 a.m. Pacific, 8 a.m. Mountain or 10 a.m. Eastern, and adds that this is not always the case. The campground's Seasons and Fees tab lists its actual time and date.
- Is the Recreation.gov booking window always six months?
- No. Six months is the standard for most campsites. Some locations add shorter windows, and some parks set their own schedule. Yosemite alone uses releases five months, two months, two weeks and one week ahead for different campgrounds.
- How long does Recreation.gov hold a campsite in my cart?
- Fifteen minutes. If checkout is not finished in that time, the site is released for other campers to reserve.
- Does a Recreation.gov availability alert reserve the site?
- No. Recreation.gov says the alert is sent to everyone who set one for the same date and that it does not guarantee a reservation.