Labor Day Camping for the Procrastinator

Three tips for the procrastinator's Labor Day Camping

Tip 1:  Are you getting peer pressure (or down-right belittled) by family or friends to camp on Labor Day Weekend but you don't have a reservation?  Well, why not reserve a group campsite for all of you?  Many group sites remain available even at this late date.  Many of the smaller group sites can accommodate up to 30 people and the cost is cheaper when divided between the families than several family campsites.  Does everyone but you already have a reservation?  They can cancel their reservation for a small fee - AFTER you confirm your group site reservation.  The cancellation fee may be recouped by the overall savings per family.  If you decide to make group camping a tradition, you can reserve group sites for up to a year in advance.

Tip 2:  Are you the adventurous type?  We see an amazing number of people in the campgrounds who gamble on finding an open campsite on Friday of Labor Day Weekend.  Most National Forest campgrounds have some first-come-first-served sites that are listed as "walk-up" on www.recreation.gov.  Sometimes they are not listed at all except on the printed version of the campground map.  Your best chance in securing a first-come-first-served campsite is to start your weekend a day or two early.  To avoid last-minute disappointment, confirm with the Campground Manager that your site is a first-come-first-served site and has not been rented by someone else who just beat you to the pay station.  Do not leave your campsite unattended for more than 24 hours.  Tents and small camper sites are more plentiful than campsites with full hookups.  Don't expect to roll in with your 40' motorhome on Friday evening to have dinner in your campsite if you don't have a reservation.

Tip 3:  For those who enjoy a spontaneous camping trip, Labor Day Weekend can be a nightmare.  However, since you are spontaneous, why not camp the weekend before?  Take a look at your favorite campground on www.recreation.gov now and you'll probably see many unreserved campsites.  It may sound like silly advice but isn't spontaneity supposed to be fun?

Bottom Line:  Stay flexible and be happy.  We can't wait to see you!  Good Luck and Happy Camping!