Reserve U.S. and Canada Campsites Online

Reserve Campsites

When deciding to travel by backpack and tent, it's easy enough to find a place to lay your sleeping bag if you're in or near a National Forest in the United States - you can park your gear anywhere and stay there for up to two weeks for free (check here for updates on areas requiring passes or user fees). If you'd rather plan in advance and be assured of a guaranteed campsite, you need to visit Reserve America, a great site listing over 100,000 campsites available for reservation in the U.S. and Canada.

You can search for a site in two ways: if you know the name of the campground, type that and your date of arrival and number of nights into the site's search engine and hit "Search". I tried Steamboat Lake, which is in my neck of the woods, and got a pop up screen showing minimal information and a clickable map. Click on the word "Map" and - voila - not only will you see a map of the area, but receive detailed information on the area and the campground, how to get there, fees services and amenities. You can then choose from two campgrounds at Steamboat Lake and are presented with a list of all campsites. Choose one, click "Map" again and see the campground map replete with icons indicating whether the site has electricity, etc. Click on a particular site and get all the info, like whether it is shaded, graveled and more. Choose your site and click "Book Now" and you'll be asked to become a ReserveAmerica member, which is free, and taken to the payment page. Reservation fee: $8.00 plus the cost of the campsite; not bad considering the alternative of trying to find a campsite in the dark in an unfamiliar campground. Read the payment page's fine print carefully! You'll lose your reservation bucks if you don't follow cancellation rules.

The second method ReserveAmerica offers you in finding a campsite appeals to the gypsy in me. No idea where you might want to stay in a given area? Go to the map page showing all the campgrounds available for reservation through ReserveAmerica. I decided to pretend I was heading for Manitoba and clicked on a promising looking area near a lake. Up popped a map with tree symbols indicating campgrounds; I chose Camper's Cove, clicked its tree symbol and was rewarded with this information:

"It is rare that you find an area such as this one. In Clearwater Lake, the water is so clear that you can see 11m to the bottom of the lake, not to mention seeing the trophy-size lake trout, northern pike and whitefish that live in it. Another exceptional feature of the park that can be explored are "the caves", huge slabs of rock broken off the dolomite cliffs; these caves lay under the lush canopy of trees, mosses, shrubs and wildflowers. Within Clearwater Lake Provincial Park, a former forest reserve, is where you will find Campers Cove. The campsites are large and will accommodate larger units. Recreational opportunities include fishing, swimming, boating, hiking, and volleyball."

Okay - I'll take it! Go through the drill above to reserve.

U.S. Owned Land Reservations

Oh yeah. It's worth a few extra bucks to make reservations through ReserveAmerica to ensure great camping at some of America's most popular National Parks, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation areas. Head here to make reservations for great destinations:

Arches National Park, UT - incredible red rock desert

Big Bend National Park, TX - experience two cultures and dip a toe into the Rio Grande

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO - simply awe-inspiring

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT - bring a sweater, a camera and some childlike wonderment

See more memory making spots which can be reserved through ReserveAmerica here.

Lastly, call individual states partnering with ReserveAmerica for the camping 411.

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