RV camping in national parks

What to expect from an NPS campground

The National Park Service runs about 130 campgrounds that take RVs across its 63 headline parks and hundreds of monuments, seashores, and recreation areas. Nearly all were built between the 1930s and 1970s for tents and 20 foot trailers. That history explains three things every RVer runs into:

• Length limits.Many loops cap combined length at 25 to 35 feet. Some parks quote "RV length" and some quote total length with a tow vehicle; read the specific loop.
• No hookups. Of the roughly 130 RV-accessible NPS campgrounds, only a handful offer electric or full hookups, and most of those are run by concessionaires. Plan to dry camp and use the dump station.
• Generator restrictions.Typically allowed 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a midday break, and banned in some loops. Several parks ban them entirely (Grand Canyon's Desert View, parts of Yosemite).

Fees are modest, $20 to $40 a night for a standard site and $50 to $90 for the few full-hookup concession sites. America the Beautiful Senior and Access pass holders get 50 percent off standard NPS sites. Browse our national park campgrounds list for specifics.

Booking on Recreation.gov

Almost every reservable NPS campground is on Recreation.gov. The important mechanics:

1. Windows. Most parks open reservations 6 months ahead, on a rolling daily basis at 10 a.m. Eastern. Yosemite is the exception: blocks of dates release on the 15th of each month, five months ahead, at 7 a.m. Pacific, and are gone in seconds.
2. Site length filter. Enter your real length. The system will not let you book a 40 foot rig on a 30 foot site, and rangers do check.
3. Fees. An $8 to $10 reservation fee plus a cancellation fee if you back out, and a no-show forfeits the first night.
4. Cancellations. Sites open up constantly, especially 2 to 14 days out. Recreation.gov now has an availability alert feature; use it or a third-party scanner.

Some parks hold loops as first-come, first-served, typically the ones that opened after the pandemic reservation push scaled back. Arrive by 8 or 9 a.m. on a weekday and you have a fair chance in shoulder season.

Park-by-park examples

Yellowstone: Fishing Bridge RV Park

The only campground in Yellowstone with full hookups, and the only hard-sided-only campground (grizzly country). Rebuilt in 2022 with 50-amp sites up to 95 feet, priced around $95 a night, and booked through Yellowstone National Park Lodges rather than Recreation.gov. Madison, Grant, and Bridge Bay take RVs up to 40 feet with no hookups; Mammoth is open year round.

Yosemite: Upper Pines and the 40 foot wall

Upper Pines, Lower Pines, and North Pines in the valley allow RVs to 35 or 40 feet, no hookups, and sell out the instant they release. Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow are easier, and the valley shuttle means you never need to move the rig. Generators run 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. only.

Zion: Watchman Campground

Watchman has about 95 electric sites (a rarity in the NPS) and RVs up to 50 feet on a few sites, bookable 6 months out. South Campground next door is first-come in the off season. The Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel requires an escort and a $15 permit for rigs over 11 feet 4 inches tall or 7 feet 10 inches wide.

Grand Canyon: Trailer Village and Mather

Trailer Village on the South Rim is concession-run with full hookups, 50-amp, and sites to 50 feet, around $70 to $80 a night, open year round. Mather Campground next door is NPS, no hookups, 30 foot limit, and roughly half the price. On the North Rim (open mid-May to mid-October) the campground has no hookups and a dump station.

Other notable NPS RV campgrounds

• Glacier: Apgar and Fish Creek take 40 foot rigs; St. Mary accepts a few larger. No hookups.
• Great Smoky Mountains: Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont, 30 to 40 foot limits, no hookups, open year round at a few loops.
• Everglades: Flamingo has 41 electric sites and Long Pine Key is first-come. Winter only for sanity.
• Joshua Tree: Jumbo Rocks and Black Rock, 35 feet max, and BLM land right outside the north boundary.
• Acadia: Blackwoods and Seawall, 35 foot limit, no hookups, but Schoodic Woods has electric.

Gateway alternatives

If you tow a 38 foot fifth wheel, or you decided in May to visit Yellowstone in July, the answer is a gateway campground. Every major park has options within 5 to 30 miles:

• Public land. National forest campgrounds and dispersed sites ring Yellowstone (Gallatin and Shoshone forests), Grand Teton (Bridger-Teton), Zion (Hurricane Cliffs BLM), and Glacier (Flathead). See national forest campgrounds and BLM camping in Utah.
• State parks. Dead Horse Point (Canyonlands and Arches), Sand Hollow (Zion), Buffalo Bill (Yellowstone east entrance). Rates are half the price of private parks and often with electric.
• Private parks. West Yellowstone, Moab, Gatlinburg, Springdale, and Tusayan are wall-to-wall RV parks with full hookups and 50-amp. Expect $70 to $130 a night in peak season. Filter full-hookup RV parks by state, for example Utah or Arizona.

Gateway stays also dodge the fixed problem of NPS campgrounds: once you are in, you cannot get supplies or dump without giving up the site, and the nearest grocery store may be an hour away.

Planning checklist

1. Measure your rig bumper to hitch, and check the tunnel and switchback restrictions on the park road.
2. Set a calendar reminder for the exact release date and time, and log in 10 minutes early.
3. Arrive with full fresh water, empty tanks, and a full propane tank; dump stations inside parks have lines by 10 a.m.
4. Bring a bear-proof routine: food inside, grill cleaned, nothing scented in the truck bed.
5. Buy the America the Beautiful pass ($80) if you will visit three or more parks in a year.

Frequently asked questions