10 Essential Tips For Camping in a National Park

For road trippers and travelers on a budget, camping in a national park is a cost effective way to enjoy some of the most scenic areas in the United States. Park campgrounds are often located in optimal areas of the parks. That means not only will you save money but you’ll spend less time driving around and more time enjoying the park.

However, with less amenities and a few more rules and regulations, national park campgrounds might be a bit different than what you are used to at private campgrounds. Also, reservations may be harder to come by. For park newbies, all of that might be a bit off-putting. But it doesn’t have to be. As long as you know what to expect and come prepared, camping in a national park can be a unforgettable experience.

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Benefits of Camping in a National Park

I’ve camped in dozens of national parks on my quest to visit as many of U.S. parks as I can. Camping inside a park is a totally different experience from visiting in the daytime. Things change as the sun goes down. For one, most of the people are gone. You’ll have the unique opportunity to explore the park without big crowds.

Second, there’s a greater chance of seeing wildlife, since many animals are most active in the late evening and early morning. Also, quite a few national parks are located far away from light polluted big cities and provide the perfect opportunity for stargazing and night sky viewing beyond what you’re used to at home.

Lastly, in vast, spread out national parks like Death Valley National Park, and Big Bend National Park staying overnight within the park is a game-changer. It maximizes your time by allowing you to spend more time in the park without the need to enter and exit each day.

If you aren’t an avid camper now, you might want to become one for the obvious advantages of staying overnight in a national park. The tips outlined here can help you plan the most amazing camping road trip you could imagine.

1. Research the Campground

To get started, the official National Park Service website, nps.gov, should be your first stop to planning. Here you’ll find all the information you need, along with answers to camping questions like what kind of equipment is allowed in the campground, how many people can occupy a campsite, to advance warning about park closures that might impact your visit can all be found online.

All of this can be found under the Plan Your Visit and Eating and Sleeping tab on the park’s website. Select Camping to see a list of campgrounds available in the park, plus any other important campground info like number of sites, amenities and prices, etc.

Educating yourself about the park and it’s campground is the single most important thing you can do before visiting and camping in a national park and will make your national park trip that much better.

2. Use Recreation.gov to Plan National Park Camping

Second to the National Park Service website is recreation.gov. This helpful, third-party website provides a wealth of useful campground information, with maps showing campsite locations and the placement of other principal amenities like trash cans, drinking water and the ever-important bathrooms location.

In most instances, you’ll find super helpful photos of the campsite so you can get an idea of the layout and how it looks. Plus, you’ll also be able to read reviews and see what campers liked, or disliked, about the campground and verify whether or not they had phone service.

Then, when you’re ready to book, login to your account, or create one if you haven’t, and reserve a site. Most campground reservations can typically be made up to six months in advance. For reservations in popular parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite, you’ll need to plan as far in advance as possible since these parks consistently sell out quickly.

But the rules do differ from park to park socheck all the options. There are a few campgrounds, like the popular Chisos Basin Campground in Big Bend National Park, that hold back a few campsites and release them 14 days in advance. That way, last minute travelers, or those that missed booking before, might have the opportunity to reserve a campsite.

Also, when making campground reservations, occasionally you might be redirected to a different website than recreation dot gov to complete your booking. That’s because some campgrounds are managed by park concessioners and not the National Park Service.

An authorized park concessioner is an outside business contracted with the NPS to provide goods or services in the park. Many times, the concessioner is able to provide things the NPS can’t like Wi-Fi, activities and tours. These services are still monitored by the park service, so you can count on a good, safe experience.

3. Stay in First-Come First-Served Campgrounds

As you go about planning your camping trip, you’ll probably notice that not all national park campgrounds accept reservations and instead use what’s called first-come first-served camping. Just what is first-come first-served camping?

Basically, it’s exactly what it sounds like. You show up to the campground and if there’s a campsite available, you can camp in it, no advance reservation necessary. In popular parks, snagging a first-come first-served site isn’t easy. You need a good plan to arrive pretty for a chance of locating an unoccupied campsite.

Understandably, for some people, and especially families, the stress of waiting till the last minute is a bit much but for spontaneous travelers and those willing to roll the dice, first-come first-served campgrounds can be a lot of fun. I’ve gotten some really great campsites through the years. You can read more about first-come first-served in this article.

4. Know the Campground Rules

Even if you’ve researched and looked at the park website for the campground rules and regulations, the best way to stay up-to-date about what’s going in the campground is by monitoring the information on the campground entrance stand when you arrive.

This important part of the campground is a lifeline in the park and the best place to familiarize yourself with essential campground rules and happenings. Things like quiet hour times (yes, there are quiet hours) pet policies and other pertinent details you might need to know will be displayed here.

Last minute things like wildlife sightings, or fire regulations, that might have changed since you looked at the website can also be found here. Staying in the know about your campground, and anything that may have changed, can make your stay a lot smoother and help you avoid problems or potential fines.

5. Check-in With the Campground Host

While it’s not mandatory, checking in with the host in a national park campground is always a good idea. If you end up staying in a first-come first-served campground, your paths will probably cross when he, or she, makes their daily rounds.

But by proactively seeking them out you can learn plenty about the campground and the area. Most campground hosts are long-term campers and have plenty of outdoor experience. Many of them are familiar with the area and are able to offer advice about trails and hikes and other must see, or events, in the park.

Just like the entrance stand, the campground host can give you the most recent info about what’s going on in the park and campground. On one of my last camping trips, the campground host alerted us to a night-prowling bear with cubs situation. Even though I’m always am bear aware, I was very appreciative of that warning.

6. Be Alert to Fire Danger When Camping in a National Park

One of the highlights of camping in a national park is sitting around the fire after the sun goes down. Conveniently, most park campsites have designated fire rings to use. But before you strike that match, verify that fires are allowed in the campground and what kind of fires are permitted. At times, anything with a spark, even charcoal, may not be allowed.

You can find the fire rules on the park website but since fire hazards are something that can change quickly, always check with the campground host or doublecheck at the entrance station. Some parks, and most national forests, also utilize Smokey the Bear fire danger signs displaying the daily fire risk. Pay close attention to those.

One other quick note about fire building in national parks is that the wood should be always be local, purchased firewood. Generally, national park campgrounds prohibit bringing in foreign wood and gathering wood for fires. You should also have enough water on hand to put the fire out.

7. Know How to Properly Store Food

No doubt you plan on to eating and cooking when you’re camping in a national park so it’s very important that you know how to properly store your food and groceries. Most national park campgrounds in bear areas provide bear boxes. If they are there, use them. Never store food in your tent or in the car unless it’s in the trunk. And keep your car locked so those clever bears don’t open the doors.

Even if there are no bears in the area, it’s important to secure your food because other wildlife is still present. Raccoons and smaller critters are infamous for stealing food, so be sure to pack everything up properly. Avoid leaving food, coolers, or trash out in the open whenever possible.

It’s easy for wildlife to get accustomed to food left out or dropped on the ground. This can be catastrophic for them. Animals could potentially either have to be moved, or worse, euthanized, when they associate food with humans. The saying is “a fed bear is a dead bear” but the same goes for any wildlife.

8. National Park Bathroom Preparation

For me, the hardest part of camping in a national park, or anywhere for that matter, is the bathroom situation. I don’t think there’s a single soul who enjoys the bathroom situation that comes with camping. In developed national park campgrounds you can count on a bathroom of some sort but the exact type varies.

Depending on the remoteness of the park, most paid, developed national park campgrounds, have normal bathrooms with flush toilets and running water. The bathrooms aren’t fancy but are usually clean. Sometimes are heated and sometimes they aren’t and typically the the water is cold water only.

Less developed, primitive campgrounds, that have no running water usually have pit toilets. These toilets are basically a structure over a hole in the ground. I won’t go into how they work but let’s just say a real bathroom is preferable because pit toilets can be a little stinky.

Pit toilets should have toilet paper to use but it’s always smart to keep some extra on hand. If the park you’re staying in is a popular park, then the toilets might not be maintained on weekends or holidays, and the tp will run out. This goes for other bathrooms in the park, as well.

Also, since there’s no running water, some pit toilets will have hand sanitizer but some don’t. The best advice is to be prepared and carry your own. One more very important thing about pit toilets: you should never throw trash in the hole. REI has a really informative article about surviving pit toilets that’s worthy of a read.

National park campgrounds normally don’t have showers but occasionally you might run across one that does. If you are lucky enough to encounter one, again there’s a few things you’ll want to have with you. Shower shoes or flip flops are a must for public showers. You have no idea who’s been in there and what was on their feet. Protect your feet from that bacteria.

You’ll also want to bring soap and any other bathing products you might need or want. A microfiber washcloth and towel, that dries quickly, comes in handy as well. And most of them fold down to almost nothing and are easy to pack.

9. Purchase an America the Beautiful Pass

While not directly related to camping per se, if you are a frequent visitor to national parks, or other public lands, one of the savviest things you can do is purchase an America the Beautiful Park Pass. Not only does this annual pass save you money but another perk is that it can also can help you get into some busier parks quicker via designated lanes for passholders.

A steal at $80 USD, the America the Beautiful pass, can be used at over 2k interagency sites across the country. That includes national parks, national forests, Bureau of Land Management property and even some state parks and other public lands. There’s even a senior lifetime pass that has a campground discount.

An America the Beautiful Pass can be purchased directly at the entrance station when entering a national parks or can purchased online, ahead of time, at the government’s USGS store or REI, who ever though they aren’t affiliated with the National Park Service, donates 10% of the proceeds to the park service.

National Park Camping FAQ

Will the National Park Campground Have Wi-Fi?

Most national park campgrounds that are managed by the NPS do not have Wi-Fi. In fact, it’s common to not have cell service in a national park. If a park is a concessioner run park, sometimes Wi-Fi is available in the campground.

Is Camping in a National Park Free?

No. Even though you might think that camping in a national park is free, the majority of parks charge a fee for expenses and maintenance. Fees vary from park to park. Occasionally, you will might a campground that’s free but it’s not common.

How Long Can You Camp in a National Park Campground?

Park campgrounds have limits on how long you can camp there. The limits vary from park to park. Most developed, paid campground allow you to stay 14 days.

Some campgrounds that have free or dispersed camping allow you to stay longer before requiring you to move on. It also depends on what kind of park unit it is too. Recreation areas have different campground rules and are a bit more lenient.

Can You Camp Anywhere in a National Park?

The simple answer is no. You cannot camp just anywhere in a national park. The National Park Service and concessioners work hard to give visitors the best national park experience but national parks aren’t amusement parks.

The national park system was created to protect these special places. Although they are public lands, visiting them is a privilege. Regulations and campgrounds exist to limit unmonitored impact on the land by humans.

Will There be Electricity in the National Park Campground?

Most national park campgrounds, managed by the NPS, do not provide electricity. Water is usually available throughout the campground and at the very least, the park visitor center or bathrooms located at the visitor center.

Final Thoughts About Camping in a National Park

Camping in a national park is one of the best things you can do in a national park. If you are new to camping and feel a little overwhelmed about heading into a national park to camp, then try a local or state park first or even your own backyard.

For newbies, camping somewhere else first is also the easiest way to practice setting up a tent and become more comfortable doing it. Wherever you camp, make sure to always follow Leave No Trace principles for the outdoors and leave your campsite, and the park, better and cleaner than when you got there.

See you on the road!