End of First Come, First Served Campsites

Above, self check-in at Manzanita Lake Campground at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During my 2016 cross-country trip to Metropolis, Illinois, I made reservations at only two campgrounds, the Graceland RV Park and Goulding's Lodge Campground. I just dropped in on the rest along the way.

The same went for the campgrounds during my 2017 Great American Eclipse. On that trip, I was lucky enough to get a campsite at Manzanita Lake Campground at Lassen Volcanic National Park without reservations.

There is an article on how "first come, first served" camping may be becoming a thing of the past at RV Life.

They begin with:

Spontaneous road trips are a way of life for many outdoor lovers. But the end of first come, first served campsites may dampen those adventures. All across the U.S., scoring that perfect campsite at a moment’s notice is becoming a thing of the past. Now, many of the mhe most popular public campgrounds require reservations just to get past the gate. 

Snow is still on the ground in many U.S. cities. But right now, campers are already booking their summer RV camping reservations for popular campgrounds. That’s because from California to Maine and everywhere in-between, the busiest public campgrounds have already made the switch to a “reservations only” system.

To read more, go here.