First time here… I hope I’m asking this in the proper way.
My husband and I are hoping to travel cross country, to the west coast, late August and all of September. We hope to do the national parks in Oregon and California. Are we foolish to do this without booking campgrounds in advance? We don’t want to have to stress at keeping a tight schedule. I realize that Labor Day weekend could be problematic… We also realize Campgrounds outside Yosemite could be difficult to find. Is this doable… or risky? Thank you for any insight you can offer.
Honestly, as long as you’re flexible and not set on scoring the perfect site or campground, you’ll be totally fine. This is how we travel, and we have scored some amazing sites last minute. We have also spent the night at some less-than-preferred locations, but the perk of being generally where we want to be when we want to be there is amazing. Just be prepared to maybe spend a night or two at a rest stop or travel plaza, or save some dispersed camping spot possibilities as backup options.
If you’re aiming to stay a few nights somewhere popular, you might need to shuffle between sites. If you’re calling a place to request a reservation last minute, let them know you’re willing to move sites if needed. Another of my go-to tricks is to check the cancellation policy at a campground, then keep an eye on availability about a week or so before the refund cutoff. People often cancel right before then, and that’s your chance to grab a spot!