Make Reservations Early To Camp In Most Popular Parks
Families planning to camp in the most popular national parks this summer should be sure to catch up with a major change in reservation methods.
The phone reservation system used for 4,500 camp sites in the most popular National Park Service has been given a wider window: It is now possible to reserve a site five months in advance instead of only eight weeks, or in the case of Yellowstone, a year in advance.
The Park Service has also revised fees in popular parks, most particularly entrance fees and interpretive-tour fees. Most will be in effect by May 23.
Probably the biggest shock for frequent park visitors is the new $50 yearly fee - up from $25 last year - for the Golden Eagle pass to all federal lands.
This pass admits the holder and all passengers in a private vehicle to all federal lands where an entrance fee is charged. The five-month camping reservation system, which opens an entire month for reservations on the 15th of each month, means that reservations in 15 popular parks for July 15 to Aug. 14 became available March 15. On April 15, reservations for Aug. 15 to Sept. 14 will become available.
While the weather and the rules allow camping in many areas after Sept. 15, or even year-round, the start of school means that demand diminishes in September.
Popular places go fast, led by the prime rim sites at the Grand Canyon.
The long-term trend shows increasing pressure on the national park system. More than 270 million visitors are expected in the parks this year.
The majority of the national park campgrounds still work on a first-come, first-served basis. However, the most popular parks have phone reservations systems.
From March 1 to Sept. 30, reservations for a large group of parks can be made through the Destinet Service. The main reservation number, (800) 365-2267.
The reservation lines are open Monday to Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Pacific time, and Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Pacific time. After Oct. 1, the hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week.
Parks on this reservation system include Acadia in Maine; Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland; Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina; Grand Canyon in Arizona; Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina; Death Valley, Sequoia, Kings, Whiskeytown, and Joshua Tree in California; Rocky Mountains in Colorado; Shenandoah in Virginia, Everglades in Florida; Gulf Islands in Florida and Mississippi; Greenbelt in Maryland; and Denali and Katmai in Alaska.
Direct reservation lines to other parks include:
Yosemite in California, (800) 436-7275.
Yellowstone in Wyoming,(307) 344-7311.
All of these phone reservation systems work with credit cards. The camping fees, higher than last year, start at $12 a night, at Assateague, for example, and rise to $20 for prime north rim sites at the Grand Canyon and the $25 at Yellowstone.
The Golden Access Passport for the blind and permanently disabled remains free.
And the lifetime Golden Age Passport, available to citizens or permanent residents at least 62 years old, remains at $10.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo