If one is making reservations 6 months to a year or more in advance, one would be laying out a lot of cash up front. That would seem nerve racking to me. If one had mechanical problems or changed their mind about a particular location, wouldn't you loose that reservation money?
I could see maybe a month in advance and traveling on Tuesday or Wednesday makes a lot of sense.
So don't get me wrong. I don't book many months in advance unless I know I want to stay at a spot that is hard to get into.
Many National, State and regional parks fill up many months in advance especially during peak season. But they also tend to have very lenient cancelation policies. So let's say I want to stay at the Grand Canyon or Zion or some of the great Arizona state parks during December over Christmas. You bet I'm going to book 6 months in advance, that's just part of the game.
Now you are right, it requires putting out some cash ahead of time, but really I'm going to spend that money anyway so if it's now or later doesn't really matter to me. Also, in most cases the cancelation policy for these types of reservations can be as little as $5 or $8 provided I don't wait to the last minute to cancel.
Seems to me by planning ahead I actually give myself more options vs. as the subject of this thread states waiting until the last minute can cause issues finding a campground altogether.
Ken & Gizzi
Ford 2015 F350 DRW
--
"My Redwood; Go anywhere and always be at home."
"The trouble with trouble is it starts as fun"
"I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been" - Wayne Gretzky
That's totally understandable.
I thought you were fully booking that far in advance.
I wonder if there are actual boon-docking locations in Yellowstone? That place always seems packed.
Our provincial parks also fill up in the summer months and to reserve a site you have to go on-line months ahead at midnight on the day the reservation window opens to try to get a site. The park sites are 100% reservable so showing up during the summer without a reservation means that you are out of luck in getting a site
Some folks played the game, reserving then canceling at a later date to lock in the site and make it unavailable to others. The reservation policy changed, full site price taken at reservation time and no refunds if canceled.
As stated, avoiding moving over the weekend makes it easier for us to get into campgrounds without reservations during the off seasons
