The term “reservation” is a bit misleading, given that it implies that a campsite will be waiting for you when you arrive. That’s not true; even if the campground is relatively empty when you arrive, the best sites will have been reserved weeks or months earlier by seasonal campers.
So the question is really: how far in advance should you make reservations?
The answer depends on how much control you want over where you will be camping. The most desirable locations will have been reserved for months, sometimes years, in advance, by people who are on annual passes and return every weekend of every month of the year. If that’s not what you’re looking for, and if you’re unwilling to give up control over your itinerary that far in advance, then make your reservations as soon as possible.
Tent sites are pretty easy to come by in a sparsely populated area like ours; we were able to find one with no notice at all (though we did need to get up early to beat the competition). But there are only so many of them; most parks have a lot more RV sites than tent sites. And because people with RVs are constantly checking the availability of sites online and booking new ones, it’s often possible to find
If you’re traveling in an RV, the number one thing you want to know is how far in advance it’s safe to make reservations.
I’ve been on the road for 11 years. I’ve made reservations for every night (except when I’m in a city where I have friends) and have never had my plans disrupted. And sometimes, having a reservation has saved me from a terrible mistake.
There are a lot of reasons why you should make reservations to stay at an RV Park, and only one reason why you should have done some research on the internet. The only one reason why you should have done some research is to get more information about the different RV Parks in the area that you are visiting. You must follow up these two things before you arrive at your destination.
Trying to find an RV Park when you first arrive can be stressful. There are many people who arrive at their campsite late at night or very early in the morning; this is because they couldn’t find an RV Park with available beds for them to stay at. This is a waste of time because it could have been avoided if they would have made reservations to stay at an RV Park prior to arriving there.
I have stayed at KOA campgrounds, primarily for the clean bathrooms. The bathrooms are very clean, especially when you consider the number of people using them each day. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. They also have a pool, which we enjoyed. I would recommend making reservations to stay at an RV park. It is cheaper in general and you will know where you will be staying, as opposed to finding a place as you travel down the highway. A lot of campgrounds also offer discounts if you are with AAA.
The other advantage is that the campgrounds are close together, so it is easy to get to places of interest. When we were there in July and August, they were full most of the time, so if you just show up they might not have any room left. But unlike other campgrounds we have been to, our site was never near empty or dirty when we arrived.