Locations Not all areas managed by the National Park Service maintain campgrounds within the park borders. For example, the many historical areas operated by the National Park Service, including Fort Frederica National Monument, Arkansas Post National Memorial, and Tonto National Monument, do not have developed camping facilities. Likewise, National Park Service facilities in metropolitan areas generally do not have campground facilities. The majority of the major national parks including Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Big Bend National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Sequoia National Park, Glacier National Park, and Death Valley National Park , each have several campgrounds. Even many smaller park units such as Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado National Monument, Joshua Tree National Park, and Lava Beds National Monument offer at least one developed campground. The campground at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho is in a huge cinder field resulting from long-ago volcanic eruptions. Camping here is certainly a unique experience. [24]
Management
Most national park campgrounds are maintained and operated by the National Park Service. These campgrounds typically offer picnic tables, grills, public bathrooms with sinks, flush toilets, sanitary stations, and individual parking spaces. Many also have dump stations. Very few campgrounds have electrical or water hookups, hot water, or showers. A shortage of personnel has caused to NPS to turn the management to some of its campgrounds over to concessionaires. For example, five of the twelve campgrounds in Yellowstone National Park are operated by Xanterra Parks and Resorts, the same firm that operates Yellowstone's nine lodging facilities. Concessionaires typically operate national park RV parks that have more elaborate facilities. RV parks are located in a limited number of national parks including Big Bend, Grand Teton, Olympic, and Yellowstone. National Park Service rangers offer evening campfire and interpretive programs at most campgrounds, especially on weekends and during busy summer months. The programs generally begin at dusk and are nearly always enjoyable and informative. Go a little early and spend time talking with a ranger or singing songs with other campers. [25]
Reservations
National park campgrounds are typically operated on a first-come, first-serve basis. This means it is in your best interest to arrive and occupy a campsite as early in the day as possible. For busy parks such as Yellowstone, Sequoia, or Glacier, we often stay at a United States Forest Service campground within a short driving distance of the park, and arise early the following morning in order to claim a campsite in the park. This isn't ...
