NW Kids: Camping in National Parks

Reserve your summer NW National Park camping now

Photo at right: Kids love backcountry camping. Photo by Amy Whitley

Poll my kids on their favorite outdoor vacations, and they’ll give you a long list of national park campgrounds, lodges, and cabins. A national park vacation is appealing to parents too: Northwest national parks are affordable, beautiful, and accessible and perks such as ranger-led nightly campfires and the Junior Ranger program are free.

The only catch? To get the accommodations you want, you need to start planning early for a summer trip.

As with many government systems, reserving national park campsites and lodging appears more complicated than it is. Here’s the simple version:

Campsites: National park and national forest campsite reservations are made through Recreation.gov, which opens its booking window six months out (with a few exceptions).

Recreation.gov’s call center opens at 10 a.m. EST, at which time new campsites open up on their site or via phone. Therefore, to snag a campsite at Mount Rainier’s popular Cougar Rock Campground for the Fourth of July weekend, for instance, you’ll need to book Jan. 4.

Less popular weekends may not require such effort, but a good rule of thumb is to book on the day your date becomes available. According to Recreation.gov, the most popular dates and sites will book within 20 minutes of the call center opening.

Missed your window already? Don’t sweat it: a wide variety of national park campgrounds are first-come, first-served only, allowing for more spontaneous travel.

Lodge rooms and cabins: Many visitors don’t realize that in most cases, lodges within the national park system are run by outside lodging companies. (For example, Aramark is the concessionaire at Olympic National Park, Xanterra at Crater Lake National Park, and Guest Services, Inc. at Mount Rainier National Park.) Bookings can usually be made a year in advance, and off-season or last-minute deals can be had. Hint: it’s worth getting on their mailing lists.

Wilderness permits: Even if you don’t plan to stay in an established campground during a national park visit, backcountry wilderness permits need to be obtained. Requirements for permits vary, so you’ll have to do your homework. In most cases, permits can be picked up at the park’s wilderness center the day of departure into the backcountry, but in some cases, lotteries may be implemented, forcing families to be flexible and patient.

If you want to get an early start on the trail, you may want to stay the night prior in a campground or lodge: check for walk-in sites that do not require reservations, such as Rainier’s Ipsut Creek.

Regardless of where you stay in any park, you’re sure to have a memorable experience. The kids won’t forget it.

Amy Whitley is a freelance travel writer, lover of the outdoors, and editor of family travel website Pit Stops for Kids. She makes her home with her husband and three kids in Southern Oregon.