Chelsey Lewis

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Making reservations for a campsite at a Wisconsin state park or forest will be about $2 cheaper when a new reservation system goes live at 9 a.m. Dec. 17.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has contracted with a new provider for its campsite reservation system. Camis USA Inc. will provide the system and will charge a $7.75 reservation fee per campsite. The DNR's current provider, Reserve America, charges $9.65.

The new system also will allow campers to make same-day reservations online or by phone for any state park or southern state forest (Kettle Moraine, Point Beach). Same-day reservations will not be charged the $7.75 reservation fee.

“It will offer more opportunities for people to reserve last-minute if they want to head to a property,” said Chris Pedretti, state parks business operation chief.

The Camis system will work better on cellphones and tablets and will have a better search function, Pedretti said, allowing campers to search for sites with specific features, such as waterfront or double campsites.

Park amphitheaters and shelters also will be reservable under the new system.

RELATED:12 places to camp along water in Wisconsin

Michigan, Maryland and Washington currently use Camis reservation systems.

“If you go on to the Michigan reservation site now, it looks very similar to what ours will look like,” Pedretti said.

The systems will change over Dec. 1-16, and new reservations will not be accepted during that time. All reservations made via Reserve America through Nov. 30 will be transferred to the new system and will be given a new reservation number. Campers will receive an email, phone call or letter confirming their reservation has been transferred.

Campers with reservations through Reserve America will need to set up a new account with Camis and will be prompted to do so before Dec. 17. The DNR is advising campers to make sure their contact information is up-to-date in Reserve America to make this process easier.

Camis will have a Kenosha call center employing 12 to 15 operators to handle reservations over the phone. Reserve America had home-based operators, Pedretti said.

“We think this will provide an extra level of service, having people in the same spot with supervisors in the same spot, and expanded hours,” he said.

During peak reservation months (summer), the call center will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Pedretti said the DNR has used Reserve America since it began accepting online reservations 18 years ago. Camis' contract is for up to eight years.

Once the new system is live Dec. 17, reservations for campsites still will be accepted up to 11 months in advance via phone (888-947-2757) and online (dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/camping).

The new pricing system for campsites and entrance fees that the DNR implemented in February remains in effect. Under the new demand-based system, fees at some popular parks like Devil's Lake in Baraboo went up, while fees at some less-visited parks like Nelson Dewey in Cassville went down.

RELATED:Wisconsin DNR to increase camping fees at most popular parks; cut fees at parks that get less traffic

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