Camping Guides

Practical, no-fluff guides to planning and enjoying your next trip — from booking a federal campsite to camping responsibly on public land. Written for first-timers and seasoned campers alike.

• How to Book a Campsite on Recreation.gov

  Most campgrounds on federal land — national parks, national forests, BLM areas, and Army Corps of Engineers lakes — take reservations through a single system: Recreation.gov.

• National Park Camping: How It Works

  Camping inside a national park is one of the best ways to experience it — you wake up where everyone else is just arriving for the day.

• Dispersed Camping on Public Lands: A Practical Guide

  Dispersed camping — also called boondocking or primitive camping — means setting up outside a developed campground, usually on national forest or BLM land, typically for free.