How to work around finding a campsite in busy national parks

It is now the busiest season for camping and RVing, and especially for visiting our national parks where scoring a campsite can be a test of will, strategy, patience, and cunning. If the campgrounds take reservations they are likely fully reserved for the month.

If they don't, you have to arrive early in the day and take your chances. However, if you stay in a campground in a national forest, which are often adjacent to national parks, you will find them not as busy. Most don't take reservations so you stand to find a spot--especially if you arrive early and on a weekday--and their sites are not as crowded.

You won't find hook-ups, but if you spend most of the day exploring the national park, you may not need them. Drive your tow or toad into the park each day for exploring,then return at the end of the day to a quiet, forested, campsite.