If you’re wondering how to choose the best national park for your next RV adventure, you’re not alone. We were clueless, too, when our full-time RVing life began in 2007. But after one giant boulder collision, several tree branch sideswipes, and 12 years traveling, we’ve got national park RV camping logistics down to a science. Here’s your chance to learn from our early blunders with foolproof tips for a flawless getaway.

The Best National Park RV Adventure Begins with Smart Planning

Out of 130 different U.S. national parks with overnight camping, there’s always one that’s right for your RV type, camping style, and vacation timeline. Get a feel for national park RV campgrounds by checking out the National Park Service mission statement, which states:

“The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values.”

The phrase “preserves unimpaired” can apply to the parks’ bare-bones campground conveniences for RVers, but there’s a reason for it. The National Park Service wants to get you closer to natural surroundings without the noise and distractions of day-to-day living. Forget glamping amenities like campground WiFi, swimming pools, and endless free hot showers. Having an authentic back-to-nature experience is the ultimate goal of national park camping.

Rate Your RV Camping Comfort Level

A great way to choose the best national park for your next RV adventure is to start with the “Where Can I Camp” directory of camping locations in the National Park Service. Review the campground descriptions and you’ll see that while RV dump stations in national parks are common, most national park campgrounds only offer “dry camping” for RVers (also known as “boondocking”). This means no water, electric, or sewer hookups at RV campgrounds. My husband and I prefer to dry camp, but it’s not for everybody, and you’ll need to ask some important questions before booking a site, such as:

Will everyone on board be OK with extreme conservation measures?

Conserving resources is the No. 1 rule of dry camping. Extreme water-saving measures are needed to avoid emptying your RV freshwater supply too soon, or filling holding tanks too quickly. In addition, managing your electrical consumption takes lots of practice. If you don’t have RV solar electric power, your generator usage will be limited to certain hours of the day. Can you live without daily showers or falling asleep to the television?

If dry camping is too much to consider, don’t fret. A few national park RV campgrounds that offer partial or full hookups include:

* Arizona: Grand Canyon Trailer Village

* Florida: Everglades National Park Flamingo Campground

* Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park Fishing Bridge Campground

You may also want to consider staying just outside the park at a privately owned RV campground with full-hookups. The Good Sam Directory of RV Parks is an excellent place to find them.

If you and your passengers agree that dry camping is not a hardship, you’re halfway to securing an ideal campsite. But first you’ll need to review another big issue that affects your camping comfort level: cell service.

Can you live without reliable cellular voice and data service?

A national park RV vacation often requires cutting the cord to cell phones and the Internet. About 130 different parks offer free wireless Internet access at designated spots like visitor centers. But WiFi speeds can be slow and useless for anything more than checking email. Getting reliable voice and data service throughout the rest of any national park is unpredictable and sometimes impossible.

If you must be connected like we must be to work on the road, don’t reserve a national park RV campground spot without first reviewing your cellular provider’s coverage map of the area in and around the park you are considering. Keep in mind that maps may not show natural land features that can block connectivity, like canyons and forests. And while you may be able to find cellular service in the park, one thing you certainly won’t be able to do is control the weather while you're there. This leads to our next important question to ask before reserving a spot:

How will the weather impact your comfort level?

If elderly people, pets, or very young children will be traveling in your RV, consider how weather will impact their comfort. National park RV campground rules won’t let you run your generator all day to keep them cool with the air conditioning or warm in winter. If summer is the only time you can visit, consider looking into the coolest national parks to visit in hot weather, such as:

* Maine: Acadia National Park

* Washington: Olympic National Park

* Oregon: Crater Lake National Park

Next, Match Your RV Configuration to Your Perfect Campground

Wherever you go in the National Park System, you’ll find that the majority of national park RV campgrounds were not built for modern rigs, which now average 45 feet long by 8.5 feet wide, according to the Recreational Vehicle Industry of America. Knowing your RV’s dimensions is necessary before booking a spot.

Visiting a professional RV weigh scale is the best thing we did to minimize the risk of more damage to our rig in campgrounds and on the highway. For around $50, these weigh experts can determine your rig’s maximum carrying capacity, the height from the ground to the top of the air conditioner, and the distance from back to front (including accessories) when fully loaded. This worthwhile investment takes away the guesswork of squeezing into tight campsites or driving underneath low bridges.

However you obtain your RV measurements, remember that RV length and trailer length are not the same thing. For example, you may have a 27-foot long fifth wheel, but if your tow vehicle is 12-feet long and you have a bicycle rack on the rear trailer hitch, your combined length is about 42 feet. You need to have this critical number when making RV campground reservations or driving on tight roads.

Only a handful of national park campgrounds can accommodate RVs with a combined length of 45 feet or more. It’s just one reason why we stick to owning RVs less than 30 feet long. If your RV is longer, check out the more well-known big rig RV-friendly national parks such as:

* California: Death Valley National Park

* Texas: Big Bend National Park

* North Dakota: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Is your RV hard or soft-sided?

National park campgrounds in bear country may be a problem if your RV has a soft-sided roof, walls, or pop-outs. These RVs are not permanently banned in national park campgrounds, but are often limited to certain locations. And if a surge of bear encounters occurs, soft-sided RVs can be completely banned from a campground at a moment’s notice.

National park campgrounds with pop-up trailer and RV restrictions include:

* Montana: Glacier National Park

* Montana/Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park

* Alaska: Denali National Park and Preserve

* Colorado: Rocky Mountain National Park

Check Your Camping Calendar

Ten years ago, we didn’t always need a campsite reservation at many national parks, but those days are over. The most popular national parks are at or near capacity for several months of the year, according to a 2018 National Park Campground Usage Study.

On average, the study reports that 20 to 40 percent of all national park campsites are being used in the winter months, 40 to 60 percent during spring and fall, and 60 to 80 percent during summer. This sounds bleak but the findings can be used to your advantage. For example, the report also shows that:

* Weekends are booked solid during summer, spring, and fall, but weekdays are quieter. Why not focus your search on weekday visits instead?

* Most campers visit parks less than 500 miles away from home. Consider visiting a national park located as far as possible from big cities.

* Many reservations get cancelled at the last minute as peak season approaches. But don’t give up. If your desired dates are booked, check for openings on a weekly basis.

With your camping questions answered, it’s time to visit Recreation.gov to begin your reservation process. Do it six months ahead of your arrival date for the best availability. If you want to go RV camping in Yosemite National Park, reserve your campsite four to five months in advance of your vacation calendar.

It’s no secret that national parks have a small number of first-come, first-served campsites that don’t require reservations. Most of these spots are only occupied for two nights by the average camper, so technically you have a chance to secure one without a reservation. But getting into one is hard work and a gamble.

To get a no-reservations campsite in a national park, you must arrive at the campground as early as 7 a.m. (after paying the park entry fee, of course). Then you’ll stand in line all morning with other hopeful campers waiting for vacated sites. You could get lucky and score one, but if that doesn’t sound like an ideal way to spend precious vacation time, make a secured reservation instead.

Last fall we made a spontaneous trip to Yellowstone but did not score a campsite. Now Jim and I know that in the #FindYourPark era, patience and planning are a must. Getting to choose the best national park for your RV adventure is a process, but when you’re hiking the slot canyons of Capitol Reef or fly fishing on Yellowstone’s Madison River, you’ll be glad you made the effort.

Editor's note: Support for this reporting was provided by RVShare.