Warmer weather means more time outside to play and relax! If you are making plans to go camping this summer but looking for ways to cut costs on campsites, check out my 5 tips for saving on campsites below.

8 Tips for Saving on Campsites

Purchase campsites in advance

By purchasing in advance, you are able to pick the type of site you need and for the best price. For example, some parks will let you put a tent on an RV site, but most of the time you still have to pay the RV price. Plus, parks will adjust their rates based on the season and demand for spots. Save money by doing your research early and securing the spot you want!

You can also call the park directly to see if you can reserve your spot and avoid having to pay an online reservation fee. If you are nervous about picking a date far in advance, contact the park and ask about their cancellation and transfer policies.

Look for park specials

State parks love to run specials throughout the year to encourage more families to enjoy the outdoors. Before you head out without a reservation, take a look online at the state parks in your area. You will often find early bird, seasonal specials, and discounted rates for state park members.  On of the most common discounts is staying 3+ nights, it’s worth considering an extra night if they are going to make it free!

Join A Discount Club

If you plan to do a fair amount of camping and traveling, a AAA Membership or Good Sam Membership can save you a chunk.  Personally we’ve found the Good Sam discount better since it also comes with a discount at Camping World and 5¢ off a gallon of gas a Pilot Stations.  These discounts will help mostly at private campgrounds, it will be rare to get a discount through a membership club at a state or national park.

Note: Good Sam is currently offering $50 back in credit at Camping world when you sign up for a 3 year membership.  That makes it $25 for three years.

National vs. State Parks

Generally National Parks are cheaper than State Parks for most camping sites.  While there aren’t a lot of discounts, and some parks stay booked months in advanced, the price can’t be beat!  You’ll be surprised when you start digging at the number of federally run camp grounds.  Not only do you have the official sites through the National Park Service, but there are hundreds of campgrounds run by the Army Corp of Engineers that are along lakes and rivers.  You can search all of them through Recreation.gov, but the Army Corp site actually offers better details on each. Read More→