Recreation.gov Frequently Asked Questions
About
Reservations
About
Recreation
Q: What is different about the new
recreation.gov?
A: The interagency Federal recreation
portal consolidates Recreation.gov,
the National Recreation Reservation Service (NRRS) formerly at ReserveUSA.com,
and the National Park Reservation System (NPRS) formerly at reservations.nps.gov,
into a single point of online access at
Recreation.gov.
In addition to providing reservation services for agencies participating
in the NRRS (USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau
of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and Corps of Engineers),
www.Recreation.gov will
also become an enhanced recreation portal and provide trip planning
information for thousands of other Federal recreation facilities
and activities plus information about links to State tourism sites.
Key enhancements and benefits include improved reservation availability
searches; the addition of shopping cart functionality (multiple
reservations with one payment) and improved regional and campground
level maps. This change is part of the Recreation-One-Stop initiative.
Recreation.gov also provides
a comprehensive source of information about thousands of other Federal
recreation opportunities.
Q: What is the National Recreation
Reservation Service (NRRS) and who are the partners involved?
A: The National Recreation Reservation
Service is your one-stop reservation resource for the recreation
facilities and activities offered by the US Army Corps of Engineers,
National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation
and USDA Forest Service. Along with the federal agencies participating
in the NRRS, Recreation One Stop involves 11 Federal agency partners.
Agency partners are listed on
www.Recreation.gov.
Q: What is different about the new
reservation service?
A: First and foremost is that this is
an Interagency effort, so there is a larger inventory of recreation
facilities available for reservations across the country. As time
goes by, we will be adding to the inventory and inviting other agencies
to join. The first major change will be the addition of the many
National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of
Reclamation reservable facilities and activities. This change will
occur Wednesday, February 7, 2007. There are other changes: we have
expanded the capability through our call centers to handle calls
with additional phone lines and hours of service; we now offer tour
tickets at select National Park sites; the booking window (the time
period in advance that a reservation can be made) has been expanded
for National Park customers (except Yosemite customers); and we
have added personal trip planning and personalized access through
our Internet web site to help make your vacation more enjoyable!
Q: How do I make a reservation?
A: There are three ways for customers
to make a reservation: a toll-free call to the reservation center
at 1-877-444-6777, online at
www.Recreation.gov, and at selected field locations. We also
anticipate future sales opportunities such as automated kiosks and
other alternative sales outlets. The Call Center Hours are:
March 1 - October 31
November 1 - February 28 |
10:00am - 1:00am EST
10:00am - 10:00pm EST |
Q: Why did the federal agencies decide
to combine their separate reservations services?
A: This change is part of the Recreation-One-Stop
initiative in the President's Management Agenda to improve effectiveness,
efficiency, and customer service in the delivery of Federal recreation
information and reservation services.
Q: What type of facilities can be
reserved through Recreation.gov and the NRRS?
A: With over 60,000 reservable facilities
at over 2500 field locations, the NRRS is the largest outdoor recreation
reservation service in the country. It includes individual campsites,
cabins, lookouts, group campsites, tour tickets, picnic shelters
and wilderness permits. Whether you're heading North to Alaskas
Tongass National Forest, South to Florida 's Lake Okeechobee , East
to North Carolina's Blue Ridge Parkway , or West to Yosemite National
Park or California 's Los Padres National Forest , you can reserve
your place under the stars with the NRRS.
Q: I have been an NRRS/NPRS customer
for years. Can you assure me and others that you're not providing
the same old service over again?
A: The National Recreation Reservation
Service is definitely not the same old service. During the development
of this service we established the goal of providing quality reservation
services to the public. This goal was achieved through a total redesign
of how reservation services are provided. We researched all aspects
of this business with existing federal and state systems and we
looked in depth at our own previous experience. We asked the industry
about how best to provide the service and, most important of all,
we asked our customers what they wanted. Our contract to deliver
these services is with ReserveAmerica, Inc., and is based on delivering
high quality services to our customers. Your satisfaction with our
service is important to us and we measure our success based on your
assessment of our performance.
Q: On the old reservation system Yosemite
reservations were always difficult to make. The call center was
frequently busy and the website always overloaded on Yosemite on-sale
dates. I understand that there is a high demand for these facilities--I
just want to be able to get through to se if anything is available!
Will the new system be easier to access Yosemite reservations?
A: We are acutely aware of some of the
shortcomings encountered with the National Park Reservation Service
to handle the high demand associated with the Yosemite on sale on
the 15th of each month and the resulting customer frustration. Yosemite's
limited camping facilities will always be challenging to reserve
due to the high demand; however, we are confident that our new service
will be significantly easier to use with improved call center access.
Please recognize that the Yosemite on sale creates extreme demands
on any system and service. Our goal is to minimize frustration for
our customers and provide a quality reservation experience.
Q: As a longtime NPS reservation customer,
are there other changes which I should be aware of?
A: Yes, these important changes include:
- The booking window (the time period in advance that a reservation
can be made) has changed for most National Park Service facilities.
THIS MEANS THAT AT MOST NATIONAL PARKS ON
THE NRRS, RESERVATIONS CAN BE MADE SIX (6) MONTHS IN ADVANCE
INSTEAD OF FIVE (5). In addition, the booking window
will be a rolling window (where new reservable facilities become
available each day) instead of a block window (where an entire
month of reservable facilities becomes available on a given
day). Refer to the chart in the next question and please make
note of this IMPORTANT change.
- There will no longer be separate phone numbers for camping,
tours, and Yosemite; all reservations can be made through this
single toll-free number which is 1-877-444-6777.
- Specific National Park sites that formerly charged a $9.00
add-on reservation service fee will no longer charge this fee.
- We will not longer accept certified checks or money orders
for reservations thru the call center.
- All current and new customers must create a new member account
at the new Recreation.gov reservation website. Membership is
free.
Q: Why do I need to create a new member
account?
A: As part of this change, all customers
with current member accounts on ReserveUSA.com will need to create
a new member account on www. recreation.gov - this is for protection
of your privacy and security. Your new reservations account will
only reflect new reservations you make on our website. Active reservations
you have made prior to the move, are still on our system, and can
be changed only through our reservation call center. This also includes
customers who have made reservations through www.ReserverAmerica.com.
Upon visiting www.Recreation.gov
create a new membership, by simply signing up with your information
and start your reservation or search for your favorite outdoor recreation
facilities and activities.
Q: Which National Parks and other
agency sites have changed their booking windows (the time period
in advance that a reservation can be made) and what is the new booking
window?
A: The booking window for all National
Park Service (with the exception of Yosemite National Park), Bureau
of Land Management, and Bureau of Reclamation facilities in the
NRRS will change effective February 7, 2007. The new booking window
will be a 6 month rolling window (where new reservable facilities
become available each day for a period 6 months in advance). Yosemite
National Park will retain its current 5 month block window (with
an entire months worth of campsites becoming available 5 months
in advance on the 15th of each month). Following is a complete list
of parks that previously had a 5-month block window, that now will
have a 6-month rolling window.
National Park Service
Acadia National Park
Arches National Park
Assateague Island National Seashore
Big Bend National Park
Big South Fork National River
Black Canyon National Park
Blue Ridge Parkway
Bryce Canyon National Park
Buffalo National River
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Catoctin Mountain Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Channel Islands National Park
CChickasaw National Recreation Area
Curecanti National Recreation Area
Death Valley National Park
Everglades National Park
Fort Hunt Park
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Glacier National Park
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Grand Canyon National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Greenbelt Park
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Independence National Historical Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Katmai National Park and Preserve
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Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Mammoth Cave National Park
Mount Rainier National Park
North Cascades National Park
Olympic National Park
Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Rocky Mountain National Park
Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park
Shenandoah National Park
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Voyageurs National Park
Washington Monument National Monument
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Yosemite National Park
Zion National Park
Bureau of Land Management
Fishermen's Bend Recreation Site
Wildwood Recreation Site
Loon Lake Recreation Site
Bridge Hollow
Indian Crossing
Old Miner's Meadow
Bureau of Reclamation
New Melones
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Q: I dont understand how the rolling
window and the Yosemite block window work. Can you please provide
examples?
A: For overnight camping and individual
tours, customers can now make reservations 6 months to the day in
advance of the arrival date. For example:
If you call on: |
You can make reservations with an arrival date of:
|
February 7th (2007)
February 8th (2007)
February 28th (2007) |
August 7th (2007)
August 8th (2007)
August 28th (2007) |
For group sites and organized tours, customers can make reservations
12 months to the day in advance of arrival. For example:
If you call on: |
You can make reservations with an arrival date of:
|
February 7th (2007)
February 8th (2007)
February 28th (2007) |
February 7th (2008)
February 8th (2008)
February 28th (2008)
|
Again, this booking window change DOES NOT
APPLY TO YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK which will remain on a 5-month block
window. Reservations for Yosemite will continue to go on sale for
a 5-month period on the 15th of each month:
If you call on: |
You can make reservations for arrival dates between:
|
January 15th
February 15th
March 15th
April 15th
May 15th
June 15th
July 15th
August 15th
September 15th
October 15th
November 15th
December 15th |
January 16th and June 14th
February 16th and July 14th
March 16th and August 14th
April 16th and September 14th
May 16th and October 14th
June 16th and November 14th
July 16th and December 14th
August 16th and January 14th
September 16th and February 14th
October 16th and March 14th
November 16th and April 14th
December 16th and May 14th |
Q: Why is the booking window changing
for these parks and why is Yosemite National Park not changing to
be consistent with the others?
A: The new booking window for the National
Parks is easier for customers to use and is similar to that in use
by hotels, airlines, rental cars and other services that most customers
understand. It is also similar to the booking window for facilities
in the current NRRS.
Yosemite will not change because their summer reservations are
always in very high demand. In the past, Yosemite experienced repeated
instances where the rolling window system was manipulated to hold
sites for desired dates and then frequently the sites were not occupied,
or reservations were frequently changed in order to secure the desired
dates. Yosemite has found that the block window helps prevents this
manipulation of the system. This block release of sites on a single
day each month is also consistent with the manner in which all California
State Parks are reserved.
Q: Will the booking window for Forest
Service and Corps of Engineers change?
A: Effective October 17, all facilities
in the NRRS including Forest Service and Corps of Engineers facilities
will be on the same 6 month advanced window for Individual Campsites
and Cabins. Group Facilities are available for reservation up to
12 months in advance.
Q: I am a group tour operator. How
will group tours now be booked and are there any other changes of
which I should be aware?
A: Group Tours are available via Recreation.gov
for specific parks only – not all parks offer group reservations
via the web site – please check the inventory information on the
park you are looking for, if it is not available you can call the
Group Sales Team directly to make your reservation 1-877-559-6777.
Calling the Group Sales Team will provide you access to a group
of dedicated sales agents to assist you in booking your tours, from
10:00 AM EST – 8:00 PM Monday – Friday, and 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Saturday and Sunday.
Organized tours will be available for advanced reservations for
up to 12 months in advance for all parks. Reservations can be made
up to 1 day prior to arrival for all parks, with the exception of
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site which will accept Group
Reservations up to 1 Week in advance.
Checks are not accepted as payment for reservations in advance
via the Call Center. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover
will be accepted for payment via the Call Center. We will also be
looking into implementing electronic check payments in the future,
but note that this is not currently available. For those who have
booked reservations at Roosevelt Vanderbilt National Historical
Site in the past and are accustomed to deferring payment until 30
days prior to arrival, please note the following change: a non-refundable
deposit of $14.00 for groups of 25 and $28.00 for group of 50 will
be required at the time the reservation is made. Payment in full
will then be required at least 30 days prior to your arrival.
Cancellations will be accepted up to 1 day in advance for your
reservations. Please note, that a $3.00 per ticket Cancellation
Fee is applicable for Carlsbad Caverns, Mammoth Cave, and Lowell
National Historical Park. Roosevelt-Vanderbilt will have a specific
Cancellation Fee for group tours (previously known as 'Motorcoach'
tours). Cancellation Fees for Roosevelt-Vanderbilt will be $14.00
for groups of 25, and $28.00 for Groups of 50. For Washington Monument,
Independence Hall, and Frederick Douglass, the $1.50 Reservation
Fee is non-refundable, and no additional Cancellation Charge will
apply for cancellations of these tours.
Tickets for the Washington Monument that are purchased 10 days
or more in advance of the tour date will be mailed to the customer
automatically; tickets purchased less than 10 days in advance can
be picked up at Will Call at the park. The new Shipping and Handling
fees will be $2.85 per order for the mail out of tickets. Please
note, that the price for larger orders (over 10 tickets), will be
changing in the future to $4.65 per order, but the $2.85 will be
charged when the new system comes online on February 7th for all
orders regardless of the number of tickets ordered.
- Tour Names: The tour names have changed, and regardless
of whether you are booking 25 or 50 people, you will book the
same tour, but specify the specific quantity you are booking.
- Tickets: You will now receive 1 Ticket for a Group of 25
people, and 2 Tickets for a Group of 50 people.
Below is a list of the specific Group Tours that are available:
Current Name |
New Name |
VANDERBILT MANSION (MOTORCOACH)
FDR HOME (MOTORCOACH)
FDR HOME + MUSEUM (MOTORCOACH)
FDR MUSEUM (MOTORCOACH)
VAL-KILL COTTAGE (MOTORCOACH) |
Vanderbilt Man 1 ticket (up to 25), 2 ticket (25-50)
FDR Home Group 1 ticket (up to 25), 2 ticket (25-50)
FDR Home & Mus 1 ticket (up to 25), 2 ticket (25-50)
FDR Museum Grp 1 ticket (up to 25), 2 ticket (25-50)
ELRO (ValKill) 1 ticket (up to 25), 2 ticket (25-50) |
The Combo Tour for all 4 Tours will be known as 'Combo Tour 1
ticket (up to 25), 2 ticket (25-50)'.
Tour Names: The tour names have changed, and regardless of whether
you are booking 25 or 50 people, you will book the same tour, but
specify the specific quantity you are booking.
Tickets: You will now receive 1 Ticket for a Group of 25 people,
and 2 Tickets for a Group of 50 people.
We look forward to providing you improved services under the
National Recreation Reservation Service and believe that with our
new dedicated Group Sales team we can help to improve your reservation
experience for National Park Service locations.
Q: Is there a charge to change or
cancel a reservation?
A: The charges to change or cancel a
reservation are:
Changes and Cancellations |
Camping: |
A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or
cancel your reservation for Camping Reservations (including
Campsites, Cabins, Group Facilities, etc. |
Tours, Fee Parks: |
A $3.00 service fee will apply for cancellation
of tour reservations for all Fee Parks. |
Tours, Non Fee Parks |
There is no service fee for Non Fee Parks (Washington
Monument, Independence National Park) for cancellations,
but the $1.50 Convenience Fee and is Non Refundable.
|
Late Cancellations |
Individual Campsites |
If an individual cancels a campsite reservation
the day before arrival, or on the day of arrival they
will be charged the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the
first night use fee. Cancellations for a single night's
use will not be assessed a service fee. |
Cabins/Lookouts |
If a customer cancels a cabin or lookout reservation
within 14 days of your scheduled arrival date, they
will be charged the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the
first night's recreation use fee. No-shows, Early Departures,
or Cancellations after the scheduled arrival date, are
not entitled to a refund. Cancellations for single night's
use will not be assessed a service fee. |
Group Facilities |
If a customer cancels a group overnight facility
reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival
date they will be charged the $10.00 service fee and
forfeit the first night's use fee. Cancellations for
a single night's use will not be assessed a service
fee. If a customer cancels a group day use facility
reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival
date, they will forfeit the total day use fee with no
service fee charge. |
Tours |
There is no Late Cancellation Policy / Fee associated
for Tour Reservations except for specific tours at Mammoth
Cave National Park. |
No-shows |
Camping |
If the customer does not arrive at the campground
or group facility and do not cancel the reservation
by the times listed above, they will be assessed a $20.00
service fee and forfeit the first night use fee or the
total day use fee. |
Tours |
If the customer does not arrive for their tour and
do not cancel the reservation, all fees are forfeited.
|
Q: Is the personal information I enter
on Recreation.gov kept confidential?
A: Yes. NRRS is committed to protecting
your personal information and informing you about how we handle
it. Please review the current Recreation.gov Privacy Policy.
Q: Can customers use the new NRRS
to make reservations at every Federal campsite?
A: Most Federal facilities are first
come-first served, with no reservation service. At locations where
the demand is sufficient, new facilities will be added. In addition,
some facilities may be managed by concessionaires with their own
reservation system, such as Yellowstone National Park. These locations
will have a link so that customers can go to the concessionaires
system to make a reservation.
Q: Will state campsites be reserved
through the new NRRS?
A: No, our reservation service is limited
to Federal facilities.
Q: How much does it cost to make a
reservation? Is there a separate reservation fee?
A: For many facilities, there is no
separate reservation fee. The only fee charged is the use fee, which
is based on the value of the facility being reserved. We have adopted
the hospitality/tourism industry standard common in hotels, airlines,
rental cars and other services where the cost of providing reservation
services are an integrated part of the price charged to the customer.
However, there are some locations in our service which retain a
separate reservation fee. This fee, when charged, is currently $10.00
for call center reservations and $9.00 for web reservations.
Q: Can I make an advance reservation
on-site at the campground we usually visit?
A: This is possible if the campground
or location is acting as a field sales channel. On-site reservation
services at these select locations have the same capabilities as
those provided through www.Recreation.gov,
or by calling the toll-free phone number 1-877-444-6777 for making
reservations. We highly encourage the public to use the internet
or toll-free phone method as their first choice for making a reservation.
The website is very user-friendly and phone sales agents are specially
trained to handle requests and offer alternative sites if the first
choice is not available.
Q: Will campsites still be available
for walk-up campers?
A: Yes. Some sites will be available
for walk-up campers as first-come, first-serve. In addition, throughout
the season, there are reservable sites that are not occupied by
persons with reservations. In addition, some campgrounds may offer
walk-up customers the ability to make a reservation on-the-spot,
so they will have access to all available campsites. However, we
highly encourage campers to call 1-877-444-6777 or use the website
to make a reservation. This will ensure that a site is available
for you upon arrival.
Q: What happens if my first choice
of a site, campground or facility is not available?
A: We have the ability to make referrals
to other nearby areas participating in the NRRS inventory without
regard to the managing Federal agency. This provides the greatest
possible opportunity for the public to make a reservation with only
one phone call. However, on the reservation website,
www.Recreation.gov, a customer
can search for availability, check nearby locations, and explore
other recreation facilities nearby at their convenience and act
as their own agent in booking a reservation that meets their needs.
Q: What is the cost to the government
for providing this service?
A: The cost of reservation services
is included in the fee paid by customers. The only cost to the government
is the expense associated with contract administration.
Q: What payment methods are accepted
through Recreation.gov?
A: Recreation.gov accepts several methods
of payment to accommodate your needs, including: VISA, Master Card,
Discover/Novus and American Express. Personal checks, certified
checks and money orders are not accepted for Internet or call center
reservations. Field Sales Channel locations will continue to accept
all methods of payment excluding Foreign Currency. The NRRS is looking
into alternative payment methods such as Electronic Checks.
Q: Why did the NRRS change the check
acceptance policy to no longer accept checks or money orders for
advance reservations?
A: In order to provide the best customer
service to the majority of our customers, NRRS no longer accepts
certified checks or money orders as payment for advance reservations.
Effective January 31st, 2007 a credit or debit card will be required
to make an advance reservation.
Processing check payments has not been cost-effective for the
NRRS for several reasons:
- The number of customers who pay by check is extremely low;
- The rate of checks returned is relatively high;
- A request to pay by check required the reservation be made
20 days in advance of arrival and payment received 10 days in
advance of arrival. If payment was not received, the reservation
was cancelled. Contacting customers to cancel or rebook these
sites proved difficult and other customers were potentially
turned away.
The vast majority of customers have access to credit or debit cards.
This new policy does not affect payment options at recreation sites.
If you do not have access to a credit or debit card, the facility
you wish to visit may offer first-come, first serve facilities that
can be paid in person by check. You may also wish to consider using
prepaid gift cards that are offered by most credit card companies.
In the future, we will be exploring the addition of new payment
options such as electronic check processing.
Q: How will the reservation appear
on my credit card bill?
A: Your monthly statement will contain
a reservation billing under the name "Recreation.gov 1-888-448-1474
", not the National Recreation Reservation Service or ReserveAmerica.
Please make note of this. If you have questions, please call customer
service at 1-888-448-1474.
Q: Why did the NRRS change the name
of their website ReserveUSA to Recreation.gov?
A: The NRRS is part of the E-Gov, Recreation-One-Stop
initiative, which includes the current Recreation.gov website. We
believe that Recreation.gov is intuitive-it describes what our site
is: U.S. government Federal recreation and reservation opportunities
online. We also believe that our customers want a name that is easy
to understand and remember. We welcome your comments on our name.
Q: Will my passes still be honored
for the 50% Discount?
A: All agencies within the NRRS are
accepting the Interagency Senior Pass, the Interagency Access Pass,
the Golden Age and Golden Access Passports. These passes/passports
provide you with a 50% discount on the basic recreation use fee
for individual campsites and on some tour tickets. For campsite
reservations, the discount only applies to the site the pass holder
occupies. This discount does not apply to fees for cabins, lookouts
or group facilities, certain facility amenities such as electricity,
water, sewer, or extra fees charged for prime or premium sites.
For additional information visit:
www.Recreation.gov/recpass.jsp
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