Recreation.gov
June 20, 2024
More About Recreation.gov
The Recreation.gov app helps you find and book campsites and experiences, review location details for your trip, and quickly access information on existing reservations from almost anywhere.
Features:
• Search unique campgrounds and individual campsites across the country
• Discover personalized recommendations based on your location
• Filter search results by what’s important to you and your trip (price, amenities, site type, and more)
• View photos and maps of campgrounds and campsites
• Seamlessly switch between interactive maps and search results
• Check real-time availability and location information for individual sites
• Pay for select campsites and activities on the spot by scanning a QR code
• Learn about passes and tickets that get you into your favorite spots
• Review important details on activities, attractions, and experiences for your next trip
• Conveniently access your account information and all your reservations
• Find tickets, tours, and permits for amazing activities
• Access your digital tickets for a smooth check-in
Whether you’re booking a weekend getaway or planning your next cross-country road trip, federal recreation activities and outdoor adventures start with Recreation.gov.
Latest Version
2.1.4
June 20, 2024
Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.
Travel & Local
Android
1,804,444
Free
com.bah.r1smobile
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User Reviews
Brandon Gauthier
5 years ago
Visually spectacular and great in theory, but in practice the app is so buggy that it is unusable. It is incredibly slow, freezes often, and force shuts. If the bugs are fixed, the app will be a top notch and convenient way to find cheap public campgrounds that are almost all on beautiful public lands. Until then, the app is a disaster and embarrassment.
A Google user
5 years ago
The website is great for doing research - a one-stop shop across all sites. But, it can get glitchy every now and then. With this last update, when clicking on a campground I'd been researching, it kept pushing me to a neighboring campground. I tried a different campground that is associated with the other 2 sites, and *boop* back to the campground i didn't want again. Every now and again, it will freeze. If you shut it down and bring it back up again, it will be fine. Overall, I enjoy it.
Alex Zhang
4 years ago
The good: the app looks nice and clean. There's good information on the pages and it's pretty organized. It's pretty straightforward and intuitive to use. The bad: I needed to use this to get Zion shuttle tickets, which are notorious for selling out quickly. This app will show dates with avails but then as soon as you select the date, it'll say unavailable. I know this isn't a case of me just being too slow, because I double-checked on my computer and was able to get tickets there. Woof.
Tyler Holland
2 years ago
The app is so much better than it used to be. Still a few improvements to be made, mostly to getting campsite locations right on the campground maps, which tend to be inaccurate. And to showing Partially Available sites, which for some reason show no availability once you try to reserve (or modify dates). So, one star to grow. But otherwise a great app experience!
Angela Webster
4 years ago
Update: thank you for following up and fixing the issue. It now works as great as it was before the issue. Black screen when clicking on sites. It has been like this for 2 weeks. This is on both mine and my husband's android phones. The only way I can get onto a page that opens is if I go to contact us, scroll down to the recreation.gov link. Then it opens a page normally. If I have to leave the app for whatever reason, and go back in. I have to start all over. This app is usually excellent.
Kelly J
2 years ago
It's a great idea, it needs work. The search is awful, it starts over every time you click on a specific site to get more info. There are multiple parks or campgrounds we've been to and love that are not in the app. It mainly shows lakeside camps which is nice, but not all of us want to camp at a lake. Another feature that would be nice would be the ability to retroactively add sites you've already been to, even if you booked elsewhere. Ratings options for places would be great too.
Jessica White
2 years ago
Great app. Very easy to navigate and use. One thing to note that's not stated obviously is that you can't alter a reservation starting on the first date of the reservation, even if it hasn't started yet (for example, when check in is in the afternoon). Would love to see this change so that reservation can be altered for any remaining time. For example, if you need to leave early or add people. Otherwise no complaints.
Gary Keck
3 years ago
Poorly written app. Very confusing to use especially if you already have a pass like lifetime senior pass. For instance the full fee option is shown which you first click on and then you have to click on "Select Pass" to apply your pass and then when you check out the pass is applied to the final price. Also it first shows that the pass is only good for 60 minutes from the reservation time and you aren't even given the option to select the entry time!!! It's actually good remainder of day!
Mark Rennie
3 years ago
Updated the app. Now when I search a state on the app it says no results. Before I could look at a state and see all parks. Now all I see is a map of the entire world and when I zoom in it doesn't show any campgrounds. I am using a android phone. Very disappointed. Worked great a few weeks ago. Thank you for fixing the app. The search area or by state is working again.
Brian Landis (Big_Lanids)
3 years ago
I used to use the website for campground research/reservations exclusively. I recently decided to search to see if there was an app for Recreation.gov, and it's become my go-to. It's too convenient to be able to make reservations, check availability, and look at pictures of sites on my phone anywhere, anytime. I've yet to run into any issues and find the interface user experience cleaner and more intuitive than the actual website. Here's to many more camping reservations in the future!
Loren Pierce
3 years ago
Updated yesterday now it goes black and freezes. Not the first time an update has failed. Really tired of it! Two weeks later and at least 3 updates installed, Still Doesn't Work! This Developer is really amazing!! One year later, now the App says I have no reservations and won't let me log in to my account. Website login works fine and all my reservations show up. Worst App I've ever tried to use.
shane becker
4 years ago
I had a really hard time using the app because it requires you to do way more manual work, that they could have just automated with the app. The experience should be that I tell the app which dates i want to camp, and it presents my options. But instead, I have to individually check specific dates and mix and match available campsites. So they kind of half did their job. Additionally, there is a reservation fee and cancellation fee. When we started camping in thr US we couldn't understand why so many campsites were reserved, but no one showed up. Tons of empty sites at the peak of summertime. I suspect it's because of the cancellation fee. Why would one cancel, when the fees to do so would just cost more? I lose money, just by trying to be a good person.
Sara Greco
4 years ago
No problems making reservations but then I'm not fighting for permits or reservations at overused and overcrowded places. There are many, many campgrounds that do not turn up in a search (even though they are listed on the individual pages for a specific forest and are currently open,) and no apparent way to add information-even the name, location and pics- for a "missing" place. Disappointing.
JD right??
1 year ago
The site is a little tricky to navigate, and if you don't like site 140 and want to look more it takes you all the way back to #1 and scroll all the way to site 100. You just can't pick back up at #99 or start at #100. Nope, that would be too easy. Anyway, once you get used to that, give got it made booking a reservation. BUT!! DO NOT try to modify your reservation once you've got there, OMG, what a frustrating nightmare!! Hmm, maybe I'll drop another star because of that. It needs streamlined!
Jennifer Dier
1 year ago
Relatively easy to use website. In process reservations are held for a few minutes, so campsite isn't bought out as payment info is entered. Has a great option to be notified when a booked campsite becomes available! Be sure to click the link provided to start reservation ASAP since email is sent to all who've requested notification. Would be better if it had a place for those who've used a specific campsite to upload pics that are then linked to the site & available to view when reserving.
Natalie Fredette
1 year ago
Helps you find reservations for lots of parks and campgrounds. The interface is intuitive, and the app works pretty seamlessly. It doesn't provide maps of campsites, though, so be sure to have an idea of where you want to be before reserving thru the app.
Robyn Maynard
1 year ago
I personally don't like the new way of doing things. I hate when you put the dates in some will pop up partially available. When I put the dates in I want to camp all of those days! If all of the dates aren't available it should say not available. A couple years back all you had to do was click on the site you wanted and they'd say available or not available. know you have to click each and every site! I don't understand why they had to make things so difficult!!!
Karen Staley
1 year ago
Don't trust it's location service. I had it show I was 114 miles from Goose Point in VA and I made the reservation for that day. When I hit the directions button and Google maps came up I was 233 miles away. I tried to change the reservation immediately and was denied. I just made it to the campground before the gates were locked for the night. I will never trust this app again.
Patricia Cavanaugh
1 year ago
easy to use, but sometimes wish it did a more accurate job of searching an area within a limited distance...I've had campsites pop up with names similar to what I'm looking for thousands of miles from where I want to be or ha dit give me sites much farther off the highway than I want. Aside from lacking that search filter feature, it's an easy app to use.
Philip Keightley
1 year ago
It lacks the one feature I use the most, the ability to pull up a map and browse. All the other apps I use have the ability to move the map around and have it auto populate in the area you are viewing. Without that ability it becomes much more difficult to use. Until it has that feature I will stick with the apps I have.
