National campground rates post their first monthly decline since the index began, as booking windows compress to their tightest of the year
The Outdoor Hospitality Pricing Index (OHPI) eased to 102.7 in July, down 0.4 points from June — the first month-over-month decline since the index launched in April. The national weighted average nightly rate settled at $103.60 as summer pricing reached its ceiling and began to roll over.
The decline was gentle and broad rather than sharp: RV slipped to 99.0, lodging to 102.5, and glamping eased fractionally, while tent and public campgrounds held flat. No single segment fell hard. But the more telling signal came from demand, which kept climbing even as rates ticked down.
“Prices eased in July, but not because demand softened — it’s the opposite,” said Brian Searl, founder and CEO of Insider Perks. “Occupancy hit a new high and booking windows compressed to their tightest of the year. What’s happening is that the premium summer weekends have already sold through, so the mix of what’s left pulls the average down. This is what the top of the season looks like in the data.”
July 2026 Key Readings
- OHPI Composite: 102.7 (-0.4 from June, +2.7 from baseline)
- Weighted Average: $103.60/night
- Demand Pressure Index: 52.2% (up from 50.4% in June — a new high)
- Median Booking Window: 112 days (down from 127 in June and 154 in April)
By Segment
- RV Sites: 99.0 / $72.56 per night
- Campground Lodging: 102.5 / $197.70
- Tent Camping: 106.0 / $58.92
- Public Campgrounds: 100.0 / $34.12
- Standalone Glamping: 97.5 / $296.70 average ($221 median)
- Independent Hosts: 93.3 / $78.50 average ($55 median)
The Demand Pressure Index rose to 52.2%, its highest reading yet — more than half of all tracked site-nights are now booked. At the same time, the median sold-out observation now occurs 112 days before check-in, a 42-day compression across the season. Campgrounds are more heavily booked than ever and filling faster, even as average rates settle back from their peak.
The Market Turns
July marked the first clear sign of the seasonal turn. In June, only two states were cooling month-over-month; in July, five states declined while just three showed meaningful heating. The remaining upward momentum was concentrated in the Northeast, where the short summer season peaks latest — New Jersey, Connecticut, and Iowa led the heating markets, while Alaska, Tennessee, and South Dakota cooled.
The forward pricing curve, which tracks how the market prices future months, now descends cleanly from July’s peak. Every month from August through November stepped down from where it was priced in June, confirming that summer rates have topped out for the year.
State Highlights
- Most Expensive: Maryland ($182.37), holding the top spot for a fourth straight month
- Least Expensive: North Dakota ($40.59)
- The gap between the most and least expensive state widened to $141.78 — a 4.5x difference, the widest of the year
- Massachusetts and New York entered the top 10 as the premium markets proved the last to cool
Pricing Discipline Rewards Operators
Within individual parks, the data continued to reward operators who segment and brand their inventory. Premium-designated RV sites — those actively marketed as premium, deluxe, or preferred — overtook waterfront sites for the highest average rate for the first time, at $84.05 per night. As standard sites eased with the broad market, the premium-designated advantage widened to 24.5% over standard, the largest gap the index has recorded.
“Even in a cooling market, the parks that give guests a clear reason to pay more are holding their rates while undifferentiated inventory softens,” Searl said. “That gap has widened every month since we started measuring it.”
About the OHPI
The Outdoor Hospitality Pricing Index is the first comprehensive monthly pricing benchmark for America’s campgrounds, RV parks, and glamping resorts. It is published monthly by Insider Perks using proprietary pricing data collected from more than 23,000 properties across multiple booking platforms, reservation systems, federal recreation databases, glamping marketplaces, and peer-to-peer outdoor hosting platforms. The full July 2026 report, including state rankings, glamping pricing by accommodation type, the forward pricing curve, and complete methodology, is available for free at https://insiderperks.com/ohpi.
About Insider Perks
Insider Perks is an outdoor hospitality intelligence company focused exclusively on campgrounds, RV resorts, and glamping destinations since 2009. The company combines AI guest service, market intelligence, automation, AI-ready websites, and growth marketing into one connected system. Insider Perks serves more than 500 properties across North America and operates Modern Campground, the industry’s largest news publication, and produces MC Fireside Chats, outdoor hospitality’s longest-running podcast.
Media Contact: Brian Searl Founder & CEO, Insider Perks +1 216-232-3132 brian@insiderperks.com https://insiderperks.com
Citation: Searl, B. (2026). Outdoor Hospitality Pricing Index (OHPI), July 2026. Insider Perks. https://insiderperks.com/ohpi