Attendance at campgrounds has increased dramatically, emphasizing the necessity of modernization and improvement to campgrounds and improved accessibility, according to a News & Insights report of the RV Industry Association.
To meet these challenges, the National Park Service (NPS) has started implementing innovative strategies to improve and streamline the management of campgrounds on a national and local level and improve the transparency and consistency of making decisions.
Some time this year, the NPS will establish a new National Campground Office. This new national office is responsible for enhancing visitors’ experience at all of the NPS’s over 1,400 campgrounds by improving coordination between programs and providing technical assistance to parks and regions on campground-related issues and services.
The establishment of the National Campground Office joins a collection of updates previously issued by the National Park Service in the previous year:
- Released comprehensive Campground Design Guidelines that were developed with significant input from Parks, Regions and Program staff.
- Released process guidelines for Mission 66 Campgrounds Determination of Eligibility and Mission 66 Campground Treatment Guidelines developed via cooperative agreement with the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO).
- An interagency group has issued “Federal Camping Data Standards,” a set of standard data elements for describing campground amenities and accessibility. The NPS is in the process of working across the Directorates to review the standards and develop an implementation plan.
- Increased the availability of campsites reservable through Recreation.gov.
- Created multiple flexible bookings windows within Recreation.gov ranging from 6 months to 4 days to meet visitor concerns about lack of availability while preserving spontaneity.
- Launched the R1S Ranger App, which provides field staff with a user-friendly solution to seamlessly upload images and location information for individual campsites. Contact [email protected] for information.
Additionally, the National Park Service is also developing a Campground Financial Model for Decision Making. This tool was designed to assist parks in making their case for modernization of campgrounds and expansion funds by responding to the internal review board’s frequently asked questions.
The model’s financial function is to study revenue before making campground rate decisions, recognize the financial implications of any potential infrastructure investment, and evaluate the benefits of various business models for improving campgrounds.
The RV Industry Association applauds the National Park Service’s steadfast commitment to improving the RVer’s and park visitor’s experience by establishing a National Campground Office and providing campground managers with the vital tools they need to sustainably modernize campgrounds for current and future generations of park visitors,” said Chris Bornemann, director of the RV Industry Association’s federal government affairs team.
Our team has been working tirelessly with the Department of the Interior and National Park Service to advance meaningful and sustainable investments in campground operations, and we look forward to continuing to be a resource as they implement this historic initiative, which will significantly improve the campground experience for a growing RV camping community.
This marks the first time that the agency has ever poured the amount of money and resources into improving campground management and visitor experience. The NPS sees its efforts as an evolution from a focused initiative to a sustained commitment to campground operations.