Recreation.gov
Camp, RV, and Explore Outdoors
How much does Recreation.gov cost?
Prices are current as of 11 Sept 2026.
Recreation.gov has no in-app products on record in the United States.
10+ alternatives to Recreation.gov
| Recreation.gov |   National Park Service |   The Dyrt: RV & Free Camping |   Hipcamp: Camping, RVs & Cabins |   Harvest Hosts - RV Camping |   RV LIFE - RV GPS & Campgrounds |   Campspot | RV Camping |   KOA Camping | RV, Cabin & Tent |   Campendium - RV & Tent Camping |   iOverlander |   AllStays Camp & RV: Camping | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating / 5 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.6 |
| Reviews | 391K | 130K | 126K | 82K | 72K | 46K | 27K | 24K | 22K | 19K | 12K |
| Released | 2019 | 2021 | 2017 | 2019 | 2017 | 2018 | 2021 | 2013 | 2017 | 2024 | 2010 |
| Monthly price | — | — | $6.99 | — | — | $19.99 | — | — | — | $9.99 | $9.99 |
| Annual price | — | — | $35.99 | — | $169.99 | $65.00 | — | — | $23.99 | $59.99 | $34.99 |
The going rate for each plan in United States, in its own currency, shaded from the cheapest price on the row to the dearest. Plans fewer than four in ten of the priced apps sell are left out.
Recreation.gov reviews
4.9 out of 5, based on 390,759 reviews.
What people like
- Very easy to use and navigate
- Great for making last-minute reservations
- Huge selection of campgrounds to choose from
What they complain about
- Dates often shift by one day
- Shows available spots that are actually full
- App lags behind website on new dates
⛺️
Fun time, fishing and exploring
App reservation dates unclear
And updating a reservation is hit or miss
Excited to camp
I really like the app. The one thing I would like to see is better photos of the campgrounds and surrounding area. I’m on my phone. Maybe it works better on a computer. Thank you!
More restrictions and less first come first served
The system it’s self makes sense, however, how it’s being used is not good. Some areas are being too rigid. Example: you must book a Friday, Saturday & Sunday together… some people work on Sundays and are forced to book it, then leave it empty. Also, there is a severe lack of first come first served. There used to be about 1/2 of the sites that were like that for last minute campers… now you can hardly find them… because of the reservation system.
Long time past release time
Post at 7 pm please
Awesome
Healing energy on me!
$18 fee to cancel a $22 camp spot
This app is more criminal than anything else we’re camping on national land have to spend $22 on a camp spot which I get there’s an eight dollar service fee to book it on the app which is crazy isn’t that a junk fee and then an $18 fee to cancel the reservation or $10 more just to change it again all online.
Great app
Great app, weird thing with dates where you have to choose the day after to be able to get the actual days you want. Other than that it’s quite helpful
Beware of time bug
The app is pleasant to use but has caused me to lose money because there is a reproducible bug when selecting reservation dates. I selected the dates I wanted but didn't notice that the app had moved it by one day before I booked the reservation. I thought I made a mistake but no, the dates do change. I suspect this is because I'm in a non-US time zone. I reported the bug but it hasn't been fixed. I requested a refund of the fee, but this was not made.
Access pass
I’ve had a severe tbi and this was not simple enough for me to do myself
Excellent app
Excellent app that I use extensively. Makes it easy to find camping spots. I only wish there was a « stand by » list for some parc where you could be listed by order of arrival and claim a spot if it becomes available.
Camping at Rancheria
Why camping always full? Best time to reservations after Jan 1?
Amazing App but needs a calendar fix
The app is amazing, however when I try to look for campgrounds it always chooses the wrong dates! I enter 8-09th and it turns out 7-8th. Otherwise, great app. Nice layout. I love the campground search, it even displays pictures of each single slot. And you can directly reserve there. Almost any campground within that one app. Just wow! I wish looking for a campground in Europe would be as easy!
Doesn’t work
I am trying to book a campsite, six months from now, and the recreation.gov website on my computer shows that dates have been released and reserved but those dates are showing as not yet released on my phone app. Also, when I click on the dates that I know have been released, I get an error message that says check back in 2024 to reserve these, even though the dates I am trying to reserve are in 2023!
Accuracy is important.
A lot of the info on campgrounds is incorrect and I have verified that with camp hosts and others at multiple campgrounds. Otherwise it’s a useful app.
Old man walk on the beach woods
I love GV pages 😍
Unable to select dates
On desktop the website works fine, allowing me to select dates and book. But the app is bugged and does not allow me to select dates. Please fix.
Missing info about each park
A digital pamphlet would be great!
Good but complicated
Some if the features need time to load, especially when you are already in the wilderness. Then you read “no availability” while loading. That’s very confusing. Because of this I had a hard time to reserve camogrounds etc. during the Trip or at the same day, because they always give no availability. Once there, a lot of spaces were left even though it said booked out in the internet. But informations are good and very helpful.
AWESOME App!!
This app is AWESOME! Very easy to use!
Misleading app and website
The app is misleading. It states that a permit is available on a particular date, but when you try to purchase one, it is unavailable. Tickets become unavailable seconds after release time. The app and website has no option to contact support because it does not accept non-USA telephone numbers. Overall the app and the website are unfit for purpose. Permits should be issued on a first come first serve basis. If I could give it a lower score than 1 star I would.
App great, system add data entered flawed.
The app functions well as far as its programming and performance. The reservation system that it presents is problematic. For instance, today I reserved a campsite that specifically said that it could accept up to one vehicle. Later in the reservation process, the app asked me to enter the number of vehicles I would be bringing. It said “max: 0; min: 0” and would not permit me to enter 1. So I made the reservation anyway but will now call and hope the live agent can fix it. Also, it would be very smart to have a map view that could show the number of campsites available at campsites within the map on your chosen date.
A fabulous app
A fabulous app and easy to use
Fake News
The App is not to use If you stay in Europe. Daily booking alerts for a specific date are fake news. Members of the NP service can give you no Support (experience from SFA).
Always 1 day off
Booking a campground from Europe is not possible. Booking is always 1 day earlier than the choosen date. Doing the same with a computer on the NPS website works without any problem.
Peace
Such a quiet peaceful place ,we love it. Friendly and very well taken care of.
Unable to select dates
When trying to purchase tickets. You just cannot select any date despite them having an „A“ for available on them. This is true for multiple locations and at least two different iPhones.
reservations
Easy to use, love the alert prompt!
Very User Friendly
Rec.Gov is my go-to for camping plans. I love the detail included about each site and the huge number of campgrounds available. The app works great on my phone and I can make reservations on the fly with a saved payment method.
User friendly, highly recommended
The app is user friendly I highly recommend it.
Recreation.gov FAQ
- Is Recreation.gov free?
- Yes. The app is free, in all 174 countries it sells in, and it sells nothing inside it.
- Does Recreation.gov have a free trial?
- No. None of its offers (US) come with a free trial.
- What are the best alternatives to Recreation.gov?
- National Park Service (4.9 from 130,120 reviews), The Dyrt: RV & Free Camping (4.8 from 126,096 reviews, premium from $6.99) and Hipcamp: Camping, RVs & Cabins (4.8 from 81,713 reviews).
Recreation.gov download
Last updated 28 days ago.
Recreation.gov sells in 174 countries. It was released 7 years and 6 months ago, on 29 Mar 2019. It holds a 4.9 rating from 390,759 reviews.
Supports 1 language: English.
How much does Recreation.gov make?
Third-party estimates for the last 30 days, worldwide — not the store's own figures, which Apple publishes for nobody.