How can we help?

Outdoorithm helps families discover established campgrounds on America's public lands. We aggregate data from Recreation.gov, ReserveCalifornia, state park systems, and more to help you search, compare, and book the perfect campsite. We're a mission-driven company partnered with Outdoorithm Collective, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Yes. All core features, including campground search, weather forecasts, availability alerts, and Camp Sage AI, are free for everyone. Premium Supporters get higher limits and no ads, but nothing is locked behind a paywall.

No account is needed to search and browse campgrounds. You'll need a free account to set availability alerts, use Camp Sage AI, save favorites, and access personalized features.

We currently cover 10,300+ campgrounds across all 50 states, with 1.9M+ reviews analyzed. This includes national parks, national forests, BLM lands, state parks, and more.

Our system continuously monitors campground availability across 256,000+ campsites and notifies you the moment a site matching your criteria becomes available. Free accounts scan every 5–15 minutes (faster during peak cancellation windows). Paid plans scan every 1–2 minutes, with 60-second scans during peak cancellation windows. Notifications go out via email, push, in-app, and (on paid plans) SMS within 30 seconds of detection.

Yes. Free accounts get 1 active campground alert with 15-minute scans (60-second scans during peak cancellation windows) and email + push notifications. Premium Supporter ($12.99/month or $129/year) gets 5 alerts, 2-minute scans (60s during peak windows), SMS notifications (capped at 100/month), and 100 Camp Sage AI messages per month. Power Camper ($19/month or $189/year) gets 12 alerts, sub-60-second peak-window scanning, unlimited SMS, and 500 Camp Sage AI messages per month.

We monitor all campgrounds on Recreation.gov (national parks, national forests, BLM lands, Army Corps of Engineers) plus state park systems including ReserveCalifornia, ReserveAmerica, and many others. This includes popular destinations like Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Big Sur, Yellowstone, Zion, Grand Canyon, and thousands more.

It depends on the time of day and your plan. Free accounts scan every 5–15 minutes (60 seconds during peak cancellation windows). Paid plans scan every 1–2 minutes, with 60-second scans during peak windows like the 4 PM ET Recreation.gov cutoff. Notifications go out within 30 seconds of detection. This speed matters because popular campsites at places like Yosemite or Big Sur often get rebooked within minutes of a cancellation.

Some reservation systems cost meaningfully more per check than typical providers — either because they require browser-based scraping with CAPTCHA-bypass, or because the provider's WAF forces us to route through a paid residential proxy. Rather than blow through alert costs running these every two minutes, we check them on a slower fixed cadence: • San Mateo County Parks (Memorial Park, Huddart, Sanborn, etc.), Sonoma County Parks, Idaho State Parks, and Alabama State Parks: roughly every 4 hours on Power Camper, every 8 hours on Premium Supporter, and once a day on Free. • Yellowstone: every 2 hours on Power Camper, every 4 hours on Premium Supporter, and every 6 hours on Free. • ReserveAmerica (many East-Coast and Mountain-West state parks): every 15 minutes on Power Camper, every 30 minutes on Premium Supporter, and every 1 hour on Free. ReserveAmerica was on the standard cadence until May 2026 when their bot-detection started blocking our cheaper egress and we had to route the scraper through a paid residential proxy. The alert detail screen shows the cadence we'll actually use, so you always know what you're getting. Most cancellations at these parks happen on a slower clock anyway, so the slower cadence still catches them.

No, we don't book campsites for you. When we detect availability, we send you an alert with a direct link to the official reservation site (Recreation.gov or the park's booking system). You complete the booking yourself — no middleman, no extra fees, no markup.

You can set alerts for entire campgrounds or filter by specific criteria like site type (tent, RV, cabin), amenities, or loop. This lets you target exactly the kind of campsite you're looking for rather than getting notifications for sites that don't meet your needs.

Yes, using campsite availability alerts is completely legal. We simply monitor publicly available information on Recreation.gov and state park booking systems, then notify you when availability changes. You still book directly through the official reservation sites using your own account.

Recreation.gov reservations typically open 6 months in advance on a rolling basis at 7:00 AM Pacific Time (10:00 AM Eastern). For example, if you want to camp on July 15th, reservations would open on January 15th at 7:00 AM PT. Some high-demand campgrounds like those in Yosemite have special rules.

ReserveCalifornia (California State Parks) reservations open 6 months in advance at 8:00 AM Pacific Time. The system uses a rolling window, so new dates become available daily.

The 'sliding modification' strategy lets you book earlier than the official window. Book the maximum nights allowed (usually 7-14) ending on your desired checkout date, then modify or trim your reservation later to keep only the nights you want. This can give you a 7-14 day head start.

Don't give up! Cancellations happen every day. Set up a free campsite availability alert and we'll notify you instantly via text or email when a site opens up. Many campers successfully book sold-out campgrounds this way.

Be logged in and ready exactly when reservations open. Have your payment info saved beforehand. Use a fast internet connection. Have backup campground choices ready. Consider booking the maximum nights first, then trimming later. Set up cancellation alerts as a backup plan.

Yes, most public campground booking systems require full payment at the time of reservation. Recreation.gov, ReserveCalifornia, and most state systems charge the full amount plus any booking fees immediately. Refund policies vary by provider.

Camp Sage is our AI-powered camping assistant that helps you find the perfect campground. Ask it questions like 'Where should I camp near Yosemite with kids?' or 'What's the best beach camping in California?' and it will provide personalized recommendations based on our database of campground reviews, amenities, and conditions.

Yes, Camp Sage is free for all users with limited messages per month. Premium Supporters get 100 messages per month, and Power Camper members get 500 messages per month for more in-depth planning conversations.

Camp Sage draws from our database of real campground data, reviews, and verified information. Its recommendations are based on actual campground attributes, sentiment analysis, and user reviews — not generic web content.

Each campground page features personalized gear recommendations based on the campground's location, activities, amenities, and climate. We suggest essential gear, activity-specific items, comfort upgrades, and items to fill amenity gaps.

Gear nomination allows you to suggest products you believe should be added to our collection. Fill out the nomination form with the product's name, description, and a link to where you found or purchased it.

No, nominations cannot be edited once submitted. Please review your entry before submitting. If you need to correct something, contact us or submit a new nomination.

Premium Supporter ($12.99/month or $129/year) includes 5 availability alerts with 2-minute scans (60-second scans during peak windows), SMS notifications (capped at 100/month) in addition to email and push, 100 Camp Sage AI messages per month, an ad-free experience, and the knowledge that your membership supports guided camping trips for families historically excluded from outdoor spaces through Outdoorithm Collective.

Power Camper ($19/month or $189/year) is for serious users who hit Premium's limits. Compared to Premium, Power gets 12 alerts (vs 5), sub-60-second scanning during peak cancellation windows (vs 60-second on Premium), unlimited SMS notifications (vs 100/month on Premium), and 500 Camp Sage messages (vs 100). Most users do well on Premium; pick Power if you frequently hit your alert cap, monitor multiple trips at once, or need faster scanning during the busiest cancellation cliffs.

Yes. Cancel anytime from your account settings. You'll keep your benefits until your billing period ends, then return to the free tier with full access to all core features.

Yes. We offer a 48-hour satisfaction guarantee on your first purchase of each product type (Premium Supporter, Power Camper, Alert Pack, Trip Watch). Request a full refund from your dashboard within 48 hours of purchase — no questions asked. Each product type is tracked independently.

Outdoorithm Collective is our 501(c)(3) nonprofit partner. A portion of our profits supports the Collective's mission: guided camping trips, gear grants, and education for families historically excluded from outdoor spaces.

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