Frequently Asked Questions
How it works
What does Campground Alerts actually do?
You tell us a campground (and optionally a specific site), pick a date range, and we keep checking the campground's reservation system for openings. The moment a matching date is available, you get an email so you can hop over to the reservation site and book. We don't book on your behalf — when an alert fires, you go finish the reservation directly.
Which reservation systems do you support?
Today: Recreation.gov (national parks, BLM, USFS, Corps of Engineers, and most federal lands) and ReserveAmerica (used by many state parks). If a campground's reservation page is on either of those, we can monitor it.
How often do you check for openings?
Active alerts are checked every 5 minutes. Cancellations on popular campgrounds are often grabbed within minutes of being released — frequent checking is the whole point.
How fast will I get an alert?
The email goes out within seconds of our check picking up the opening. The bottleneck is your email provider; gmail/outlook typically deliver instantly.
What's the difference between "a specific site" and "any site at this campground"?
Specific site alerts only when one particular campsite (e.g. Site 016D) opens up. Useful when you have a favorite.
Any site at this campground (also called whole-campground) alerts when anysite at the campground opens up — gives you a much higher chance of getting a reservation since cancellations on any of the campground's sites count. For most users this is the recommended option.
Pricing & plans
What's the difference between Free and Pro?
- Free — one active alert at a time, monitored during a 3-day window. For specific-date alerts the window is the 3 days leading into your check-in (where cancellations peak). For rolling alerts the window is 3 days from when you set the alert up.
- Pro — $4.99/month or $49/year. Continuous monitoring, up to 25 active alerts at once, cancel anytime.
Can I cancel my Pro subscription anytime?
Yes. Go to Preferencesand there's a cancel link. You keep access through the end of the period you've already paid for.
Do you offer refunds?
We don't auto-refund partial months. If something genuinely went wrong on our end and your alerts didn't fire when they should have, contact us and we'll make it right.
Why a 25-alert cap on Pro?
It's a soft fair-use backstop, well above what any real user needs. Each alert generates background traffic to upstream reservation systems, so an unlimited cap would let one bad-faith account spend everyone else's capacity. If you genuinely need more, contact us — we're open to higher caps on request. See the fair-use clause in our Terms.
Setting up alerts
What if my campground isn't in your list?
When you start typing on the Set Up Alert page, we suggest matches from our catalog. If yours isn't there, you can submit a coverage request — we'll add support for that campground (usually within a few days) and email you the moment we can start monitoring it.
Can I change my dates after I've created an alert?
Yes. Go to My Alerts, click the edit icon on any alert, and pick new dates. Editing resets the alert's history so it starts fresh against the new range.
Can I pause an alert without losing it?
Yes. Click the green Active badge on the alert card to flip it to Inactive. Click again to bring it back. Past- dated alerts always show as Expired until you edit the dates forward.
Will I get spammed with emails?
No. Once we've emailed you about a particular date being available, we don't email you again for that same date — even if it stays open. New dates do trigger new emails.
Account & privacy
Do I need an account to set up an alert?
No. You can drop your email and we'll send alerts there. Creating an account is optional — but it lets you view, edit, or cancel your alerts from My Alerts. Without an account you can still receive alerts; you just can't manage them through the web.
What do you do with my email address?
We use it to deliver alerts and (if relevant) billing receipts for Pro. We don't sell it, share it, or use it for unrelated marketing. See our Privacy notice.
Can someone else see my alerts?
No. Viewing or editing alerts requires signing in. Anyone who wants to see them needs the password to your account.
Troubleshooting
I got an alert but the site is already booked when I click through.
Cancellation windows on popular campgrounds can close in seconds. We email within seconds of the opening showing up, but if a lot of people are watching the same site, somebody is going to win. Usually a fast click and a logged-in reservation account help.
My alert says "Last checked just now" but I haven't gotten any email.
That status means we're actively checking. No email means there's nothing currently available in your date range. Cancellations are unpredictable — check back, or extend your date range to widen the search window.
My alert shows "Hit a temporary block" or "Hit a temporary rate limit".
The reservation system briefly throttled our request. We'll try again automatically — you don't need to do anything. If you see it persist for many hours, let us know.
How do I delete an alert?
On My Alerts, click the trash icon on the alert card. Delete is permanent — pause is the safer option if you might want it back.
Still have a question?
Email us at support@campgroundalerts.com and we'll do our best to help.