How to Get Sold-Out Campsites at National Parks
Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Big Sur sites sell out in minutes. Here's how to actually get one.
Published April 9, 2026 · 6 min read
The Campsite Problem
If you've ever tried to book a campsite at a popular national park, you know the drill. Sites at Yosemite Upper Pines sell out within seconds of the 7am PST booking window opening. Yellowstone Madison, Big Sur Kirk Creek, and Glacier National Park campgrounds are just as brutal. Thousands of people are hitting refresh at the exact same moment, and if you're even a few seconds late, everything is gone.
But here's what most people don't realize: cancellations happen constantly. Plans change, trips get rescheduled, and sites open back up throughout the day — often at random times. The problem is that these cancellations are unpredictable. A prime weekend spot at Kirk Creek might open at 2pm on a Tuesday, or 3am on a Sunday. Unless you're refreshing Recreation.gov around the clock, you'll never see it.
Manually refreshing is exhausting and unreliable. You're competing against people who have nothing better to do — and automated bots that snap up sites the instant they appear. There has to be a better way.
Without Steward
- Refreshing Recreation.gov every 5 minutes
- Missing cancellations while you sleep
- Losing sites to bots
With Steward
- 24/7 automated monitoring
- Instant push notification on cancellation
- Direct link to book immediately
How Steward Tracks Campsites
Monitor Any Campsite
Share any Recreation.gov campsite URL to Steward. It monitors availability for your specific dates and site preferences.
Instant Alerts
The moment a cancellation happens, Steward sends a push notification to your phone with a direct link to book — before anyone else sees it.
AI Setup
Just tell Steward: ‘Watch Yosemite Upper Pines for June 14–16.’ The AI handles the rest.
Popular Parks People Track
Frequently Asked Questions
What campsites does Steward monitor?
Steward works with any campsite listed on Recreation.gov, which covers most national parks, national forests, and federal campgrounds. This includes popular spots like Yosemite Upper Pines, Yellowstone Madison, Big Sur Kirk Creek, Glacier National Park campgrounds, and thousands more. Simply share the Recreation.gov URL and Steward starts watching.
How fast does Steward alert me?
Steward checks for cancellations based on your plan — up to every 2 hours on Premium. The moment a cancellation is detected that matches your dates and preferences, you receive a push notification with a direct link to book on Recreation.gov.
Is Steward free for campsite tracking?
Yes! The free plan includes up to 3 trackers with push notifications. This is enough to monitor your top campsite picks. Premium unlocks unlimited trackers, faster check intervals, and automated actions.
Never miss a campsite again
Monitor Recreation.gov cancellations 24/7. Get alerted instantly.