[Little Mother]

In your experience, do we need to make reservations in advance (and therefore, stick to a more rigid travel schedule)? Or, is there usually availability at nat'l park campgrounds in mid- to late-September/early October?

It all depends on the park that you're planning to visit. Those that have great foliage will have crowds around that time. Others at higher elevations may be closing down some services. You might want to see what the availability at campgrounds you're considering is for that time of year on recreation.gov.

 

[GaryBIS]

Hi,
The thing I forgot to mention about Banff/Jasper in Oct is that the weather is quite variable. We have had nice fall weather, but also full on winter weather. Be prepared for anything

Gary

 

[Kathyks]

Hi,
The thing I forgot to mention about Banff/Jasper in Oct is that the weather is quite variable. We have had nice fall weather, but also full on winter weather. Be prepared for anything

Gary

Thanks. Unfortunately, we can't arrive any sooner than 9/29. Our van (2021, 136") doesn't have any upgrades for rough roads or snow. If the weather looks too bad, we'll have to cut the trip short.

 

[elkwoman]

In your experience, do we need to make reservations in advance (and therefore, stick to a more rigid travel schedule)? Or, is there usually availability at nat'l park campgrounds in mid- to late-September/early October?

While we've been to many US Nat'l Parks, this trip we're going to include Jasper and Banff. Wondering what kind of crowds to expect.

Thanks!

I had to make reservations for Acadia national parks various campgrounds in as far in advance as they were available last year for end of September. I was camping with friends and we were not able to get sites near each other even doing it that way.