Meadowbrook Campground - Lake Placid, NY

Campground reservations are up 6% in New York state so far this year and campsites and cabins can be reserved up to 9 months in advance. Some more popular campgrounds like Moreau Lake, Thompson’s Lake, and Cherry Plain have seen increases around 13% - pretty impressive for sure.

The article I read didn’t offer any reasons for the increase and it’s surprising given that the state of New York has recently closed several parks due to funding issues. Apparently bookings have been rising for the past year or so and I have a few ideas about why:

• It’s the economy, stupid. Yep, we’ve been saying it for months - families looking to save money on their summer vacation will be opting for the great outdoors instead of Disney or Vegas. Even frequent campers are sticking closer to home and New York state is a convenient destination to millions of folks in the northeast.
• Campground reservations are becoming easier to make. Thanks to modern technology it’s as easy as pulling up a website to find and reserve the perfect campsite. Savvy campers are realizing that popular holiday weekends like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day fill up fast so it pays to reserve as early as possible. Kinda like when Outback Steakhouse introduced us to call-ahead seating
• Fewer unspoiled campgrounds means higher demand. Since New York state closed several recreation areas recently this could be driving more folks to reserve the dwindling number of remaining spots. This is the “musical chairs effect” - everyone is dashing to get the last campsite before the music stops!

I predict we’ll see campground reservations continue to grow in the long term based on these factors. Make sure you get your campground reservation in today before it’s too late!