A camping reservation fee is a flat, usually non-refundable charge added when you book a campsite, separate from the nightly site rate. At Michigan state parks it’s $8 online or $10 by phone; on Recreation.gov (national forests and national parks) it’s $8 online, $9 by phone or $3 in person. Private campgrounds set their own, and many, including our two Michigan parks, don’t list one at all: the price you see for the site is the price, with any extras itemized. The fee itself is small. What changes your total camping cost is everything around it: cancellation terms, per-person and add-on charges, and the date you pick. Here’s how each piece works, with Walnut Hills Family Campground in Durand, Michigan, as the worked example.
What is a camping reservation fee?
It’s the cost of running the booking system, taking payment and holding the site for you. Public systems charge it as a visible line item because the agency contracts out its reservation platform. Most private campgrounds either skip it or build it into the nightly rate. Either way it applies once per booking, not per night, so a longer stay spreads it thinner.
Don’t confuse it with a deposit, which is part of the site cost paid up front and credited to your stay, or a cancellation fee, which only applies if you cancel.
How much do reservation fees cost?
| Where you book | Reservation fee | Refundable? | Cancellation fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan state parks (MiDNR Reservations) | $8 online, $10 by call center | No | $10, plus a reduced-stay fee of 10% to 40% of unused nights depending on how long you held the booking |
| Recreation.gov (national forests, national parks, Corps of Engineers) | $8 online, $9 by phone, $3 in person | No | $10 withheld from the refund; cancel the day before or day of and you also lose the first night |
| Walnut Hills and The Oaks (GatherGrounds) | None listed; the site rate is the price | n/a | $15 or 15% of the booking, whichever is greater, if you cancel more than 2 weeks out; no refund inside 2 weeks |
Public fees are current as of this writing and can change; check the system you’re booking through. Private campground policies vary widely, so read the rates page before you pay.
Are reservation fees refundable?
Almost never. Both Michigan’s state park system and Recreation.gov keep the reservation fee even when you cancel, then charge a separate cancellation fee on top. At Michigan state parks the cancellation math also gets steeper the longer you’ve held the site: cancel a booking you’ve had for five months and the reduced-stay fee is 40% of the unused nights.
At our parks there’s no reservation fee to lose. The cancellation terms are the number to watch: cancel more than two weeks before arrival and you pay $15 or 15%, whichever is greater; inside two weeks there is no refund and no rescheduling, and there are no refunds for early departure, weather or no-shows. Full detail is in our campground cancellation policy guide. Our team’s reasoning is simple: a site that opens up inside two weeks on a summer weekend usually can’t be rebooked, so a clear two-week window keeps rates fair for everyone and the booking itself free of add-on fees.
What else adds to the cost of a campsite?
Reservation fees get the attention, but these are the charges that actually move the bill. Everything below is posted on our Walnut Hills rates page.
| Charge | At Walnut Hills | How to think about it |
|---|---|---|
| Extra guests | Rate covers 2 adults and 2 children; extra adults $13 a night, children 3 to 17 $9 a night, under 3 free | A family of five pays one extra-child fee per night; check headcount before you book |
| Extra tent | $25 a night, only when the site already has 2 adults and 2 children | Michigan sets per-site capacity, so this simply keeps each site within the rules |
| Hookups | No separate hookup fee; full-hookup and 50-amp sites simply carry a higher site rate | Pick the site type you need; water-and-electric sites are the lower tier |
| Water park | Wibit wristband is free for campers Tuesday through Thursday; paid Friday through Sunday | The weekend fees cover what it costs to keep the 14-piece park on the lake |
| Your own golf cart | $25 a night pass, with proof of insurance | Rentals are priced by the day with multi-day discounts |
| Visitors | Day visitors register at the store and pay a day, beach or overnight rate | State capacity rules apply per site and per campground |
| Cabins | $75 cleaning deposit at check-in, refunded at departure; bring linens | Weekend nights cost more than weeknights |
| Pavilion | $100 a day; one free day with 25 or more sites | Book 25 or more sites and get one day of free pavilion rental |
| Pets | No pet fee listed | Dogs aren’t allowed in the cabins |
For the full rundown of charges to ask about anywhere you camp, see hidden campground costs to check before you book.
Do holiday weekends and site type cost more?
Yes, and this matters far more than an $8 booking fee. Like most private campgrounds today, we use dynamic pricing: each site has a base rate, and the system adds a premium when demand is high or a discount when it’s low. As a campground employee explained, “time frames like holiday weekends are naturally going to have significant increases because the demand is far higher,” and full-hookup, lakefront and riverfront sites “command higher rates because the demand is higher for those sites.” There’s no separate holiday surcharge line; the premium is in the nightly rate you’re quoted. RV sites start around the high $40s a night and go up from there by date and site. Our guide to average campground cost per night covers what’s typical.
What happens if I no-show?
At most campgrounds a no-show is treated as a late cancellation, and sometimes worse. Michigan state parks cancel a no-show automatically if you haven’t changed the reservation by 3 p.m. on the second day, and charge the $10 fee plus up to two nights’ camping plus the reduced-stay fee. Recreation.gov charges a $20 service fee and the first night. At our parks a no-call, no-show can’t be refunded, so if plans change, a quick call is always worth it. A reservation moved more than two weeks out costs $15 or 15%, and the office can help you find new dates.
How to keep reservation costs down
- Book on the value dates. The weekend after Memorial Day, the weekends just before and after Labor Day, May before Memorial Day and October typically price below the base rate and still have the river, lake and events running.
- Add a weekday. Arriving Wednesday or Thursday gets the free-Wibit days and lower midweek rates; our team’s ideal Walnut Hills trip is Thursday to Sunday.
- Book once, correctly. With no refunds inside two weeks, double-check dates, headcount and site type before paying. Both parks have a site map in the booking system with photos of each site.
- Groups: use a temporary block. Call and the office holds a block of sites for three days while each family books its own, so no one pays a cancellation fee because the group changed. Groups that book 25 or more sites get one day of free pavilion rental. See group camping features.
- Compare the lower-priced park. The Oaks, our park in Munith, has water-and-electric sites (50 amp on short-term sites), bigger lots and the only monthly discount we offer (25% off nightly, non-beachfront sites, 30-night minimum), with the same cancellation terms and no reservation fee.
Frequently asked questions
Is a reservation fee the same as a deposit?
No. A deposit is part of your site cost paid in advance and applied to the stay. A reservation fee is a separate service charge that isn’t applied to anything and usually isn’t refunded.
Do Walnut Hills and The Oaks charge a reservation fee?
Our rates pages list no reservation or booking fee. You pay the site rate plus any posted extras, such as extra guests or a golf-cart pass.
Why do state parks charge a reservation fee when the site is cheaper?
Public campgrounds run on a different model: a contracted reservation platform, user fees and a Recreation Passport, with fewer on-site amenities. A private park funds its amenities, staff and utilities through the site rate instead, which is why its nightly price is higher and its fee list is often shorter. See private vs public campground pricing.
Can I change my reservation without a fee?
At our parks, changes more than two weeks before arrival are handled like a cancellation ($15 or 15%, whichever is greater); inside two weeks, bookings can’t be rescheduled. Michigan state parks charge $10 for any change.
