As public parks continue to welcome more campers every year, many campground teams are being asked to do the impossible: deliver great guest experiences with fewer staff, tighter budgets, and growing community expectations. To keep operations running smoothly during peak season, you need the right tools in place to reduce stress and prevent chaos.

The following content is an excerpt from our free guide, The Public Park Playbook for Doing More With Less. Navigating these real constraints requires strategies and software that set you up for success, from operations to revenue. Below, we kick things off by diving into what “success” looks like for public parks.

Download the full guide to learn:

  • Simple systems and tools that make your staff and resources go further
  • Ways to reduce daily stress and improve guest experience
  • Software solutions that save time and generate more revenue

Download the full guide now: The Public Park Playbook for Doing More with Less

Let’s dive in.

Chapter 1: What Does “Success” Look Like for Public Campgrounds?

Hint: It’s not occupancy at all costs. It’s easy to feel pressure to fill every site, every night, but even high occupancy without the right systems or details in place can backfire. It can result in more complaints, more strain on facilities, and more stress for your already overextended team.

Let’s define success in terms that help you and your team feel confident and capable all season long.

Guest Satisfaction (Without the Headaches)

The goal is clarity, consistency, and basic courtesy. That means:

  • Clarity before arrival: Are your park rules, check-in process, and site details easy to find? Many guest complaints come from confusion that could’ve been solved with a clearer website, seamless booking flow, or confirmation email.
  • Simplicity and ease on arrival: Does a guest know where to go when they show up? Are site numbers and trails well-marked? If your ranger station closes early, is there a night check-in process?
  • Amenities that work: Hot showers, clean restrooms, and functioning hookups are non-negotiables for repeat visitors.

Happy campers often come down to just not being confused or frustrated. Prepare clear signage, working bathrooms, and a way to reach you if something goes wrong.

Well-Maintained Facilities

A public park’s reputation hinges more on how it’s maintained than how fancy it is. Campers notice (and remember) things like clean bathrooms, fire pits, and picnic tables. Focus on staying ahead of the breakdowns.

Key strategies:

  • Prioritize high-traffic areas: Focus staff on restrooms, trash stations, and main trails.
  • Use a maintenance checklist: A simple log can help staff remember what’s been done, what’s outstanding, and where help is needed.
  • Encourage camper reporting: Consider a low-tech fix like a visible “Maintenance Needed?” clipboard at your ranger station or a sign with a phone number to text.

Low-Stress Days for Staff

When systems work, fewer things fall through the cracks, and your team doesn’t have to scramble every time something comes up.

On average, 74% of reservations are made online across all public parks using Campspot 

Low-stress days come from:

  • Clear communication and shift roles: Who’s covering walk-ins? Who’s doing morning site checks? Who’s on call for maintenance?
  • Online reservation system: When guests can book and manage their reservations online, your staff gets hours back into their schedules.
  • Systems that answer repeat questions: Signage, automated emails, and online FAQs can prevent the same five questions from clogging up the front desk every day.
  • Shared education among staff: When only one person knows everything (especially how to use your tech), the rest of your team is ill-equipped and efficiency plummets. Campspot’s certification program makes it easy to train all staff on how to use the software and its features, and this can greatly impact your top line as well.

    Campgrounds that have at least one member take the Campspot Certification course make 53% more revenue on average.

Budget Management and Operational Predictability

In a tight-budget environment, unpredictability is the enemy. Every unexpected expense takes a bite out of your limited resources. 

To stay ahead:

  • Forecast demand: Understand which weekends will be busy and which sites book fastest.
  • Track costs tied to specific amenities: Which sites or amenities cost the most in maintenance? How can you factor that into your spending and planning?
  • Simplify revenue management with tools designed for parks like yours. Systems that help you track and anticipate are your best bet for making limited resources go further.

Public campgrounds on Campspot saw a 35% YoY increase in total revenue from 2023 to 2024 for both years

Dynamic Pricing and Grid Optimization

Speaking of revenue management, dynamic pricing is a huge opportunity for public parks. Campspot’s dynamic pricing feature automatically adjusts your rates based on factors like demand, occupancy, and seasonality.

This allows you to generate more revenue during high-demand periods, while remaining competitive during slower times. Campgrounds that leverage dynamic pricing on Campspot make 83% more on average.

Pair that with the grid optimization feature, which maximizes site availability by arranging bookings to reduce gaps. This happens in real time as guests search for availability, and it also respects business rules set by the operator. When your software takes care of this automatically, your staff gets hours back in their day.

In fact, assuming an average five-minute call per reservation, automatic grid reservations save public parks on Campspot about 38 hours annually from time on the phone *

Together, these tools improve revenue without raising base prices across the board, and without manual juggling by your staff.

Keep Reading: The Public Park Playbook for Doing More With Less

Download the full free guide to learn how to:

  • Streamline the booking process for staff and guests
  • Practical ways to save time and reduce manual work
  • Empower your current staff
  • And select the right reservation software
CTA to download free guide, The Public Park Playbook for Doing More With Less