Recreation.gov

  ALERT ALERT

Recreation.gov has had a makeover. I cannot use the word upgrade because there seems to be no "up" at this time. Here are a few issues we've hit:

1) You have to reset your password and reenter all your personal data. Not a biggie but takes time and your chosen site could time out. If you use this reservation system I recommend you go in and reset it all now, not when you're struggling with their system. It allowed us to use the same password. It appears the email address is all that transferred over.

2) To pull up a specific campground you pretty much have to enter the exact name they entered. If you don't, it pulls up random stuff from all over the map.

3) Their filters don't work correctly or possibly not logically. Don't fill in the parts about recreation type. Scroll down until you see campsite type and choose RV. If you choose camping in the first filter, it drops a lot of campgrounds.

4) The filter sometimes locks on private campgrounds only. I can't even find that filter and had to log out and wait for a reset to get the state and federal parks

5) The park we are in showed all walk in sites. It is wrong. They apparently did not port over the reservations for this park. Only one of the three loops is walk in and some off those had people on them booked out for two weeks. Other parks I looked at seem to have reservations showing. hopefully those are accurate.

6) We just booked a site with plans to stay through Halloween, 10/31. It let me pick checkout of Nov 1 when I searched for sites and it accepted 10/31 as a camping nite but it processed through with checkout on the 31st. Since the 31st is the last camping day of the season, the system locks off Nov 1. It took me an hour to get that far for one reservation so I gave up. We'll try booking it when we get there.

7) It isn't giving any info on the campgrounds or campsites. No maps, no pics, no lists of amenities. I chose 30 amp electric in the filters and entered 28' for the length but who knows if the site we booked matches that. I searched reviews and other sites about that campground and think we're ok. 

8) The camp hosts are stressed and counting the hours until they have finished their commitments. Some rolled out early. So be extra nice and patient when you check in.

My current review: pttthhhhhhhh  - this software was NOT ready for release.

  ME TOO 

I have tried to reset my password several times with no success. What am I doing wrong?
I go to the log in box, enter my email address and then my old password. Rejects it & tells me I must reset the password. Hit the reset password button and I get a box asking for my email address, which I put in, and then get an email with a link. Same darn link I used to get to the opening page. Hit log in and try it again. Hit log in and am told the password is not valid, must reset ……Hit reset and back to the box asking for email and will send link (again).
This time it tells me that I have had too many attempts to gain access and must wait 30 minutes.
Sent an email via their contact page and no response.
Any ideas?

I have no suggestions except to wait a bit and request a password reset again. Our experience was different.

We went to log in, requested password reset, it sent link in email, clicked link, window opened that looked like a user account screen saying reset password. Did not have to reenter email. Two fields, password and repeat password. We used same password as previously and it worked within minutes.

2 Frazzled - I second and third your post. I have used, chat, phone and email trying to accomplish what I needed done.  The folks there can not help.  And they can't give me a way to contact the software contractor so I can fuss at them.

I have gone thru what you have been seeing with filters etc,  This week a new level of frustration.  I arrived at a COE place in VA with reservations for 12 days.  Turns out most of the loops were under water.  Unlike the old system, there was no email sent to tell me about the closing and starting the refund.  The guy at the gate was having to deal with each of us as we arrive.  And this closing happened a full week prior - so not an issue about them not having time.  The web site still does not have any alert about it being closed and the sites are open to make reservations.

I have sounded off at other places including Escapees.  They had said they were getting involved in ways to "compromise" to give up more on these parks.  I asked if they were doing anything as the "voice" of campers to find out what was going on with the site znd what actions were being taken to fix it.  Glad I am scheduled to stay more in state parks for awhile.

If you/anyone finds the ear we can bend to get this mess straightened out, I'd sure like to know. I can't even sign in.
Recreation. gov isn't the Army (as in COE), but what governing body would they report to? Who can we go to to get a resolution or at least an explanation of what's going on and how long we have to wait to get a functional site.
Please post is you find anything.

I don't know about the ear to bend but I suspect the parks are already hitting them. Its a mess. We moved the other day to another gorgeous COE park in Missouri. We lucked out. The only site open through the weekend, booked with no info from rec.gov and it is on the lake and we fit... with a few feet to spare after we fold down the bike rack.

Rec. Gov was correct to drop 10/31 from my booking since park gates lock for the season at 3:00 that day.  We know this because the camp hosts told us six times at check in even though we agreed and said no problem each time. Those stressed out people are counting the minutes to freedom. I plan to buy goodies for them as a thank you for their perseverance.

I found a feedback address and sent a note explaining the discontent with the new site, and got this response:

Thank you for reaching out to us. You may contact the Recreation.gov group for your account issue and/or other issues at the following link: www.recreation.gov/contact-us
 
Thank you,
 
USDA.gov Team
Office of Communications
U.S. Department of Agriculture

So I went to the USA site and found this page (https://www.usda.gov/) and in the middle is a banner that says"We want to hear from you". So I gave him an earful.
Don't know if this will help, but at least it is now on record and I hope to have others follow suit and maybe we'll get something done.
Thanks for letting me rant.

I don't understand why USDA would be involved with park system reservations but the organizational structure of our government never makes sense to me..

This week a new level of frustration.  I arrived at a COE place in VA with reservations for 12 days.  Turns out most of the loops were under water.  Unlike the old system, there was no email sent to tell me about the closing and starting the refund.  The guy at the gate was having to deal with each of us as we arrive.  And this closing happened a full week prior - so not an issue about them not having time.  The web site still does not have any alert about it being closed and the sites are open to make reservations.

I have good news, sort of. The new system CAN send emails about closures. John just today, Oct 27, received an email from recreation.gov stating that COE Ray Behrens campground will be closed on October 19 & 20 which was part of our reservation period and gave options to cancel for full refund or wait to see if it reopens.

I think this one might be user error with new system. Problems:
- The notice is over a week past the closure date
- The campgrounds were not closed, they were full
- The visitor center WAS closed those two days for their annual Halloween Walk event where thousands of people came in to see the campers' decorations and to trick or treat (other campground at the lake, not ours)
- Our site was walk in only. The camp hosts put us in the system as being on that site.
- What happens if campers get this notice, recognize the opportunity, and say yes, send back all my money even though they were there those days? The notice says you can cancel the whole reservation so people might get two weeks refunded.

What a mess. I'll try calling the visitor center when they open today and give them a heads up.

Just talked to the Corps - got exactly the right person on the first try! He said if we had requested that reservation refund a notice would be sent to him and he would determine if a refund should be issued. He also just received a notice from recreation.gov telling him they made changes to the closure system. It sounds like they realized they screwed something up but didn't quite tell him they offered refunds to hundreds of campers. Well, he knows now.

2 Frazzled - thanks so much for the heads up!

The old website certainly was much easier to use, but at least it's working. I am looking  forward to spending the 1st week of June in Yosemite 

FYI - Corps of Engineers campgrounds are open during the government shutdown. That could change so you should double check but we just left one a few days ago outside of Montgomery Alabama and it was business as usual. I also read a news article that Utah is paying the NPS staff and has been plowing snow to keep the National Parks in Utah open.