COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Rigs outfitted for camping are on the move in Colorado. Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer season, and if you do not already have a campsite reserved, it will be tough finding one.
Campers have already started showing up at Cheyenne Mountain State Park as Memorial Day weekend arrives.
"It's so pretty here. I mean, come on, the foot of the mountain and you got the valley down below. You got all the anything you would ever want there in Colorado Springs," said camper Perry Cleaveland.
The state park is popular, and Cleaveland plans accordingly.
"We plan in advance that way we have a guaranteed place to stay and this is one of our favorite spots," said Cleaveland. "We planned this trip six months
For the start of summer, booking happens back in December and January.
"Basically at midnight you can get on and reserve a site for 6 months into the future for the start of your stay," said Park Manager Jason Hagan.
For the spontaneous who think six days is advance thinking, watching for cancellations is the best option. There are also apps that will notify you of campsite openings.
"Cancellations are live, so if somebody cancels as soon as they cancel, it's back up on the website and it's first come, first served. Whoever takes it snatches it up," said Hagan.
There has also been a bonus at Cheyenne Mountain this Memorial Day weekend. 11 new campsites just went live.
"Literally people have caught wind that we're opening this new campground and they've been calling pretty much every single day trying to get those sites," said Hagan.
There is also the option of a day trip for those who could not snag a reservation.
"Most state parks you don't need any sort of reservation to come visit, just show up," said Hagan.
Camping sites for holidays and weekends will be tough to find for the rest of the summer. If you can get some time off for the middle of the week, you will have much better luck reserving a spot.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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