Accessible camping: campsites, parking and what to ask

Camping adds questions that a day trip does not: where you will park, how you will reach a tent pad or table, and what shared facilities exist. This page covers how federal agencies describe finding and reserving accessible campsites, and what the US Access Board's design guide says about camping units with mobility features. Those standards apply to new or altered federal facilities, so an older campground may differ, and every campground should be checked directly.

Finding and reserving an accessible campsite

The National Park Service (NPS) lists reserving accessible campsites among its examples of reasonable accommodations and says to contact the park ahead of time. It adds that each park is responsible for information on its accessible camping options. For parks, see finding accessibility information for national parks.

The US Forest Service says many of its campsites are accessible to visitors of any ability, and points to an interactive visitor map to find them. Reservations for many federal campgrounds go through Recreation.gov. Its accessibility page says its Help Center team can assist people with disabilities in making reservations and answering questions about the website, and that it has a TDD reservation line. The Access Board's guide suggests that where an agency runs a reservation system or assigns campsites on arrival, it should have policies so that units with mobility features stay available to people with disabilities until all other units are occupied. That is guidance to agencies, so how a given campground handles it is a question for the campground.

What a camping unit with mobility features includes

The Access Board uses the term "camping units with mobility features". A camping unit is an outdoor space in a camping facility used for camping, containing things like outdoor constructed features, parking, tent pads or platforms, or camp shelters. The guide sets minimum counts: one unit when a facility has one unit, two when it has 2 to 25, three for 26 to 50, four for 51 to 75, five for 76 to 100, seven for 101 to 150, and eight for 151 to 200. Above 200, it is eight plus 2 percent of the number over 200.

These units are supposed to offer choices comparable to and integrated with other campsites. The guide gives the example that if units are provided near water or in foothills, some units with mobility features must be in those settings too. The units do not have to be signed, but the guide says agencies should publish locations on websites, in brochures and on bulletin boards.

Within a unit, at least one of each type of element, such as parking, a tent pad, or a camp shelter, must meet the technical requirements. Where a unit provides more than one of the same type, at least two must comply. For shared facilities that serve these units, at least 20 percent of each type of outdoor constructed feature, and no fewer than one, must comply.

Parking, tent pads and shelters

The guide's figures are specific. A parking or pull-up space for an RV must be at least 20 feet wide so that an RV with a lift has room to deploy it, with extra space on the driver's side so that a person using a mobility device can reach the utility hookups. Parking for other vehicles must be at least 16 feet wide, which can accommodate vans with a lift or ramp.

Tent pads and tent platforms need a clear ground space at least 48 inches wide on all usable sides, which lets a person using a mobility device set up and take down a tent. That surface must be firm and stable but still accommodate tent stakes. If a tent platform floor is raised, it must be no more than 19 inches above the clear ground space, so that people can transfer from a mobility device to the platform. A camp shelter is a partially enclosed structure providing cover from weather and with no plumbing or kitchen appliances. The guide distinguishes it from a cabin.

What these sources do not cover

The Access Board guide says it is still developing guides for toilet and bathing facilities, so this page makes no claims about restroom measurements. Nothing in the pages we reviewed addresses sleeping arrangements such as cots or bedding, so questions about getting in and out of a bed or sleeping pad are best raised with the campground and your care team. Nights can also bring cold or heat; heat, cold and weather and pacing and energy outdoors cover planning for those. The trip-planning checklist covers packing and sharing your plans.

The short version

An accessible campsite is a federal design category with minimum counts and measurable features, and it is best confirmed with the campground when you reserve. Ask about the parking width, the tent pad or platform, and shared facilities, and note that the standards govern new or altered federal facilities rather than every campground.