Pictured: Tent campers in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Texas.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has recently announced a change to its no-show policy in an attempt “to reduce the number of reserved but unused campsites and allow more people to enjoy camping in a state park.”
In an email that went out earlier this week, TPWD stated “all reservations will be subject to a new ‘no-show’ policy. If you have a reservation and do not check-in by noon the day after your scheduled arrival, your reservation may be canceled and the site(s) will be released back to available inventory.”
The email goes on to encourage anyone arriving later than their scheduled reservation to notify park staff or the Customer Care Center immediately stating, “your reservation will not be canceled if you contact staff before noon the day after your scheduled arrival.”
Under the new policy, anyone who does not contact TPWD staff by the deadline will be considered a “no show” and their reservation will be immediately canceled, and released back into the system. Park entrance fees will be refunded, but all other fees—including campsite fees—will be forfeited.
The new policy went into effect on June 1st and follows several other states who have implemented stricter “no-show” rules. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department oversees more than 80 parks statewide. For a full list, click here.
What do you think about this new no-show policy? Will it solve the booking issue? Let us know in the comments.
