You'll have to go online to make a camping reservation at Guadalupe Mountains National Park/NPS file

Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas is moving its campground reservations system online to recreation.gov.

As of September 30, reservations for the Pine Springs and Dog Canyon campgrounds and recreational vehicle sites will move to Recreation.Gov. Previously, campers could book an open campsite day-of and in person on a first come, first served basis at the self-registration station in the park or at the Pine Springs Visitor Center. Now, all advanced and day-of reservations will be made through Recreation.Gov.

Overnight reservations for tent camping and RV stays will be available up to six months in advance. All reservations and payment for camping and RV sites will be made through Recreation.Gov.

The park strongly recommends that you reserve your tent camping and RV sites before entering the park, as cell phone service is limited at the visitor center and in the campground areas. There will no longer be self-registering, pre-payment systems, also known as “iron rangers,” for campsite registration.

Open campsites in the park can be extremely difficult to find during busy seasons on holiday weekends and in the fall and spring. Visitors may also want to explore camping opportunities outside the park, which include private campgrounds in nearby communities of White’s City and Carlsbad, New Mexico. The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service also offer camping opportunities close by.