If you’re wondering how to choose the best national park for your next RV adventure, you’re not alone. We were clueless too when our full-time RVing life began in 2007. But after one giant boulder collision, several tree branch sideswipes, and 12 years traveling, we’ve got national park RV camping logistics down to a science. Here’s your chance to learn from our early blunders with foolproof tips for a flawless getaway.

Structural problems with the Chisos Mountains Lodge at Big Bend National Park have prompted the National Park Service to cancel the solicitation of a new concessions contract for the facility until a more thorough analysis can determine what repairs are needed and how much it might cost. That conclusion could lead to an entirely new lodging facility in the park located in West Texas.

Though the National Park Service makes up only one-tenth of 1 percent of the federal budget, it takes up a much larger share of the public imagination. The parks are also prominent in media coverage on the federal government. That’s especially true during one of our regular government shutdowns, when the media tells stories of closed parks, disappointed visitors, vandals, and piles of trash.