MAINE, USA — Editor's Note: The video above aired Jan. 12, 2021.
There's fierce competition for campsites, both at Maine state parks and Maine's private campgrounds.
According to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, roughly of the advance reservation campsites at state parks are already booked up for peak season. Some parks are seeing an 80 to 100 percent increase in demand for certain sites compared to last year.
It's a similar story for private campsites, with people in the camping industry saying there are long waitlists for sites that can be booked all summer long. There's even the potential that people may not get their first or second choice sites.
The bottom line from both state and private campgrounds: Book as soon as possible.
"Now is the time to call and be prepared for maybe not getting your first pick – try and be flexible," Kathy Dyer, executive director of the Maine Campground Owners Association, said.
"If you are banking on a trip to Maine from outside of the state or even within the state, the best plan would be to act early and use the resources of campwithme.com and the website of maine.gov/dacf," Jim Britt, communications director for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, said.
In 2020, Maine state parks broke all records for recreation visits, which includes day-use and camping. Despite pandemic-related spring closures and season-long capacity limitations, a total of 3,067,112 people visited Maine state parks in 2020.
Editor's Note: The video below aired Jan. 12, 2021.