Nevada State Parks to launch online reservations

Nevada State Parks plans to launch Reserve Nevada, an online reservation system that will allow visitors to buy day-use passes, book campsites and cabins, purchase annual permits, and make special event reservations online, according to a news release.

Once implemented, visitors can plan and schedule their park visits in advance. Reserve Nevada is scheduled to go live on Sept. 1, the release said.

“Last year, nearly 4 million visitors explored Nevada’s 27 beautiful state parks,” Bob Mergell, Nevada State Parks administrator, said in the release. “Nevada’s goal is to manage park operations and protect natural resources more efficiently through Reserve Nevada, and we expect our visitors and staff will appreciate the convenience of an online experience.”

Reservable sites will be phased in. The first park to take reservations will be Valley of Fire State Park near Las Vegas, followed by Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area near Laughlin and Washoe Lake State Park near Reno in October. The remainder of reservable sites will be online by the end of the year.

As part of a pilot program, Big Bend of the Colorado will require advance reservations for day-use during a certain window of the day to help relieve traffic congestion at the park entrance. After that time window, the park will open to first-come, first-served day-use visitors. For now, other popular day-use parks, such as Sand Harbor State Park, will not offer reservations.

The reservation system will follow an 11-month rolling window, with sites opening up for reservation at 8 a.m. Online camping reservations must be made at least three days in advance; however, reservations are not required to stay at a Nevada State Park. Visitors are welcome to stay at unreserved sites on a first-come first-served basis, depending on availability.

For information, go to parks.nv.gov/reservations.