Thanksgiving is Thu Nov 26, 2026 · availability checked Nov 3, 2026
Most of these parks are already full. A few are not.
Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26, and the four nights from Thursday to Sunday are the busiest stretch of the Florida camping year. Seven campgrounds that booked 90% to 100% of their sites over the last few Thanksgivings still had sites open for November 26-29 when we checked on Nov 3, 2026: 59 open sites at six of them, plus a few more at Alexander Springs. Separately, the nine drivable campgrounds that sold out completely last Thanksgiving had nothing open for 2026. Availability changes daily, so treat every count here as a starting point, not a promise.
Alexander Springs, Ocala National Forest: 99-100% booked over Thanksgiving 2022-2024, and still a few sites left this year Photo: USDA Forest Service, photo by Susan Blake / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
By RVParks.com · Updated November 4, 2026 · How we ranked them
Why this list exists
A campground that turns away campers on 90% of its sites is not a campground with a problem. It is a campground people want, and the few sites that do come free are the ones worth setting an alarm for. That is the shape of this list: seven Florida campgrounds with a documented record of near-total Thanksgiving sellouts, each of which still had something open for November 26-29, 2026 on the day we checked.
The record matters because a single year of "sold out" tells you nothing about whether a site will come free. Ortona South booked every site over Thanksgiving 2023 and again in 2024 and still shows six sites for the Saturday night of this Thanksgiving. Alexander Springs has run at 99-100% for three straight years and has a handful of sites left Friday and Saturday, though Thursday is gone. Those gaps are what a cancellation looks like from the outside.
The counts here were pulled on Nov 3, 2026. Checkout, cancellations and new releases move them every day, so the sensible order is: find the park, check its live availability, and if the dates you want are gone, check again in a few days.
01 · USFS · Ocala National Forest · Altoona
The hardest ticket on the list, and still a few sites
A first-magnitude spring holding a steady 72°F, with four camping loops and 64 sites within walking distance of the swimming area. It is “the only place in the forest where scuba is permitted.” [Recreation.gov]
99-100% booked over Thanksgiving 2022, 2023 and 2024, and still a few sites open for Friday and Saturday. Thursday itself is full, so this is a Friday arrival.
02 · USFS · Ocala National Forest · Paisley
38 lakefront sites, no hookups
38 sites under pines and palms, many backing onto the lake, with hot showers and a sandy beach. No electrical or sewer hookups, so RVs need to be self-contained. [Recreation.gov]
97-100% booked over Thanksgiving 2022, 2023 and 2024. Eleven sites were open for the whole four nights when we checked, the most of any Ocala campground here.
03 · USFS · Apalachicola National Forest · Bristol
Ten sites on a clear lake
A well-shaded ten-site campground in longleaf pine country, reached by a short unpaved spur off State Road 12, with a bathhouse and a loop trail around the lake. [Recreation.gov]
90-100% booked over Thanksgiving 2022, 2023 and 2024, and seven of its ten sites were open for all four nights: the largest share of any campground on this list.
04 · NPS · Gulf Islands National Seashore · Santa Rosa Island
The one beach campground on the list
188 sites across five loops on Santa Rosa Island, a short walk from white Gulf beaches, with heated showers and many sites on 30 and 50 amp. Sites can be booked up to six months ahead. [Recreation.gov]
91-96% booked over Thanksgiving 2022, 2023 and 2024, yet 57 sites were open for the Saturday night alone. If you want one night of this weekend on the beach, this is where to look.
05 · USFS · Ocala National Forest · Silver Springs
31 sites by a quiet lake
31 sites between palmetto clumps and live oaks on the shore of Fore Lake, with a bathhouse, a free dump station for paid campers and a pier and canoe launch. The nightly fee is $20. [Recreation.gov]
90% booked over Thanksgiving 2023 and 92% over Thanksgiving 2024, and twelve sites were open for all four nights of this one.
06 · NPS · Big Cypress National Preserve · Tamiami Trail
13 electric RV sites open, four nights
36 sites around a small lake in the middle of Big Cypress, 26 of them for RVs with electric hookups, with a dump station, flush toilets and potable water. Just off U.S. 41 at about mile marker 52. [Recreation.gov]
93% booked over Thanksgiving 2024, and thirteen RV electric sites were open for all four nights. Every RV site looks out over the water.
07 · USACE · Caloosahatchee River · Moore Haven
Six sites, Saturday night only
49 sites on the Caloosahatchee River with concrete pads, water and 30/50-amp electric, a fire ring and a covered picnic table, plus restrooms with showers and a dump station. [Recreation.gov]
Booked solid over Thanksgiving 2023 and again in 2024. Six sites were open for Saturday, November 28 alone, so this works as a one-nighter on the way through.
Booking history is each park's share of campsite-nights booked over the Thanksgivings named. Open sites were counted on Nov 3, 2026 for Thanksgiving weekend, November 26-29, 2026.
| # | Campground | Where | Agency | Booking history | Open, Nov 26–29 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Springs | Ocala National Forest · Altoona | USFS | 99-100% booked Thanksgiving 2022-2024 | A few sites Fri-Sat (Thursday is full) |
| 2 | Clearwater Lake | Ocala National Forest · Paisley | USFS | 97-100% booked Thanksgiving 2022-2024 | 11 sites Nov 26-29 |
| 3 | Camel Lake | Apalachicola National Forest · Bristol | USFS | 90-100% booked Thanksgiving 2022-2024 | 7 of its 10 sites Nov 26-29 |
| 4 | Fort Pickens | Gulf Islands National Seashore · Santa Rosa Island | NPS | 91-96% booked Thanksgiving 2022-2024 | 10 sites Nov 26-29, 57 for Sat night |
| 5 | Fore Lake | Ocala National Forest · Silver Springs | USFS | 90% (2023) and 92% (2024) booked | 12 sites Nov 26-29 |
| 6 | Midway | Big Cypress National Preserve · Tamiami Trail | NPS | 93% booked Thanksgiving 2024 | 13 RV electric sites Nov 26-29 |
| 7 | Ortona South | Caloosahatchee River · Moore Haven | USACE | 100% booked Thanksgiving 2023 and 2024 | 6 sites for Sat Nov 28 |
Counts are a snapshot: availability changes daily as people book and cancel. Two of the seven, Clearwater Lake and Alexander Springs, take RVs but have no hookups; Camel Lake has electrical hookups at some sites. Rates and rules are set by each campground on Recreation.gov.
Context: what sold out last year
These ten fill up hardest when Thanksgiving arrives. All nine drivable ones were 100% booked over Thanksgiving 2024, November 27-30, per Recreation.gov reservation data, and ranked by how far Thanksgiving beat each park's normal winter occupancy (November 2024 to March 2025). None of the nine had sites open for Thanksgiving 2026 on November 3.
| # | Campground | Where | Thanksgiving 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Scorpion Campground (boat-in only) | Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands NP, CA | Sold out; boat-in only, no RV access |
| 9 | W.P. Franklin North | Alva, FL | Sold out for Thanksgiving 2026 |
| 8 | Chisos Basin | Big Bend NP, TX | Sold out for Thanksgiving 2026 |
| 7 | Ryan Campground | Joshua Tree NP, CA | Sold out for Thanksgiving 2026 |
| 6 | Bonita Canyon | Chiricahua NM, AZ | Sold out for Thanksgiving 2026 |
| 5 | Cottonwood | Big Bend NP, TX | Sold out for Thanksgiving 2026 |
| 4 | Red Rock Canyon | Las Vegas, NV | Sold out for Thanksgiving 2026 |
| 3 | Indian Cove | Joshua Tree NP, CA | Sold out for Thanksgiving 2026 |
| 2 | Black Rock | Joshua Tree NP, CA | Sold out for Thanksgiving 2026 |
| 1 | Juniper Springs | Ocala NF, FL | Sold out for Thanksgiving 2026 |
Scorpion is boat-in only on Santa Cruz Island and is not listed on RVParks.com. All nine drivable parks were 100% booked for Thanksgiving 2024 and showed nothing open for November 26-29, 2026 when we checked.
Thanksgiving is not the only date these parks fill. Christmas is the next one, and on November 3 there was still room for December 24-26 at four of the nine:
Christmas Eve availability was checked on the same day, November 3, 2026, and changes just as fast. Nothing here is a hold or a guarantee.
All seven had sites open for November 26-29, 2026 when we checked on Nov 3, 2026. Pick your dates to see what is open today.
Sources: Recreation.gov campground pages · Recreation.gov / RIDB historical reservations
Thursday, November 26, 2026. Thanksgiving weekend runs Thursday November 26 to Sunday November 29, which is the window every open-site count on this page refers to.
As of November 3, 2026, seven did: Alexander Springs (a few sites Friday and Saturday), Clearwater Lake (11 sites), Camel Lake (7 of its 10), Fort Pickens (10 sites, and 57 for Saturday night alone), Fore Lake (12), Midway (13 RV electric sites) and Ortona South (6 sites for Saturday). That is 59 sites across six of the seven, plus a few more at Alexander Springs.
The nine drivable campgrounds that sold out last Thanksgiving had nothing open for November 26-29, 2026 when we checked: W.P. Franklin North, Chisos Basin, Ryan, Bonita Canyon, Cottonwood, Red Rock Canyon, Indian Cove, Black Rock and Juniper Springs. Scorpion on Santa Cruz Island was also full but is boat-in only.
Yes. Four of those nine showed open sites for December 24-26, 2026 on November 3: Juniper Springs and Black Rock, Indian Cove and Red Rock Canyon. Christmas availability moves as fast as Thanksgiving, so check again before you book flights or tow the trailer.
Open sites were counted on Nov 3, 2026 for November 26-29, 2026. Booking history comes from Recreation.gov reservation records. Availability changes daily, so the counts are a snapshot rather than a promise.
