Finding campgrounds in the busy season

[isucivile]

Hey everyone! We are new to RV'ing and done a couple small trips in the "off season". So we've never had a hard time finding campsites. But now we're planning a 2-3 month trip this summer from St Louis, MO to the National Parks in the NW portion of the US, and a few weeks along the Washington and Oregon coast. We're going to be doing a lot of driving and camping, so we don't really know where we will be staying and when. We're really going to be winging it.

My question is this... How hard is to find places to camp in these areas in the summer? A lot of the nicer, more popular, campgrounds we have been looking at online are already booked, or don't have any openings longer than a few days. (We don't plan on camping near Yellowstone because of the huge tourist trap I've heard it to be.)

Can you find places to camp for 5-7 days in some of the National Parks, a few days before you get there? Or along the coast in Oregon & Washington?

How many of you have gone on trips like this - where you just plan your next few days out as you go along? Any advice or tips?

(Btw - We have 2 adults and 4 kids (and a dog), and are pulling a 37' travel trailer with a 7.3L Diesel Ford Excursion - thanks to recommendations from people on this board. It's a beast and will pull anything!)

Thanks!

[Go Dawgs]

As for the Washington Coast or anyplace in the PNW you will find it very difficult to find any State Park or National Park available for any weekend dates. Those book up at the prime locations 6 to 8 months ahead of time.

Last year for our trip to 13 Western States I booked those locations I wanted to see 6 months in advance (Grand Canyon, Disneyland, 4th of July with Family in Texas). Other than that it was using our campground directory and called ahead about an hour or so ahead.

Good Luck