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Picture yourself relaxing at your favorite campsite and then get on-line to reserve your spot on the DNR's new reservation system.
More than 7,500 campsites at state parks, reservoirs and recreation areas are available for reservation up to six months in advance by calling a toll-free telephone number or logging onto the Internet.
The reservation system is in place for campsites with services ranging from primitive to full service hook-ups, except Ft. Harrison and Falls of the Ohio state parks, which have no campsites, and state reservoir J. Edward Roush (Huntington) Lake, which has 122 self-serve campsites.
Shelters, cabins and recreation buildings can be reserved up to one year in advance.
The reservations will be made at no additional cost to the camper. Previously, a fee of $6 was charged for a campsite reservation.
The DNR has contracted with Spherix, Inc. of Beltsville, Md. to manage the reservation system.
Spherix manages reservations for more than 140 state and nation-al parks working with the National Park Service and the states of Delaware, Michigan and Maryland. Paid on a per site/per day basis, Spherix, Inc. probably will receive about $1.4 million for managing the reservations in 2003, based on past campsite occupancy.
The charges paid by DNR to Spherix, Inc. will come from campsite rental fees. As announced last summer, park fees have been increased for 2003 to pay for increased costs of campsite maintenance, to cover tax revenue shortfalls and for the new reservation system. The old $6 reservation fee was eliminated. As a result, most campers who traditionally reserve their campsite will see only a modest increase in costs.
Campers will be able to make reservations by calling, toll free, 1-866-6CAMPIN (1-866-622-6746) Monday through Friday from Noon to 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and Saturday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. E.S.T. They may also log onto the Internet 24 hours a day at www.camp.IN.gov.
Whether using the telephone or the computer, campers will pre-pay for their stay when they make the reservation through credit card (MasterCard or Visa) and debit card. Money orders can be accepted for telephone reservations made 15 or more days prior to arrival.
"For the past several years our customers have told us the improvement they most wanted was a good reservation system for campsites," said Jerry Pagac, director of the Division of State Parks and Reservoirs.
In previous years, campers heading out for a weekend of camping did not always know if they would have a campsite available.
Only a portion of campsites would be available for reservation and the rest were on a first come/first served basis, often requiring families to sit in line outside their favorite state park just to find out if a campsite would become available. The previous system requiring reservations to be mailed in for a March drawing often took too long for a family to find out if they got that campsite for their summer plans.
Campsites can be reserved as early as six months in advance of the arrival date, and as late as noon on the date of arrival. Cabins, shelters and recreation buildings can be reserved up to one year in advance and as late as 48 hours in advance.
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