Site last updated: Sunday, August 2, 2026

Log In

Reset Password
Butler County's great daily newspaper

Upgrades sought at park campgrounds

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Food trucks. Wi-Fi. Hot showers.

Those campground upgrades could be coming to a national park near you.

The Interior Department is reviewing recommendations to modernize campgrounds at national parks. The recommendations posted online this week come from an advisory committee created under former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke that has been looking at ways for private businesses to operate on public lands.

The vice chairman of the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee, Derrick Crandall, said many campgrounds don’t meet visitors’ expectations. Allowing the private sector to run them would free up park staff for interpretation, safety needs or other services, he said.

Redesigning some campgrounds, and adding running water, tent and cabin rentals, food trucks, extended family sites and Wi-Fi at select parks also could boost revenue and encourage more people to stay overnight, the committee said.

The Interior Department isn’t obligated to enact the recommendations but has said it doesn’t have the money to modernize the more than 1,420 campgrounds in its system nor does every campground need upgrades.

More in National News

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

* indicates required
TODAY'S PHOTOS