How many people a group campsite holds
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Capacity on a group campsite is a range, not a single number. The top of the range is the most people allowed. The bottom is the fewest. Your party has to land inside it.
In this directory the "Holds" column shows that range when the booking system publishes it. When it does not, the column reads "Not published" and the official listing is the place to check.
The three limits on a group site
| Limit | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Maximum people | The largest party the site accepts |
| Minimum people | The smallest party the site accepts, where one is set |
| Vehicles | How many cars may park at or near the site |
All three are set per site by the park. They are not general rules for group camping, and one park's numbers tell you nothing about the next park's.
Example: Watchman Campground, Zion
Zion's group sites are the E loop of Watchman Campground. The park's 2026 compendium lists a people range and a parking count for each one.
| Site | People | Parking spaces |
|---|---|---|
| E1 | 15 to 30 | 6 |
| E2 | 15 to 30 | 6 |
| E3 | 20 to 40 | 8, plus 1 oversize vehicle space |
| E4 | 20 to 40 | 6 |
| E5 | 7 to 15 | 4 |
| E6 | 20 to 40 | 6 |
| E7 | 20 to 40 | 7 |
Read against that table:
- A party of 10 fits only E5.
- A party of 18 fits E1 or E2. It is too big for E5 and too small for the four sites that start at 20.
- A party of 35 fits E3, E4, E6 or E7.
- A party of 45 fits none of them as one reservation.
Zion also has four group sites in South Campground, lettered A to D. Each is listed at 7 to 15 people with 4 cars or 2 RVs.
For comparison, an ordinary Zion campsite is limited to six people, three tents and two vehicles. The group sites are exempt from those limits and use their own. Group camping at Zion runs only during the reservation season, with a stay limit of seven days and 14 days in a calendar year.
Example: Yosemite group camps
Yosemite sets one range for its group camps: 13 to 30 people. Up to five vehicles can be parked near a group camp. The sites are for tents only. RVs and trailers are not allowed at group campsites, and neither are pets.
An ordinary Yosemite campsite allows at most six people, children included, and two motor vehicles.
Group sites are in four Yosemite campgrounds: Wawona, Hodgdon Meadow, Bridalveil Creek and Tuolumne Meadows.
How capacity is used in an alert
On Recreation.gov, each site carries its own minimum and maximum number of people. OpenCampsite reads those two numbers when you add a party size to an alert for a Recreation.gov campground.
- A site matches when its maximum is at least your party size and its minimum, if it has one, is no more than your party size.
- A site with no published maximum never matches a party-size alert.
- The alert covers the people limit only. Check parking, tents and vehicles on the official listing before you book.
What capacity does not tell you
- Whether RVs or trailers are allowed. See site types.
- Whether the site is open on your dates.
- Whether children count toward the limit. Yosemite states that its six-person limit on ordinary sites includes children. Other parks may count differently, so read the listing.
Get alerts for sites that fit your party size
Common questions
- Can a party smaller than the minimum book a group site?
- Not under the published limit. At Zion's Watchman Campground, sites E1 and E2 start at 15 people and E3, E4, E6 and E7 start at 20. A smaller party should look at a site with a lower floor, such as E5, which takes 7 to 15.
- Is the parking limit separate from the people limit?
- Yes. Each Watchman group site has its own number of parking spaces, from four to eight, and Yosemite allows up to five vehicles near a group camp. A site can fit your head count and still be short of parking.
- Do all group sites in one campground hold the same number?
- No. Watchman's seven group sites use three different people ranges. Read the limit for the exact site you plan to reserve.