Changes, Cancellations & No-shows to State Park Reservations

Most reservations can be changed or cancelled online. Contact customer service if you need help. If you do not understand a term, please look for it in our reservations definitions.

• Administrative charges
• Camping
• Lodging
• Group sites
• Tickets/tours
• Day passes
• No-shows
• Rate changes

Go to the State Park Reservations Portal to make reservations and find tips and details.

Administrative charges

TPWD will not apply a penalty (administrative) charge if you:

• Change or cancel a reservation within 24 hours of making the reservation. 
  Note: If you make a reservation that goes beyond the five-month window, you cannot make changes for 18 days, and the 24-hour no-penalty rule will not apply to your reservation
• Extend a reservation.
• Upgrade a reservation to a higher-priced site or activity (ticket/tour).
• Change a reservation to a different site in the same site type and at the same fee.

TPWD will apply a penalty charge if you:

• Drop any dates on a reservation.
• Change arrival date, except to extend a reservation by arriving earlier.
• Downgrade to a lower-priced site or activity (ticket/tour) in the same park.

The penalty charge is limited to the amount previously paid.

All Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations, rules and policies apply to reservations. This includes administrative fees for changing reservations.

Camping

This includes individual campsites and screened shelters.

Change reservation

• Change five days or more before the arrival date:
  Penalty = $10 or amount paid (excluding entrance fees), whichever is less
• Reduce number of nights less than five days from the arrival date, upon arrival, or after arrival:
  Penalty = $10 per night reduced with a maximum penalty of $50

Cancel reservation

• Cancel five days or more before the arrival date:
  Penalty = $10 or amount paid (excluding entrance fees), whichever is less
• Cancel less than five days from the arrival date:
  Penalty = $10 per night with a maximum penalty of $50
• Do not cancel and do not show up:
  Penalty = forfeiture of the entire amount paid (excluding entrance fees)

Note:  If a site's price is less than $10, the penalty will be the cost of the site.

Lodging

This includes yurts, cabins, lodges and lodge rooms.

You may not transfer reservations for overnight lodging from one park to another.

Change reservation

• Change five days or more before the arrival date:
  Penalty = $25 or amount paid (excluding entrance fees), whichever is less
• Reduce number of nights less than five days from the arrival date, upon arrival, or after arrival:
  Penalty = $25 per night reduced with a maximum penalty of $75

Note:  If a site's price is less than $25, the penalty will be the cost of the site.

Cancel reservation:

• Cancel five days or more before the arrival date:
  Penalty = $25 or amount paid (excluding entrance fees), whichever is less
• Cancel less than five days from the arrival date:
  Penalty = $25 per night with a maximum penalty of $75
• Do not cancel and do not show up:
  Penalty = forfeiture of the entire amount paid (excluding entrance fees)

Group sites

This includes group camps, barracks/bunkhouses, pavilions, picnic areas, group halls, amphitheaters, auditoriums, gymnasiums and pools.

You may not transfer group or day-use site reservations from one park to another.

Change reservation

• Change reservation more than six months before arrival date:
  Penalty = 25 percent of the reservation (excluding entrance fees)
• Change reservation six or fewer months before arrival date:
  Penalty = 50 percent of the reservation (excluding entrance fees)

Cancel group site reservation

• Cancel more than six months before the arrival date:
  Penalty = 25 percent of the reservation (excluding entrance fees).
• Cancel two to six months before the arrival date:
  Penalty = 50 percent of the reservation (excluding entrance fees).
• Cancel less than two months before the arrival date:
  Penalty = 100 percent of the reservation (excluding entrance fees).  

Tickets/tours (activities)

You may not transfer tickets from one park to another.

• Change or cancel ticket/tour reservations:
  Penalty = forfeiture of the fee paid.

“Save the Day” day passes

You may not transfer day pass reservations from one park to another.

• Cancel or change a day pass reservation within 24 hours of making reservation: 
  No penalty (full refund) 
• Cancel or change a day pass reservation five or more days in advance of arrival date: 
  No penalty (full refund)
• Cancel or change a day pass reservation less than five days from the arrival date:
  Penalty = forfeiture of the day permit fee paid

No-shows

If you do not check in at the park by noon of the day after your scheduled arrival date, we will cancel the rest of your reservation. Your entrance fees will be refunded, but all other fees will be forfeited.

If you think you will arrive after the noon cutoff, call the park or the Customer Service Center to avoid cancellation.

Rate changes

Administrative charges and site fees are subject to change at any time. If fees change, we will honor the fees in effect when you made the reservation, as long as you do not change the reservation. If you make changes, we will apply the new fees.