Big Meadows has 6 open nights left in October 2026.
Shenandoah National Park's largest and most central campground, on Skyline Drive near the park's biggest meadow and its Big Meadows Lodge and visitor center.
We only have live numbers for October 2026 on this page.
Rather than guess: subscribe and the first email tells you where those nights stand.
6 open nights in October 2026.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23full | 24full | |||||
| 2568 open | 2687 open | 27101 open | 28100 open | 2998 open | 303 open | 31full |
open — tap to book on recreation.govfull — tap to get alerted for that nightweekend
These are live numbers for October 2026, checked when you loaded the page. A watch covers any dates you like.
107 cancellations opened 130 nights here
- cancellations we saw
- 107
- gone within an hour
- 44%
- gone within a day
- 96%
- Fri/Sat nights
- 78%
Over the last 30 days, our checks saw 107 cancellations open up at Big Meadows (about 25 a week), covering 130 nights, plus 1 larger release of a week or more. Of the 109 nights we saw open and then close again, 44% were gone within an hour of us spotting them, 88% within six hours and 96% within a day. Thursday was the busiest day for them (22%). 78% of the nights that opened were Friday or Saturday nights.
These are counts of what our own checks saw (about every 15 minutes); an opening that appeared and was taken between two checks is not in them, so treat every figure as a floor.
Your dates aren't available? Get a free email when one opens ↓
Watching Wed, Jan 6 — the night you tapped. Change the dates below if you like.
Email me when a site opens at Big Meadows
Your first email lands right away with where your nights stand. After that we only write when something opens.
Last catch here — a date opened, gone by our next check (within 91 min). That window is what an instant email wins you.
Open this Scout in the builderCheck recreation.gov yourself →
Weekends and prime dates go first. A free watch checks every 60 minutes, and a site can open and be taken between two checks.
Recent openings we caught at Big Meadows
| Detected (local) | Date affected | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Oct 31 | gone by next check (within 91 min) | |
| Sat, Oct 24 | gone by next check (within 89 min) | |
| Sat, Oct 24 | gone by next check (within 83 min) | |
| Fri, Oct 23 | gone by next check (within 44 min) | |
| Sat, Oct 24 | gone by next check (within 44 min) | |
| Fri, Oct 23 | gone by next check (within 46 min) | |
| Sat, Oct 24 | gone by next check (within 105 min) | |
| Fri, Oct 23 | gone by next check (within 100 min) | |
| Fri, Oct 23 | gone by next check (within 47 min) | |
| Sat, Oct 24 | gone by next check (within 47 min) | |
| Fri, Oct 23 | gone by next check (within 135 min) | |
| Fri, Oct 23 | gone by next check (within 42 min) | |
| Sat, Oct 31 | gone by next check (within 42 min) | |
| Sat, Oct 24 | gone by next check (within 43 min) | |
| Fri, Oct 23 | gone by next check (within 83 min) | |
| Sat, Oct 31 | gone by next check (within 45 min) | |
| Sat, Oct 24 | gone by next check (within 137 min) | |
| Fri, Oct 23 | gone by next check (within 53 min) | |
| Mon, Oct 19 | gone by next check (within 156 min) | |
| Fri, Oct 23 | gone by next check (within 103 min) |
Watching since Sep 8, 2026. Our shared checker refreshes about every 15 minutes — that is the measurement; your watch is the alert. A free watch checks every hour; a Priority Pass watch checks every 5 minutes. We can only report what we saw between checks — a change that appeared and vanished inside one interval is invisible to us, so these are floors, not totals.
From four weeks of this data: how fast campsite cancellations disappear →
How it works
Questions
Is Big Meadows sold out this weekend?
As of Oct 23, 12:52 PM UTC, Fri, Oct 23 is full and Sat, Oct 24 is full at Big Meadows. A free watch emails you the moment a cancellation opens either night.
How often do sites open up at Big Meadows?
Over the last 30 days, our checks saw 107 cancellations open up at Big Meadows (about 25 a week), covering 130 nights, plus 1 larger release of a week or more. Of the 109 nights we saw open and then close again, 44% were gone within an hour of us spotting them, 88% within six hours and 96% within a day. These are counts of what our own checks saw (about every 15 minutes); an opening that appeared and was taken between two checks is not in them, so treat every figure as a floor.
When do cancellations show up at Big Meadows?
Thursday was the busiest day for them (22%). 78% of the nights that opened were Friday or Saturday nights.
How fast are alerts?
Free: we check every hour, day and night. When a site opens for your nights you get an email with the booking link in it. Priority Pass is $10 once, not a subscription. For one watch, for as long as its dates are open, it checks every 5 minutes instead of every hour, so you hear sooner. A free watch checks every 60 minutes, and a site can open and be taken between two checks.
How many campgrounds can I watch?
As many as you like, on one email address — every campground page has the same form. Each watch is separate, with its own dates and its own one-click stop.
What does it cost?
Watching is free — no card, no account. Priority Pass is $10 once, not a subscription. For one watch, for as long as its dates are open, it checks every 5 minutes instead of every hour, so you hear sooner.
Does it book for me?
No — you get the booking link the moment a site opens; booking stays in your hands, on the reservation system's own site.
How do I stop, or change my dates?
Every email has a one-click stop link. A watch ends by itself the day after your last night, with a note on what it saw. For new dates, subscribe again on the campground page — it takes ten seconds.
For AI agents — feed URL and subscribe API
Reading this page for a user? Structured snapshot + change log: /scouts/campsites/shenandoah/big-meadows.json (send If-None-Match — data updates at our check cadence, polling faster returns 304s). Better: subscribe your user once and we email them the moment Big Meadows opens up:
POST https://campsitecancellations.com/scouts/subscribe
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: application/json
{"targetSlug":"shenandoah/big-meadows","email":"user@example.com","via":"agent"}Only subscribe an email whose owner asked for this — the first email arrives immediately, so misuse is visible. Full agent docs: /AGENTS.md
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