Camping or hotel? Both options still available ahead of Memorial Day

SALT LAKE CITY — There’s still time to make travel plans for Memorial Day weekend. 

According to Devan Chavez, the deputy director of the Utah Division of State Parks, there are still “quite a few” campgrounds available for use around Memorial Day. 

Tune in to Dave & Dujanovic

 

“Reservations do change [and] people cancel,” Chavez said. “As of right now, we are seeing campgrounds all the way from Bear Lake to Sand Hollow and even Snow Canyon.” 

Although campgrounds at Dead Horse Point have filled up, there are other options near Moab. For example, Utahraptor State Park’s grand opening is on May 23, the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. 

 

Chavez said about half of the new state park’s camping trailer sites are still available. 

Planning tips for Memorial Day and beyond 

If you’re looking to avoid holiday crowds, plan your trip for the middle of the week. 

“All of our bookings are available online. If you’re not an online person, there’s a phone number on our website as well,” Chavez said. 

A button directing campers to reservations was added to the Utah State Parks website last year. 

Looking to visit a hidden gem? Chavez recommended East Canyon and Red Fleet state parks. He referred to the latter as “a sanctuary.” 

He also recommended Scofield and Fred Hay state parks to those who enjoy fishing. 

“Oftentimes, even us Utahns here on the Wasatch Front forget that those aren’t that far away,” Chavez said. 

Prefer hotels? Be wary of third-party sites

KSL Investigative Reporter Matt Gephardt said those planning hotel stays with third-party sites should be wary. 

Although websites like Expedia, Booking.com, or Trivago can help you save money, there may be errors in their booking, leaving customers stuck when it’s time to check in. 

Gephardt provided one of his experiences as an example. He said he’d used a third-party site to book two hotel rooms for a trip to Denver with his friends. When they arrived, however, the hotel only had one room listed on the reservation. 

Even though he provided his itinerary, which showed he reserved two rooms, Gephardt said the hotel had no way to honor it. 

“And they said ‘Well, if you look in our system, we only have one. I don’t know what to tell you, we don’t have a [second] room for you,'” Gephardt explained. 

The hotel did not view him as their customer. Rather, they viewed the third-party website as their customer. 

“We all sat around in the lobby while I tried to get on the phone with somebody, who by the way, never answered. I probably sat on the phone for 45 minutes listening to hold music,” Gephardt said. 

Eventually, Gephardt said he and his five friends ended up sharing a single room. 

He said booking through third-party apps doesn’t save much money. In contrast, booking directly through a hotel website, or through an airline site, can come with benefits. 

After browsing third-party services, navigate directly to your selected vendor’s website to complete the booking process. 

Gephardt said he’s not the only one with an experience like that. He later told a story about a woman who’d reached out, struggling to get a refund from Agoda. 

Watch out for scams 

When choosing a third-party site to browse, Gephardt offered this advice: “if you haven’t heard of them, I’d stay clear.” 

Furthermore, Gephardt said that huge dollar savings, such as prices that lie far outside of other websites, they are likely a scam. 

Reading reviews of sites on platforms such as Trustpilot can also help you gauge legitimacy. Instead of focusing on individual reviews, look for trends, such as reoccurring complaints. 

The Better Business Bureau also recommended examining the website and its URL. Egregious spelling errors or a lack of HTTPS:// at the beginning of the address are red flags. 

More scam news: UDOT warns public of new scam that warns drivers of nonexistent toll balances