Some popular Idaho (and Montana) campsites book up in seconds. So how can you reserve a spot?

After years of trying and failing to book sites at Idaho’s more popular campgrounds, some people have just given up.

The campsites can be reserved through Recreation.gov, the vendor that handles booking and permitting for the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and more.

Reservations at many campgrounds open up on a rolling basis — six months ahead of time for individual sites and a year ahead of time for group sites. That means summer dates often first become available in winter. At popular Idaho campgrounds like those at Redfish Lake, it’s impossible to know how many hopeful campers are vying for the sites on Recreation.gov.