Suffolk to upgrade camping reservation system, a $15M revenue generator

The Suffolk County Parks Department will launch a new reservation system for camping and other recreational activities, modernizing a system used by thousands of residents, an update county officials described as "long-awaited."

The upgrade, set to launch in stages later this month, will be the first to the park’s reservation system since 2017, according to the county.

Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said the new system will "streamline the process for all park purchases."

"This means fewer headaches, faster approvals and more fun in our over 60,000 acres of county parkland," he said in a news release.

The transition, however, has delayed campers' ability to reserve early summer dates and also nixes the lottery previously used for group camping.

The system handles not only camping reservations, but also golf tee times, online recreation permits like outer beach permits and the in-person point-of-sale system.

Residents will have access to a digital Green Key card membership under the new system that can be accessed from a mobile device. That will allow users to make reservations and purchases from their mobile device, according to the county. 

The Green Key card is required to make online reservations for camping and marinas. A resident Green Key card costs $30 for three years, while non-resident cards range from $50 to $200 and are renewed annually.

The reservation system has been offline since mid-December, shortly after the parks department first announced on social media it would be transitioning to the new system sometime in late January. The announcement created some angst among campers who feared they may miss out on booking coveted summer dates when the system comes online.

The county said family camping reservations will be opened for bookings "gradually by date to ensure a smooth transition into the new system."

Exact dates have not yet been announced.

The county collects about $15 million in revenue annually through its reservation system, according to Suffolk's 2026 budget. In 2024, lawmakers approved spending $700,000 in capital reserve funds to upgrade the system.

A lottery for group camping reservations will be paused this year, according to the county, due to the timing. Those reservations will instead be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis when an online application is received. Groups submit online applications starting Monday by following instructions on the parks department website.

Christina Doner, a member of the Mallards Camping Club, which celebrated its 60th anniversary last year, said she believed the lottery system was "antiquated." She said the groups could submit one reservation for each club account but that it would take a month to find out whether the date was secured.

She said she's hopeful the new system will allow them to find out right away if the requested dates were booked.

There are more than 1,182 sites across 10 campgrounds in the county with Smith Point County Park as the most sought after of the county's "flagship" sites.  Camping season runs from April through early November at most sites with reservations booked six months in advance.

Ken Weeks, vice president of the Suffolk Committee for Camping, a group formed in 1992 to advocate on behalf of camping clubs and county campers, urged campers to have patience until the new system comes online.

"Something’s being improved for us for our future," he said. "We just need the patience to let them accomplish what they’re trying to accomplish."

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

---