In 1990 the Corps was directed to develop a plan to maintain and enhance public recreation opportunities at Corps water resource projects while reducing the Federal expenditures for recreation. A National Recreation Study was conducted, and findings from the study recommended establishing a nationwide campground reservation system.
In 1992, as part of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) directed Recreation Policy Review, the recommendation was reexamined and endorsed. At that time, CECW-ON established a task force to look at the potential of partnering with the U.S. Forest Service to build an interagency reservation system.
In 1995, the Corps signed an interagency agreement with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management for joint procurement of nationwide recreation reservation services. The DOI Nation Park Service was originally included in this agreement but decided not to participate and provide separate NPS reservation service.
In March 1998 a contract was awarded to ReserveAmerica (formerly Park Net Inc.), of Ballston Spa, N.Y., to operate the new interagency nationwide reservation service for recreation facilities and activities on federal lands managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Forest Service. The contractor is paid a fee for each reservation transaction made at each of the sales channels. The Forest Service adds this cost as a reservation fee to the customer. The Corps includes this cost in their facility use fee and does not charge a separate reservation fee to the customer.
In December 2002 the Interior and Agriculture Agencies received direction from the Office of Management and Budget to consolidate reservation systems. Subsequently, the NRRS became part of the DOI led Recreation One-Stop, E-Government initiative and 12 National Parks, 3 Bureau of Land Management and 2 Bureau of Reclamation sites were added to the NRRS in November 2003.
In October 2018 a new Recreation.gov site launched under a new contract.
