1. Who we are and what this covers
CamperWatch ("CamperWatch," "we," "our," or "us") operates the website camperwatch.org and related services, including campground discovery, direct booking, owner dashboards, availability alerts, iCal sync, and community features. These Terms of Service ("Terms") apply to all users — campers browsing or booking, campground owners listing their properties, and anyone visiting the site.
By creating an account or using CamperWatch, you agree to these Terms. If you're using CamperWatch on behalf of a business, organization, or tribal entity, you represent that you have authority to bind that entity.
2. CamperWatch is a marketplace platform
CamperWatch is a technology platform that connects campers with independent campground operators. We are not a campground operator, lodging provider, travel agent, or insurer. We do not own, manage, control, or inspect any campground listed on the platform.
When you book a campground through CamperWatch, your reservation agreement is directly and exclusively with the campground owner (the "Owner"). CamperWatch is not a party to that agreement. The Owner is solely responsible for the campground, its condition, its rules, and the experience it provides.
CamperWatch's role is limited to: providing the technology platform; processing payments as a technical intermediary through Stripe; deducting a 5% commission from the Owner's payout; and making booking records available to both parties. Nothing else.
3. Campers — booking, payments, and your responsibilities
Payment is processed by Stripe. Your card is charged at the time of booking. The price you pay is the price listed by the Owner. CamperWatch does not charge campers any booking fee, service fee, or platform fee on top of the listed price. CamperWatch's 5% commission is paid by the Owner from their payout — it is not added to your charge.
Stripe's standard payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.30) are included in the transaction and are not separately itemised to you.
You are responsible for: reading the campground's listing and policies before booking; arriving within the check-in window communicated by the Owner; following the campground's rules including quiet hours, fire regulations, and pet policies; obtaining any required permits (including tribal recreation permits for federally or tribally managed lands); and leaving your site in the condition you found it.
Federal campground pages on CamperWatch display live availability data from Recreation.gov but bookings for federal campgrounds are completed on Recreation.gov directly. CamperWatch is not affiliated with Recreation.gov, the National Park Service, or the U.S. Forest Service.
4. Campground owners — listing, commissions, and payouts
By listing your campground on CamperWatch, you represent that you have full legal authority to offer reservations for that property and that all information you provide is accurate, current, and not misleading.
CamperWatch charges a 5% commission on every booking facilitated through the platform. This is the only fee CamperWatch charges owners. There is no monthly fee, no setup cost, no long-term contract, and no other transaction fee. The 5% is deducted from your payout at the time of each booking.
Payouts are processed through Stripe Connect Express. You are responsible for completing Stripe's KYC (Know Your Customer) verification before accepting payments. Payout timing is subject to Stripe's standard schedule. CamperWatch is not responsible for delays caused by Stripe or your financial institution.
You set your own cancellation policy. You set your own house rules. You are responsible for the guest experience on your property. CamperWatch is a booking channel — not a co-host, property manager, or guarantor of guest behaviour.
You own your guest data. CamperWatch will not sell or use your guest contact information for third-party marketing. You may contact your own guests directly.
You are solely responsible for complying with all applicable laws including lodging taxes, business licensing, health and safety regulations, zoning, and — for tribal land operators — all applicable tribal, federal, and state laws. CamperWatch does not advise on regulatory compliance and is not liable for your failure to comply.
5. Cancellations and refunds
Cancellation and refund terms are set by each Owner and displayed at checkout before the camper pays. By completing a booking, the camper accepts the Owner's cancellation policy in force at that time.
If no custom policy is set by the Owner, CamperWatch's default template applies: full refund if cancelled 14+ days before check-in; 50% refund if cancelled 7-13 days before check-in; no refund if cancelled less than 7 days before check-in. These default terms represent the agreement between camper and Owner — not a commitment by CamperWatch.
Refunds are processed through Stripe from booking proceeds held prior to Owner payout. CamperWatch does not issue refunds from its own funds. If a booking has already been paid out and a refund subsequently becomes due, CamperWatch will contact the Owner to recover the refund amount.
CamperWatch's 5% commission is returned on fully refunded bookings. On partial refunds, the commission is recalculated on the amount the Owner retains.
For full details see camperwatch.org/cancellation.
6. Prohibited conduct
You may not use CamperWatch to: create fake listings or fraudulent bookings; circumvent the platform to avoid paying commissions on bookings we introduced; harass, threaten, or discriminate against other users or campground operators; upload content that infringes intellectual property rights; attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or copy CamperWatch's data, code, or systems; or use the platform for any unlawful purpose.
Violations may result in immediate account suspension and, where appropriate, referral to law enforcement.
7. Content you post
By submitting photos, reviews, trip logs, community posts, or other content to CamperWatch, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to display, reproduce, and distribute that content in connection with operating the platform. You retain ownership of your content.
You represent that your content is accurate, does not infringe third-party rights, and does not contain false or defamatory statements about campgrounds, owners, or other users.
CamperWatch reserves the right to remove content that violates these Terms or that we determine, in our sole discretion, is harmful to the platform or its users.
8. Availability data and accuracy
Federal campground availability data is sourced in real time from Recreation.gov's public API and is provided for informational purposes only. CamperWatch does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this data. Always verify availability directly on Recreation.gov before making travel plans.
Private campground availability is sourced from owner-managed calendars on CamperWatch. Availability shown reflects the owner's last update and may not account for phone bookings or other reservations made outside the platform.
Campground information including amenities, pricing, photos, and site details is provided by owners or sourced from public records. We make reasonable efforts to keep this accurate but cannot guarantee it. Always confirm details directly with the campground before arrival.
9. Limitation of liability
CamperWatch is a technology platform. We are not responsible for the condition, safety, cleanliness, or quality of any campground listed on the platform. We are not responsible for personal injury, property damage, theft, wildlife incidents, weather events, road conditions, or any other loss arising from your visit to a campground.
We are not responsible for an Owner's failure to honour a booking, for inaccurate listing information provided by an Owner, or for any act or omission of any campground operator.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, CAMPERWATCH'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING FROM USE OF THE PLATFORM SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) THE TOTAL AMOUNT YOU PAID TO CAMPERWATCH DIRECTLY IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) $100. CAMPERWATCH CHARGES CAMPERS NO FEES — ANY PAYMENT YOU MADE WAS TO A CAMPGROUND OWNER, NOT TO CAMPERWATCH.
WE PROVIDE THE PLATFORM "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.
10. Disputes between campers and owners
All disputes about reservations, property conditions, damage, refunds, or any other matter arising from a stay are between the camper and the Owner. CamperWatch is not a party to those disputes and has no obligation to resolve them.
CamperWatch will not act as arbitrator, mediator, or judge in disputes between campers and owners. We will not make factual findings about what happened at a campground. We will not compel an Owner to issue a refund beyond what their posted cancellation policy requires.
If you believe an Owner has committed fraud — meaning deliberately misrepresenting a campground to obtain payment for something they had no intention of providing — contact us at info@camperwatch.org with your booking reference and documentation. We will review the claim and may, at our sole discretion, suspend the Owner's account and process a refund through Stripe if fraud is substantiated. This is a voluntary measure to protect platform integrity, not a legal obligation.
For all other disputes — including disagreements about campground quality, amenities that did not match expectations, or host behaviour — your recourse is directly with the Owner, through your credit card issuer's chargeback process, or through applicable small claims courts. CamperWatch is not a party to those proceedings.
11. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes via email. Continued use of CamperWatch after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. The current version of these Terms is always available at camperwatch.org/terms.
12. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Nevada, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any dispute between you and CamperWatch (not between you and an Owner) that cannot be resolved through good-faith negotiation shall be submitted to binding arbitration in Reno, Nevada under JAMS rules, except that either party may seek injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction. Disputes between campers and owners are not subject to this clause.