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Serious reservations

Here's a guide to the lodgings, campsites and permits you should nail down now.

In the Upper Midwest, travel can be competitive.

Many events are so big and so fun that everyone wants to go. If you want to go, too, you'll have to act fast to stay ahead of the crowds.

Start thinking about summer lodgings at the start of the year. At Custer State Park in the Black Hills, campsite reservations for the entire season open Jan. 2.

Reservations for blinds to view the sandhill-crane migration at Nebraska's Rowe Sanctuary go up for grabs Jan. 4.

And anyone who wants a certain entry point in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness during peak season should have an on-line lottery application in by Jan. 15.

January also is a good time to reserve for such huge events as Apple Festival in Bayfield, when 60,000 people cram themselves into the tiny northern Wisconsin village of 611.

Most people rebook their lodgings as they're leaving after a big festival. But often deposits are due in January, and there’s always someone who doesn’t send one and forfeits the room, so you can snap it up.

Every July, 75,000 people pour into Decorah, Iowa, for Nordic Fest, and rooms are so hard to get they're practically a family heirloom. But Luther College has townhouses and dorms it rents out, and reservations for those open Jan. 12.

In Milwaukee, rooms go fast for all of the city's big summer festivals.

One of the hardest reservations to get is a room in Duluth for Grandma’s Marathon in June, when 14,700 runners and 30,000 to 40,000 spectators fill the town. Hotels fill up the day after the previous year’s race, and, with hundreds of people calling every month, few hotels bother to keep waiting lists.

But in February, many people who reserved last June will find out they didn’t get into the race, and they’ll start to cancel. That’s the time to call hotels, as well as during the third week of May, when 30-day cancellation policies go into effect.

There are many ploys that increase the odds of getting a reservation. It’s best to call the day after a big event, but if you have to call later and the inn is full, ask to put your name on the waiting list.

And look for new properties that haven’t been advertised much. Peruse city Web sites  or ask the staff at visitors bureaus if there are new places to stay.

The prize rooms go to people who pay attention, ask questions — and make a lot of calls.

To reserve the choicest cabins and lodges in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan state parks, be at the phone a year in advance. For Iowa campsites, call three months in advance; for Michigan campsites, six months in advance; for Wisconsin campsites, 11 months in advance; and Minnesota campsites, a year in advance.

For summer weekends, you’ll increase your odds if you also reserve for Thursday night; then, you can make your call a day earlier. You must use the site Thursday, however, or forfeit the entire stay.

Winter is a good time to look for summer weeks at lake resorts, where the best cabins on the best weeks rarely come up for grabs, and for rooms in Duluth, Chicago, Milwaukee, Door County, the Black Hills and anywhere on the Fourth of July.

Book fall weekends at North Shore cabins in Minnesota and inns along the Mississippi River as early as possible. If you know you want to take Amtrak at a certain time — say, to take the kids to Chicago during spring break — book as soon as you see a rate you like; the cheapest seats on Amtrak sell first.

Below is the 2010 guide to the most-coveted and hardest-to-get  reservations throughout the year.

JANUARY

Reservations for the entire camping season at South Dakota's Custer State Park in the Black Hills open at 7 a.m. Central time on Jan. 2, so if you're planning a trip, call 800-710-2267, www.campSD.com. Many rooms at the park lodges — the State Game Lodge, Blue Bell, Sylvan Lake, Legion Lake —  already are taken by January, so call as soon as possible to reserve those, too, 888-875-0001.

On Jan. 15, a drawing will be held for backcountry camping permits in Michigan's Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The group campsites and individual sites at Mosquito and Chapel campgrounds go fastest. Forms are at www.nps.gov/piro; for details, call 906-387-3700. For more, see Michigan's Pictured Rocks.

Rowe Sanctuary near Kearney, Neb., is perhaps the nation's best place to view sandhill cranes during their spring migration. Reservations for blinds, available March 6-April 10, are taken starting Jan. 4. Call 308-468-5282.

In Minnesota state parks, reserve a cabin now for next New Year’s Eve. In Tettegouche State Park, the four cabins on Mic Mac Lake and the Illgen Falls Cabin are in particular demand for the holidays.

Reservations for cabins, suites and guesthouses in state parks can be made a year in advance at 866-857-2757, toll-free in the United States and Canada, or www.stayatmnparks.com; reservations can be made daily between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. (after the first day of availability, on-line reservations can be made 24 hours a day). For details, check the Department of Natural Resources Web site, www.mnstateparks.info.

Minnesota’s guesthouses also are in demand for the long Martin Luther King weekend, especially the big ones at St. Croix State Park, where guests can ski from the door. For more, see Lodgings in Minnesota state parks.

Iowa also has a nice variety of rustic and modern cabins in state parks. They book a year in advance; see A cabin in Iowa.

Reserve early for the best choice of entry permits into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Applications by mail and fax will be taken through 5 p.m. Jan. 10 and on-line through 5 p.m. Jan. 15 and accepted by lottery. Starting Jan. 20, first-come, first-served reservations can be made on-line; reservations by mail or fax will be processed starting Jan. 20.

Starting Feb. 1, phone reservations will be taken on weekdays. Contact the BWCAW Reservation Center, P.O. Box 462, Ballston Spa, New York 12020, phone 877-550-6777. For more, see Minnesota's Boundary Waters.

In Michigan state parks, campsites can be reserved six months in advance. At some campgrounds, particularly those on the beach-lined west coast of Lake Michigan, 100 percent of sites can be reserved, so it's crucial to reserve early.

At Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park on the Upper Peninsula, 80 percent of sites can be reserved. Call 800-447-2757, or go to www.midnrreservations.com. For details, call 517-373-9900.

FEBRUARY

When Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday or Saturday, rooms at inns and B&Bs book up several months in advance. In 2010, it's on a Sunday during the long Presidents' Day weekend. For tips, see How to find a bed-and-breakfast.

On Wisconsin's Chequamegon Bay, the folksy Book Across the Bay ski and snowshoe benefit race/tour between Ashland and Washburn, Feb. 20 in 2010, now attracts 3,300 people, so book early.

The American Birkebeiner between Cable and Hayward, North America’s largest cross-country ski marathon, fills northwest Wisconsin, Feb. 25-27 in 2010.

In Iowa, the deadline for mail entries in the cross-state bicycle tour RAGBRAI is Feb. 15, and the deadline for on-line entries is April 1. The ride, July 25-31 in 2010, limits  weeklong riders to 8,500. Entries, $125, are accepted by lottery. Details are at www.ragbrai.org.

In Iowa, campsites can be reserved three months in advance at 877-427-2757, www.reserveiaparks.com. The reservation fee is $4 if made online and $6 if made by phone, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Only 50 percent of campsites can be reserved. For details, call Iowa state parks at 515-281-5918.

South Dakota's log camping cabins are very popular, and they can be reserved 90 days in advance. There are 125 of them in 34 state parks, each with heating, air conditioning, electricity and a deck, $35-$45. Reserve at 800-710-2267 or www.CampSD.com. For details, call 605-773-3391.

If you're a foodie, reserve now for Chicago's Taste of the Neighborhoods tours, held once a month from February through November. They sell out fast, especially the ones in summer. For more, see Chow-down in Chicago.

MARCH

Reserve as early as possible for spring-break trips to the indoor water parks of the Wisconsin Dells. The three best and biggest are the Kalahari, 877-253-5466; Great Wolf Lodge, 800-559-9653; and Wilderness Resort, 800-867-9453. But many other hotels have nice indoor water parks; see Making waves.

Going to Chicago by train also is a great spring-break trip. The cheapest seats sell first on Amtrak, so reserve as early as possible at 800-872-7245.

APRIL

This is the time to reserve accommodations for big summer festivals, if you haven't already. For ideas, see Great summer festivals.

Look for lodging information from the tourism offices in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri and South Dakota.

MAY

If you want to go to the annual Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison, the second-longest running craft-beer festival in North America, you'll need to send in a mail order for tickets postmarked May 1 or show up in person at noon May 3 at one of various vendors in Madison. Only 5,000 tickets are sold for the event, Aug. 14. It's held from 1-6 p.m. in Olin-Turville Park, and brewmasters from more than 100 Midwest breweries serve samples of 500 beers.

This month, the big festivals begin. One of the best is Tulip Time in Pella, Iowa, which brings 150,000 people to the town of 10,000. It’s May 6-8, timed to coincide with the blooming of 250,000 tulips. Call 515-628-4311 or Pella tourism at 888-746-3882.

Wisconsin's state parks have nine cabins for people with disabilities. They’re very popular and can be reserved a year in advance; reserve now for next year’s Memorial Day weekend.

Modern cabins are in Buckhorn, High Cliff, Mirror Lake, Kohler-Andrae and Potawatomi state parks and at Ottawa Lake in the Southern Unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest and in Richard Bong Recreation Area. Rustic cabins are at Copper Falls and Blue Mounds state parks. Reservations are taken by individual parks; for information, call 608-266-2181.

In May, the annual Wright Plus Housewalk is held in Oak Park, Ill., with interior tours of eight private homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries, plus entry to three other Wright buildings. Tickets for the tour, May 15 in 2010, $80-$95, sell out far in advance.

JUNE

In Wisconsin, campsites can be reserved 11 months in advance, starting at 9 a.m. Central Time, 888-947-2757, www.reserveamerica.com. In 2011, Memorial Day is May 30, the Fourth of July is on a Monday, and Labor Day is Sept. 5. The most in-demand campsites are in Peninsula and Devil’s Lake state parks and the Crystal Lake and Clear Lake campgrounds of Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest near Minocqua. For details, call Wisconsin state parks at 608-266-2181.

In Wisconsin, some park and forest campgrounds have a high percentage of first-come, first-served sites; look for one of those if you’re not able to reserve far in advance. Arrive on Wednesdays or Thursdays to increase the odds of finding a campsite without a reservation.

Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth is June 19. Many hotels have three-night minimums, and most raise rates for the weekend. Check in February and May for cancellations. In March, dorm rooms become available at the College of St. Scholastica, the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the University of Wisconsin-Superior; shuttles serve guests who stay there. Call 218-727-0947, or Duluth tourism at 800-438-5884.

In Chicago, the Blues Festival, June 11-13, draws more than half a million people, and Taste of Chicago, June 25-July 4, draws 3.6 million. Call Chicago tourism at 877-244-2246 or check Hot Rooms.

Before booking air fare, first check the Chicago convention calendar to see if a huge convention is in town; if so, rooms will be very expensive.

Big conventions in 2010 include the National Restaurant Association, 54,000 people over May 22-25; NeoCon World's Trade Fair, 40,000 people over June 14-16; IMTS Industry & Technology Conference, 94,000 people over Sept. 13-18; GRAPH Expo, 50,000 people over Oct. 3-6; the Chicago Marathon, 40,000 over Oct. 9-10; and PACK Expo, 75,000 people over Oct. 31-Nov. 3.

And Christmas shoppers might think the week after Thanksgiving would be a good time to visit, but 55,000 members of the Radiological Society of North America  are in town then, from Nov. 28 to Dec. 3 in 2010.

JULY

Summerfest, which Milwaukee calls “the world’s largest music festival,’’ brings nearly a million people to the lakefront festival grounds. It’s June 24-July 4 in 2010, 800-273-3378.

Then there are Milwaukee's big ethnic festivals, starting with PrideFest and Scottish Fest the first weekend of June and ending with Indian Summer Festival the weekend after Labor Day; in between, there’s Juneteenth, Polish Fest, Bastille Days, Greek Fest, Festa Italiana, German Fest, Arab World Fest, Irish Fest and Mexican Fiesta. Call Milwaukee tourism at 800-554-1448.

In Madison, the Art Fair on the Square and Art Fair Off the Square draws more than 200,000 people to the Capitol/State Street/Monona Terrace area. It’s July 10-11. Call Madison tourism at 800-373-6376.

In the northeast Iowa town of Decorah, Nordic Fest draws 75,000 people to the town of 8,500. A reservation in one of the town’s motels or B&Bs is nearly impossible to get, so most people camp or stay in private homes or rooms at Luther College. The college’s best accommodations are new townhouses with kitchens, then air-conditioned rooms.

Reservations open Jan. 12; call 563-387-1538. Eventually, people book rooms as far away as Rochester or La Crosse. It’s July 22-24; call 800-382-3378.

The tourism behemoth in eastern Wisconsin is the annual EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, which draws 700,000 to 750,000 people and fills up every hotel room within a 50- to 60-mile radius. The Experimental Aircraft Association festival is July 26-Aug. 1. The Oshkosh housing hotline is 920-235-3007; for festival details, call 920-426-4800.

This is the time to start looking for a lake resort for next year, though some resorts have last-minute cancellations. If possible, drop by resorts in person while traveling in the area this summer; for ideas on resorts to visit, call the Minnesota Office of Tourism at 651-296-5029, 800-657-3700, and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, 800-432-8747.

It's also the time to reserve weekends and holidays in Minnesota state parks for next year. Split Rock, which has a very scenic location on the North Shore but not many sites, is the hardest-to-get reservation, followed by Temperance River, Tettegouche, Itasca, Gooseberry Falls, McCarthy Beach (on the Iron Range, near Hibbing), Bear Head Lake (near Ely), Judge C.R. Magney, Jay Cooke and Cascade River.

In Minnesota’s state parks, 70 percent to 80 percent of campsites can be reserved. Call 866-857-2757 or reserve on-line at www.stayatmnparks.com.

AUGUST

In Sturgis, S.D., a quarter million people on Harleys will attend the Black Hills Motorcycle Rally Aug. 9-15, its 70th anniversary.

In western Minnesota lakes country, the We Fest country-music festival fills the area around Detroit Lakes, Aug. 5-7, though most festival-goers camp on the grounds.

The Bayfront Blues Festival is the other big weekend in Duluth, Aug. 13-15. Call Duluth tourism at 800-438-5884.

In the far northeast corner of Minnesota, it's notoriously hard to find close-in rooms for the Grand Portage Rendezvous and Powwow, when re-enactors from across the continent converge on Grand Portage National Monument. Reserve right after this year's event, Aug. 13-15.

SEPTEMBER

The Labor Day walk over the Mackinac Bridge, the third-longest suspension bridge in the world, is the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5 in 2010, and fills lodgings within a 50- to 100-mile radius of St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, Mich., and especially Mackinac Island, 800-454-5227. 

In Chicago, Jazz Festival draws 300,000 people over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-5.

In La Crosse, Oktoberfest draws 150,000 people to the shores of the Mississippi. It’s Sept. 24-Oct. 2; call 608-784-3378 or La Crosse tourism at 877-568-3522.

In the Black Hills, the annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup will be Sept. 27, preceded by the Arts Festival Sept. 25-27. Call 888-875-0001 for cabins and lodge rooms and 800-710-2267 for campsites; for a South Dakota vacation guide, 800-732-5682, www.travelsd.com.

OCTOBER

The Bayfield Apple Festival fills the Wisconsin village on Lake Superior to bursting; people stay as far away as Duluth. It’s Oct. 1-3; call 800-447-4094.

The Fall Art Tour in southwest Wisconsin has become extremely popular, with many devoted customers returning year after year. Artists open their studios in and around Mineral Point, Spring Green and Baraboo, with shoppers taking in the fall scenery between stops. It’s Oct. 15-17. Picturesque Mineral Point is the most popular place to stay, 888-764-6894. For other lodgings, call Spring Green at 800-588-2042 or Baraboo at 800-227-2266.

Accommodations for fall weekends in Door County are in high demand. Leaf color stays beautiful through the third week of October; call 800-527-3529.

Reserve as soon as possible for fall-color weekends on the North Shore. For peak inland color, aim for the last weekend of September; for peak color along the shore, the first weekend in October. On the third weekend of October, Minnesota schoolchildren have a four-day weekend, and the shore is packed. Call Two Harbors, 800-777-7384; Lutsen-Tofte, 888-616-6784; or Grand Marais, 888- 922-5000.

NOVEMBER

This is a quiet month. But more and more people are reserving a cabin or villa on the North Shore to watch the gales of November or fix Thanksgiving dinner; see Where to stay on Minnesota's North Shore and Quiet time on the North Shore.

For information about rentals in other places, see Renting a vacation house.

Holiday festivities get going this month; see Great holiday festivals.

DECEMBER

This is the month to shop. Chicago is full of holiday shoppers, many of whom come for the open-air Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza, which starts on Thanksgiving and runs through Christmas Eve. Hard-core shoppers should go the first weekend of December so they also can hit the annual One of a Kind fine-arts sale at the Merchandise Mart. For more, see Chicago at Christmas.

North of Milwaukee, shop-filled Cedarburg fills up on the first weekend of December, when it holds three big arts and crafts fairs, 800-237-2874. For more, see Jolly Cedarburg.

For information on popular events, call Minnesota Office of Tourism at 651-296-5029, 800-657-3700, and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism at 800-432-8747. For Iowa, call 800-345-4692. For South Dakota, call 800-732-5682. For Michigan, call 800-543-2937. For Illinois, call 800-226-6632. For Missouri, call 800-877-1234.

Last updated on March 10, 2010