Built for group trip organizers

Plan group camping without opening 12 tabs.

No more scattered group texts and a half-dead spreadsheet. Pick a spot everyone can agree on, split the cost, and see who's bringing the tent — all before anyone opens a second tab.

Start planning ↓
or search by name
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900+Recreation.gov campgrounds searchable
30Permit lotteries tracked
3 minFrom rough idea to a real plan
Scroll to explore

Group trip planning is a mess of tabs and guesswork.

You're jumping between a dozen sites just to answer basic questions. Half the critical info is buried in Reddit threads or outdated blog posts. And when 15 people are involved, one missed detail can ruin the whole trip.

AllTrails The Dyrt Recreation.gov Google Maps Park websites RV rental sites TikTok "hidden gems" Airline comparisons ✓ TrailMuster
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Where should we go? — Sites show campgrounds, not decisions. You have to manually filter for group size, RV access, and drive time. Every. Time.
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What's the best way to get there? — 8 cars? 2 RVs and 3 cars? A van rental? Nobody knows and it takes hours to figure out.
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What will this actually cost? — You won't know until you've already committed to a destination and start booking everything separately.
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Do we need a permit? — Some sites have lotteries months in advance. Missing this means showing up to a full campground or a closed trailhead.
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Will this work for beginners? — Group trips often mix experienced and first-time campers. Very few tools account for that.

Three steps. No spreadsheet required.

1
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Tell us the basics

Group size, drive tolerance, dates, and what kind of trip you're after. Takes about a minute.

2
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Compare real matches

See destinations scored for your group — cost, wilderness permits, and beginner-friendliness included, not buried in a blog post.

3
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Share one link

Send the plan to the group. Everyone claims gear, splits cost, and sees the same details — no more "wait, who's bringing the tent?"

Set your constraints.
We'll handle the rest.

Fill in what matters to your group — drive time, group size, RV needs, budget — and get destination recommendations in seconds.

1
Trip Type
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2
Logistics
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3
Preferences
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4
Amenities
Step 1 of 4 — Trip Type
Trip style
🏕️
Camping
Drive to your site. Any setup — tent, RV, or cabin.
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Backpacking
Hike in. Carry everything. Earn the view.
What setups does your group need?
🏕️ Tent Camping
🚐 RV or Van
🛖 Cabin / Glamping
Origin city
Weekend (2 nights)
3–4 days
5–7 days
Flexible
Vehicle & accommodation types
🚐
RV or camper van
Some campers will arrive in an RV or rented vehicle
⛺️
Tent camping
At least some campers will be in tents
Experience level across the group
All beginners
Mixed experience
Mostly experienced
Scenery preferences (pick all that apply)
🏔 Mountains
🏞 Lakes
🌲 Forest
🏜 Desert
🏞 River / Creek
🌊 Coastal
✨ Unique / Unusual
What matters most to your group?
Best scenery
Easy access
Unique feeling
Family friendly
Great hiking
Dark sky / stargazing
Swimming
Must-have amenities
🚻 Toilets
💧 Running Water
🚿 Showers
⚡️ RV Hookups
🔥 Fire Rings
🍽 Picnic Tables
📶 Cell Signal
Planning Confidence
72%

Best matches for your trip

Comparing 0 destinations

Know what you're signing up for
before you commit.

Adjust your group, vehicle setup, and preferences to get a realistic cost breakdown — broken down by category and per person.

Trip Parameters

People12
Nights3
Cars4
Miles roundtrip600

Total Trip Cost
$2,840
estimated range
Per Person
$237
split evenly
Per Person / Night
$79
per person per night
🏕 Budget
$1,920
$160/person
Free/dispersed camping, basic food, bring your own gear
⚖️ Balanced
$2,840
$237/person
Reserved campsite, standard meals, some gear rental
🛖 Comfort
$4,118
$343/person
Premium site or cabin, nicer food, full gear setup

Cost Breakdown

Nothing forgotten.
No frantic last-minute runs.

Your checklist adapts to trip type, experience level, and whether you're car camping or backpacking. Check off as you pack.

The stuff worth buying right.

A short list of the gear that actually matters — sized to your trip type. Skip the 62-item scramble.

Budget and Ultralight reshape the search toward cheaper or lighter picks — they're not verified specific products. Note: true ultralight cottage brands (Zpacks, Hyperlite, Gossamer Gear, ULA) mostly sell direct and aren't on Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate, TrailMuster may earn from qualifying purchases. Links open on Amazon — you pay the same price; it helps keep the app free.

📋 Full packing checklist 62 items · tap to expand

A real product, not a roadmap.

Everything below works right now. Click a card to try it.

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Search by Name
Type a trail, campground, or permit ("Half Dome", "Mt Whitney", "Bishop Pass") and jump straight in. Searches curated trips + 900+ Recreation.gov entries.
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4-Step Trip Wizard
Tell us your origin, group size, dates, and preferences. We surface destinations matched to your real constraints — drive time, group fit, scenery, and trip mode.
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Live Availability + Weather
Recreation.gov availability badges and 7-day Open-Meteo weather forecasts on every card. No more clicking through to the booking site to check.
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Permit Lottery Tracker
30 major US permit lotteries — Half Dome, Mt Whitney, Enchantments, Wonderland, more. Open / Upcoming / Rolling status pills, application links, calendar export.
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Cost Estimator
Real numbers for gas, food, gear, campsites, and permits — split per person and per night. Toggle RV/flights/gear mode. Add custom costs. Compare car rentals on Turo / Kayak.
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Save Trips Across Devices
Sign in with Google, save any trip, and pick up where you left off on any device. Slider values, toggles, and customizations all persist.
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Group Trip Workspaces
Share a trip with friends. Capacity-aware gear claims (3p tent, 4p tent, etc.). Real-time updates as people claim items. Lock the list when you're done planning.
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Editable Itineraries
Customize the day-by-day plan for any trip. Group-trip leaders' edits sync to friends in real-time. Reset to default any time.
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Trail Data & Filtering
OpenStreetMap + NPS trail data on every destination, with filter chips for length, difficulty, and surface. Backed by cached, free public APIs.
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Roster & Headcount
Manage a confirmed roster and expected-attendee list. Change the planning target and gear quantities rescale automatically across the whole group checklist.
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Permit Drop Reminders
Permits sell out in minutes. Add a calendar alarm for the release date & time — your phone reminds you before the drop, even with the app closed.
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Change Destination
Plans change. Swap the destination on a saved trip without starting over — your dates, group size, checklist, and group code all carry over.
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Trip Recaps & Reviews
Mark a trip completed with a star rating and notes. Your recap shows up for anyone else planning the same destination — real reviews from people who went.
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Trip-Aware Gear Advisor
Sized to YOUR trip, not a generic guide: bear canister volume for your group and nights, a sleeping bag rating from the real forecast at your elevation, and a fair-share breakdown of who's carrying the shared gear.
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Install as an App
Add TrailMuster to your home screen — opens full-screen, no browser bar. Get a push notification the moment someone claims gear or the leader nudges the group.
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Who Hasn't Responded
Trip leaders see exactly who's been invited but hasn't shown up, and who opened the trip but hasn't claimed anything yet — so nobody falls through the cracks.
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One-Click Beginner Kit
First trip? Get the full starter gear list for your trip type with one click — every item opens in Amazon at once instead of shopping one by one.
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Settle Up (Post-Trip Expenses)
Splitwise-style "who owes whom" after the trip — log who paid for what and get the minimum set of payments to settle up, with ready-to-paste Venmo request text. Open it from a locked group trip’s checklist.
Coming up
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Flight + Shuttle Compare
For trips better flown — fly vs. drive cost compare, with airport car-rental factored in.
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Historical Weather Intelligence
Long-range risk: typical fire danger by week, road-condition history, snow-out probability for your trailhead.
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Meal Planning Module
Day-by-day meal calendar with calorie tracking and dietary filters. Pre-loaded backpacking recipes. Per-person dietary needs.

Quick answers

What is TrailMuster?

TrailMuster is a free trip planner for group camping and backpacking trips. It compares real campgrounds and trails, splits the cost per person, tracks wilderness permit deadlines, and gives your group one shared checklist for gear — instead of a scattered group chat and a spreadsheet.

Is TrailMuster the same as TrailMaster?

No — different app, different team. TrailMuster is built specifically for planning a trip with a group: splitting cost, coordinating gear, and tracking permits together, not just browsing trails solo.

Is TrailMuster free?

Yes. Searching, planning, the cost estimator, and group trip workspaces are all free to use.

Do I need to create an account?

You can search and build a trip plan without one. Signing in with Google lets you save trips across devices and share a group trip with friends.

Does TrailMuster work for car camping, not just backpacking?

Yes — the trip wizard, cost estimator, and gear checklist all adapt to car camping, RV trips, and backpacking.