RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs than has been the recent trend. Has that changed campground crowding? Is it easier to find a campsite now, particularly in state and national parks? Campgrounds are changing and evolving, some for the better and some for the worse. RVtravel.com readers discuss their experiences and offer a few tips to help other campers find that perfect spot.
Here are a few observations from our readers.
Quit blaming the Florida snowbirds. They have been paying through the nose for years
Dan H. left his snowbird retreat to travel again. He is not happy about seasonal camping in Florida. He writes, “We spent nine years as snowbirds in southwest Florida. Our park had 500 sites with probably 40%+ being park models and was called a so-called ‘resort’ by the big corporate owner. To us, it was just a campground, nothing fancy, just clean and nice with sand and no grass. We didn’t use the pool, pickleball court, or clubhouse, etc. The snowbirds that stay there are not a ‘clique’. If they were lucky to get a spot years before, it was lousy, and over the years they were able to upgrade $$ to a better one.
“We paid close to $1K to reserve our spot in February for the season starting just nine months later in December. The park would also sell your spot to someone else if they would guarantee a longer stay. I saw several fellow campers who had the same spot for five years or more lose theirs.
“We left three years ago to start traveling again. So if you want a winter spot close to the beaches, you had better start calling in May. If you are lucky, someone got tired of paying more dollars every year and canceled their stay. Be prepared to pay close to 5-6K or more for your stay plus taxes and utilities. When the park wants a big deposit, get your checkbook out and quit blaming the snowbirds. They have been paying through the nose for years.”
Can’t just show up and find a spot in Florida
Rick S. has not had a problem finding sites but they made reservations a couple of months in advance. He shares, “We have not had any issues with finding really nice RV parks. We just finished a 6,500-mile trip and planned our itinerary and made reservations a few months in advance with zero issues.
“We live on the East Coast and routinely stay at 4/5 star resorts and have never been charged $275 a night. Not sure where this owner found that kind of rates. Would love to know!! We go to Florida in the winter and like everyone who enjoys winters in warm climates, you just can’t show up expecting a place. It hasn’t worked for 30 years. I’m beginning to think that some owners are just lazy and would rather cry wolf on social media.”
Editor’s note: The above and below reference a $275-a-night campsite, which was brought up in a previous Crowded Campgrounds column here.
“Don’t leave the light on for me”
Mike S. has something to say about the $275-a-night campsite. He wrote, “Your sandbox so you set the price and the rules. I HAVE THE MONEY! YOU WANT THE MONEY! Price your product or service out of reach of ME, the average consumer, and see what happens. It’s far CHEAPER to keep a customer than get a new customer. Good luck with $275/night. Don’t leave the light on for ME!”
Be flexible, try something different: This is a big country
Steve H. has a system for RVing and suggests everyone be flexible and try new things. He advises, “Seems to me that those who complain most about campsite availability and cost are the ones who are the least flexible with dates of travel, specific geographic locations, even specific sites within a specific RV ‘resort.’
“This is a BIG country, people, as are Canada and Mexico! Try something different, see other parts of the continent, meet people in a new place, sample a new-to-you culture! We never have any trouble getting last-minute campsite reservations, even when snowbirding or in national parks, because we never stay in one place for an entire season. We may stay for a week to a month in an RV park or state park, but, just like the bear, there is always another side of the mountain to explore. And, since we are set up to dry camp and boondock, we don’t even need hookups for 3-4 days at a time.
“For example, we just made reservations for two weeks from now in both Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs because can dry camp with no worries—solar, inverter, generator, 12v fridge, propane furnace and water heater, 12v tank heaters, etc. So, cold fall-winter or high-altitude weather and lack of hook-ups do not hinder our travel in any way.”
Concerned about cliques? Meet this kind “Winter Texan”
Jim J. goes out of his way, or rather it is his way to invite new people into the snowbird fold. He writes, “To Phil S.—Sorry to hear about your experience with ‘snowbird cliques’. (Jim is referencing Phil’s comment here.) Hopefully, the issue is just in making reservations and not with the RVers. We are ‘Winter Texans’ in local parlance and ‘snowbirds’ everywhere else.
“Our RV park rebuilds a small community every winter. We make it a point to approach new people and make sure they know they are welcome to join any/all of the activities (be they games, crafts, happy hour, potlucks) … and most of the winter activities are organized and self-funded by the winter group. During the recent years’ winter storms, this same group made sure everyone was warm and had food. The only rules are respect for others, and treat the park as if you owned it.”
Do the math concerning RV camp membership
Gerald H. points out the math equations of members to campsites and has a suggestion. He wrote, “So you think you will get around the inability to get a campsite with an RV membership? Example of an expensive RV membership, 22,000 members, 2,200 campsites (numbers from their website). Book online at your home resort and the 12:01 a.m. 60 days out may be the only way you will get in on the weekends in the summer.”
Couple comparing costs of RVing to hotel costs
Mark G. is comparing his costs of RVing to their car road trip costs including hotels. He says, “We reserved no less than six months in advance. Never spontaneous. Never spontaneous, never last minute. Today we are contrasting an auto trip with hotels and restaurants and 75 mph and no hookups. We carry a camp stove, cooler, paper plates and do lunch on the road. Hotel breakfast included. Dinner out. The total cost is cheaper than 7 mpg at $4 gallon and $100 or more RV park fees. Love RVing but private equity companies are destroying RV parks. Climate hoax destroying fuel for RVing. Overpriced, poor quality construction, and horrid service from the RV industry… What’s next? Blue states rush to EV? HATE TO SELL, BUT CLOSE.”
Now, some questions for you:
- Are you finding campgrounds booked up? Or is finding a place to stay not a problem?
- Are campgrounds changing for the better or for the worse?
- Are you seeing more permanent and seasonal RV parks?
- Are rising costs affecting your camping style?
- If campgrounds continue to be crowded and RVing continues to become more popular, will it affect how or when you RV?
- Do you have any tips or secrets you’d like to share about finding campgrounds that aren’t as crowded?
Please use the form below to answer one or more of these questions, or tell us what you’ve experienced with campground crowding in general.
Read last week’s Crowded Campgrounds column: RVer felt compelled to pay $2,000 to upgrade plan for extra week at campground
Thanks for this weeks report, Nanci….
Yesterday we booked a site in So. Lake Tahoe for 4 nights, 2 weeks from now without any trouble at all. After that we’re going further north and have booked 3 separate sites in Oregon for another couple of weeks or so, also all with available sites..from there, who knows.
Thanks, Nanci! We recently booked campsites at two different parks about 40 miles apart for the same night. Here’s why. The second park has a check-in time of 5 PM or later. In order to check-in earlier, we booked the previous night as part of our stay. We’ll call the second campground the day our reservation begins and let them know that we will not arrive until the following morning. If we could check-in around noon, 1, or even 2, then we would have not overlapped the reservations. The second campground is on the eastern edge of the Central Time Zone, so it gets dark early there. We don’t wish to set up in the dark, so we double-booked.