A few great tips for low-cost, no-crowds camping, including a cheap snowbird trick

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. RV Travel 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.

Never too old to RV

Gary B. turned 90 at the RV/MH Hall of Fame on this year’s summer trip. He tells us, “My wife and I returned home this October after what will likely be our last long trip. Fuel has gotten too darned expensive. We were gone for three months and traveled in the motorhome 7,831 miles plus another 3,567 miles in our reliable Honda CR-V that we bought new in 1999. Throughout the coast-to-coast trip enjoying family and friends along the way, we made no advance campground reservations except for Thousand Trails where it may take two or more days to get through the reservation system.

“We try to avoid RV resorts as where we camp is generally a ‘base station’ from which we travel to museums and other tourist destinations. An exception was the Cherry Hill campground in College Park, Maryland, for its wonderful accessibility to Washington, D.C. As an Elks member, we stayed at several of the Elks lodges that are equipped to accept RVs. For us, they have to have at least 20-amp power to run my CPAP device at night. (More on camping at Elks lodges here.)

“While we have belonged to Harvest Hosts for years, we almost never stop at one because it is such an effort to get my lithium battery/inverter power supply out of the basement to run my CPAP. For those of you who worry about being too old to travel by RV, maybe you have the wrong RV equipment. Motorhomes are easier. After many years driving gas-powered Bounder Class A motorhomes, for the last three years we have been in a 33-foot Pace Arrow diesel pusher.

“On this trip, my wife and I were both volunteers at the FMCA International Expo in Gillette, Wyoming. Later, on September 12, we were touring the RV/Motorhome Hall of Fame museum in Elkhart, Illinois. That also happened to be my 90th birthday. Think young to be less old than you are.”

Boondockers Welcome host

Bruce W. is a Boondockers Welcome host and loves to have guests. He writes, “Long time BW (Boondockers Welcome) host and I am usually booked most days of most months. This past late April and then through the summer, my reservations really dropped off. I blamed it on high gas costs, high inflation, and high temperatures. Thank goodness, November and December bookings seem to be filling up now. Would love to see if my experience has been also seen by commercial campgrounds and National/State parks. Active BW hosts love to have guests and when we don’t, it just seems weird.”

Low-cost (really low-cost) snowbirding

Steve H. writes to us about a couple he knows that slashes the price of being a snowbird. “We met a retired couple who seem to have made low-cost snowbirding into a science. They winter at North Padre Island National Seashore’s FC-FS, beachfront Malaquite Campground in a 25′ Airstream trailer. The CG has no hookups, but has a dump and potable water, a restroom with flush toilets, asphalt-paved roads and campsites, and allow generators during limited hours. There is a 14-day stay limit, but no monthly limit, and the total cost is $7/night with the Interagency Senior Pass.

“The couple spends 13-14 nights at the NPS CG then heads to a private Passport America RV park in Port Aransas for two nights to do laundry, eat a restaurant seafood dinner, and stock up on two weeks’ worth of groceries. Then they head back to Malaquite CG for another 13-14 days, always arriving on a Sunday or weekday night when the ‘weekend warriors‘ have gone home. The couple have been wintering this way for several years and the two-day breaks from dry camping keep it fresh. At $35/night for the PA park and $7/night for the NPS CG, they spend an average of $275/month!”

Try the Southeast

Cindy A. shares her secret to uncrowded campgrounds. She writes, “If you’re sick of overpriced, overcrowded campgrounds, you’re probably not RVing in the Southeastern U.S. There are so many state park, COE, and no-frills U.S. Forest Service campgrounds to choose from, all of them inexpensive, beautiful, and uncrowded. Gas prices in the Southeast are the lowest in the country. The only time we ever had trouble finding a great site at a low price was while planning a late November (2023) trip to Florida. A month earlier, it would have been no problem. We still managed to snag campsites with W/E for the entire 11-day trip for a total cost of $162 (less than $15 a day) using an ATB pass and senior discounts. We’re planning a cross-country trip next year, so it’s good to know the rest of the country may not be as welcoming to RVers. If we avoid high-end ‘resorts’ with amenities we don’t need, maybe we can have an inexpensive and enjoyable trip.”

Dysfunction under corporate management

Jim J. is staying at a park that seems most interested in revenue rather than the guests. He wrote, “Hi Nanci. Here is the latest for the park we stay at for the winter. The family-owned park was sold to a small group of investors. They (and strongly suspect regret) contracted with a startup (RV Park Management). There has been a merry-go-round of people *trying* to manage the park. Some nice, some not. All under the thumb of a company more interested in revenues than guest satisfaction. As I write this, there is a group of long-term winter guests and a few short-term guests. The long-term folks don’t trash the park and are welcoming to new guests, so that isn’t the issue. Management dysfunction is the issue. If there was a nearby park that could accommodate most of the winter group, I think we would leave, too. This weekend the state park campground 7 miles down the road is sold out. Over half of this park is empty. Word gets around.”

Should seniors get a different reservation system?

Debbie R. writes about the difficulty of finding sites together at state parks. She said, “We have been camping for over 40 years. Our family every year goes together with us, so we need three sites together. If it’s not a year in advance (or 6 months at state parks) we can hardly find anywhere. It’s pretty bad when we are seasoned campers and can’t get in because things changed so much since Covid and now those newer campers get a site. I understand it’s all money for the campground but we’re pretty discouraged. Maybe a different reservation system for seniors?

“Overcrowded to say the least! I hate parking on a site and our chairs/picnic table is 5 feet from my neighbor’s sewer hose! We’re tired of fighting the system. My son has already sold his trailer.”

There have always been noisy, rude campers

Steven J. notes some campers have always been noisy and rude. He says, “Campgrounds are indeed getting crowded in some areas during peak season. Off-season it is easy to find half-empty campgrounds. There is a cynical attitude about pricing though. I am sorry to say there have always been noisy, rude campers. Some almost criminal.”

Camping still the best bang for the buck

Steve D. wrote about his experience staying in a hotel versus camping. He said, “Yes, the cost of RVing has increased, but I still feel it’s the best bang for the buck. Due to a death in the family, we stayed in a hotel last year, nothing fancy, and it was still $140 a night. The kids in the room above us jumped and ran and pounded on doors all night. Dismal at best. I spend some time planning our trips so I research campgrounds and parks. There are lots of really good places to stay at a reasonable rate. The best part of RVing is cooking in our home (RV) and not eating restaurant food all the time. There are lots of small food markets and farmers markets that offer fresh food to prepare. For example, tonight’s feast: crab cakes, with fresh crab from Joe Patti’s in Pensacola, FL, fresh side salad, and a nice glass of wine.”

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 wonders, ‘Will there be enough new buyers to support the RV industry?’

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