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.
KOA fits this couple to a tee
Neal A. writes about finding RV parks that work for them. “We are now in our second year of owning and towing a travel trailer. We are not full-timers, we use our RV for long and short-range road trips. This month we completed a 4,500-mile round trip to the Texas Gulf Coast. We have found that KOA facilities fit us to a tee. They have three levels of facilities: Journey, Holiday, and Resort. We have also used private RV parks and resorts. We use the internet to make our reservations, sometimes months in advance.”
Making reservations and couldn’t get in only one RV park
Jim W. isn’t finding a lot of crowding but knows he will pay more. He writes, “I am making reservations now for a trip to Arizona, and have only found one RV park that I could not get into with the dates I wanted. It seems like there are more permanent people in the parks. As for cost, we check around to find a good price. But, in popular areas, you will pay more. I don’t think crowding will change anything for us. We have not had any problems where we go, usually out west.”
Hard to find handicap showers
Gayle A. mentions that it is hard to find handicap showers. She said, “I’m handicapped and a fall risk. We stay at Thousand Trails parks. I have yet to find an up-to-date handicapped shower. It’s been a long time since I’ve taken a nice shower. Wondering if I could report them. I wash my hair and myself in our RV sink. Very sad about this!”
Ask to stay
Neal D. mentions that you can always ask to stay somewhere not designated for RVs. “Just an FYI as to the varied places one can camp if they ask and if those asked say ‘yes.’ We are attending an outdoor track meet on 3/29 and 30 at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. We planned to take the RV because it is too far to drive back and forth from home (~4 hours). No campgrounds were within 20 minutes, so I asked the track coach if we could park at the track and he agreed. No utilities, but we can watch the meet from inside our RV if we’re so inclined.”
Great tips for saving money when RVing
Randy G. sends us some great tips for saving money on RV trips. “I guess if you mainly camp on weekends and during the peak summer months you will have problems getting reservations if you don’t make them early. We tend to camp in spring and fall or late summer. For closer-to-home trips, we usually go in on a Sunday and leave on a Thursday or Friday. We have never had a problem getting a site doing this.
“We also use state and federal campgrounds because they are cheaper and, in my opinion, nicer. We have the federal senior pass and have gotten sites for as low as $7.50 a night with water and electric. We stayed at an Army Corps of Engineers campground in northeast PA with full hookups for $20 a night with the pass.
“Our biggest expenses are fuel and food. My wife makes meals up before we leave. She freezes them and we just thaw them in the microwave. If we’re on a long trip, we will go grocery shopping and make meals in the campground. We don’t eat out a lot. When we’re on a long trip we always book ahead of time and again never have a problem.”
Researching and finding sites despite the ten-year rule
Denise N. has some advice for finding sites and possible solutions for RVs 10 years and older getting sites. She wrote, “My husband and I have been full-timing since 2017. In that time we have stayed at over 200 campgrounds, RV parks, and boondock sites. We have never run into issues finding places to stay unless it was last minute on a holiday or weekend. We have been through or stayed in all 48 continental states.”
“If people cannot find a place to stay then in my opinion it is because they don’t research well enough to plan, or don’t start making reservations early enough. When we travel we try to make sure we have reservations for Friday and Saturday nights since those are the busy times and we tend to ‘wing it’ during the week unless we will be near popular vacation spots, where the RV sites are booked well in advance.
“State Parks book up fast because they’re usually great places with large sites and often offer over 60, veteran’s or resident discounts depending on the state. In addition, National Forests offer a lot of camping in addition to free boondocking in trailhead parking lots and many public boat ramps offer boondocking overnights as well. In seven years we have never had an issue.
“The gentleman who is a wounded warrior and lives in an older RV with his wife could definitely find handicapped-friendly parks with no RV age restrictions if he and his wife researched parks. It is especially easy to do online; it is just tedious and time-consuming. Right off the top of my head, I can think of a few parks where you could stay with no problem. I am in one now in Palmdale, Florida.
“While working for a campground I learned that the 10-year rule for RVs is due to insurance and title issues (in case of abandonment or fire issues, etc.). The park I worked at required owner acknowledgment and signature that if the RV is abandoned in the park that within x amount of days the park would retain ownership. Abandonment often happens at the beginning of the month when rents are due. In addition, usually one can submit a photo of an older RV for consideration to get around the 10-year rule if the rig is in good shape. Perhaps the gentleman can get on a Facebook page for older RVs or Veterans to get some ideas?”
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 claims weekend campers are the problem; plus, the difference in amenities and space at RV resorts and state parks
##RVT1149b
Too many people is the problem…in every aspect.
I totally agree
Gayle, a lot of people will take this the wrong way BUT lawyer up You’d be amazed at how quickly corporations will jump if a lawyer with good evidence (photos, expert witnesses) presents that they aren’t adhering to the laws that exist. It will take a year or two but that’s better than suffering in silence. Even Florida Trail Association has to make their creek crossings away from the beaten path standard wheelchair or small ATV width.
Lawyer up means higher camping fees. Campgrounds are not entitled to free legal services or facility improvements.
There are RV’s (older and newer) with good sized showers/baths and no campground has everything for everybody. Trying to be sensitive to others concerns but ————.
Are both Giles lawyers or just one we know for sure?
And people wonder why parks are going away from offering showers, restrooms, laundry, pet areas, mail service, propane and playgrounds. It’s cheaper, easier and less litigious to offer nothing than to offer something that could fall short of accommodating everyone.
RV Parks do have to be ADA compliant.
Facilities have to be compliant.
No facilities, no compliance needed.
this ADA stuff gets pushed too far. I am old and fat, walking trail can be a challenge, how about an escalator for those hills. maybe an elevator so I can see the top of Mt Everest. not everyone can do everything, places that want to attract certain groups can advertise/cater to those groups.
You are entitled to provide your own mobility device on bicycle trails as long as it can be safely used.
Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 Very interesting information regarding the 10-year RV rule. Thanks to Denise N. for providing the rationale! 🙂 Thank you and safe travels, Nanci! 🙂
“If it looks good, then it’s okay if it’s not 10 years old”? Nonsense. You could have a trashy rig that’s 1.5 years old. It’s simply a pre-discriminatory “standard”, hence why a photo might get you past the gates. I don’t care that some CG’s have the rule: just be honest about it. “We don’t want ugly rigs and we don’t want our campground to look ugly.”
I think it is very “snobbish” of CG’s that have this rule. As if we are made of money and can just replace our rig every 10 years, needed or not. Besides, a lot of the newer ones aren’t made as well as many of the older ones.
If the ten year rule related to insurance and title, then they would never make exceptions for whatever they think looks good enough. It’s an annoying and discriminatory rule. And I think everyone with a ten year or older rig who is turned away should vote with detailed one star reviews. Two can play the game of not being nice.
NO!! TRAILHEAD PARKING LOTS ARE NOT CAMPGROUNDS!! They’re already crowded enough without people thinking they can overnight there. Most expressly forbid it anyway. Expect to be kicked out as soon as people figure out what you’re doing.
Thank you enjoy reading this magazine online
I don’t get why abandonment is an issue. If your car is towed for illegal parking, or you just leave it in a parking garage for a long time, it’s not an expense to the owner of the parking facility, they come after the vehicle owner. A campground ought to be able to do the same thing. Have the abandoned RV/Trailer towed and it’s on the owner of that vehicle to pay the towing/storage.
“I have been full-timing since 2017. In that time we have stayed at over 200 campgrounds…” —
Go ahead and drop the list here, just ballpark it, of the 200 campgrounds, and I will personally call them and ask specifics to their ten year rule as it sits today in 2025.
““If people cannot find a place to stay then in my opinion it is because they don’t research well enough to plan, or don’t start making reservations early enough.”
– k so whats far enough in advance? 2 years? 3 years? Half a decade? Because last I looked state parks were 9 months to 1.5 years out. What exactly is reasonable? When The kids are off to college? What?
The industry oversold. The parks overbooked.