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.
Lock-in fees… even on the last campsite available!
Doug L. reports about being charged an unreasonable lock-in fee. “My complaint with campgrounds is ‘lock-in’ fees. I made a reservation at a KOA last year and was informed that it was the only site available so I booked it. They proceeded with a lock-in fee. If it’s the ONLY site available, why the lock-in fee?! Help me understand this?”
Lock-in fees are just another profit runway
Leonard R. is not happy about lock-in fees either. He writes, “Enjoy reading everyone’s comments as they resonate with me in one fashion or another. We have encountered the ‘lock-in’ fee, which is just another profit runway for campgrounds. If I encounter them, I just click on the ‘No Thanks’ box and take the site I booked. So far it has not been an issue.
“Campground crowding just isn’t an issue for us as I don’t try to make reservations on the spur of the moment or even a month out. Before we leave Toronto for the winter I have ALL of my campgrounds booked, some up to a year in advance. Campendium is my go-to search tool for campgrounds and if they take Good Sam, great—but it is not a deal breaker.
“I am not a fan of paying for electricity from day one in a FHU campground if I stay a month or longer, but I do tend to conserve energy more, which ultimately isn’t a bad thing. I may put some solar on my roof for this reason alone! Costs such as diesel, extended health care, and rising campground prices are something I monitor, but are not yet deterring us from escaping Canadian winters!”
10-year rule is a nightmare
Autumn E. writes about how difficult the 10-year rule is for her. She says, “The 10-year rule is the absolute worst!! A lot of full-timers nowadays, such as myself, choose the RV life not only because it’s awesome but also because we cannot afford the ridiculous rents these days!! As said, finding a spot that accepts [RVs] 10+ years is the worst nightmare and honestly feels prejudiced.”
Sites booked the entire week but they only show up on the weekend
Michelle R. writes about being tired of trying to book sites. “We’ve got a few sites booked for some long weekends this season beginning in May. These sites weren’t particularly hard to find, but we are also not being particular about hookups. We can manage staying off-grid camping for about a week.
“Last season we had pretty much given up even trying to book a site. We took one week-long trip last fall. We have grown tired of finding every site booked for an entire week, knowing the reality was that people were working the reservation systems—reserving four weeks and only showing up for the weekend. That really has to stop.
“Last time we camped in Michigan they had a good system in place. If someone had not shown up for three nights, then their site would be given up. We snagged the site this way two years ago. After noticing a site had been vacant for three nights, we walked up to the reservationist and notified her. She then confirmed our information, contacted the no-show, and the premium site was booked by our relatives who were at a different site. I’m not sure if Michigan still has such a system in place.
“Certainly parks need to look at who is booking sites that remain empty until Friday night. There are many people who travel who prefer staying midweek and avoiding the busy busy weekends. So it is especially unfortunate when people who only want the weekend book out the entire week. Although we can manage a week without hookups, it’s not always an easy task, and sometimes a premium site might be just what we’re looking for. Perhaps those who grab a site for a week, when only wanting a weekend, should be encouraged to release their unneeded nights back to the park. Further, those who do not show up should suffer and get an upcharge upon check-in. Just my thought.”
In their 80s and still love camping!
Barbara G. writes to us about still camping and still loving it. “We still go ‘camping’ in our 80s. We love it. We only go to National Forest campgrounds. No hookups, we use a generator for about an hour a day to keep everything charged. That, to us, is real camping and it’s still cheap and mostly first-come, first-served.”
Fees on top of fees!
Patti H. is finding the add-on fees are growing. She wrote, “We are full-time, and increasing costs, less availability, poor cancellation policies, added fees such as ‘lock-in’ and/or dynamic pricing, are affecting our ability to travel freely. $30-$40 per night has long been doable but $80-$180 per night will cause us to stop traveling.
“Searching and booking campgrounds has become very stressful. I’ve been trying to book sites in the NE for quite a while now, but nothing seems available.
“I’d say most campgrounds are changing for the worst. Fees for anything and everything they can get away with. Why is there a ‘pet fee’? Our pets are not using any services and we clean up after them. I’m not paying for another owner’s bad behavior. I used to bypass these parks but some days it’s now your only option.
“We spend much more time searching for a place to stay. We now seek out more COE for Golden Age Pass discount, military, and state parks.”
Get in the car: See more, pay less
Mark G. has an answer for the high costs and hassles of RVing. He wrote, “Pretty simple: Use your car, 30 mpg. Stay at a hotel. They clean, have heat and A/C, water and free breakfast. Carry a cooler and camp stove. Visit parks and make your own lunch. Dinner out. Want a campsite once in a while? Add a tent and sleeping bags. See America in comfort. It’s cheaper and easier.
“No RV storage, maintenance, fuel costs, insurance, registration, lousy construction, and terrible RV servicing. No brainer. See more, experience more. All for a lot less total cost.”
Nanci’s note: I hear you, Mark! I was recently trying to book a site but missed the hour when the booking opened because I didn’t factor in the daylight saving change. Nothing left. Packing for what seems like days and we haven’t even gotten the RV out of storage yet! Just checked… Airbnb for a month in Minnesota is cheaper than our campsite…
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: Campground worker explains the 10-year rule and why campgrounds enforce it
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As far as booking a campsite is concerned I wish the campground would just charge the full price at time of booking with no refunds. This would solve the majority of the “no shows” and really affect only a minority of those who couldn’t show up for other reasons. If the site was booked for a week or longer it would belong to the person who booked regardless if the showed up late or half way through the reserved dates. Simple and profitable for the campground to manage and would reduce the “season speculators” who book now and decide later where to stay. For those who want to go camping will still want to go regardless of the above policy. Lets bring the “R” (recreation) back to RV’ing.
Good piece Nanci. Gun owners have the NRA, Vets have the VFW and American legion and the list goes on. Do campers have an advocate organization? I would smile to read of legal action (suit) being brought against KOA for any of their egregious practices.
Egregious doesn’t equal unlawful. There’s nothing to sue KOA for.
The best way to defeat them is to not stay there. I avoid them like the plague. Mostly because I don’t see value, but also because they boisterously promote ridiculous fee and pricing policies that hurt the camping consumer, not just at their locations but also across the campground industry. Why on earth would any RVer want to support a company that does that?
We rented an Airbnb for a long weekend with relatives. The advertised daily rate was a joke! By the time the booking fee, unlock fee, cleaning fee, and who knows what other fees were added, the actual cost doubled from $150/night to $300/’night. The same is true of the peer-to-peer RV rentals. We will never use any of those companies again!
We will keep our MH and stay in public campgrounds that have no lock-in fees, 10-year rules, metered electric fees, or $100/night rates. Here in the West, we have had little problem finding inexpensive, last-minute campsites, with or without hookups. Like a $12/night, USFS FC-FS, Madison River-view, campsite 3 miles from the Yellowstone west entrance!
Some online reservation systems won’t let you select more than a site type without a lock-in fee. Others allow you to select a specific site with the caveat that the site might change without a lock-in fee. Only once has a specific site request changed when I didn’t pay the voluntary fee. If only staying one or two nights, I won’t lock-in. A week or more, I might if I thought it might make a big difference.
Agreed.
For stays longer than a couple if nights, we will often pay the site lock fee if we are familiar with the park and prefer a specific site. Corner lot, toad parking, proximity to playgrounds etc.
Site lock fees do not bother me as much as getting a bad site and feeling cramped. It is an expense I can tolerate for a top notch experience.
I know both MN and MI State Parks require the reserver to be at the site for at least the first night or lose the reservation. Putting up an empty tent or trailer isn’t allowed. It stopped people from making reservations for mid-week through a busy weekend then plopping down a tent and not showing up until after the work week.
Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 Good luck getting all your days covered and campsites booked! 🙂 Safe travels and happy Easter! 🙂
After 43 years of camping/RVing I’ve changed to a Wisconsin campground for the summer season and a manufactured home park in Florida for the winter. First time camping was a pop up and the site was $3.75 W/E. Now a weekend is usually $200. My income sure isn’t keeping up since Covid started. Been to all 49 states on the continent and took a non-camping trip to Hawaii for our 50th anniversary. Will hit 80 in January.
Maybe its time to identify areas of the country where folks seem to have the most difficult time booking. Maybe there is a talented person who could develop a “heat map” (showing the increasing difficulty in red).
Or maybe providing the state or tourist area when there is an issue. My suspicion is that the areas where folks are having problems are within very close proximity to a popular destination. The concerns would be more credible, rather than the vague “northeast” which comprises 6 states generally speaking.
Patti H. Where are you staying for $180 per night?
Traveling through Charleston SC, stopped at the KOA. Two night 30 amp back in was $293! Went down the road to Francis Marion National Forest and got a HUGE water and electric site right on the intercoastal waterway for $18 a nite, no crowds, no noise. It just pays to look around I guess