RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs. 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.
Campsite cost 3 times more than 3 years ago, but no extra services
Andrew H. checked on a campsite with outrageous fees! He wrote, “We’ve been camping for 20-plus years. We camp at races (NASCAR, NHRA) and a couple of times a year at paid campgrounds. The campgrounds are seemingly being bought up by corporations (Sun Outdoors) in our region. Prices have more than doubled with basically no change in services. As an example, today I checked for a long weekend this summer and saw a price of $291 per night for a travel trailer site plus a $15 per night resort fee and a $50 site lock-in fee. This is renting me a hotel room where I have to bring the room. This same site was under $100 without the junk fees just three years ago.
“As far as half-empty ‘full’ campgrounds are concerned, we had a nice camping neighbor told by a campground that they couldn’t remain an extra day because the campground was completely booked for the next night. They left and no one used that site during the remainder of our stay.”
Thousand Trails keeps the cost predictable
Jamie B. writes that they use Thousand Trails membership to help keep costs down. “We use Thousand Trails to help keep the cost of full-time RVing more predictable, at least as far as site costs, but we budget for stays outside the system as well. One trend that I am seeing a lot more lately is allowing local residents to permanently live there. This is leading to a huge increase in entitled neighbors and some unsightly sites.”
RV’s aren’t “camping”!
Lee C. brings up the question, “What is camping?” He wrote, “What’s this ‘camping’ thing? RV’s ain’t ‘camping’… TENTS and BACKPACKS are ‘camping!’ Campgrounds like KOA and others need to call a spade a spade… they’re RV parks, NOT ‘campgrounds’!”
RVs can make it for a weekend without hookups!
Cindy A. notes that RVs can make it for at least a weekend without hookups. “I agree with Steven M. Everyone knows campgrounds are going to be crowded and noisy on weekends. Luckily, there’s hardly an RV out there that can’t make it through a weekend without hookups. There’s almost always plenty of space at national parks/forests and other campgrounds with fewer amenities. If luxury camping is your thing, there’s nothing wrong with that as long as you realize there’s going to be stiff competition for every campsite. A little flexibility on your ‘must-have’ amenities will open up lots of great options.”
Full-timed twice, much harder the second time around
Ivan S. has full-timed twice and says it is much harder now than 25 years ago. “We have been full-timers two different times in the past 28 years. Getting a reservation now compared to 25 years ago is much more challenging for at least two reasons. 1) Many more RVers now than 25 years ago. Gone (for the most part) is the day when you would not make any reservations and be able to pull into a campground and get a site. 2) Many campgrounds today have workers (who stay for months or years) occupying a higher percentage of their sites. Thankfully Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome have filled some of the need. We now reserve farther in advance, but that also takes spontaneity out of the adventure of traveling in an RV.”
Use Google Earth and “walk” through the campsite
Kathy M. has a great suggestion for “looking” at a campsite before booking. She wrote, “I always use Google Earth to view the campground from above before I book. There is an icon of a “little man” that you can “walk” through the campground at eye level. We camp only in the Midwest and we never have an issue finding a campground, either COE or private, any day of the week. We have booked as short as a week before we camp. We never camp on the big holiday weekends.”
Keep sites open for Florida residents?
Karen G. says it is near to impossible to get a campsite in Florida in the winter and would like sites saved for Florida residents. “We live in Florida year-round. When we want to find a site in winter… forget it! We do some weekends and, yes, some of them are rowdy. We are not them. The seasonal campers have everything booked up a year in advance. My opinion is that the parks should leave a few sites open for the Florida residents in winter.”
The good, the bad, and the ugly
Donna P. has seen a lot in their years of travel. She writes, “To tell you the truth, we’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in our many years of travel. The campground we normally stay at for a few months in winter has gone up in price so much that we can no longer stay here. Improvements? No. Promises? Yes (broken, too). We knew when we started this adventure that eventually we’d have to settle down. We dreamed of buying a little piece of land and building a small place. Now? No way. As with many of us. So we may have to settle down in an RV park. I know people complain about permanent RVs, but this is probably why.”
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: Disgruntled RVer says RV parks are too loud from ‘family vacations’, suggests separate ‘quiet area’ for retirees
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As the RV market collapses, expect to see some of the greed to move on to other venues.
The average RVer may be in for a financial beating.
Only if you try to sell your RV.
Good..maybe real estate prices will come down to sane prices so the average working man can afford it.
Articles like this do nothing but turn into a crying session. Get over it, move on and explore or sell you rv. People have the money to do the things that are important to them.
Sorry Ron, I didn’t understand that. Are you saying most people have expendable money for recreation?
Personally, I am doing fine but I feel like like most people are out of expendable money and credit card debt is at the highest point ever. They have been crushed with cumulative inflation of over 21% the past few years.
If someone has credit card debt that is not 100% paid off every month, they probably should not be camping, RV’ing, or going on holidays.
There is alot I wanted to do, but would not if I could not afford it. People need to stop feeling entitled just because they want something others have.
Yup. Speaking of entitled and debt….. A lot of folks chose college and debt to become doctors, others chose welding or plumbing but no debt. Strangely the welders and plumbers are now paying for the college the doctors that make $750,000.00/year. Upside down much? Choices and chose being the key words.
Safe travels.
Agreed. I went to trade school and became a licensed Machinist and Tool & Die maker.
Went to a trade school and then hung out my own shingle 30 years ago. I feel we are lacking a generation of craftsmen, (no shop class in high school anymore) in all trades. I have 2 positions open right this minute for spray foam technicians in construction. Starting pay, $120k. They can start tomorrow. Starbucks Baristas with a 4 year humanities degree need not apply. No HS diploma needed, just a DL and a clean pee test.
The push that everyone needs a 4 year degree or they will fail in life, has been the wrong message. If everyone has a 4 year degree, it makes a 4 year degree worthless AND EXPENSIVE to others.
Stay well.
I did what you did , only I became a Diesel mechanic after years of thankless work in the oilfields. Americans have become a lazy lot with the gimmee…gimmee…attitude, along with little respect, ethics or morals anymore. I see it a lot in the RV life.
Dirty hands = clean money!
Cancel, I work in medicine as a second career and unlike most of my classmates, I left with no debt. I agree with you that the working people of this country should not be on the hook for someone else’s college debt. Our esteemed leader should not be able to “cancel” that debt because of a bad decision for a vocation or an overpriced day care college choice. Look to the trades for some people instead of an overpriced shingle
Yup. No such thing as canceling debt tho. The debt still gets repaid, it is simply transferred to people that didnt borrow it. “Cancelling” debt implies the actual lender of the money cancelled the debt, they did not and will be paid in full with the taxes of firefighters, plumbers, roofers, electricians, pipefitters, well diggers and cops.
I was already seeing that a couple of decades ago. People with useless degrees working for the Census Bureau, restaurants, etc. I started city college right out of HS and didn’t like it. I only went to beat the draft (mid 60s). Instead, I joined the Navy (still beating the draft) and enjoyed that. I have never regretted not getting a degree – in anything. Now wifey and I are comfortably retired, doing whatever we want.
Lee C. brings up the question, “What is camping?” He wrote, “What’s this ‘camping’ thing? RV’s ain’t ‘camping’… TENTS and BACKPACKS are ‘camping!’ Campgrounds like KOA and others need to call a spade a spade… they’re RV parks, NOT ‘campgrounds’!”
Tents & backpacks? That ain’t camping. Sleeping under the stars, naked and hunting your own food and water is camping…
No, John. That’s surviving!
not quite ready for that as recreation but if needed, I will be able…meanwhile, I will use the tow behind for outdoor enjoyment as a boondocker
That’s on TV.
Naked & Afraid.
Or as Tommy said— surviving!
Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 It is always good to learn what others are experiencing and how they handle it. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
Kathy M. mentioned an “icon of a “little man” that you can “walk” through the campground at eye level”. I would like more information on that because I can’t find that icon on Google Maps. Can someone explain where that is, please?
The “little man” only works on streets that have been traveled by the mapping vehicle, which eliminates most private RV parks. It is also called “Street Level View”. It can be useful on main thoroughfares, but not usable if the mapping vehicle has not traveled that route.
I was afraid that would be the answer. I’m familiar with street view, but it doesn’t usually help to see around a campground. Thanks for your response.
She was talking about Google Earth – a different thing. Google it 🙂 and it’s a fairly memory hogging download. The little man is in Google Maps also, down in the right hand corner when available, but probably won’t have street view inside the campground. You click and drag it to the spot you want to see, purple line appear on the map where the street view is available.
I have had much better luck on Bing for street views that include RV parks from inside the RV parks.
That makes sense. Thanks.
It’s— Google earth not Google maps
I just finished booking our Southwest Snowbird winter, and there were zero issues. Tucson, Yuma, San Diego, Palm Springs, Goodyear, Apache Junction, then home to Toronto.
I use Harvest Hosts for the days to our first stay, and from our last stay to home. I am actually quite surprised how much room the State Parks and RV Parks had. For me Campground crowding is much ado about nothing.
Still no talk about weather on this blog or the comments. Reservations are great until you are sitting in a thin-walled RV with tornado warnings on your phone, like we did last night. The much harsher weather across the world requires flexibility in travel. Very unfortunate still that more options don’t exist for spontaneity and going where it’s safe, not necessarily where you’ve booked.