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.
Prefer state parks. Want to know their vagrant policies
Lisa L. had an unpleasant experience in a park. She shares, “Can we add state, county and city parks that have campsites that now allow the homeless to stay as long as they want? Markham Park in Broward County, FL, is an example and it felt so unsafe with the crowd that was there. Open drug use, men in women’s bathhouses, and people walking around all night. Super sketchy! We usually try and stay at state parks but we now ask about their vagrant policies.”
Have tiny pop-up but pay as much as a 30′ motorhome!
Evelyn B. finds the cost of campgrounds rising and says federal and state campgrounds are almost out of reach now. She wrote, “We enjoyed half-price camping at state parks in Florida and half-price at federal campgrounds for several years, which made us able to travel to many places even on a Social Security-only income. But now these same campgrounds still charge half for a campsite but you pay for water and electric use, which puts the price up close to what full price was.
“We are being hit with higher prices for everything since the pandemic, even Dollar Tree increased their prices. I started planning a year ahead to be able to take a camping trip to get a campsite at more popular state parks. Private is mostly out, $50 or more is more than we can do, and in our tiny pop-up we hardly use water and electric but pay as much as a 30-foot motorhome.”
Curious about Boondockers Welcome
Carmen W. found it very hard to find campsites when booking in February. She wrote, “We started camping in 2019 and have so far been exclusively using state and county park campgrounds. They are more affordable and the sites usually offer a lot more privacy, as well. This year it has been incredibly hard to find open spots! I usually make our reservations in December/early January. This year I wasn’t able to do so due to a death in the family, which forced me to travel overseas in January. I tried to get the reservations done in February and barely found any available spots. It has been quite frustrating. Since we usually go two or three nights at a time, I am considering signing up with Boondockers Welcome and giving that a try. I don’t mind dry camping, but my partner, who is very new to RVing, prefers to have at least water and electricity hookups.”
Cheaper to get a timeshare than a campsite
James T. has been priced out of their favorite campground. He wrote, “Ocean Lakes Campground in Myrtle Beach, SC, was a place my wife and I loved to camp at. However, over the years the cost has gone up on campsites and we can find a timeshare for a lot cheaper.
“The campsite we loved went up from $80 a night to $125 a night. This campsite did not have a concrete pad like a lot of others do. We gave up on it. Now, we go camping at our local lake and save a lot of money.”
Not sure he should mention this great campground!
Bill H. likes this campground and shares it with us. “We stay at Blackwater State Park near Pensacola, Florida. Down-to-earth folks run the place and feature full hookups on the beautiful Blackwater River. They also pick up your trash each morning. Not sure I should be giving away where we camp.” [Too late, Bill.]
Campgrounds are businesses and can’t keep sites open
S.R.P. responds to some previous Campground Crowding comments. He writes, “Finding places to stay is getting a little more difficult. All it takes is some advanced planning. These are businesses and can’t keep sites open hoping you will call. Yes, there a lot of seasonal/permanent campers who are there because the campground has lowered the price so much and left us carrying the water.
“As to the age, I have seen some RVs that I would rather not park beside. Is it that much trouble to send them a picture of your unit? Mine will be 9 years old this year and is mistaken for a new one.”
Things have changed, but they still love camping
Stacey Z. wrote to us about the changes we all are feeling and said, “We have camped for over 30 years and things have definitely changed. Private campgrounds now seem to be mostly seasonal sites, restrictive (age of unit, pets, type of RV), run down and/or extremely expensive. We camp on federal, COE, and state campgrounds when possible. However, some of them have gotten expensive and are not kept up. My frustration with those who accept the federal pass is people who reserve sites in advance and don’t show up. They need to charge for this and release the site after 24 hours. That said, we still love camping and don’t plan to stop in the near future!”
Happy they aren’t dragging their luggage into a hotel
Greg M. reminds us that we always have a choice to stay or not at an RV park. He writes, “All things considered, these facilities are privately owned and can set their own dynamic pricing, rules and ways of doing business (particularly online reservations and/or unmanned facilities). If I consider the price too high, I can look elsewhere.
“Same thing if they have a 10-year rule or other rules I may disagree with. (We have a Super C and therefore can’t stay in many ‘motorcoach’ resorts.) We’ve camped for 40 years and love it. Sometimes in a Cracker Barrel lot and much of the time in campgrounds. We’ll always find a place to stay and remain happy we aren’t dragging our luggage into a hotel and sleeping in an uncomfortable bed. Happy Trails!”
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: RV buyers change mind, will not buy RV — “No place to camp”
The article is “Crowded Campgrounds”, yet people complain about price. 30 years of camping and you expect things to not change? And to those OP’s who comment then state “I’m not going to say where the CG is”, don’t say or mention it. Just keep it to yourself, happy for you.
It is no secret that Blackwater River State Park near Pensacola is a really nice place to camp. I live 8 miles from it and feel lucky if I can book an available site. It shows full online most of the time and is very popular with the locals.
This is from New York Dept of Environmental Protection: Check-in time is from 2:00 p.m. until 9 p.m.
(Campers must register for their campsite before 9
p.m. on the first night of reservation or the site will
be subject to re-rental & all fees will be forfeited
• Check-out is 11 a.m. on camping permit expiration
We are finding more RV parks booked up and more sites in parks where we camp appear to be seasonal guests or longer. As the economy deteriorates and inflation grows more and more are priced out of the American dream. RVs are the alternative.
The economy is hardly deteriorating, in fact it’s doing quite the opposite
Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 More varied and interesting stories. Thankfully, none appear to be retiring from RVing. 🙂 Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
RE: paying for a motorcoach site towing a pop-up. It’s called lost opportunity. If the site supports a motorcoach (e.g. 50A & FHU), and you use the site with a pop-up paying less, there is possibility the site could have been occupied by a motorcoach for greater net revenue. Yes, I ‘get it’ about you using fewer utilities so saving the owner some expense. But is there an easy way for the owner to manage that? Turning this around… Some parks offer lesser sites for folks with lesser needs. If a motorcoach fits, they could use the site, semi-boondocking, and pay less. Should they demand greater services for the site?
Thankfully we stay in a community with zero tolerance towards the homeless who bring an uncomfortable atmosphere wherever they stay.
Vagrancy is the condition of wandering homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants usually live in poverty and support themselves by travelling while engaging in begging, scavenging, or petty theft. Wikipedia
Most municipalities, counties, and states have vagrancy laws, but apparently if we relabel vagrancy as homelessness, the laws aren’t being violated. As with most of society’s ills, the problem isn’t lack of laws, it’s lack of enforcement and punishment.
There are many reasons (excuses) for homelessness, and I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I DO know that laziness is NOT an illness.
Not feeling the compassion today (can you tell)?
Nanci… always love this column! But back to same complaining from Evelyn B. State parks charge for the site and hook ups. No difference if you are a class A,B,or Pop up. You really think because you are a”fixed income” you should get a break? I’m sorry you have to save a year in advance for your vacation,but I saved 45 years to enjoy what I do. I am not a mean person and love all levels of RVers,but it’s not a lifestyle for those who are economically challenged. By the way my best friend has a pop up and we camp with 3 or 4 different weeks a year in Fla State parks with them every year.
Fixed income? I retired 8 years ago. My monthly income is the same each month. Does that count as fixed?
When we started camping, it was with my motorcycle and small pop up camper (tent on wheels). Since it had wheels, a lot of campgrounds would not let us use the tent sites. We had no bathroom, kitchen, or A/C. Just a nice bed and a 6X6 dressing area.
We did use a small electric when when needed and a 16 inch TV. We used the campground facilities.
30 years doing this and we enjoyed every moment. We had to reserve a site with W/E only, paying as much as a full size trailer.
Now we have a 32 foot toy hauler. We saved most of our lives to get to this point.
I agree Bob!! My first camping was in an army surplus tent and have moved up from there. Everyone in the world is on a “fixed” income. We ALL only get so much to spend and there is no more. Rving can be done on a budget but don’t expect frills
I question the description of Markham Park in Broward County. I live a few miles from this park and have stayed there a few times, though not recently. The park is in the far western part of the county adjacent to the everglades. The charge to stay there is $50/night, not many vagrants can afford that. I could see a few homeless sneaking in there to sleep at night but recently enacted laws in FL concerning sleeping in public places would not encourage that. The last time I checked a Broward County Deputy Sheriff lived on the property across the road from the RV area. I will bring your comment to the attention of my County Commissioner and am sorry that you had a bad experience in my county.
I have a tiny trailer and don’t use doodly for electricity or sewer but have to pay the same as a 42 foot behemoth. In fact, when I have electricity, I don’t use it at all, but maybe once a year. But if I wasn’t there, maybe a giant size would have the space. They don’t usually allow me in a tent site. Boondockers welcome can be ok. I stopped being a host because there were ungrateful people who made it not worth messing with. And it changed owners a couple years ago, and it was never the same.
Also for the person considering Boondockers Welcome, many do offer electric, water. They also can charge a little for electric. I used to let people have some electricity and use my wi-fi for nothing.