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 tips to help other campers find that perfect spot.
Here are a few observations from our readers. These do not necessarily represent the views of RVtravel.com.
Less hassle and expense at hotels
Brianna H. can’t justify the high costs and crowding at an RV park and is leaving her RV in storage. She wrote, “Who wants to spend $50 to $100 a night to stay at a crowded park with screaming kids, barking dogs and parties going on all night long? I can’t justify that. My RV has been in storage for two years. Now, if I travel, I stay at a nice motel with a pool or an Airbnb, where I have the whole place to myself. Less expense, less hassle, and I don’t have to fix anything that might go wrong.”
Campground costs have gone up, too
Abe B. points out the flip side of campground costs. He wrote, “Sounds like a lot of people complaining but don’t realize that the costs associated in running a campground have also gone up. I look at it this way: if a campground is charging me 5% – 10% more year over year, then they are just covering their operating cost and still taking home roughly the same amount net. I also try to stick with family-owned and run; they tend to be cleaner and better run.”
Fed up with newbies
Gordon R. says he is slowly leaning toward giving up and writes, “Firstly, camping is now too expensive. Many parks are charging more than motels/hotels with little or no amenities and very small sites. Those sites that block RVs over 10 years old are discriminatory. I am also fed up with the Covid-era newbies who have no respect or knowledge of campsite behavior. Those who book several reservations for the same period and never cancel should be charged the full rate and a no-cancel penalty.
“I have been RVing since the ’80s and am slowly leaning towards giving up. Very disappointed lately.”
No more camping at the last minute
Annette R. says times have certainly changed. She wrote, “Things have drastically changed since the 2017 fires and Covid. If the weather was nice, we used to drive to the coast last-minute to camp. No longer able to do that. Every site is ‘reservation-only’ in most campgrounds. We don’t know what we plan to do in the coming year to make a reservation that early. Additionally, we may need to cancel because of nearby fires/smoke. Prices have increased dramatically. Why pay $185/night or more for full hookups, when I can stay at Best Western for much less?
“Some people like to pull off the road to ‘camp’ for free anywhere; however, that doesn’t feel safe to us. We sold our RV in 2022 and got back what we paid for it six years prior. Lucky, I guess.”
Each change brings sadness
Michael B. has been camping forever and is selling their truck and RV. He wrote, “We have to quit camping because of my health issues and my wife’s fears of driving the truck and trailer, both of which are for sale. We are both in our 70s and have camped forever and have seen things go from no electric to 20 amp 110 to 30 amp to 50 amp. Each change brings sadness to those who are used to the old normal. We found camping spots in areas that had little extras except beautiful views, quietness, etc. No WiFi, poor TV reception, and no cell service were always good to see in reviews! Good luck to you all and safe travels. If you’re not enjoying the travel, you are going too fast!”
Costs are creeping up
Robert T. wrote that they have not had a problem finding sites, even in Florida. But he believes the big corporate buy-outs of mom-and-pop parks lead to increases in prices. He wrote, “I find the ‘hard to find’ campsites more of a West Coast issue than back East. That being said, during major months-long trips my wife and I have taken, we have never had a difficult time finding campsites on the fly. This includes two years traveling through Daytona, FL, during bike week, unknowingly, Western trips to Yellowstone, and most recently a Southern States trip from Pensacola, FL, to Galveston, TX, and back to the Northeast.
“What does give me and my wife pause, though, is the amount of mom-and-pop campgrounds selling out to the likes of KOA, Sun, and Encore, to name just a few of the heavyweights. We believe this has led to a rise in pricing at all campgrounds. If the average campsite starts creeping into the $70+ and above range, that is when we’ll hang up the keys to our motorhome.”
Reservation system ruined it
Tom O. tells us why they sold their RV. “We sold our RV several years ago due to increased campground fees and limited availability. The reservation system ruined it for us. Some people locked up all available weekends, leaving only weekdays for others. If you travel long distances, this didn’t work for us. We needed to leave and the areas we traveled to had few if any other accommodations for us. We no longer had enough options to travel with confidence. I feel weekend reservations need to be limited so people are not hogging all or most available dates making the campground their own private resort.”
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: Would you pay extra for a ‘quiet loop’ campsite?
Greedflation has taken over RV parks and campgrounds. It used to be an inexpensive way to spend quality time. Now, high prices have ruined it for everyone. The problem is people blindly keep paying these ridiculous prices without a care.
Campground owners will someday realize that some money is better than no money when their parks are empty. Loves RV Stops are a good example of this… 75% of their sites are empty every night.
I believe (hopefully) this will implode upon itself just as the RV manufacturers are now realizing.
Good comment and true.
Yup, government greed for higher taxes has ruined a lot of the “quality of life” things we all enjoyed a mere 2 generations ago.
So true!
Maybe Brianna is staying at the wrong RV park. “$50 – $100 a night to stay at a crowded park with screaming kids, barking dogs and parties going on all night long?”
Where would Annette spend “$185/night or more” for a night of camping?
Are some commenters exaggerating just a bit much?
I do realize that this particular forum is for people to complain, complain, and complain some more, however I have ZERO issues finding great spots at reasonable prices all over Canada & the USA with just a little bit of planning ahead. It doesn’t have to be difficult, IMHO.
$185. a night must be a resort. I camp in Pa state parks and 3 days are less than $185. For a site with full hookups and senior discount at a Pa state park for three days I paid $119.
In NV, with our state park geezer passes, we could stay three days with water and electricity for $30. That is, if we could get a reservation. Once NV went to a (poorly run) reservation system, we haven’t spent one night in a state park. Darned shame because we used to just pick up and go whenever we wanted. No hookups and no crowds.
My wife and I went to Leo’s Campground in Key West in may of this year. The place is beautiful and has a beautiful Pond with a Fountain in the Center. Our site was the best in the park and there was hardly anyone there. We met the owner and went to several Restaurants while there. my favorite was the Conch Republic, where I had Bacon Wrapped, Crab Stuffed, Shrimp. Absolutely delicious!
I do not understand why RV Travel continues to publish these type of articles. Find something else to write about.
If you do not like camping, then move on, but quit whining and complaining. Everyone has the money to do the things that are important to them, no exceptions.
I do not understand why you read this particular segment ,it usually covers the same thing and you make the same comments, Just skip over it.
I hear you 5×5 on that…many folks who have camped and RV’d for years are tired of the idiots out there with no common sense and no ethics..morals..or respect for others…and sure as **** won’t listen to advice.
I have to agree Ron, the whining is incessant on this topic. We have little to no issues finding campsites. Time to write about something else instead of beating this dead horse further.
Michael B. says it all in the article as many are leaving the RV experience because of greed and ignorance.
It’s none of my business, of course, but I can’t help but wonder why Brianna H has had her RV in storage for two years when she doesn’t even travel in it anymore. The logic for keeping an unused RV escapes me.
My thought too but then I had the thought that perhaps one could owe more than one could get in a sale. While monthly payments are manageable, bringing x dollars to the bank/closing on a sale may not be doable.
Don’t know where these folks are staying at these rates for what they are dealing with. Been camping since the 70’s and have seen a lot of change. Yep – still run across morons and idiots wherever you go, regardless of what you pay. But, I am not seeing the crowds and issues mentioned in this article by others. We generally stay at state parks or privately owned cg’s and just got back from a week on the oregon coast. No issues, spaces available. Now that school is out, use will increase quite a bit. Like others, I also think that articles such as this lead to nothing more than just a rant and bxxxh session.
Yea it’s tougher now days to find the enjoyment readily available just a few years ago. But some of it is still available. How much enjoyment is needed to keep going? That is up to the individual RVer. For life-long RVers, what does present that big Stop sign in the sky is age and health. We’re not there yet.
Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 Have a great weekend and safe travels! 🙂
I understand the frustration with rising campground prices but for me at least, it’s not fair to compare camping to hoteling. (Is that a word?) I don’t think it will ever be wise financially to buy a truck, trailer and extra gas compared to staying at a hotel. Thinking it will ever be cheaper is probably a fool’s errand. My wife and I camp because we feel like we’re closer to nature, and we have the opportunity to socialize with others if we want to. I’m not opposed to hotels, but when was the last time you talked to a stranger in one for more than 10 to 20 seconds, without feeling like they might call the police? That might be a slight exaggeration but hopefully you get my point.
We’ve changed the way we camp, from long distance trips to short(er) distance trips within 3-4 hours from home. For one, it’s just gotten too unpredictable to plan and reserve sites for a long trip out west. It’s also gotten expensive. Our motorhome is 19 years old with 113,000 miles, and while I maintain it and feel it would take us anywhere, we’re getting to the age where surprises aren’t the adventure they used to be.
We now use COE and State parks closer to home, staying Sunday through Friday, maybe the weekend if available. We’ve never liked the “awning to slideout” crowded parking lot RV parks, and we certainly wouldn’t pay what they want now.
We’ve done just the opposite, we’ve gone from short trips close to home to weeks and even 2 months on the road. We’ve crossed the country several times west to east and north to south, learned to book certain destinations like popular national parks and just wing the rest. We’ve learned about solar and boondocking and can still comfortably go off the grid for a week. Honestly, I’ve started to loathe RV parks or resorts and much prefer the adventure and majestic landscape of America. I don’t think of us as campers but as travelers in our own little spaceship. Although we live overlooking the beautiful coastline in So Cal we can’t wait to get on the road again for our next adventure !!!
In a Free Market system it is all about supply and demand. Pick a product, any product, and the pricing is based on demand. Higher demand equals higher prices. When the demand drops, the pricing will drop.
Covid was the catalyst for this and the members of Covid Campers Society are hanging on to only option they had for family recreation. Same goes for the retirees in the few years leading up to Covid, that changed European vacation plans to Yellowstone. Some will hang around and some will move on but as they leave pricing will be rebalanced.
Apply this to the Winnie story this week and voila. Supply and demand.
Yeah…we all know how that trickle down economics and “free” market society thing worked out in the 1980’s…eh…MEH.
No doubt, it did take a few years with little pain before realizing the benefits of 8% GDP growth and cleaning up after 21% Carter based mortgage interest rates and 2 hour lines for gasoline. Perhaps you can point to a nation with a better system.
Maybe y’all like Reaganomics…but not everyone benefited from that failed experiment…then along came #45 and pulled that stunt again…only the rich benefit from these experiments…and yes there are countries with better systems in place.
I stand corrected. Which ones?
Avg gdp growth under Reagan was 4.6%
I remember a fed fund rate of 20% under Reagan
Volker raised rates high to kill off inflation.
The Iranian revolution and resulting fuel shortage was very likely unavoidable.
Avg inflation rate under Reagan was about 5% as well as I recall.
Just gotta ask…would you rather have “free” market society, or authoritarian state communism?
Don’t forget the guides of all those planes in our skies….You know who is to blame…
I’m sticking with my Winnebago….
Ref “Many parks are charging more than motels/hotels”. We generally find campsites ranging from $40 to a very rare high of $100/night. Where are these people finding nice hotels or AirBnBs at under $100 per night? Or are they just staying at Motel 6 and other dives as they travel now?
Agree, we stay at State Parks and COE parks for $25 -$40 with America the Beautiful pass. Private we may pay $50 to $60. For $180 it’s gotta be over the top amenities and your own dock with a boat! LOL
And sweet young ladies to drive the boat..Guys for the ladies out there.
I’m equal thinking old dude…
It seems (in my experience) that KOAs and Sun Outdoors, are buying up privately owned parks and turning them into “resorts,” taking away their charm, and turning them into a “party place.” They are bringing in cottages (taking up RV spaces) that seem to be empty the majority of the time while the remaining RV spaces are sold out. The once nice quiet charming RV parks are getting too commercialized.
Michael B. Nails it- “No Wi-Fi, poor TV reception, and no cell service were always good to see in reviews.”
YUP!……We can only hope them folks just stay home and annoy their neighbors.
We travel and camp in our “B”. We seldom spend more than 2 nights at one spot. We have had problems with dogs once and never had any kids driving us nuts. Loud music maybe once. Those who have quit because motels are cheaper, I think were really moteling it in their RV anyway. We will spend the small difference between motels and RV nights, because we enjoy RVing. We all RV differently but we RV to see the country, not sit in one place all summer – buy or rent a cabin on a lake. We have not experienced all the dogs, poop, kids, lights under RVs and loud music that others like to complain about. Now I will put my sunglasses on and remove my hearings aids so I can stand this place tonight.
I don’t know where Annette R is camping for 185 per night, but I find great places all over for 100 or less. By the way, I would NEVER EVER pay 185 per night for a spot.
Camping was a cheaper alternative to vacation, a good family event with great memories. Then everyone forgot after covid. Rv resorts, the happy office became jerks, the camp store turned 3$ ketchup into 10$.. literally greed has destroyed everything.
Again, for me, there’s a huge difference between resorts, RV parks, and campgrounds. I go to campgrounds for nature, wildlife, and trails to walk the dog, and to photograph. I don’t stay long in one place. I have to be picky to try and avoid the screaming kids and barking dogs, and I like a view. One thing I don’t understand is how people can tolerate their OWN screaming kids and barking dogs. Someone said screaming should only be for emergencies. So, it isn’t easy getting desired spots, but I can get into places the behemoth rigs cannot; I get by, avoiding weekends. And I do not advertise on Facebook where I go!
Barking Kids and screaming dogs drive me nutz!
Pickled Pelican Holly Beach, Louisiana. The rv next to us could not extend their awning because they were parked 2 ft from my rv.
I have a large lab, he is always on a leash and under our control. Many times people have let their little dogs just run around, I don’t hesitate to let the owners know if my dog decides to take a bite out of their dog that’s on them. My dog is in his space.
I have been camping since I was born 1955 with my parents and they had a homemade teardrop trailer dad built at home from a old magazine with illustrated instructions. I remember the back lifting up and there was moms kitchen. I still have the magazine he built it from. Mom and dad got a real trailer in 1967 and they bought a 18 foot Terry travel trailer and we traveled all over the United States every summer. My dad got 4 weeks of vacation every year. Then I got a Honda 90 and dad put racks to hold it on the back of the trailer and that Honda went everywhere we went. In 1973 I graduated high school and bought a truck and camper and I have never stopped.
Judging by this article, there should be plenty of spaces available now that everyone is no longer camping!
We’ve been camping since 1995 and the only year it was bad was 2020 with all the crowding.
We just traveled from California to Colorado and stayed at a mix of KOAs, private RV parks, and state parks and had a great experience. Paid from $35 nightly at the state park to $87 nightly at the KOA for a deluxe patio site.
If you don’t like other people enjoying their RV’s, then by all means quit and stay home. We enjoy the great variety of RV Parks from quaint wide open with few amenities, to wonderful Resort Parks that have an abundance of enjoyable amenities. Yes some are more expensive, very well attended for good reason, from location and proximity to great locales. If we want to be by water, lakes, or the ocean we are aware that will both be filled and cost more. We choose that and are happy to be able to be there. We are so grateful others decided to build and provide such wonderful opportunities for us to enjoy in our Motorhome!
Sorrrrrry, Brian. This didn’t show up in the Spam folder in very recently, although you posted it several hours ago. I have no idea why our sometimes-overzealous spam filter even put it in there (or why it took so long to show up!). Have a good evening/night. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
For Brianna H.: How cost effective is storing your RV for 2 + years or more? It doesn’t
make sense to me to have an RV and store it for years on end, then travel using motels and Airbnb’s when you do travel. Maybe you should sell your RV…then you would have even more money for travel.
We decided to head further south this winter to escape north FL freezing weather and find a lower cost park. We expected the RV park to be full. Not so. Why? They raised their rates and folks didn’t reserve. Same thing in north FL. Friends we’ve known for years stayed home up north because they can no longer afford the high fuel, site rental, electric, and food prices. Our costs increased 20% per year. Enough is enough park owners.
Now that I’m old-er and a Veteran even the campgrounds around Lake Roosevelt are reservation only…Who is running this scam show now?
Reservation fees eat up the discount we folks have earned and deserved. And when we have survived this long how can we make plans for months ahead?..Not promised tomorrow, eh?