Guess what? ‘First-come, first-served are never no-shows!’

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.

Days of throwing your stuff in a duffel bag and finding a campsite are few and far between

Denise N. is working at a campground and is finding that people are booking a full year ahead. She writes, “We have been full-time RVing for seven years now and we rarely have issues finding spaces to camp. We do not boondock unless absolutely necessary and usually look for electric hookups as our first priority.

“If you want to book popular parks then you have to be ahead of the game. This summer we are working at a campground and many of our campers have already put in requests for next year.

“The days of throwing your stuff in a duffel bag and finding a campsite ‘tonight’ are few and far between.”

“First-come, first-served” are never no-shows! Use your voice!

Donna H. implores us to contact Forest Service and other federal offices and encourage the return to first-come, first-served campsites. She wrote, “Forest Service offices do have ears. If you have a local campground that you, your family or friends like to camp at but have found all reservations are reserve-only, CALL them and voice your concerns with the recreation staff person. A lot of campers would like to see 50/50 reservations/first-come, first-served. Tell every Forest Service, BLM, etc., that! They think everyone wants reservations all the time. They are to serve the people, so inform them!

“Most people making those decisions don’t even use campgrounds. Use your voice! Campgrounds are usually booked but not crowded when you get there when reservations are no-shows. First-come, first-served are never no-shows!”

Even a Florida resident has trouble booking state parks

Sharon H. wrote that it is so difficult to book Florida state parks that she gave up and is hoping for better luck in other states. “You think non-Floridians have trouble booking state parks?! We Floridians do as well. The window of opportunity is so very, very small; the website is often unnegotiable. I once actually succeeded in making a reservation at Ft. DeSoto, but I had to call and speak to an actual person to do it. I don’t even try anymore. Hopefully, I’ll have better luck with out-of-state parks.”

National senior pass pays off

Randy G. wrote that they find getting sites in the shoulder season at COEs and national parks pays off. “We prefer to travel in spring and fall so it’s easier to get a site. We also prefer federal and state campgrounds because they are cheaper and the sites are not right against each other. If you have the Federal Senior Lifetime Pass, camping is half price and you get into national parks and historic sites for free. With the pass, we have never paid more than $20 a night. Most only have electric hookups but some have water too. We stayed at one in northeast Pennsylvania that had full hookups, and that was the one that was $20 a night. One in Arkansas was only $7.50 a night with water and electric.”

Reader suggests making reservations like sailing clubs do

David D. says limiting reservations may help with multiple bookings and no-shows. He wrote, “We once belonged to a sailing club with a limited number of boats that could be reserved. They managed it by limiting a member to three active reservations at one time.  You could only make a new reservation when your upcoming reservations were less than three. This could be achieved by using, missing, or canceling an existing reservation. The process seemed fair and worked well. In general, one only made reservations that they had a strong likelihood of using.

“Note: All reservations were for a half-day. If you wanted a boat for the day, assuming it wasn’t reserved, you could book both slots. However, it used two of your three reservations.”

RVing is still fun but not carefree

Matt B. knows that RVing is fun and needs planning. He wrote, “We’ve been full-timers for more than a year now, and our experience is that planning is absolutely necessary. RVing is still a lot of fun, but it’s not carefree in the way that some folks pine for.

“Also, a lot of overcrowding is either in a handful of the FOMO-picture-on-Instagram destinations (e.g., Yellowstone) or in state parks which are cheap to reserve and thus full of no-shows. We’re contrarians, I suppose—intentionally staying away from the most-hyped places, and we’re honestly having a great time and making amazing memories.”

In defense of permanent RV parks

Michael J. is living in a seasonal/permanent RV park and writes, “I currently live in a seasonal/permanent RV park with a great mix of people from a variety of backgrounds and economic experiences. We also get plenty of new friends passing through with rigs from classic bargains to the occasional super-expensive one.

“We are all friendly and respectful to each other and it’s safe enough for several solo female residents/travelers as well as young families to at least appear to me to feel relaxed around their homes.

“For me, this is a superior lifestyle to many others that I have tried, but I also understand that everyone has their own experiences.”

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: Readers advise other readers to quit complaining

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