RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs. Has that changed campgrounds? 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.
Before COVID and after COVID
Tom B. reports on the significant difference between pre- and post-COVID on making reservations. “Here in North East, Pennsylvania, we have several State Parks to choose from. Prior to COVID, we could get a site on most weekends and sometimes even on holidays. Now we have to make reservations 11 months in advance. We have pets, which limits the site availability, especially when people without pets reserve those sites.” [Note: North East is a borough in Pennsylvania.]
Complaining is the American right… and curse
Rolin M. reminds us not to sweat the small stuff. “Complaining is an American right. Just like things to complain about seems to be an American curse. Don’t sweat the small stuff because life is too short.”
Be kind to your neighbor
Derrick H. is sick and tired. He writes, “Sick and tired of these tone-deaf people who can’t comprehend how obnoxious they are being. Then they have the nerve to say it’s other people’s job to deal with their ignorance. Try being kind to your neighbor and make this world a better place to live in.”
This stellar campground helped out through a hurricane, broken leg AND a flat tire!
Barbra M. wrote about a campground that went the extra mile. “I would like to comment about Mountain Creek Campground in Pennsylvania. We usually stay at state parks but we also stay occasionally at much larger places. We were at a PA state park but had to evacuate because of hurricane wind and rain.
“Not having phone service, our granddaughter called into our next campground stop, Mountain Creek, to see if they had room for us to come early. They did. While we were there, I fell and broke my leg. They let us stay longer than planned without charge. We planned to leave two days later but had a flat tire.
“They were helpful in getting us the help we needed. This is a large campground but it has areas where you can stay that are away from the pool, playground, etc., if you want quiet. During the storm, we stayed safe and dry.
“We love this place. Best ice cream around! Very friendly owners and workers. Give it a try.”
Balancing campgrounds and boondocking
Brian N. writes about enjoying an area, recharging, and moving on. “We employ a balance of boondocking and campgrounds. When we’re only going to be staying a single night, we generally use Harvest Hosts or Boondockers Welcome sites. For lengthier stays, we’ll usually find a small state park, as they tend to be secluded, quiet, and inexpensive.
“We’ll enjoy the recreation available in the area, then recharge, fill our water, dump our tanks, and move on to the next destination. The only time we use larger campgrounds is to access a specific area, such as Washington, D.C. We don’t tend to stay anywhere more than three or four days as we’re out for adventure, not to live in a campground. Finding places to stay has not been a problem and, more often than not, we find ourselves choosing the best of multiple options.”
Pick a place for the kids
Steve K. chooses the campground or resort on who is traveling with them. He wrote, “We have been camping or RVing for 40 years. When we want a vacation without golf carts and kids running everywhere, we pick one resort over another. When the grandkids are coming with us then we pick a resort that they can have fun at. Sure, they can be crowded and loud at times, but there are so many places to choose from we can usually find what we need.”
Hard to find sites for a 44′ RV
Darin S. mentions that it is difficult to find sites for his 44′ motorhome. He writes, “I have found limited availability for my 44’ motorhome, which is not surprising when booking only a few weeks in advance.”
Most pet peeves disappear
Greg A. moves from uncrowded state parks to uncrowded Harvest Hosts. He wrote, “We choose state and national parks because they cost less and generally have openings with larger sites. They typically do not have entertainment amenities but rely more on trails, which suits us. They are only crowded on weekends, if at all. We sometimes adjust travel days to stay at Harvest Hosts over the weekend to miss crowded conditions. We hop between Harvest Hosts locations as we drive only 3-4 hours a day and don’t have to set up camp as we enjoy staying at each Harvest Host. If you plan right, most pet peeves disappear. Happy campers from Virginia!”
Learn more about Harvest Hosts here.
Despicable!
Wayne R. is no fan of dogs and owners who don’t pick up after their dogs. He writes, “Dogs! Several times I have observed other RVers casually stop by our sites and allow their ‘rescue’ dogs to crap in our site and then not pick it up. I also have seen dog owners not pick up while parking at a casino. THIS is despicable! Last winter we found little plastic bags full of crap hidden behind rocks and cactus!
“RVers that have to have their dogs along should not be encouraged. For my part, you could remove the dog picture segment from your great newsletters. You’re turning this into a pet forum. I’m sure there are other RV topics of interest to all.”
Editor’s note: We love dogs, Wayne, but we also understand where you’re coming from. Those few bad dog owners don’t speak for us all—we always clean up after our dogs and share your frustrations with those who don’t. Sorry, the cute dogs in the newsletters are here to stay.
Now, some questions for you:
- Are you finding campgrounds booked up or is finding a site not a problem?
- What do you like best about RVing?
- What are your pet peeves?
- Are you seeing more permanent and seasonal RV parks?
- Are rising costs affecting your camping style?
- Do you have favorite campgrounds or RV parks?
- What is the most memorable experience you have had RVing?
- Do you have any tips or secrets you’d like to share?
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: RVers fed up with others complaining so much: ‘Stay at home or live with it!’
##RVT1193b
Starting to think more about Harvest Hosts. It used to be almost none of them in Nevada, but we just perused the newer map and see quite a few now. So, we might just join up and tour the state via Harvest Host places.
Don’t overlook the Boondockers Welcome (BW) aspect of Harvest Hosts’ (HH) offerings (at an additional charge?), Tommy. HH are almost without exception one-night-stay-only. BW sites typically allow multiple-day stays and sometimes offer partial utilities. Safe travels!
Many Harvest Host now allow two or more nights. I’ve stayed at them. The extra nights, some charge $30 a night. Some don’t. Westport Winery and Gardens, Cranzberry Museum in Grayland and Willapa Brewing are three I know and have stayed with them a few times. You have to weigh out the extra cost of adding Boondockers Welcome and the Golf vs how many times you will be staying a year plus spending with Harvest Host. It cost me more but at the same time, I enjoyed the experiences and quiet.
Thank you for the update, Loretta! Safe travels!
Harvest Host sites expect RVers to buy something in return for an overnight stay plus the membership fee. That can make a “free” campsite a pretty expensive campsite. If we are going to pay for a dry campsite, we prefer to pay $9-11/night for a USFS cg. using our Interagency Senior Pass. We joined Passport America, instead of HH, which gets us half-price hookups, dry campsites, at reasonable fees. Personally, paying $30 for hookups in a half-price RV park seems to be preferable to paying $30 for a bottle of wine and a dry campsite in a parking lot.
Sorry, that “dry campsites” should be “not dry campsites”.
We travel most often across I-20 And found few BW/HH along our routes. And the few HH expected more spent for wines, beers, and other products we would not consume or use. So we dropped our membership
“Complaining is the American right… and curse” just look no farther than the current White House situation.
😂 …yes it is!…and I have seen many times where you make good use of it!
Thank you for the compilation, Nanci! Always good to know how others are finding things when they travel. Great to see so many identifying where they had the described experience(s). Have a great weekend and safe travels!
I really appreciate the more positive tone of this column this week. Yes, there are those who encounter problems, but I’d much rather hear about everyone’s positive experiences with RV’ing. Thank you!
Agreed!! 😃
I’ve been at Tortilla Flat, US Forest Service campground for over a week and it’s been less than 50% occupied. $10/night with Golden Age Pass and each site has water and sewer, no electric but plenty of solar. Meanwhile nearby State & County parks (Lost Dutchmen, Usery Mountain, White Tank) are full up with no openings for weeks. It’s all about choice and perspective, and yes, there are a few monster diesel pushers here along with van-lifers like me so size isn’t the issue. Depends on what you’re comfortable with and the same way “resort campgrounds” don’t work for me, more primitive campgrounds don’t work for others.
Like Wayne R., I’ve got a beef with dog owners who do not pick up after their pets or leave bags on the ground with the intention of picking them up later. Unlike Wayne R., I don’t believe the problem is solely due to ‘rescue’ dogs. Possibly I’m just unfamiliar with the purebred poopless dogs. I guess I need to get with the times.
Love it! 😂
I always clean up after my dog and often other people’s dogs…Just do it!
Thought you might get a smile from this…When I pick up dog poop someone else didn’t bother to…I simply think in my mind…they will soon find poop in a not so nice way in their life. 😆