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.
The last couple of weeks, readers have written in about their campground pet peeves. This week was no exception. While dogs and their owners still top the list of peeves, others are bubbling up, too. And I do agree with all of them: nasty hair-filled showers, noise, cigarette butts, trash, and more are always irritants. However, Charles P.’s email below put some perspective on my personal complaints.
I could add several more to the list below but, again, Charles made me think and remember the excitement of planning, the sheer joy of packing up and playing Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” loudly at the beginning of every long journey. Pulling into a campground and setting everything up for our new home, even if just for one night, is always special.
It made me remember when we were weekend warriors and would pull out everything, and I mean everything: set up chairs, grill, rug, portable lights, and spread the tablecloth out on a picnic table with glee. Lately, we haven’t done all that setup, and the work of it has tarnished the joy a bit. So, this next time we stop, even if just for the night, I will set up with chairs, table, and even unfurl the tablecloth.
If the complaints outweigh the good times, it’s time to quit
Charles P. writes about minimal issues and has some sage advice: “My wife and I spend about 125 nights per year in campgrounds and have done so for the past five years. We stay primarily in state park campgrounds and COE campgrounds. I have on a few occasions picked up someone else’s dog poop, occasionally not been able to get a campsite, one time I had to complain about trash (the person was banned from the COE park), and one time I had a noisy neighbor. A little annoying at the time, but it obviously does not outweigh the good times.
“My thought is that if your complaints outweigh the good times, it is time to quit. Nothing in life is perfect all the time—just deal with it and focus on the good.”
Nasty showers
Lori C. is not happy with some of the nasty showers she finds in parks and writes, “My pet peeve is people who don’t clean up after using the showers in the campgrounds. I find empty shampoo bottles, small bar soap chunks and, worst of all, disposable razors. The shower floor is slick with liquid soap residue or whatever ‘goop’ they used, along with hair. I do wear shower flip flops, but I can’t imagine these folks leaving their home shower so filthy. The park cleans once a day, so I now ask what the cleaning schedule is and plan to be there as soon as they finish.”
Cigarette butts
Marci B. says they are everywhere! “Cigarette butts thrown everywhere is annoying to me. It can take up to 10 years for them to decompose, and they are toxic if ingested by kids or wildlife. If you smoke, please dispose of them properly. And do not throw them in the firepit. Would you want to pull into a campsite full of butts? It’s disgusting!”
Shrill shivers-down-the-spine screaming children
Keri M. is not fond of the screaming kids and writes, “In response to the commentary on dogs in RV parks: some of us empty nesters feel the same way about other people’s children. You may not like my yappy dog, but I don’t like the shrill, shivers-down-the-spine screaming of your children. As well, teach them manners like NOT cutting through my campsite at breakneck speed on their bicycles (or on foot, for that matter). It’s crowded out there, people. Learn boundaries.”
Fire pits
Dori S. has an issue with fire pits and writes, “Fire pits! People will try to burn their trash, some of which does not ignite and is left unburned. Another issue is those who have to have a campfire no matter what the temperature is. They fire it up early and then let it smolder all day long, stinking up the surrounding campsites.”
RV generators
Vroom T. brings up the noisy and sometimes stinky issue of RV generators and writes, “Honestly, dog poop and being offensive is annoying, but still not as bad as RV generators.”
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 about your recent experience at campgrounds/RV parks in general.
Read last week’s Crowded Campgrounds column: Why RVers say dogs and their owners are ruining campgrounds
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I think all these problems we find are a reflection of our society today. People are all about them selves as they show no considerations for others or property of others. It is me, me, me and nobody else. I see this everywhere and not just in campgrounds. Today there is no respect for others. Kids are not being taught these things as the parents don’t seem to have any respect and consideration for others themselves.
Robert you hit the nail on the head…. I can’t stand people that you walk by in the campground and purposely look away from you just not to say HI. I still say HI and make them say something.
I see it everywhere, not just RVing. And the sad thing is it is not deliberate. So many people are just oblivious to the world around them and their impact on the people around them, let alone the larger world. Case in point: our vehicles’ gas filler port is on the passenger side; opposite of many other cars. I will wait (doing my best to not block traffic) but obviously waiting my turn at a pump. Inevitably someone will just come buzzing in without even looking at their surroundings – the only thing they see is the pump. Then get upset if I toot my horn like I am the protocol breaker rather than them. Only one example.
Indeed Jim. Discourteousness is the order of the day. It’s a head scratcher for those of us that are both courteous and patient.
We are on a big cross country trip, Fl to CA up to MT then ND then heading back to FL. This trip it seems the quality of campground wi-fi has really gone downhill from prior years, (like a trip we did in May 2023). Almost every one, it was poor signal, would stop downloading web pages. Good thing our phone Hotspot’s have gotten us by.
Oh, RV Gens don’t bother us much. We’ve boondocked in Rest Areas where truck noises thru the night are often much worse.
I agree about cigarette butts. We live on a corner, I go out and do a lot of yard work. I always find them along the edges of my lawn. Boils my blood. If you freaking smoke, dispose of your cig butts properly.
Generators should be exercised about 30 minutes a month. But I am having trouble understanding the concern about them. Is this a boondock situation with RVs parked close? And if at a location with AC power, there shouldn’t be that many operating generators, and not for long..
There are clowns who turn on their generator on at 4 pm to prepare dinner inside, and leave them on all evening, disrupting lovely sunsets, til their television watching is over at 11 pm. Glad you have not run into this behavior yet.
Hey Wanderer, I resemble that remark 😉 But I will honor the campground generator hours. Depending on sunshine, I need to run the gen to charge my batteries to get through the night, so once I turn it on I’ll let it run until I get to full charge or the generator hours end or I go to bed, whichever comes first. DW may want A/C or to bake something in the oven, so “happy wife happy life” You’re welcome to join us in the comfort and have some cake.
Most of the complaints listed in the article are bona fide and spot on.
Yes, camping has grown more annoying and expensive in recent years. But this spring I took a couple of trips using other means, and I urge anyone aggravated with RVing to experiment with air travel, or just take some long car-motel trips, or try the train. You’ll find they all have their downsides, including getting gouged for nuisance fees and bad food, TSA lines, obnoxious fellow travelers, etc. Air travel is particularly stressful if you can’t get there in one nonstop.
I’m between rigs right now, and can’t wait to get into a new, small one, and have the pleasure of RVing at my own pace again.
Recently my wife and I spent a week at a COE park. There was a site at the end of the loop filled with 20-somethings, coming and going, speeding through the campground. I had to go down there and tell them to turn down the headbanger “music”, which they did.
When they left a few days later we walked down there and it was a site to behold. Trash and food everywhere, cans, bottles, cig butts, old rags, and someone’s air mattress strewn in the bushes and fire pit.
Our COE parks are under pressure due to personnel cuts and hiring bans. We knew the site was rented for that evening and there was no way they would be able to clean it in time. We cleaned the site ourselves, 2 bags of trash.
Thanks for the work. We all need to help.
If all you do is complain about camping, it’s time to hang it up and find something else you might like.
I really have no complaints. I have some preferences and a few things that can be a bit annoying on our list but complaints, nope. I just feel tremendously blessed that I get to live an RVing lifestyle with the love of my life. If something bothers us too much, have wheels, will travel.
Happy trails everyone.