By Chuck Woodbury
I have stayed in many RV parks where the checkout time is 11 a.m. Nothing unusual about that, right? Par for the course. Now, 11 a.m. is the checkout rule at motels and hotels. They need time to make the beds and clean the toilets before the next guest shows up. Makes sense.
POLL BELOW
But RV parks? Personally, I have yet to find an RV park that offers to make my bed or clean my toilet before the next customer pulls in. When I de-park at 11 a.m., the site is ready for the next guy at 11:01.
So why the early checkout? It’s because few people in the RV park industry have figured out that’s a crummy, unfair, stupid, ridiculous, customer-unfriendly time. What will it cost a park for me to stay an extra two hours? Hmmm. . . let me think. Okay, I know: next to nothing!
But no, they want us gone ASAP, even though we pulled in the night before at dusk and plopped down half a day’s wages with the idea of getting a good night’s sleep – maybe sleeping in – and then lounging around with our coffee and croissants while the kids or grandkids play Marco Polo in the pool.
Here’s my suggestion
Let’s start a movement. The next time you make a reservation at an RV park, ask about the checkout time. If it’s 11 a.m. tell them you will gladly oblige if they promise to make your bed and clean your toilet before you depart. If they won’t, then tell them you will stay at Walmart, where you can remain all day if you want, and for free.
And while you’re at it, if you are directed to a site with neighbors so close to yours that you end up listening to the guy next door hack and snore all night, then when you leave tell the manager that the spaces are too cramped and you will never return. And if you are given a site that’s not even close to level, ask for another one, or request a 50 percent discount for hill camping, or demand a bulldozer.
It is true the RV park is not going to make your bed and clean your toilet prior to departure; however, there are “campers” (a.k.a. a$$holes) who will leave a site without policing up. Most parks will send staff around to take care of this prior to the next arrival. Also, it’s a good idea to have departure by 11, so that the next arrivals don’t have to fight traffic coming in. This is especially true at large parks and/or those close to desirable attractions/destinations.
Most National Parks I have stayed in have a 12:00 check out and I find that reasonable. And I agree that there are a lot of pigs out camping though I normally do not see campground staff going around after checkout cleaning up after those people.. Occasionally they might make a sweep through in the two weeks we normally spend in a campground but Definitely not after every camper leaves.
I don’ t really mind an 11 am checkout time. However, it would be nice if checkout and check in times were consistent from park to park. For the most part check out time is at 11 am or in a few cases noon but check-in time ranges from noon to 3 pm. Typically, with 2 to 4 hours between checkout and check in times. When we are traveling to a distant destination this doesn’t present an issue. However, when we are moving between locations to reduce windshield time in a particularly interesting or scenic area it becomes an issue. In some cases campgrounds may only be an hour apart. For example: Banff to Lake Louise campground & Lake Louise to Donald, BC or Milton, FL to Spanish Fort, AL for Mardi Gras.
We frequently travel with friends or will host a rolling rally and that further complicates the issue.
When our planned move between campgrounds is only an hour or two we have had to get creative with our 40′ coach pulling a tow vehicle.
Well, if the next place has a late check-in (where Chuck will be having coffee and croissants) and you can see empty spaces, park in their lot, driveway, or on the highway to their place. Let them know where you will be waiting and wait for them to ‘get the hint’. If you are, retirement should not be that much of a rush.
But with an early departure and in a place you want/have to dump the tank as you leave, now there will be a line up for that too….
Frank has valid points. As a camp host for years, I learned many things about RVers. Staff needs time to clean the site….not all are pristine when folks leave. If there is a fire pit, it needs to be examined for trash, metal (beer cans) or too much ash. A golf cart (with maintenance trailer attached) needs access. Cigarette butts, bottle caps and worse….pistachio nuts & sunflower seeds(!). BBQ grease left behind by a table-top BBQ. Minor sewage spills from disconnecting. Most sites are left in pretty good shape, but many are not. Management wants your site clean and it takes time to check all the vacated sites. However, as a camper, I don’t like having to vacate by 11:00 a.m. Many parks will not allow arrivals until after 2:00 p.m. A well-managed park should allow a noon check-out deadline and still be able to complete inspections and light clean-up as needed over a two hour period. That is also a good time to clean/restock the restroom. Hard to do with campers walking in and out.
Generally, parks don’t do anything after you leave. The place we’re staying at has a huge oil spill from someone’s leaking rig in the middle of the pad. There are tire tracks from people who have driven through this mess. If there’s a problem with your site you have to get the attention of the management and only then will they do anything about it. This place has an employee who smokes and puts the butts in any nearby fire pit. This place is otherwise very nice and is on the Sacramento River with amazing views. They used to have a 1pm check out but years ago changed it to 11am. I try to adhere to that but many times we don’t pull out ’till closer to 11:30 or noon. They’ve been great to allow me this small benefit since we’re long time customers. If there’s anyone who has stayed at a place where clean up takes place after check out- I’d be curious…I’ve never seen anywhere that does that in our 20+ years of rv’ing.
70% of parks that I’ve stayed at clean up when the site clears. But I do have to clean up some sites. I just assume the staff was doing something with a higher priority like responding to an unforeseen event.
We mostly stay at state parks. We’ve seen hosts going around after guests leave cleaning out the fire pits and pick up stuff, clean restrooms. At some point they need time to cut the lawn too. Then there are always the folks who are going to take advantage and leave an hour after the designated check-out time no matter what time that may be. If check-outs at 11 they’re leaving at noon, if check-outs 1 they’re leaving at 2.
Truthfully this is not usually a problem for me. Either I am staying at the RV park just overnight while traveling, in which case I plan on leaving by about 10 AM at the latest, or I am staying for a multi day trip and check out time is not relevant to my visit. But I agree that the RV park owner likely will not suffer any issues if he would allow a later checkout. The few times that I have asked about a later check out time, such as when I hope to have a visitor for lunch before we leave the area, I have always been told it was not a problem, even at RV parks that were totally booked and full at the height of their season.
I find out what the check out times are when I make reservations. If I don’t like it, I don’t make a reservation. The park has it’s reasons for setting the times. Who am I to tell them how to run their business. I feel lucky to get a site sometimes because of the crowds that want to “camp”. Deal with it or stay home.
11:00am is a good time for check out. For the price we pay for commercial campgrounds, I expect the grass to be trimmed, the picnic table clean and not cracked and broken and the fire pit to be empty of trash and cigarette butts. Probably a 10-15 minute task per site and given the size of some parks, this and any other maintenance requires time for prepping the site for the next guest. I agree with Franks comment below, if everyone picked up after themselves this would go a long way in making things cleaner for your fellow RV’ers.
Our favorite private campground has a check-in time of 3:00 and a checkout time of 2:00. We often stay until after lunch so we can use the morning to do camping activities. When you are just going for a weekend, you want to make the most of the short time you have available. This late checkout time works for this 300 site campground because they are very organized, and have the staff to clean close to 300 campsites by 3:00. What I have observed is that about 30% of the campers have a long drive ahead of them so they are gone by 9:00 or sooner, 30% of the next group is gone by 10:00, and 30% of the next group is gone by noon. That only leaves 10% of us late checkouts to clean up after by 3:00, about 25 of us. The campground starts cleaning and checking sites as people leave, starting by 8:00. This gives them more than enough time to get all sites done by 3:00. Its all about good planning, organization, and staffing.
The movie “Grumpy Old Men” was kinda cute. This article by Grumpy Old Man, not so much. Others are pointing out that site clean-up happens at many locations.
What time the campground/RV park allowing new check-in? If the check-in can happen as soon as the space is available, then is there really a problem? Focus on the instances where check-in is delayed arbitrarily.
As long as the terms are known before booking, you have the right to stay elsewhere. I don’t think this movement is going to generate a lot of followers. Pick a new windmill, Don Quixote.
11am or noon are good check out times. Having worked maintenance at several parks it is good that the RV’s are gone when mowing and weedeating to eliminate the possibility of damage from thrown rocks and other items. We also need time to fix electrical issues along with water leaks. It is not good cuatomer relations to turn of the electric or water while the customers are trying to get ready for their day.
Personally, I try to never check in to a park after dark. Checking into a park after dark means you have spent too many hours driving. If you need to get there in a hurry take a plane…RV’s are for taking your time and enjoying life.
For us 11 AM. is just fine. We generally start packing-up most of the things that we don’t need slowly the day before. And we plan on a quick and easy breakfast with something like coffee and pop some muffins in the microwave. That way almost no dishes to wash and we can take our time packing up the last few things. When we have everything all packed we enjoy taking our dogs for a walk through the campgrounds and say goodbye to the people we met. I know that where we have our seasonal campsite that they do have a 11 AM check-out. But for $15.00 more that they will let you check-out at 3 PM. We have seen quite a few families doing that. Mostly so the kids could spend the day swimming down at the lake. While one of the parents take their time packing up.
As a work camper I can tell you that most sites are not “ready at 11:01 ” I routinely have to clean up cigarette butts , bananas , dog food , cereal and lord knows what else, with a check in time at noon that only gives us an hour to clean 20 or 30 sites ! A few times we’ve let someone check in early with the warning ” sorry we haven’t had a chance to clear your site yet , ” only to get a bad tripadvisor review because the site was “trashy ” . — Chuck if you want to make your smart ass remarks about the workers making up your bed or cleaning your toilet or that you need a bulldozer , first ask to speak to the OWNER . The folks behind the desk or out on the grounds have enough crap to deal with without having to put up with jackass commentary from people like you .
I agree about the toilet wash and bed making comment. Seriously! How dirty did that toilet get overnight? We barely make a mess if it’s a quick stop and throw the comforter over top. We’ve thrown dishes in the sink and covered depending on how long traveling. Make do, you’re not closing for the season. Just jump in and take off. My boss used to say “your lack of planning is not my emergency”. We got that pack-n-go down to our problem
Ronald Duncan, my experience is that 95% of the time the owners are nowhere to be found. So don’t tell me to just go see the owners. And in the 35 years I have been RVing, I have seen very few sites as you describe where the previous occupants leave it a mess. And, frankly, if someone does leave a site a mess, it’s a tiny minority on a nightly basis, so not time consuming at all. Ask a maid in a motel room what she (or he) finds. Way more work, hence lots of time to get all the rooms ready — and in that case 100% of the rooms need to be cleaned, not like a few here and there in an RV park. Most of our readers agree that 11 a.m. is too soon. If you call me a smart ass again or one of my essays a “jackass commentary”, we’ll ban you from commenting. That’s nasty, disrespectful and ignorant talk and we don’t appreciate that here.
Ronald, having been in the service industry my whole life, I know that following behind people can be a mess and a real aggravation, however with the attitude you apparently have and the language you use, I hope I don’t find you at anywhere I stay for the night.
Having worked in an RV park for several years, the 11:00 AM check-out made the most sense. It gives maintenance time to do the tasks previously mentioned and allows for the unforeseen problems that seem to happen. the RV that won’t start, the jacks that won’t retract, guest delays in returning from a morning outing and so on. Sadly, guests that don’t seem to think the check-out time applies to them are becoming more common. Guests seemed more concerned about the 1:00 PM check-in than the check-out time. By having an 11:00 AM check-out, we could accommodate the early check-in requests as long as the site was available. The problem with a later check-out is that it will move the check-in to an even later time for the reasons previously stated.
I believe the “fairest” time for a departure check-out is, at a minimum, ONE HOUR AFTER the incoming check-in hour.
so, you will be parked in another guest’s site? Are you sure you meant one hour AFTER check in time?
? 1 hr after, 25 hrs after? Pick a lane.
Depending on how far I have to travel the day I check out, I am almost ALWAYS gone before 1100. If I have a short drive, 1100 is fine for me.
I would think most RVers would want to/plan on being on the road to their next stop by 1100 so they can get to their next destination by dinner time.
Mike
I almost think this is a non-issue – almost. Well-staffed campgrounds will use the time to examine a site after the guest has left and do things like mow, etc. Less well-staffed campgrounds aren’t going to do anything in that window of time. While I like a later check out time so that, if I get in late, it doesn’t feel like I’ve spent my money for a brief rest stop with power, at the same time, as another person has commented, a large majority leave early. As a matter of fact, their diesels (Class As and Trucks) tend to wake me and I could use another hour or two of sleep before I check out.
If I think of it as I travel this summer, I will probably ask what gets done in between checkout and check in times. If a park says “cleanup” I’ll be sure to examine my site and give them feedback.
I leave by 9 AM, make my 200 miles for the day and am in the next rv park by 1 PM in time for lunch and some local sightseeing or shopping. I’m retired, no need to make more miles. If you have a problem along the road you have a good part of the day to resolve it. I have never driven after dark in over 17 years full time.
I don’t understand your need to be making beds and washing toilets at 11am. If you were a late check in on the road, how dirty is your RV? We just drove from Ohio to Alaska, back to Ohio then down to Florida in about 6-7 weeks. No time for just hanging out in the morning, places to go. I’m sure someone traveling more leisurely will be given the time needed if you had a late arrival and just need time to rest a few hours. Just ask as every traveler is different and has different needs. I love the comments from owners and employees, who know best
We believe that 11 AM is a very fair check out time. Most campgrounds and even RV Resorts that have a check out time of 11 AM have used that time over many years. Check in time is NOT 11:01 AM. Most facilities that have a 11 AM check out time have a 1 PM or later check in time. That serves many purposes. At times there are circumstances where a camper can not meet the 11 AM check out and will ask for an extension. Also many campgrounds and RV Resorts want to inspect the check out site to make sure all is well and ready for the next occupant to check in at 1 PM. Know the rules of the facility you are staying at, ask question for a “what if” situation and enjoy your stay. Safe travels to all.
And what time do the late leavers think is a fair check-in/arrival time to an RV park? I certainly don’t care to be hanging around waiting for someone to leave the site I reserved especially if the park maintenance crew has to go over the site before I can set up.
I am used to a 11.00 checkout time but would like a later check out time. But then I also want and early check in time. Guess I can’t have my cake and eat it too
We usually leave between 8 and 10 when doing overnights. There have been a few times where we wanted or needed to leave later. Last year we had a tire on our tow car blow out while driving. Had the car towed to RV park where we had reservations (so lucky we were only about 50 miles away). We needed to take the rim in the next morning to have a new tire mounted. (Didn’t have a spare as it is a Mini Cooper that doesn’t have a spare). The campground hosts were really nice about the entire situation. Fortunately they lived there (couple with little ones) and even though they would be closed by the time we got there, told us just to just knock & they would get us checked in. Then the next morning they said no problem staying past check out while we taxied into town to get new tire mounted. Many campgrounds have notes in campground map saying to ask about late check out or list a fee if there is one.
Chuck is way off base – see comments below. His sound like one who usually stays only one night, but we know he doesn’t. 12, is much more common in our RN’n for 41 years.
As someone who used to own a campground, 11 AM is a reasonable check-out time.
In our campground, check-in time was 1PM. In the 2 hours between check-out & check-in, our staff had to clean the bathrooms, cabins, & laundry room, tear down the kitchen because we had a cafe serving breakfast on site, and check the RV sites. After all that was done, then staff could get started on mowing, etc. That’s alot to get done in 2 hours. Of course, as folks would check out, staff could start their clean up earlier for a cabin or RV site. Smaller campgrounds means smaller staffs to get everything done.
Then, there were always the folks who showed up at 9 AM expecting to get into their site when the previous occupants where still there.
Please respect the check-out and check-in times at a campground. They are in place to make sure everything is clean & ready for you.
Tell them you’ll go to Walmart- brilliant! Guess who will show up at the next city council meeting demanding a no overnight parking ordinance.
It’s their business and they make the rules. Live with it or shop elsewhere.
We are on vacation so we may get up early in the morning and eat but there are so many good things to do before the heat of the day – sometimes it is just to sit quietly and then do the wash up and pack up. Then drive during the heat of the day…
I can see both sides of this argument. As a work camper we are tasked with cleaning up the campsite after people. Some leave no mess but some leave their fires still burning and about nineteen packs worth of disgusting cigarette butts strewn evenly across the site. I have picked up a poopy diaper, dog crap by the pound and discarded newspapers.
I’ve even cleaned picnic tables that looked as if a satanic ritual was performed there (yes, bloody and it was fish guts). More often than not there were bits of paper everywhere and I still had to cut the grass and weed eat the site. Sometimes this takes 5 minutes, other times an hour depending on the site and if the last campers were typhoid Marty/Mary. My point is that we try to make your visit a pleasant one despite your predecessors. Given that, I believe that 1 pm is a reasonable check in time and that noon is a reasonable check out time.
As a camper wanting to get off the road at 3pm I want my spot ready with out excuse or delay.
You can dispute what I have written above, but if you have ever work camped, you know what I have written is true. People are slobs.
As a Ga. state park volunteer host, I definitely agree with you. As you say, you never know how long it will take to clean a site. I try to make sure that I get the sites where someone is coming to first, but when you have a guest that thinks a noon checkout only applies to the other guy and a guest at the office at 11:00 o’clock trying to check into that “check in after 1:00 o’clock” site, it gets annoying. I love being a host, and most guests are great, but some people need to remember that they aren’t as special as they like to believe.
People will ruin everything, if you let them. Impliment this; you have their credit card information in most cases. Build into the reservation process, that the campsite should be left in the condition found it, otherwise your credit card will be billed for excess cleaning charge. Punish those who deserve it.
Myself, I’ll break down and pack up the majority of our equipment the night prior, with the wife doing the same inside the TT. The following morning, coffee and a lite breakfast. Clean up our campsite, dump trash. DW will walk “Bubba” while I unhook/unplug(W/S/E). Then it’s hitch up, final walk around check(first me, then DW, haha, she’s very thorough) and be on our merry way. No rush, no stress, no hassle, NLT 10AM. Note: some CG’s will allow later check out if you ask. Also, as some have stated, later check out times will mean later check in times.
As I prefer to be on the road no later than 9am 11 is fine, 10 would be ok as well.
As a former campground owner I disagree with the theory that when a person leaves a site at checkout it is ready for check in by the next customer. Many campers left the site in a less than desirable condition (fire rings FULL of junk that did not burn, litter, areas that needed to be raked, dog crap, etc., etc.) when a customer left a site we always did a walk through of the site to insure it was ready for the next group of guests. We always enjoyed getting comments from customers about how neat there site and the campground was!
As with most of life there’s usually more to it then meets the eye.
Have you ever hosted at a park, my wife and I have been on the road for about 8 years. We do camp hosting in mostly government parks and some private. Most of the time our duties are to make sure the site is vacated on time, or that they have ask for a late check out. To police the site, clean the fire pits and be sure it’s suitable to be reoccupied. Also to help with questions and be of service to the campers. Also at many parks, that are very busy, they may need time for shrub and lawn care, between campers.
A few things to keep in mind, most times there isn’t just 1 camper leaving, at most campgrounds the host is responsible for 40 sites or more. Please believe me when I state there are lots of sites that are in no way ready for an in coming camper after a camper departs. Unless you’ve hosted you can’t believe what some people can leave.
Everyone comes in expecting a clean ready site, many leave a total mess, more then you might think. There is no camp fairy that can snap their fingers and make it so! Don’t get me wrong, we love hosting but if you’ve never done it, keep in mind, when you arrive to that great looking site, someone made it that way.
Should check out be extended? Guess it depends on when you want to check in.
Enjoy camping
Usually, if you ask, the host will return the courtesy by letting you stay a little longer. And it sounds like you would be among the first to complain if your site was not clean and ready for you at check in time.
We’ve workamped at county, state as well as national park campgrounds and, almost without exception, checkout is 12:00 or even 1:00pm, check in 2:00pm. That addresses the need for earlier-than-desired departure — but shorts the afternoon time for the new arrival. I think noon is best; it splits the day into equal halves.
Chuck I hope you read these comments and then re address your snarky comments and come to a realization that there is more to do between check out and check in at the rv park
Chuck NEVER apologizes when he is divisive and disruptive. He seems to revel in it.
Darrel, I have published this website and newsletter for 20 years, and you say I NEVER apologize?. . . . Have you read every one of the 15,000 articles we’ve posted in the those two decades (7,300 on this current edition of the website). I have apologized countless times. But I don’t apologize just to apologize. I weigh the facts, and when I am wrong — which definitely happens — I am eager to admit I was wrong and apologize when appropriate to set things straight. So, please, watch your use of the word NEVER. You have no evidence to prove that, and you just insulted me, which I do not appreciate.
Dale, I am in a park in Arizona now. Been here two weeks. I walk my dog three times a day around the park. There are probably 120 sites, 2/3 filled. I have watched at least five or six dozen RVers leave, and I have not observed a single workamper or staff member doing a single thing to clean up a site — they were left perfectly clean! I realize full-well this is not the case every time in every park, but the difference between checking out at 11, which I think is unfriendly to RVers, and noon, which would be fairer, would have virtually no impact on 98% of all RV parks, but it would have a big impact on thousands of RVers who would appreciate the extra hour in the morning, especially those who pay about as much as a motel room costs down the street. The last I checked the results of this poll show that 85% of our readers agree with me that 11 a.m. is too early.
I do believe that over a Fourth of July Weekend in a KOA many of the campers build a campfire and do a little partying, and fairly often leave a campsite in need of cleaning up. So make the checkout time 11 a.m. in the summer, and noon or 1 p.m. in the off-season. I was in a KOA last month with six campers in the park. Really, I gotta leave at 11 a.m. (or ask for special permission)?
In all those thousands of RV parks and RV parks that don’t even have a fire pit, let the campers stay until 12 or 1. And, by the way, most public parks have checkout times in the afternoon. So we’re mostly talking about commercial parks here.
the park i work in has a check in time at 12 noon. This hour gives us time to police the site and rake the gravel, making sure our next guest has a clean and tidy site.
We like to sleep in, though I realize that if we are moving on we need to get a reasonably early start. Thus I chose 12:00, even though I might have preferred 1:00.
Chuck, this doesn’t even sound like you. What happened to your diplomacy ?
If I was a camp host and you spoke to me with the attitude it sounds like in this article, I would hope you never came back… I did vote for the noon.
I work at an RV park. If someone called in with the attitude of make my bed or I’m staying at Walmart …I’d say by all means go ahead and stay at Walmart.
I look after a small (30 site) Forest Service campground near Revelstoke, BC.
My schedule:
7 am walk the common areas to pick up garbage and butts from the night before.
9 am clean all pit toilets
12 noon visit all empty sites, cleaning fire pits, washing tables, picking up trash, raking under tables, raking around firepits, cleaning debris. I do this with all empty sites, even those that were vacant.
2 – 3 pm walk common areas once to pick up garbage.
3 pm check all pit toilets and clean as necessary
In between I have to clean those sites, whose tenants overstayed there visit.
As you see, we don’t appreciate the people that stick around for the afternoon before leaving.
We take pride in our clean park.
From my experience, I’d say that campers in public parks on the whole leave their campsites in worse condition than campers who stay in commercial RV parks. Many reasons I say that, but don’t have time to write a book right now.
I like to be where I am going by about 3 pm to be set up before dark (in the winter) and I don’t like to travel more than 250-300 miles or 6 hours a day. I strive to be on the road NLT 10. I belong to many online groups and the 250-300/6 seems to be pretty standard. If it is just overnight I only hook up to power and don’t unhitch. I guess if I was traveling only a hundred miles I might leave later but no later than noon.
There is another side to this issue. Or, maybe an opposite problem. The Arkansas COE park below Beaver dam on the White river is a reservation only campground with a check-in time of 4:00 pm and a check-out time of 3:00 pm. We found that to be problematic as did others. We understand why weekenders might want to stay later on a Sunday afternoon before leaving to go back home. But, if we have a reservation at a campground, we really want to be settled in and hooked up long before 4:00 pm. I think early afternoon (1:00 or 2:00) would be the best compromise.
A one hour difference between check out and check in doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.
Why should I pay for a day when I can’t check in until late afternoon? Noon is an even split for people leaving and people arriving. 1100 checkout and 1300 checkin allows a good park to maintain the site. And a good park will allow you some flexibility as long as there’s no one waiting for your site.
What I hate is government parks with arbitrary checkins at 1600 and who won’t let you checkin early even though the sites are empty and there’s a line out the office door. Bureaucracy at it’s best.
Not necessarily a split since daylight and dusk are variable by season. So noon may not be as fair as it might sound. Just depends on the time of year.
We don’t mind the 11am check out. We’re typically on the road by 10 am and many others are out by 8. Time’s a-wastin’ Baby!
What I WOULD like, however, is some consistency and a narrower checkout/check in window. We’ve occasionally gotten stuck between a campground that wanted us out by 10 and the next one that wouldn’t let us in until 1 or 2!
It would be nice if staff cleaned out full fire pit and took a quick visual inspection of the pedestal and other utilities to see if the site is serviceable for the next camper.
We voted for 1pm.
Many people would leave prior to that since they may still be in route to another location. But many might like to have lunch before setting sail.
Inbound traffic will likely arrive later in the afternoon since they have to travel anyway.
Maybe a better solution is to better manage park traffic by having the outbound traffic provide a courtesy checkout notice. Then early arrivals might have a spot from those that left early.
This could also be a win-win for all involved if the park had a reservation system that did not assign a specific space until you get there. You would at least be gauranteed a spot. An early arrival might get a more premium spot without sacrificing spaces for late arrivals. All this would be subjective to larger rigs fitting the appropriate space reserved. This would also make it more fair for those that have to always fight to get a more premium spot. They just need to arrive earlier. And it could prevent mass-market companies from buying up all the premium spaces and reselling them at higher prices since they could not reserve specific sites. Just looking for a solution to a huge problem…
11:00 am check out is a place to start. Talk with the park about a later checkout or a discount for an earlier departure. I usually leave earlier because my next stop is 4 to 6 or more hours away.
Why 11 A.M? Ask any camp host. It gives the staff a chance to clean out the fire pit, pick up trash, and rake leaves or mow grass around multiple sites. Then clean restrooms, showers, laundry room, and club house with fewer people to work around. We’re usually on the road by 8 a.m.and occasionally by 7. It gives us time to get into our next spot well before dark.
Although I agree that 11am is a little early for checkout time I disagree that the site is ready at 11:01. Having worked in campgrounds for several years now there are things that need to be taken care of before the next guest checks in. Fire pits need to be cleaned, cigarette butts and other litter needs to be picked up. If the sites are gravel they sometimes need to be raked out. Grass sites may need to be mowed. In the fall leaves need to be removed. These things don’t magically happen. Then there’s the arrivals who think that a 2 o’clock check-in means they can show up at 10:30 and expect to be put in their site right now.
Abe, how many campfires do you think there are in a typical RV park every night? In the peak of the summer season, more than in the off season, of course. But don’t tell me that you are running around, cleaning up fire pits at every site, or even most of them. Most people leave their sites as clean as when they arrived. I’ve observed that behavior for three decades. Yes, there are exceptions. But I guarantee you that 95% of all sites, probably more, are ready for the next camper a minute after the one before pulls out.
Hey Chuck, as a campground manager, we absolutely do check every site once it is vacated. We pick up trash, clean the fire pit, check the power pedestal, blow off/pick up debris. And another thing that you don’t consider is that we need some leeway to account for maintenance issues. Ever had a camper that the slide didn’t come in? motorhome doesn’t start? awning get stuck? Things happen, if the next guest is there one minute later waiting for the site to be vacated, it’s not a good look for the campground.
Depends on if an RV park or campground. When we worked in campgrounds yes there was cleaning up sites after people left. In RV parks rarely are there cleaning up sites to do. Most parks don’t allow check-ins until after 2 so I don’t see a problem with staying until 1. . But, it never hurts to ask if you could stay later. We would let people stay later if no one was coming into the site that day. Even hotels do late checkouts. Even let people stay later for kids to play in pool or to go on a tour IF their rig was already to go – slides in, tanks drained and hose put away, water and power disconnected (unless it was hot then would let them leave the electric plugged in.
While not making a bed or cleaning a toilet, the camp hosts are usually really busy after people check out. They do various duties to the camp site, raking, cleaning out the grill, cleaning out the fire pit and picking up any trash left at the site. While a hotel may have a number of cleaners at the ready at check out, there is usually only one camp host couple and perhaps, a cleaning couple, to handle 30 up to a 100 campsites with people waiting in line to check in. One site we hosted at had over 270 sites and there was little we could do do get them all ready in time when it was busy.
That said, one of the regional camps we have camped at often has a 3:00 check out and 4:00 check in. Really inconvenient when checking in that late. Sometimes folks are STILL packing up after 3:00 and late in the season it can be getting dark before the next ones are set up!
Nanci, maybe the owner of your campground needs to add another Work camper or two rather than work you and your fellow workers so hard. Honestly, in all the years I have been an RVer, staying in a 1,000 RV parks (probably far more), I have only seen a handful of RVers leave a messy campsite, and when that happened it would take ten minutes to clean it up. All RV parks are different. And all clienteles are different, some probably more inclined to be slobs who do not respect property. They throw their trash out their car windows, too.
If a campground has 270 sites and is too cheap to hire one or two more work campers (who typically work for peanuts) to ensure the place stays clean, then the campground owner needs to pop for more help, not force me out at 11 a.m. That’s bad customer service.
Get u p and get out. Give the cleaning crew enough time to cycle the campsites for the next guests. Also, you’re on to your next destination, so get on down the road already.
You miss the whole point Billy Bob. If you leave by 11am and the next camper doesn’t come in till 3 or 4pm the site just sets empty for 4 or 5 hours. And there is nothing for the “crew” to do because you’re taking everything with you when you leave at 11am.
When we are planning to drive a distance (over 200 miles) we generally get out by 10 am. In my experience I’ve noticed that public parks with campground hosts seem to get the cleaning detail during that turnover time. I’ve seen more private parks where there is no indication staff has seen the site. You have to ask for a table. If the park doesn’t have full hook-ups I can plan on at least 30 minutes waiting at the sewer dump and then a few minutes to clean the mess and dump and rinse the area again. I did vote for noon.
It’s not so much the check out time that bothers me as much as the check in time. Most campgrounds have a 3pm check in and by the time you get all set up it does not leave much time to enjoy the campground. After all, they charge you for all the perks they provide so it would be nice if you had time to use them. As you mentioned it’s not like they actually do anything to the campsite to prep it for you.
Hate to be rude, but you sound like a liberal from western Washington. I really hope nobody actually takes your advice and asks for their beds to be made or we go to Walmart! Really? I see people leave at 6am, I sleep late, and still have no problem taking off well before 11am! When it gets dark at 5pm, you can’t stay parked all day! You owe all RV park operators an apology.
To Rod Stieg: I’m a liberal from Western Washington, eh? So what if I were? Lovely for you to draw that conclusion. Last I heard there were four dozen Republicans west of the Cascades. Maybe I’m one them. In that case, you just insulted me. And what has politics got to do with checkout times at RV parks? I mean, REALLY? Read my story again. You didn’t even understand what I was saying. Hey, I was joking about making beds. Get it? Oh, by the way, did you notice that 85% of the people who responded thought an 11 a.m. checkout was too early?
Chuck, you are not insulted, you are mad. And the liberal part is a conclusion shown by previous articles with a liberal opinion not shared by all of your readers. This could be avoided by leaving room for other opinions. Conservatives just wish that people could stop complaining about “everything”, and insisting that we all agree. You say you were joking. If so, I missed it, and wonder if others did also, and actually will complain to the RV park causing a problem where none exists! Surely, as an rv’er yourself you cannot want to cause bad blood? And as for the 85%, it seemed to me that they thought you were nuts! Please read the responses again for the good of RV travel. I am sincere when I say that I was concerned about your readers misunderstanding as I did and making trouble in our already troubled relations with RV parks. And I haven’t even started with the “hilly” RV park comment especially when I have been in Maple Grove RV Park near you, which is not even available anymore, but is terribly sloped.
Chuck,
I wanted to be fair and re-read your article so I could apologize if needed. So I read it again. Boy, I am sorry, but your claim that you were joking just does not wash. If you truly were joking or “tongue-in-cheek”, I am positive that many others missed the joke too! If so, you better go back to journalism school to learn how to express to all readers that what you are saying is just a joke. I am still planning to be a reader, and not looking to pick a fight. Just trying to keep peace in this already very troubled world.
Rod, politics does not belong in this discussion. You made your point, I made mine. There are more important things in the world than checkout times. For the record, I am liberal on some things, conservative on others, hence can’t really say which party I belong to. We are not asked when we register to vote in Washington state to declare our party. When I lived in California, I always registered as an Independent. Until recent times, I considered myself pretty much apolitical. I have voted for candidates from both parties through the years; I vote for the person, not the party. Don’t give me the “you live in Washington so you’re a liberal” crap. You’re just blowing hot air. I stick with what I wrote. Done.
Frankly Rod, I took this whole ‘room service’ bit as a joke, straight faced as it may have been.
Thanks, Tommy. Of course it was a joke!
Rod, I totally agree with Tommy M. How could one take the comments as being serious?
Wait?! You mean they will not be making our bed?! Rats LOL.
Sure hope we can all laugh at this and see how we need to take a breath BEFORE hitting send!
If. check ins aren’t until 4 pm, and it makes sense to ask, then 2 hours prior should be a reasonable time for check out.
Sometimes thing do need to be maintained in a park.
Where I am at check out is 12:30 and check in is 1. We do have check ins pop in earlier and if site is not clear we try to accommodate if we have a site to put them in.
It’s not always a guest pulls out and site is ready. Not all guest leave their site nice and tidy.
Seems to me all are reasonable arguments. While the operators need to work to get the park to an acceptable standard, we owners need to be reasonable as well. I recommend a task force to do an in-depth evaluation and then make a recommendation to the group of park owners and RV owners. All parks don’t need a “one size fits all” rule. Afterall, we are all independent, usually reasonable adults.
A task force? In-depth evaluation?!? Good Lord- who is supposed to pay for all this?
OK, where did ALL the comments go? Yesterday I read MANY comments and today there are only 30 or so listed here. Also the tally of comments by “Leave a Comment” shows there should be 77 comments. Don’t tell me we are in censorship mode, please.
Nope, no censorship (at least in this instance), WEB. I just went in and looked at the comments. The tally at this minute is 82, and I counted more than 60 just now (before I lost count), and several of those had “hidden” responses that you have to click on to open them up. But they’re all there. Maybe your computer is “censoring” them. 😉 —Diane at RVtravel.com
None have been deleted that I know of. — Chuck/editor
Their park.
Their rules.
Vote with your wallet.
But, from what I’ve been reading lately, RV parks have more than enough people wanting those limited resources called camping spots, so no loss to them.
We are mostly monthly campers for a ‘long’ weekend.
We would prefer longer stays, but work and other responsibilities prevent longer camping trips more frequently.
We take Friday’s off from work once a month.
Sometimes its comp time, sometimes its PTO.
Either way, we prep the camper Thursday evening, then final load and on the road by 11am or Noon on Friday.
We get to the campground early enough that we have enough time to relax after the setup.
We are full-time Florida residents, and we stay primarily at Florida State Parks.
Usually within a 2 – 3 hour drive from home.
Florida state parks have a 3pm check in. 1pm check out.
They are relatively inexpensive per day, so I typically book an extra day (Mondays).
That way, we can leave whenever we want on Sunday.
Typically around 3pm.
This gives all of those who wait until 1pm to leave to clear the only dump station in the campground (some sites have a dump sewer line, but most do not).
So by 2pm most everyone is gone, and we can leisurely leave.
Sometimes we have decided that we are enjoying it so much that we take Monday off work too and have that extra day of camping.
We are flexible on a day we do not have one coming in for sure,but do not like being taken advantage of—
Personally, we don’t see anything wrong with an 11:00 A.M. check out time. My biggest peeve is that the park closes the restrooms from 10 A.M. til 1 P.M. so we have no access when we are ready to pull out.
I am with you on the time to check out and the reason for it. However snide remarks about the spot don’t work. Find a place to write about the site for the next person to know ahead. That would be the most productive. Don’t act nasty in your review or you will just be taken as a jerk that did not get something he wanted.
The RV Parks here in Socal are all 11:00 check out…..and some are 3:00 check-in. What a ripoff. One even charges you money for coming in early. At $80. per that is $3.33 per hour on 24 hour day. So out at 11 and in at 3 it costs us 4 hours or $13.00+ .
We get discounts for our club (or Good Sam) so it is not too bad.
Some parks won’t let you in before 11, and make you wait outside.
But we go and suffer because we want to RV camp every month.
One park charges $30. to ‘guarantee’ your reserved space will not be moved.
Phooey
1:00 p.m. is a reasonable time at RV parks. 11:00 a.m. doesn’t give enough time to enjoy the morning. BTW I couldn’t find the poll; the marker POLL BELOW featured a dozen eggs.
I guess things got a little scrambled.
Our provincial parks check-out time is 3pm and it’s perfect, because we pay to stay the night, not to stay during the day. Check-in is 3pm-10pm. The daily access card lets us use the park including the beach all day, even after 3pm, so after 3pm our rig is moved to the beach parking lot.
You can’t check in most places til 3:00pm but you have to check out by 11:00am. Not right. If the campgrounds needed the time to tidy up, maybe, but I haven’t seen that happen anywhere yet.
I can understand that 11 is a fair checkout when check in is noon at an ultra busy park like Fort Wilderness at Disney where the likelihood of someone checking in is high. But on Sunday at a run of the mill campground, no one should look twice if you leave in the early afternoon, say 2:00.
We’re retired a we sip our coffee in the morning , then breakfast and showers and dress. If I have to be out by 11 we’re rushing and sometimes eating along the road
I can see both sides of this argument/ discussion. But campgrounds need time for maintenance like cleaning the garbage out of the fire pit left by many ‘campers’ or mowing the site. (Perfect segway for cleaning up your site when you leave!) Also we have asked several times if it was possible to arrive early or check our later than the posted time and we have never been turned down. If you go to a hotel, you find check-in and check-out times.
If you want to ‘sip’ your coffee (we do), just ask if you can leave by noon. Besides, if we are heading out, we are usually up and at ‘em by 7, so by 11:00, the campground is long in the rear view! Work with the CG and they will work with you. Happy camping!
Many of us sleep hitched up, so we can leave within an hour of falling out of bed. However, there are sites that need to be mowed, trees trimmed, slobs to be picked up after, and who left their barking dog tied to the picknick table.