Community Forums

TXiceman · 04-12-2006, 05:07 PM

Lorna,

We do go to the smaller and lesser know places. Problem is they are being discovered and over crowded now.

Like many others, we use to wait until late in the week to decide to go and never had problems getting a reservation. Now, you need to decide months in advance and still may not get a site, even at the out of the way places.

The law od supply and demand will take over and will drive up the price of the better places. These places will drive out the "common" camper that does not have the extra cash for the "preminum" destinations.

I think the Go RVin wil get more expensive as we go along and as property becomes more valuable.

Some of may need to go back to our "roots" with tents or pop up camping with non-electric sites in order to get a site. I have noticed that when the electric/water sites are full and have a waiting list, the non-electric sites are nearly empty.
There may be something to less is more.

Ken

rogueii · 04-12-2006, 07:23 PM

That's why I added a Solar system. I can do 7 days of dry camping and get by ok, if it is not too hot out. Go to the moutains.

Tom and Patty · 04-12-2006, 08:18 PM

Patty and I are thinking of buying or opening a campground. Still trying to decide where

. We have been at this only 1 1/2 years, but already see that RV sites are hard to come by. Just wait till more if us baby boomers retire

!

RV Wizard · 04-12-2006, 11:14 PM

I went back and copied a thread I started on Nov. 1, 2003 about this subject:

Posted November 01, 2003 01:02 PM
"Our lifestyle of RVing and camping has become so popular since 911 and the "Go RVing" campaign are we running out of campground spaces we can park them at?

The sale of rv's has grown so much in the last couple years. The number of new campground spaces has not increased but may have decreased instead. I have seen two campgrounds in the Sevierville and Piegon Forge area be closed all year. One was Smoky Mountain Campground (200 sites) and the other Z Buda's Smokies Campground (239 sites). While I am sure the owners of the campground we have been staying at (Ripplin Waters) have not regretted these closings I have heard them turn away a lot of campers looking for a place to stay in this area for periods as long as a month (October). I have heard that all of the campgrounds in this county have been booked for October, months in advance due to everyone wanting to see the fall colors in the mountains.

My mom and dad went on a long trip this summer to PA and then out to Oregon and back to Tn, NC and Fl. Dad said there are not that many places to camp other than National parks out west. True there are campgrounds but not like there are east of the Mississippi River with the exception of the southern states like Texas, Az, and Ca.

I have been talking with the owners of this park and they say the cost of the land and the EPA regulations make it very difficult to build new campgrounds in areas that we want to visit with our families. The problem is you can build a multi level Motel or Condo and have a better return on the money invested in development. Too, with all the 50 amp and even 100 amp rigs coming out and our desire for internet access, owners of the older parks are wanting to sell rather than spend so much capital to upgrade the electrical systems and add Wye Fi internet access.

If everyone that has an RV wanted to go off for a long weekend and made reservations far in advance to get a site, not everyone would be able to go.

Since the "Go RVing" campaign is backed by the RVIA (manufacturers) and the RVDA (dealers) and RV sales are so high, what can we do to make sure we have a place to park in future years? Is there an association we can go to for help in this area?

Will privitization of the Federal Parks work?

Could companies like WalMart, or Cracker Barrel build campgrounds behind their facilities more economically (if land was available) than stand alone parks?

How much would you be willing to pay for: 30 amp, water and sewer
50 amp, water and sewer
50 amp, Wye-Fi internet access, water and sewer
50 amp, Wye-Fi internet access, cable TV, water and sewer
in an average area, not near Disney World, Gulf Beaches, etc?"

Now I am seeing high end resorts becoming popular for those that can afford it. I doubt this will help with the space issue the rest of us are trying to deal with. Good luck to all and I hope you have a great summer of camping and touring the back roads of America. Life doesn't get any better!

troth · 04-13-2006, 03:11 AM

I've read the posts in this thread several times, and have to say that I agree with everyone's statements...
To get back to Bill's question: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> I would like to hear what some of you think, is this a problem? Or am I getting worried over nothing. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I think there is cause for concern. However, I'm not certain what "we" can do about it. Most of the factors are beyond our control.
I find that I must now make camprground reservations for trips, when previously say up to three years ago, not many reservations were needed. I also tend to select campgrounds that are more "small-town" and a bit out of the way. I like those because they're less crowded, generally have more space, and I do not expect to need some of the other amenities like a kid's arcade or the swimming pool...
I also use the maps in the Trailer Life or Woodall's Campground Directory to find the smaller, less popular campgrounds near where we want to go.
In the future, I see overnight & weekend camping costing more... -where we used to think $25/nite was steep, we'll be routinely looking at $35 or more. In the urban and 'tourist' areas, demand for campsites will be greater than supply. Look at the "double" prices we are faced with in Florida camping.
As fuel costs soar, that might reduce the volume of campers traveling over the road, but I doubt that the reduction would cause campground prices to fall.
I'm starting to think like rogueii, that one might get more satisfaction by equipping his camper to do more boondocking...

Bill Davis · 04-13-2006, 05:28 AM

We spent 3 months last summer traveling from Southern California to Canada and back through the Black Hills of South Dakota, Yellowstone, Colorado and the Grand Canyon, some pretty popular tourist destinations. No campground reservations other then 4 or 5 hours in advance. Never turned away. Only crouds were at Old Faithful and Mt Rushmore. Were we just lucky? We're going to do it all again this year. Maybe it's how you look at it.

smlranger · 04-13-2006, 07:12 AM

We've just gotten back into RVing in the past 2 years. I still work so extended trips are a ways out for us. At this point, we've planned to do most of our trips during off-peak times. So far, we've not had problems getting a site in places like Branson (Oct), Pigeon Forge (Oct..but barely got it at last minute), Myrtle Beach (Feb), Emerald Isle, NC (early May).

When we are able to go west of the Mississippi, guess we will have to be diligent with reservations. Also, guess we will have to be careful when we travel in that area due to early winters, late springs.

Agree that pressure on good CG's seems heavy. I live in one of the most beautiful parts of Va, and there aren't many really nice RV parks within a day's drive. On Smith Mountain Lake where I live, CG's are fading fast and becomming high dollar condo projects. The Blue Ridge Parkway which is beautiful, has older CG's that cannot accomodate larger class A's...same for most of the State Parks and COE CG's around here.

Oh well....interesting dilemma.

mamaloya · 04-13-2006, 12:02 PM

Something that I noticed is that the KOA next to Disney World is actually MORE expensive than staying at Fort Wilderness inside WDW. Of course that KOA has chimineas, patio furniture, patios, patio lights, wi-fi, etc. FW at WDW is still like camping for real. I guess a big part of the RV crowd are into luxury and not woods. I have seen some RV "resorts" that are basically parking lots with hookups and little patios. There is a building with things like pool, hot tub, etc, like at a spa and such. Not a tree in sight from the pictures I saw.

All this talk about hard to find places, I am glad I am in a popup. Will start prepping it to be used as a glorified tent though, just in case. Add another propane tank, a battery, and real camping equipment.

Maybe I should start making our reservations for Williamsburg now for our trip in Aug, huh!

I don't like the fact that CGs require you to put like a $50 nonrefundable deposit down when you make the ressie. No hotel does that. Some CGs even limit you to 6 people on a site. We have 5 kids. Hotels now have "kids stay free with parents". CGs charge you for each kid over the age of 6, some as much as $5/kid/nite. That is crazy. I know they don't want someone bringing in a bunch of kids that aren't their own, like scout groups and such staying on one site to save money, but I can prove all of mine are mine.

Well, it will all level off in time. Americans will get bored with this new fad and go back to hotel rooms and the rest of us who really enjoy camping can go back to our way of life.

Webster · 04-13-2006, 12:44 PM

I'm not so sure that things will return. Look at the gas prices. They went up to $3 after the hurricane and then dropped down a bit (but not under $2). Now they are going up again (some say to $4 this summer) and there was no hurricane. What's their excuse this time? They haven't said because they don't want you to know that it's making them rich.

As for the crowded campgrounds, even the military RV parks are crowded. Most of them you can't make reservations. I've already experienced one in Yuma that was full when I got there.

Is boondocking the answer? It is if you can boondock...but you have to park it somewhere. Arizona has plenty of BLM land with access that can be and is used for boondocking. Most of the Eastern Seaboard doesn't have BLM land.

I don't think there is an answer to the problem...at least not yet. But, I'm sure the campgrounds won't be lowering their prices any time soon. And then there's those RVers who want the luxuries of camping and rely on campgrounds to provide it...like swimming pools...When I go camping, I'm not going to swim or spend a lot of time playing pool or other stuff. I want to go out and see things. So why do I RV? Simple, I'm 100% VA-disabled and not rich. I can't afford resorts and hotels and airfare or eating out in restaurants every day. I would tent-camp as I did for years, but I can't do that any longer because of my health.

Oh, well, I'm still gonna go in my RV for as long as I can. When the prices rise up even more, and they will, then others will start opening campgrounds to get in on the money.

Dougmyers · 04-13-2006, 08:01 PM

My answer is I have paid on a 3000 acre hunting lease with power in another state, I suspect I will be spending a lot of time on that lease for the next year. And it wont be too crowded because only eight people are on it. I wont get to see much of the country but I will be out in the woods 4wheeling and a little hunting with my family.
My family are the eight people leasing it.
Quality time for me anyway to see my grandsons and teach them about camping and hunting.
OH the cost was $4800. a year for the 3000 acres and that includes power.

Easyrider · 04-15-2006, 06:45 AM

I think Webster hit the nail on the head when he said " prices will go up and then other campgrounds will be built". We live in a market driven economy which means supply and demand. As sites become harder to find, the cost will go up, more sites will be built to take advantage of that, which means the cost will level off - maybe even go down some if competition for campers demands it- and the cycle continues. That's the way our economic system works! Here in Wisconsin we have to reserve for the big three holiday weekends but otherwise don't have much trouble finding a site, unless you want to stay at one of the most popular in the state. But there are still alot of lesser known places that are very nice places to stay and always have room for us.

AZroamer · 04-19-2006, 09:50 AM

Beautiful campgrounds with fine amenities are wonderful for destination parks but if you are just 'driving through', consider the Mom & Pop parks. Many of them are starving because they cannot advertise or afford big pools and recreation halls. Check with Passport America or similar deep-discount services. If you only want a safe, clean place to stop overnight, many of them are quite acceptable, at far less than half of the destination resorts. What you save on two night will pay for the Passport America fee.

AZ Roamers
Morris Stephens

Robert & Kiki · 04-19-2006, 12:58 PM

Totally with you AZroamer. PA is excellent for stop overs...

Banjomama · 04-22-2006, 03:40 AM

We lost a great CG just north of here to developers. My husband and I were hoping to go there for a short trip one weekend. Ain't gonna happen now.

So, we are thinking of boondocking (not at wallymart either) up in the mountains some this summer. I've heard there is a KOA CG out in San Diego that gave in to developers too. I know it's hard work, and I guess it takes a special breed of people (good people too) that make a good CG run well.