Campsites right on top of each other.......

[RVWandering]

Considering an RV purchase for part timing to visit all parts of these great United States. I see many RV campsite pics, and watched the RVING series on Discovery through its entirety and follow many other forums and quite frankly I am concerned about everyone being right on top of each other while at these RV parks. So, at the extreme risk of sounding snobbish, I am considering RVING to get away a bit and to be able to interact with the great RV community at times, but NOT all the time, if you know what I mean. So my question is......are you able to find many nice parks that offer space to allow some privacy, yet amenities of a great park and people? Literally, is see many pics where MH’s are <10’ apart....maybe <5’ apart.

[richard5933]

You will be able to find both types of campgrounds. Most of the ones I've seen like you're describing are privately owned and not chains or franchise locations, but I've ever seen a few KOA campgrounds with more space.

[lockinload]

Learn to boondock. Also there is a difference between camp sites and RV sites. That said, I live in the west and there is a ton of BLM and Forest service areas to rely on. If I had to spend more than 25% of my time in a RV park I wouldn't own one. If I do go to a RV park it is usually to dump and fill my water but that is about it. Not to mention the price of these parks. If I'm on the road and need a place to crash at night, a Walmart parking lot is just fine.

So who is the snobish one now?

[momdoc]

That is why we avoid "RV resorts" or "RV parks". Rather probably 90% of our camping occurs in State, local, city, county or COE parks. Much cheaper as well.

[Ray,IN]

This all boils down to real estate values and location. Look up land values in Ft. Myers Florida for instance. The owner of any RV park/resort must be able to net more money than what a land developer will pay for the RV park/resort or why stay in business???


Many years ago in Melbourne Florida a land developer offered a resident-owned permanent RV park 1 million dollars per lot/site if everyone in the rv park would sell. Just how would one resist that???
Perhaps my feeble attempt at discussing why RV sites are so close together didn't come across well, but it's my best shot.

[ArtJoyce]

Why do you go camping??? For us it's not to sit in our camper. The camper is a place to get us to where we can do things we like to do. Hike, kayak, bike, visit near by attractions, meet up with friend, spend the night on a long trip. I get it some people are looking for a resort to spend the winter, and other just want a place to live for a few months.

Site size depends. My experience is the more amenities, or older parks the smaller the campsites are. It go without saying get closer to large cities or attractions the ssf its are smaller
But there are have been exception in both directions.

If you go to a campground with no hookups, no campground shower. In most cases it will have larger campsites then a campground in the area that just adds a campground shower. Keep adding things like electric hookups, water, sewer, paved pads, camp store, etc... and the sites keep on getting smaller.

Older camp grounds: in the late 60's most people that camped had a tent and there were few trailers. Maybe 1 in 25 sites had trailers. These campgrounds made small campsites. In most cases the sites have stayed the same size.

[frank1018]

More and more you are packed in. I just returned from a couple nights in the mountains of east Tennessee. KOA, only 2 days I could find last minute. Yes packed in. I didnt feel is too bad because I was lucky enough to get a spot on the Little River. Did not have to look at the other campers. That being said, nice, respectable group of campers. A lot of us with gray hair! look for spots on the outside if you can. I agree state parks have better spacing. Some of the National Parks with full hookups are tight. Honestly, we went a month out west. Spaces were cramped, ie,.. Zion, Grand Canyon Moab but all the sight seeing you never felt it. Too tired I guess. I compliment most campers as they are respectful around the sites. The pool areas can be another game though. Go beginning and end of season and it can be less crowded.

[MN_Traveler]

It varies... and you just need to take it as it comes. The advertisements of camping next to some stream or lake with nobody nearby are just plain not true. Only a couple times I have been in campgrounds where things were so cramped I screamed. Sometimes, I just took shelter in the fact that I had an awning and patio, and ignored the people on the other side of my rig.

The vast majority of the times, it was great to meet and swap stories with the people around us. Doing so is a blast. The rv life is not about solitude. But it has its own rewards

[New2road]

There is something for everyone out there. The advice you are getting is spot on. If you select the RV that support the type of experience you want, you should be able to move from site to site and have the space, privacy, and quiet you desire.

Popular destinations will always be crowded. the more amenities a CG has, the higher the cost.

We have a 45' coach, we understand that limits us in what is available. It also pushes us to plan a bit more than others enjoy. Our choice, made with open eyes. Our coach was purchased to help us fully enjoy a lot we have built out to support our non travel periods.

We sometimes are limited to types of CG's due to what is available on a certain route. We try to enjoy each stop for what it is. When traveling to a certain location, the final destination CG is the one we are most concerned with. En-route I look for safe, convenient, safe, close to main route, safe, and within my daily range. Oh yeah, safe too.

Down load RVParky app. put in a route to a place you wish to visit. look at the options available to you.

Lastly, people are more likely to write about bad experience than good. Not everyone wants there most popular CG to become suddenly too popular to get a site.

get out there in a rental and check it out before you jump in.

[Souljourner]

I just planned my first 8 night trip using the RV Trip Wizard. RV Park after RV Park looked like parking lots with some grass, and the pricing for full hookups was blowing my mind. $70 plus was not unusual. I'm not a tightwad, and I'm willing to pay for quality, but I just couldn't spring that kind of money for a place I didn't really want to stay in.

I ended up planning 5 nights boondocking at what looks like gorgeous farm country through Harvest Hosts, 2 nights at state parks with electric, water and dump stations, and 1 night at an RV Park that looks spacious enough that I can tolerate it, and we wanted to give ourselves the experience of a full hook-up.

[Cincy Steve]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

This all boils down to real estate values and location. Look up land values in Ft. Myers Florida for instance. The owner of any RV park/resort must be able to net more money than what a land developer will pay for the RV park/resort or why stay in business???


Many years ago in Melbourne Florida a land developer offered a resident-owned permanent RV park 1 million dollars per lot/site if everyone in the rv park would sell. Just how would one resist that???
Perhaps my feeble attempt at discussing why RV sites are so close together didn't come across well, but it's my best shot.

Awesome shot, Ray!

Desirable "vacation land" is a very finite commodity. People who were able to buy when it was "cheap" will either be forced to sell, due to rising property values, or are just holding out for a big offer.

[Keith55]

I have a few acres at my sticks and bricks and have never had more space camping than I do at home.

For me though the campground is not the destination. If you camp next to us you will probably see us gone before you wake up and asleep before you are done with dinner.

We move to beat the crowds and have found that being ""out of sync" with the rest of the world enables us to pack way more into a trip.

I am not driving half way across the country to see what their KOA looks like!

[denverh]

Here on the east coast many cg’s close in are tighter. Has to do with land costs, property taxes and costs to run utilities to sites. Our experience has been county owned campgrounds have decent space and better chance of fhu. ‘Down the shore” as we say here in jersey, many of the cgs cater to seasonal folks who park the rig for the season to use the amenities of the campground and the beaches a couple of miles away. It’s a balance of two worlds, woods in the pines and the seashore. Florida Keys are the same way. Sites are tight, expensive and disappearing to development because of land values. Harvest Hosts is a system that supports local folks and allows some unique experiences. As has been said the further away from the tourist draws the more space you’ll find.

[cbigham]

Depends where you park and what you want to see. Rare is the time we use a campground. Usually boondock. Put my hotel room exactly where I want it. FWIW fishing bridge campground Yellowstone the tightest I've ever seen it. No choice if you wanted to be there..3, 5 ft between rigs!