55+ campgrounds

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by dizcom

You'll be fine. It's not a law, it's up to the discretion of the campground. Most of them are fine with people younger than 55, especially for people just traveling through. Call ahead and ask if you're concerned about being turned away.

Did you look at the link and video I posted above?

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by Dejus

One example of why it's frustrating is that of the 20 Thousand Trails parks in Arizona, only two are not 55+. And similarly for other parks.

No, actually there is only 1 Thousand Trails park in Arizona, that park is Verde Valley. The rest of the parks out there are Encore properties. The closest Encore to Verde Valley is Show Low and that is what makes it difficult to go from park to park in Arizona, versus being in Texas with 7 Thousand Trails parks.

[Dejus]

Originally Posted by hamm2018

No, actually there is only 1 Thousand Trails park in Arizona, that park is Verde Valley. The rest of the parks out there are Encore properties. The closest Encore to Verde Valley is Show Low and that is what makes it difficult to go from park to park in Arizona, versus being in Texas with 7 Thousand Trails parks.

Yes, I was imprecise, counting the Encore as TT. We have the SW zone pass and Trails Collection currently, and are thinking about upgrading to a premium option, but it's hard to justify when so many of the parks are unavailable to us due to the age restriction.

[oatmeal]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

OP: You mentioned 'Arizona'. Arizona has some wonderful state parks and the greater Phoenix area has Maricopa County parks which are awesome. Check them out. We've stayed in every one of the state parks and county parks.... excellent hiking opportunities and beautiful scenery.

We spent about a month in Phoenix in 2009. Neither of us was 55 yet, so we had to cobble together places to stay. It ended up being boondocking at a casino for 3 nights, staying at Westworld for 5 nights, McDowell Mountains Regional Park for 8 nights, Usery Mountain Park for 6 nights, and then 7 nights boondocking at a different casino.

It would be impossible to do this today. Neither casino is available for boondocking any more. In 2009, the Maricopa County parks were first-come first-served. We arrived at McDowell Mountains on a Monday and got a space right away. We arrived at Usery Mountain on the following Tuesday and were 9th in line for a site; we spent one night in the overflow lot and got a site the next day.

However, all sites at these two parks are subject to reservations, and you'd have to be really lucky to get the same site for 8 or even 6 straight days. And a lot of the time, it would be impossible to get consecutive days even if you were willing to change sites every day.

Westworld is still available, if there's not an event going on that makes the sites unavailable. But it has a 14-day maximum out of 30.

Phoenix has never been easy for under-55s because it's true that most RV parks are 55+, and my experience is that they do check. Really, the only option was Maricopa County parks, and it was a good one until they started making all the sites reservable. And even when it was good, we were in Phoenix for a month and never had a full hook-up site because there was never one available to us.

Visiting Phoenix became a LOT easier after I turned 55.

[twogypsies]

Here are some RV parks in Phoenix and also Arizona, in general, for under 55:

https://www.travelswithted.com/rv-pa...-restrictions/

https://www.rvnetwork.com/topic/1192...5-suggestions/

Pleasant Harbor RV is another good one.

.. and of course, Maricopa County Parks and Lost Dutchman State Park. Yes, you would have to make reservations early to stay at these popular places.

[Bobby F]

Funny, I've always viewed the "55+" restrictions as attempts to keep the cranky old farts out of everybody else's hair.

(I'd much rather stay in an all-age spot. Real life, versus an old folks' home.)

[MW22r]

Do you think that since most RV parks are really "Park Model" camps that it is an attempt to appease the long term guaranteed monthly income folks that are property owners/renters and who worry about keeping up their property values and safety? Wish there was some way to sort out true RV resorts/campground and parks that are not predominately Park Models. This comment is no way disparaging to those who own Park Models as I think they are great but the needs of more permanent residents versus those who are there for short periods of time may be different.

[Teamfoxy]

It may vary by state, but in FL, 20% of the residents can be under 55 and only one of the persons in the family must be 55 or older. There are usually other restrictions, such as no one under 18 may reside there for more than 2 weeks. While we spend our winters in an over 55 park, it was not something we really considered necessary. We wanted a nice park with coaches that were not permanent fixtures allowed to become rundown. We also did not want additional structures that would blow away in hurricanes. Our summer base park has no age restrictions, but is limited to class A, over 34 feet. Most of the kids are grandchildren visiting and we enjoy watching them play.

[JimDross]

With a older 45 foot Prevost we like going to RV Resorts but most Age Restrict my Coach rather than our age. I always make my reservations weeks/months in advance plus I must show pictures of my coach in order to gain a confirmation number. As far as the 55+ parks most of them are full of snobs and cranky old people that can not stay out of your business. Both my wife and I are in our mid 70's we are on the road 2 weeks every month.
We have found the guide book Big Rig Best Bets to be most helpful in our quest for quality RV Resorts, I buy a new edition every 2 years.

[Wingnut537]

Under 55 in AZ this time of year is certainly nearly impossible. Fortunately for us my brother has a large enough driveway for my rig and a 50amp within reach. Only real downside is the biweekly trip to camping world to dump the tanks.

[DumOleBob]

Frankly, the adult thing is to pickup your phone and tell them the honest truth. Otherwise you’ll be looking over your shoulder 24/7.

Either that or - go to the nearest college town and buy yourself a fake ID, LIKE WE ALL USED TO DO

Don’t be a "sneak in stinker".

[rkbeasley]

Many people have cheated the system and not followed the rules. You have to ask 2 questions, do you want to cheat and do you want to get turned away at the last minute. Regardless of comments these are the facts.

[2wheelluge]

What we were told (FWIW) is that 55+ RV parks in AZ are not taxed like other real estate, since they don’t use the schools. That’s why the park has to prove they limit their residents to certain ages.

This is probably important for long term parks, but it would seem a short term park couldn’t make the same claim, but I don’t know.

I’m over 70, but I feel like the youngest person in our park sometimes.

[Ldubs]

Originally Posted by Bobby F

Funny, I've always viewed the "55+" restrictions as attempts to keep the cranky old farts out of everybody else's hair.

(I'd much rather stay in an all-age spot. Real life, versus an old folks' home.)

Haha. I would be happy if I were not eligible for the 55+ parks! But I have to say the senior discount would be hard to give up!