Campground Rates

It really is Economics 101! The demand for campsites has expanded as the availability of sites has decreased in several parts of the country - notably the Northeast. In that area land values have exploded and the costs of both creating and particularly running a campground have gone up perhaps every higher. Very few newer campgrounds have been constructed over the past 20 years and so many older ones have sold and have become shopping malls or residential developments! Ask anyone who owns a campground today. Costs for everything have skyrocketed over the past decade far beyond their ability to absorb them. DH and I have been RVing for over 45 years. We have seen costs increase over all this time. We used to camp often in the Myrtle Beach area, generally in the 2 state parks there. Their price for a site with full hookups was $25/night for SC residents for years, with a significant discount for Seniors. Over the past 3 years, the state has gone to the 'price determined by demand' system. This season, the base price for the same site is $56/night, higher during periods of the most demand - and getting a site over a weekend is basically an impossibility! The many privately owned CGs in the area, for the same dates, are getting over $100/night - and they are full as well! While I agree almost $100/night for an RV site is absurd, I look at the cost of a simple motel room in the same area, then factor in the enjoyment we both get from camping, the security we feel when being in "our own bed" and the expenses we do not incur when making our own meals, etc. and we still find it well worth while. So, to answer your question directly - yes, prices are climbing much faster than I would like. I do not see a "3 night minimum" reservation requirement as anything particularly new or 'gimmicky" - we have seen them often for many years, particularly in high-volume tourist areas, over holiday weekends, and during high-demand times for years. Airlines and hotel chains have used the "prices determined by demand" process for years. A number of attractions, like theme parks and others, have "in-season and off-season"- pricing too. That's similar, I think. They are all about supply and demand. The more something is wanted, the higher a price it can be sold for! Reservations are still very hard to come by when planning a trip in our RV for weekend stays. The demand for each site is very high. I am in the process of finalizing our plans for a month long 'voyage' in September. still not complete, and I began it in April! There may well be a few nights while traveling spent boondocking in a parking lot (which we do not like to do, as we believe in supporting local campgrounds as much as we can) simply because the travel is over a weekend night and there is 'no room at the inn'! Fortunately we belong to a national fraternal organization and have found several of their lodges that allow for and have facilities for our RV, or the planning would have been much more difficult!