mtlakejim wrote:
(although you would think that a group with ENGINNERS in it's name would have full hookups at every site---the campground we use the most only has electric).
When my uncle worked on building the Greers Ferry Dam and the first campgrounds - the idea of full hookups didn't exist.
When we first camped on Lake Greeson in 1964, there were two hand pump water wells, and open pit toilets which had the septic tank pumped out once a month.
And we though it was a pretty good campground.
Also remember, all the 'improvement's like water near all sites, bathhouses, electricity, even sewer - are paid for by money generated within the COE region. Many campgrounds cannot have sewer hookups at all sites due to the geography with a large network of pumps to move the sewage. Other project have problems because they don't have space or proper locations for septic fields.
Very little tax money goes into the recreation mission of the COE. And recreation is a secondary mission. The primary mission of projects such as Greers Ferry is Flood Control. I actually remember some of the floods on the White River before the dam was completed.
mtlakejim wrote:
Generally speaking we have had very good relations with the gate keepers. They seem just as frustrated with the reservation rules as we are.
,,,,,,,,
By the same token you should be able to go online and make reservations for the same day.
It is the gate keepers who push for a longer reservation windows.
The Reservation System generates a DAR - Daily Activity Report - during the overnight hours each morning. This is e-mailed to each site/ location depending upon how the individual lake, park, etc - has setup their system.
The DAR list which sites are currently reserved and for how long. It list incoming reservations for the next four days.
Some of the COE people I've talked to say they are very frustrated if a person comes in, they say - site # 12345 is open for the next four day, and someone shows up the next morning with a reservation for site # 12345.
When the system list a site as not reserved for the next four days, the gate keepers want the system to make sure no one reserves the site. The gate keepers want to be able to control who uses the site for the next four days.
One issue for gate keepers is how well their individual internet connections are to the reservation system. If they have a good connection, they can look on the system and see sites which are open for longer than four days, or for only a few days. If they don't have a good connection, or no connection, they don't have access to that information.
Also, the individual gate attendant contractor computer skill is important.
I've taught more than one attendant how to check to see which sites have active reservations up to two weeks out.
If I have cell data coverage while checking-in, I can also look on my phone at recreation.gov and tell them which sites (if any) are open for the next two weeks, or what ever period I want to stay.
Looking at Heber Springs CG right now I can see sites E-06, E-08 thru E-12 non-electric sites are open for at least 14 days starting May 22 when the CG begins reservations.
I also don't see any openings for Memorial Day for electric sites.
-----------------
Sometimes we decide to go to a COE campground at the last minute. Sometimes we decide to end the travel day early, sometimes we decide to go longer, or to even leave our current CG early and go to a COE park.
Before I go to a COE park, I'll look at recreation.gov and see which sites are open with no reservations for the next X number of days. I'll write down those campsites - and when I get to the gate, I know which sites are open for the time period I want to stay.
No I couldn't reserve the site - but I do know for the site(s) I want if there is a reservation within the next two weeks and when it starts.
Tom/Mary Lou wrote:
I find this really odd. Have always used Recreation.gov for COE parks and never had a problem or a wait.... In fact since we get the senior half price COE parks have moved to the top of our preferred parks.
The OP is focusing on the advance reservation window. More and more COE parks are not allowing you to make a reservation sooner than four days before you arrive.
