Federal & State campgrounds: Max rig size?

Local knowledge counts for an awful lot. NPs & SPs can often underestimate the size RV that a site can handle. Maybe this has something to do with the lack of ability of so many drivers, especially reversing into tight spots.

For example, this weekend will be a busy one for a SP we want to be in. Halloween & all. We were there last night for one night. Reservation tags for next weekend are already on the posts. Only a few left available. Had a look & made notes of preference of what was left.

First choice will be tight but certainly doable for our 30' plus length. Been in many tighter sites before. Well, online the site is listed as a less than 20' site & would not process the reservation being honest about our length. Soooo, for the reservation we have become a less than 20' 5er.

We just know that many of the sites listed online suitable for over 40' units will be occupied by pop ups, class Cs, Bs, tents & short TTs. Irritating but it will never change.

So, if you are larger than average & are going to use a particular CG frequently, get to know the sites. Your first choices may well be occupied something much smaller than you & it is handy to know what else you can use, even if it is going to be a bit of a challenge.

I have a friend who upgraded from his 26' class C to a 34' class A, he goes anywhere he wants, (but then he's never been to CA. state parks).
I've been in many parks, with some sites listed as 32' max, I put my 29' class C, with dolly & toad in them at a total of about 57'.
I don't think you'll be as restricted as much as some think.

We've stayed at Rockhound State Park twice with our 40' motorhome towing a car. The birding is great there!

You would be extremely challenged with getting a 40 footer into RockHound. City of Rocks has limited hookup sites. Panch Villa south of Deming is wide open for big rigs. Bottomless Lakes outside of Roswell has numerous sites that would fit a 40 footer also.

fanrgs wrote:


We haven't stayed in them yet, but we have heard good reports from others about the campgrounds at Rockhound SP near Deming, City of Rocks SP south of Silver City, Villanueva SP south of Las Vegas, and Brantley Lake SP for visits to Carlsbad Caverns.

1nolaguy wrote:
Thanks to all for your help and input. While it is probably not healthy to tell the DW she is wrong (40 plus years of experience speaking feel much more comfortable now in shopping in the 24-30 ft range, which we have identified as what we think we can be comfortable in to start. Now I can focus on what can be comfortably pulled with my 1/2 ton.

I left a comment on that website that they need to refresh their stats on sizes

Thanks to all for your help and input. While it is probably not healthy to tell the DW she is wrong (40 plus years of experience speaking feel much more comfortable now in shopping in the 24-30 ft range, which we have identified as what we think we can be comfortable in to start. Now I can focus on what can be comfortably pulled with my 1/2 ton.

jbeliera wrote:
Now this web site only applys to National Parks but many state parks are much like National parks. The one factor that seems to be in all of them is the tree factor or remoteness of the roads entering areas away from big commercial type only for the rich and famous. Many people find them selves buying their dream boat only to find that their boat needs an ocean to float in and a small lake in the woods won't float your boat. This link may be of some help.

http://www.camperreport.com/best-rv-length-for-national-parks/

Just a quick glace - this link states Watchman campground in Zion has a max of 19'!!!! So untrue. Also, Yellowstone's 40' combined is not accurate. We've stayed in Bridge Bay and Madison with our 40' plus our tow car.

This is an example of where bigger is not better. The fact is most SP & NP CGs were laid out when a camper was a camper. Slide outs did not exist & anything over 30' was unheard of.

Now we roll around in mobile luxury condos. Some are 45' long & TOWING a trailer behind full of essential toys. Crazy!!!

Public CGs struggle to keep up with demands but basically once you go over the mid 30s in length site options drop drastically. CGs do not help themselves much by not assigning sites according to the size of the units needing them. How often do smaller sites go empty because the longer sites have been given to small units, tenters even, meanwhile larger units get turned away unable to fit into sites better suited to the class Bs & Cs.

When shopping there are choices to make. Get the rolling mega mansion that has few parking options or come down in size & have more & more options in SPs & NPs the smaller you go.

You can't have it both ways.

The only combined length restrictions I've seen are for twisty, steep roads. Not for campgrounds. There have been a few boondock spots I've squeezed my 25' trailer into, and then had to unhook and park the truck next to the trailer, but I fit in the vast majority of campsites with no trouble.

That was part of my buying decision making --- I new I needed to stay at 25' or less to get into some of the dispersed sites I like. No way was I going longer.

bikendan wrote:

1nolaguy wrote:
My wife is saying now the most state and federal parks now restrict RV to a combined length of 30 ft or less. Most trucks and vans capable of towing are 16 to 18 ft in length. Add a hitch and the front of a TT and you are at about 20-22 ft. That leaves you 8-10Ft for the box, by may calculation.

not sure where she's getting that info and i have camped for years in California state parks, probably the most length restrictive state in the US. and also camped in national parks.
sure some public parks have smaller sites but you usually can find sites large enough for a 30' TT, even in California.

Your wife is wrong - see my signature we have been all over