How do campgrounds charge you?

ol' yeller wrote:
Last year, Washington State Parks changed how they calculate prices at their campgrounds. They now rate the site based upon popularity and charge more for the most popular sites. I don't know if this is the case at every State Park in Washington but it has been the case at the more visited ones that we hit last year. It doesn't appear to be based upon amenities as at Grayland they charge more for the beach sites (no sewer) than for the interior sites with full hook-ups.

California State parks have different rates based on the locations of the park. But even with different rates it's still a bargain to get an ocean front campsite at a State Park. The problem is it's so cheap, that you can't get them. You have to be on the computer at 8am on the day the release the next month which is five months in advance, and even then you may not be able to reserve spaces. I wish they would raise the rates myself so maybe they would be more available. The State parks are generally a lot nicer than the private parks and have lots more room between spaces, but the price difference is huge. State parks generally don't have club houses with a pool and all that, but I don't use that stuff anyway.