Visiting camgrounds
Is it ok to visit campgrounds your intrested in staying in for the future.If so what do you tell the people at the main office
Forum Discussion
CWDoc115 wrote:
Tell them just that. Why make it more difficult??? :h
x3 (or 4 or whatever)....
Also, there is a difference between driving through a campground to see the campsites and doing a walk-through of a campground/park to see all the amenities, etc.
With public campgrounds, I have found the following to be fairly decent guidelines:
If there are multiple campgrounds in close proximity (all owned by the same public entity), then they usually do not charge you a fee to drive through the campground and leave. If you park your vehicle within the campground (whether at a campsite or overflow parking), you are expected to pay the day use fee at minimum. That means if all you do is drive around and look at campsites and leave, no fee expected; if you drive in, stop, get out and check out the beach, restrooms, etc., then fee expected.
If there is a day use area that is accessed through the same manned gate as the campground, then you will most likely be expected to pay the day use fee regardless of whether you are just driving through or not. As mentioned above, this is because the staff doesn't have time to follow you around and make sure you're telling the truth and not trying to get in free. The larger the park, the more likely they'll require the day use fee (as the more likely folks will suddenly "decide to stop and get out for a moment" that lasts all day).
If there is no manned gate (self-registration, etc.), then it is more up to your conscience and sensibilities. Personally, if all I'm doing is driving around once to see how close the campsites are, I won't pay the fee; if I'm going to stop and check out the facilities, measure levelness of parking spurs, and so on, I'll pay the fee. Logic being as soon as I park the vehicle and get out, I'm not just doing a drive through, I'm visiting the campground.
For RV Parks and private campgrounds, it is less standardized - however, it is pretty much given that you need to check in first before driving through. Some will let you drive through for free, some will charge you a lower "day use" fee, some will charge you the full fee - but all expect you to check in and tell them why you're there.
