Army Corps of Engineers

I have always thought that if I moved every 10 days or so, then the campground would not think that I am trying to max out the 14 day rule.

The 14 day rule is there to prevent people from occupying all the sites while they spend the summer working near a park. It is also there to allow campers to visit during the weekends, and not come to a park that is sold out. When you arrive and plan on staying 13 - 14 days, it will send up a red flag to make sure you do not look like a squatter, but are real campers just visiting the area.

Keep the campsite looking decent, and you really never should have a problem.

Fred.

In Arkansas , Toad Suck Park (Conway) and Maumelle Park (Little Rock) allow 14 days on one site, 14 days to another site. Then out for 7 days and you can repeat. During the winter months you can stay 28 days in one site.

Most parks in the Tulsa District enforce the 14 day rule. There are enough parks, often several on the same property, that you can move easily from park to park. Only working volunteers stay longer.

These properties remain in high demand every weekend during the season they are open, and on weekdays for the height of the season when schools is out. The CoE parks represent the greater part of the camping opportunities in the area covered by this District, so local management is less likely to be liberal with the 14 day rule.

Some city/county parks, tribal parks, and state parks off season, operating parks on Corps property, allow longer stays. So does at least one concessionaire, who has some residents who have been there for more than ten years continuously in his "fishing camp." But when someone else is operating on Corps property, it is no longer a Corps park, so rules for operation of Corps parks do not really apply.

FWIW the 14 day rule comes from an Army regulation. It is up to the local command to interpret and enforce it. Enforcement is variable, I would not count on lax enforcement for travel planning purposes, but if you find what suits you at one location, stay there. Another rule in the regulation says you must occupy the site, sleep on it, to keep it. The campground I use most lets people put a child's play tent on a site for up to two weeks before the weekend they actually want to use it, so long as they are paying the fee. This grates with me, when I come in and can't camp midweek because all the sites are "occupied" though not being used, but I also understand that this revenue is what keeps the facility open.

If I understand correctly, concessionaire parks have a 30 in 60 limit. Is that correct? and are those strictly enforced?

I do not believe that is correct. Where did you hear this?

alfargione wrote:
If I understand correctly, concessionaire parks have a 30 in 60 limit. Is that correct? and are those strictly enforced?

That may be the case in certain special cases, but not likely a blanket rule for concession-run camggrounds. Usually, the concession contract has provisions that are very similar or identical to how the agency would run the campsite.

I am aware of some USFS campgrounds that actually have some seasonal sites. These are advertised publicly and awarded on a first come first reserved basis. The total price is somewhat lower than a daily rate applied for the season, but the campers can stay for the entire camping season (usually late May until mid-September). Plus, they can leave their camper there even when they are not present for a length of time. This arrangement is done only within campgrounds that don't get highly used and they are on the least desireable sites that usually go unused. It is a way to increase use in the campground and generate more revenue for both the government and the concessioner.

The stay rules are so folks don't 'live' in the parks. It sounds like the OP wants to stay a long time since he mentions 30-60 stays. That's not the purpose of these parks. Now, if you wanted to actually work in the park you'd be staying longer.

alfargione wrote:
If I understand correctly, concessionaire parks have a 30 in 60 limit. Is that correct? and are those strictly enforced?

I know of one concessionaire park where some of the residents have been there for more than ten years, and not in RVs, rather mobile homes. Relationships between the Corps and concessionaires vary, but in general each concessionaire make his own rules, unless/until a District Commander objects to the result being contrary to Corps goals.

For what it is worth.... the rule is to make the COE campgrounds available for all to use therefore the 14 day rule. If you want to be on a site for a longer stay, you should go to a private park with seasonal or by the month and stay as long as you like.

Having worked with the US Attorney's Office on other issues, I will assure you that using a different name and e-mail address is Interstate Wire Fraud; if anybody decides to file a complaint.

(A Federal crime even if you are in the same state as the park. The e-mail "may" go out of state and come back somewhere in the internet routing.)