Claiming a first come campsite

dewey02 wrote:

sherpaxc wrote:

mowermech wrote:

sherpaxc wrote:
Ok, so here is a question I'll be dealing with this summer.
3 families meeting up in a campground. Half of it is first come first served. We are arriving on a Monday from different parts of the country. Would it be kosher if the first family went ahead and claimed (and paid) for 3 spots knowing that all three will be occupied by the end of the day? It's a very popular campground in Colorado which is why we are arriving on a Monday in hopes of there being 3 sites available.
Thoughts?

I don't know about where you are, but around here some USFS campgrounds have reservable "Group sites" for large gatherings. If a local campground has such, it might be what you need to do. Just reserve the "Group Site" (or area) for your family.

According to the rules previously posted, ("At least one camper must occupy site on first night and campers may not leave equipment unattended for more than 24 hours.") each site MUST have a camper the first night. IF your family members WILL arrive before dark, you have complied with the rules as they are written. If all else fails, put up a pup tent and let one of the kids sleep in it. The rule has been complied with!
When in doubt, ask the Camp Host for guidance!

Well that was kind of my thoughts as well. If I know for a fact that they are just a few hours behind me, I really didn't see any harm in going ahead and paying for the site for them. According to the rules that so many people on this thread are adamant about following, I would be within the rules. Ultimately, I'm a reasonable person and will just go straight to the camp host and ask. I just brought it up for discussion. It's a really small campground and is very popular. I'm not even gonna mention it. But it's my all time favorite spot in the U.S. Hopefully arriving on a Monday will increase our chances. It's just 3 trailers.

As a US Forest Service recreation program manager for 30 years ( now retired) I would not and did not use this interpretation of the rule. First come first served sites exist to allow people who arrive without a reservation to be able to find a site. The key is first come...you cannot reserve FC/FS sites for people who have not arrived at the site. If you have planned in advance to camp somewhere and your parties are coming from various areas of the country, you should camp at a campground where you could reserve sites online and be guaranteed of all your party having a site.

You would have been allowed on your site because you were there and claimed it. But the other sites you claimed are available to the next person that arrives in the campground. People can always nitpick the wording in a rule to try and justify their actions. Defeats the whole purpose of the rule in the first place. First come,first served is pretty self explanatory.

Exactly… only the person intending on using the site, can claim an unoccupied site for use…

Even pvt CG’s generally require a reserved site to be occupied by the renter to avoid forfeiting the reservation, and don’t allow someone else to register for them…