Is camping Fun Anymore

I hear ya. We are a family of 4, but it seems state parks (our fav unless we can get in a national park) have "parties" as you mention. I have seen (heard actually) stereos blasting from 4 campsites away or more...and folks livin' it up till midnite. On the other hand, I've seen large groups gather 'round the campfire till midnite...and not make an issue of it as they talk within the group and not make their presence known. If you are out having fun, be respectful!

Still, we are not done yet. For us, it does allow mobility and unique experiences for our kids and dogs...while seeing the real America...national parks. So, we take the good with the bad.

Ear plugs.

We camp in large groups (extended family or friends are almost always with us)
we stay up late
we often consume alcohol
we never have the sterio pumping
we sit around the campfire
conversations are had, songs are sung (while the kids are up and its not that late)
food is had
more food is had
more more food is had
we dont disturb.........

ive had trouble with couples, solo campers and small groups.
its not the numbers its the individuals that make the problems.

If you are on public park, bring it up to the park ranger. I found them would act promptly.

My kids almost got kicked out of a national park just because they must be giggling too loudly past quiet time.

The previous 5 years, I've spent a month or so hosting at an NFS campground, and the last 60 years or so camping from time to time. As long as I can remember, there have been occasional encounters with narcissistic campers who disturbed others. I have not particularly noticed much increase in their numbers. But I also haven't been camping yet this season, partly because it has been raining a lot here, and the field through which I have to drag the TT to turn around before I can leave home with it has been too soft to attempt.

But I would not be surprised given the current state of affairs to find the loud party crowd more frequently camping out. People are being encouraged to take their mass assemblages outdoors.

Those I have encountered over the years ranged from the family that may have all been particularly hard of hearing, in the sense of not realizing how loud they were. I remember being awakened early one Saturday morning by the two kids INSIDE their own TT, carefully whispering back and forth so as to not wake anybody, parents in particular. Thing is, they didn't realize that their breathy whispers were around 80 dB.

There was also the group of college kids around a campfire just before midnight, who, though respectful of my hostly request to keep it down, clearly did not understand that voices carry a long way in the otherwise silent woods. In their defense, they did remind one another to tone it down from time to time after I made my request. They were trying.

Only once have I encountered folks who were aggressively entitled and in-your-face. They were both drunk and delusional, having decided both that we were an Amish extended family (because one of us had a beard) and that we had 35 children (3, by my count) on site. That was a long weekend, btw, as the private campground management lacked the balls to toss them out. The pile of beer cans they accumulated was impressive.

In the West, public campgrounds like USFS have the weekend crowds that are noisy on Fri and Sat nights. Usually okay the rest of the week. I avoid campgrounds in summer and boondock. Spring and fall they can be fine. A little frost takes out a lot of tent campers.

Sort of like eating dessert all the time. Maybe you are getting tired of the life style.

Maybe some new country would help.

Camping will always be enjoyable to us, but as you indicated, you have to pick how you like to camp so that it continues to be enjoyable for you. We prefer FS CG's to state parks, depending on the time of year, and over all our favorite is boondocking so that we can be alone and away from the crowds. State parks are nice in the fall after the kids are back in school.

I've noticed a slightly different phenomenon where the majority of the campers (at least it feels that way) are long term guests/residents. I feel like we get a lot of stares from the people who obviously live there. It's a very different vibe than the travelers.

I've always enjoyed the casual "where ya from...where ya headed?" conversations, but there's none of that with the residents. We're lucky to get more than a "hi" or "how do you do" if we even get eye contact.

Oh and to answer your question: "Is camping fun anymore?"

Yes. Of course it is. Otherwise we wouldn't do it anymore.

We live in the west and the majority of our camping is boondocking with friends. Our camps get pretty loud, but there's nobody around to care. Sometimes we hear other camps down the road making some noise, but it's no big deal.

We also take bigger/longer trips where we stay in RV parks and campgrounds. We logged over 100 nights in improved camps last year and it still feels kind of foreign to me to have hookups. I like it that way.

But yes, it's still fun. It's a blast. We have a great time and our dogs are never happier.