Paid for but vacant sites

broark01 wrote:
Us older folks who have an Interagency Senior Pass pay 1/2 price. Means I can actually lease 2 campsites for the price of one so I have room to spread out and not have to be looking into someones tent out of every window. I might even lease the whole campground then sublease spaces. I think I just figured out how I am going to retire.

If you're talking about America the Beautiful passes, you should read the rules more carefully. It ONLY permits you to a discount for ONE site, the one YOU are occupying, not 2, not 17 ;)

wny_pat wrote:
You have to know the rules of the park before reserving a site! Doesn't matter what you think the rules ought to be. Your expectations without knowing the rules mean nothing.

The issue isn't about knowing the rules. They are known. Read the OP.

belfert wrote:
I think the main concern most have is with government owned parks that are often taxpayer subsidized. Government owned parks that take reservations often are fully reserved as soon as reservations open. There is usually a waiting list of campers who actually want to use the site.

Well, there you go, learn the rules play by the rules. Us older folks who have an Interagency Senior Pass pay 1/2 price. Means I can actually lease 2 campsites for the price of one so I have room to spread out and not have to be looking into someones tent out of every window. I might even lease the whole campground then sublease spaces. I think I just figured out how I am going to retire.

BluStem wrote:

Lantley wrote:

There is a point where the CG can/should release the site to someone else.

Yes, when the site lease has expired. No sooner.

Lantley wrote:
Late arrivals are not the issue. It's those that reserve days with no intention of using them that create hardship for others looking to use those days.

The hardship would be for the party who paid for it and showed up thinking they had a site secured and someone else was in it.

You have to know the rules of the park before reserving a site! Doesn't matter what you think the rules ought to be. Your expectations without knowing the rules mean nothing.

BluStem wrote:
Most state parks in Iowa consider a site occupied if it's payed for.
I find out from co-workers that some public parks they have been to require a payed site to be occupied with a camper or someone else can take it. I maintain if a site is payed for then it should be yours regardless if you have a unit on it or not. Why wouldn't it?

I personally like the first come first serve system. Having that said, The park where we hosted for a couple of years allows for tents, RV's , car or person to save, not reserve a site. At first come ,first serve ,you are not reserving a site as the rules don't allow it. You are however saving a site but if its empty, a simple tag on the post does not gaurentee your spot will be there if you choose to go someplace or intend to bring your unit in at a later time. I fully believe that if you have time to drive to a first come ,first serve park then you have time to set a small tent or bring the RV with you. I have seen tarps laid down on the ground and they are not allowed but were tolerated. I had one guy leave a broom and then hollered and screamed when I allowed a lady to have that spot since it was the last spot in the park. You have an hour from arrival to register, he forgot his wallet and had to go back home to get it and just hung the tag. We later found out he hung the tag and never put money in the self registration post. That's wrong. So if you were allowed to just register and the host has no hand in taking money, then who knows who has paid for that night because they didn't want to bring the rv at that time. That is theft and it cost the park money because someone else could use that site that has paid. In state parks the best sites are taken all year long. I don't like it but its the rules, just like in county parks and theirs rule regarding first come first serve. I shouldnt tell on my self but as host I would get a call from a camper ask if I knew of if any spots were open. If I knew, I would tell them and if they could make it with in the hour I would personally hold that spot for them with my vehicle. I did this for all campers and encouraged those I met to call me if they had to drive a little bit to get to the park. My preferred system is frustrating if you want a spot on a holiday weekend, but we have different groups from surrounding towns that compete for sites in a particular area and they have been known to come in and lay down tents,hang tags and leave for 10 days and arrive with their RV's at that time. Sure they are paid for sites but someone else could have used that site, You also pay more for that reseved site at State parks.

I think the main concern most have is with government owned parks that are often taxpayer subsidized. Government owned parks that take reservations often are fully reserved as soon as reservations open. There is usually a waiting list of campers who actually want to use the site.

Lantley wrote:

There is a point where the CG can/should release the site to someone else.

Yes, when the site lease has expired. No sooner.

Lantley wrote:
Late arrivals are not the issue. It's those that reserve days with no intention of using them that create hardship for others looking to use those days.

The hardship would be for the party who paid for it and showed up thinking they had a site secured and someone else was in it.

This is why the best policy is a reservation deposit, rather than site payment. You make a reservation, don't show up on the appointed day, deposit is forfeited and the site is available to rent to the next guest. Years ago we had to amend that practice to include a similar fee for shortening your stay. Seems people were fine with reserving a block of days and then leaving whenever they decided they had enjoyed themselves enough. We instituted an early departure fee equal to the site deposit fee, we disclose it up front, and now we don't have people cancelling out the last 3 days of a 10 day reservation. Now we are able to run close to full occupancy, don't have a problem with sites coming available at the last minute, aren't processing a bunch of refunds and don't have to turn away business because we are booked and then people who have sites reserved cancel out leaving us with empty sites and the people who really wanted to come, out of luck as well.

Campfire Time wrote:

Javi1 wrote:
Not sure how it is selfish to pay for something, must be from another generation or another planet.

Not sure how it is unselfish to pay for something that you don't intend to use, that others could use and really want to use, just so you can have a couple of "prime days in a prime site". Its all about courtesy and respect. At least that's how it is on my planet and in my generation.

On my planet and in my generation if I pay in full for a site, I'm still using it even if I'm not there. If I'm willing to pay for a week and only use the site for the weekend that should be my prerogative and you shouldn't feel put out by it.

If the objective is to run as many folks through a campsite as possibly, maybe there should be a one night limit for everyone and no reservation or prepay at all. That way you takes what you gets and don't fuss about it. :D

We were traveling through Santa Rosa,NM this past May and had reserved a site at the State Park for one night weeks before arriving. We called ahead to let them know we would be arriving a little after 6pm and make sure late arrivals were ok. When we arrived, someone had taken our site. The rangers office was closed so we asked if they had reserved the site. They said no, it was just empty when they showed up. There was a red reserved sign on the post...hmmm. They moved. I think some people assume it will be abandoned when in fact it won't be. We reserved the particular site because it was the only one available when we made the reservation that was large enough for our FW. Those that took our site could fit into any of the available sites that were left which there were a few so I definitely didn't feel bad about asking them to move. I am sure that some state parks and possibly this one too gets people who reserve sites and never show up but people should never assume on there own accord that the site will be vacant.