What's Meant By Maximum Size?

What we have found is that the maximum length of the site is what the length of the sight is. If it is a 38 foot spot and you have a 38 foot unit then your vehicle will not fit. If it is a 48 foot spot then yes you will have to unhook and fit your vehicle in sideways or at an angle.

When I checked at the national parks out west it's the whole rigs length, TV and trailer. Does seem kind of odd though, I've got a 20' trailer and need a 40' site, which is usually the biggest.
From what I read here many ignore it and just go by their trailer size without issue.

The first time I gave out our actual trailer lenght we were given a spot where the bike racks stuck out in the road. Now I add six feet when asked.

Trailer length, if you are confused ask the person at the RV park.:S

I don't sweat the length restrictions too much. Often they say 30'. I say let me see. More often than not I can stuff my 36'LOA trailer in there & cram the long bed crew cab truck off the road too. I don't much care if the back 10' of trailer hangs out past the pad & maybe the stabilizers can't be used.

Ratings depend on the park.. IN SOME cases it has to do with the tightenss of the turns in the park.. For example Grand Canyon south rim I have driven through it with a car.. I'm kind of glad I was in a car and not my 38foot motor home cause I'd never have made the curves.

IN a COE park I spend some time at on occasion my 38' Rig will fit a 28 foot site, well SOME 28 foot sites. (I drive a class A). but the site length is 28 feet. if I park on one of the shorter sites I need a ladder to take down the ladder I need to take my Bicycle off the rack (Short and long ladders)

Good site for working under the rear overhang area on the MH though. Pull up a chair and have a seat and do the repair.

Other sites.. Well if there is a tree in the way I need 38 feet.

And if I want to park the car in front of the motor home 45 or more.

Maximum size is something you just have to get a feel for from experience.

I try to choose sites which can take the full length of the trailer and TV - 58 feet. But since over half of our camping is in COE, USFS, NP and state parks - that isn't always possible. Often I can put the TV partially alongside the TT.

If I'm going to a new CG and am concerned about size from the website/ reviews, etc - I try to look at the CG on Google Earth/ Bing Maps. It is looks really tight and twisty, I'll go someplace nearby - and drive over in the TV to be sure. I've even paid a gas station $5 to let me park the trailer there a few hours while I looked over a campground. Since I bought fuel when I came back to get the TT - he didn't want the money.

Pictures of individual campsites are really useful. I note that the CG in Yosemite Valley almost all have a big rock at the back of the campsite so you can't go past the pad with the overhang.

Also be careful because sometimes size restrictions are because of the roadway leading into the campground, not the actual campsites.

Your best bet would be to call the CG you are interested in camping and ask.

I make sure to have both the actual trailer length (from ball to bumper), as well as the combined TV/TT length from bumper to bumper. That way, there is no guessing.

Dave Pete wrote:
...What are your experiences and general views?

I think some of the campgrounds just use a random number generator to come up with a max size.

The maximum size is often determined by other factors than the campsite pad length. Turning radius on the road, bumps in the road, size of turnarounds, local zoning, etc.

Since the campground management cannot have complicated rules like "class A 40', 5th wheel towed by a Dodge 35' TT 45'" etc, the lowest max size will be listed. So your rig may fit easily while someone else with the same overall length but a different type of RV would get stuck.

If the limiting factor is the pad length then look at the site itself. Can you back your rig in until the wheels are touching the barrier in the rear, with 6' or so extending past the end of the pad? Cannot do that if a tree or picnic table is in the way, other sites you can. Or campsite rules may prohibit that, or may not.

You really do not know until you call and talk to the management and ask if your configuration can fit, and even then you may have walk the site after you arrive. We carry a 100' measuring tape just to make sure, and have all the dimensions printed on a card. Sometimes snaking our rig into an approved site is part of the adventure of RVing.