Size allowed at parks

Who knows
The older the park, the smaller. There are old government (State, Federal, etc) that 27 ft wouldn't fit.
Newer parks tend to have larger spaces.

Most of the big national parks out west (don't know about the eastern ones) will have plenty of sites big enough for a 27 footer, no problems. and your tow vehicle, too.
Lots of the state parks will hold you just fine, too. We haven't seen one yet that wouldn't hold us, and we need about 35 feet. (with an overhang at the back)

If you want to be sure of getting a site, make a reservation...especially at the main destination parks,

But is the measurment from rear to front hitch or just box length?

Last fall we camped in Yellowstone, at Madison, without a reservation (bad idea) and they wanted to know the total length of our setup, trailer rear bumper to TV front bumper. I didn't know, but we did get a site. Still had to unhook and pull the truck in at an angle. I think I'll measure my entire rig and write it down and keep the paper in the TV.

Just figure it as the box length. If you only plan on NP's just make reservations on reserveamerica you will find various length sites listed. We've stayed in NP's SP's, FS, USACE parks and were 35 ft.

Thnx

In Glacier National Park the "Road to the Sun" was quite limited, on the order 21 ft. total length. To get to the opposite side of the park you had to drive around the southern end.

Also some of the parks campgrounds were quite size limited.

As suggested it is best to plan and check ahead.

I thought it was interesting that the more remote Grisly bear areas were tent only.

Polak5 wrote:
Just a quick question..
Went to the national parks website they say that as rule of thumb most parks allow up 27 foot trailer....
So my question is.. Is that the size of the box? Or up to the hitch?

Thnx :-D

When parks count distance - it's from the front of the hitch to end of the bumper/ spare tire/ bike race, etc.

Some parks purposely place rocks or posts at the end of the parking spot so the rig cannot hang over the back.

Always read the descriptive information about the spot, especially the fine print details at the bottom. You will find some spots which will limit the total rig length - TV and trailer.

•Driveway Entry: Pull-Through
•Driveway Length: 80
•Max Vehicle Length: 25
....
Maximum motorhome length 25', maximum trailer length 20'. No tent pad. Vehicles must fit on developed parking pad.

This spot will hold a longer rig - but the access to the campground/ loops must be tight and prevent a longer rig from making the turns.

•Driveway Entry: Pull-Through
•Driveway Length: 58
•Max Vehicle Length: 35
...
Maximum motor home length 35, Maximum trailer length 27'

This spot - though shorter - will hold a longer rig. It is on a different loop with a better entrance clearance.

Also look at the spot on Google Earth if possible and measure it yourself.

In general - I don't worry about spot length most of the time - being at 35-36 ft, but I do check if I might be close to the length.

If you are looking at a particular park with a question - ask here. likely someone has been to that park and can answer your question.

The only park I've ever heard of measuring a rig and ordering a camper to pull out because his rig was longer than the listed limit even though it fit in the spot is Mount Rainier.

The length is usually given for each individual USFS campsite here in Oregon. It's not that crucial in the individual site as driving through and parking. Space is tighter on older parks and those off the main roads.

I was able to find a space for my buddy's 40' Country Coach. I had to park the Jeep in the space next door, because there was absolutely no extra space in his site.

I drove up to Sequoia National Park, found this one spot, and then took off in the Jeep looking for another one, just in case he might want to change spots. I could not find anything else that the 40' RV would fit in, so we where 'stuck' in the first place we tried. It was early on a Friday, the weekend after July 4th 2010. Otherwise it might have been really crowded on a 3 day weekend. I did have a back up plan, where we might have been able to park in a dry camping spot outside of the campgrounds, in a special overflow area.

Anyway I am glad that we fit. Most National Parks do not have sites any larger than my 30' Bounder. I can not fit into 1/2 of the sites inside the park. Sometimes someone in a smaller RV will reserve a larger site, for more elbow room, and I can not blame them for wanting the larger site, but now the Parks Department has minimum length for their longer sites, to 'reserve' the few longer sites for the larger RV's that need them.

Good luck!

Fred.