Where to park the trailer after check out or early arrival?

As you can see the answers are extremely varied. The best thing is to contact the park in question and ask how they would treat it. Their answer might be entirely different in the middle of the high season than it is in the low season, so let them know the dates you are considering.

Many campgrounds will not let you reserve a Saturday only during the high season and will require a Fri-Saturday. They may also not care as much on Sunday as the places clear out as people go home to get ready for work on Monday.

Thanks for the tips. Will keep in mind not disturbing anyone and arrive during daylight.
Good to know for Sundays they don't care. We normally need Friday to Saturday.

Around here, the campgrounds are empty Monday, Tues, Wens and staying an hour late is not much of an concern.

Parking is ofcourse campground specific. Every campground will have some spots by the office though. Some campgrounds have a storage area that you can park in.

I drop trailers on sites and set them up on Thursday. No headaches with family is worth the $35

I know the state park does not approve but they are getting paid!

It depends on the campground. The ones I frequent don't care if you show up early as long as no one is in that site. Same way with leaving later. I've been known to decide to stay another day and then just pay for another day. But, like I said it all depends on the campground.

PAThwacker wrote:
I drop trailers on sites and set them up on Thursday. No headaches with family is worth the $35

I know the state park does not approve but they are getting paid!

As long as you are paying for the site, there should be no problems.

You paid for it and that site is yours to use as you see fit within the

However, some parks do require the unit to be occupied.

A campground I frequent (at a very busy Tourist area)the checkout time is 11 AM SHARP, not 11.01 but 11.00.

They have Security detail which rides golf carts checking EACH site.

One year we specifically asked the campground management if it was OK to leave a bit later.. They said yes it was fine but let me tell you Deputy Dog on the golf cart WAS NOT "amused" or "bending" the rules. Gave me 10 minutes to finish hooking up and vacate the campsite..

That campground also does have "overflow" area, but it is not for dropping off your trailer and site seeing. It is used only when the campgrounds are full and folks are late LEAVING at their checkout time.

My suggestion is if you don't want to leave at the checkout time on Sunday then PAY for SUNDAY NIGHT and leave later after the checkout time AT YOUR LEISURE. It is the only way to ensure you are not hassled..

As far as dropping your trailer anywhere in public.. I would NEVER, EVER consider doing that. A very good chance you will not find it when you return.

BurbMan wrote:
If you plan on arriving early Sat and staying late Sunday it cn worth it to py for the extra nights....we used to do that with county beach CGs on Long Island where check-ins and check-out times were strictly enforced. Reserve for 3 nites arriving Friday and leaving Monday. This covers you for as early as you want to arrive on Saturday and as late as you want to stay on Sunday.

We frequently do this. Most SP and NP CG around hear are $20-$30 night, paying a couple extra nights to allow us the flexibility to manage our trips as we like. Working full time and kids in school mean we don't get out as much as we like, so the extra $40-$60 to maximize our stay is money well spent.

The more expensive private CGs, we generally save those for longer summer trips and we observe the posted check-in/check-out times.

I think by some of these responses like the one from Gdetrailer I would find a different campground and not come back.

CavemanCharlie wrote:
I think by some of these responses like the one from Gdetrailer I would find a different campground and not come back.

With respect: Some busy campgrounds, like Bahia Honda, in the Keys are very strict about checkout times. Here is why:

Every, and I mean every vacant campsite must be checked, and cleaned if needed, between the "check out time" and the "check in time." This also includes cleaning the grills, which often were full of hot coals.

With a park that it is very busy, this window for cleaning is very tight, and "stragglers" just delay the process for everyone.

When we volunteered at Bahia Honda, a few years ago, the front gate would often call us on the radio regarding a specific site. If it was ready early, they allowed the next camper in. If not, the camper had to wait outside for the "all clear."

Other parks we have been at, without that much turnover, were more lenient with check in and check out times.

Maybe the park Gdetrailer is speaking of has the same problem, and security needs some training in public relations. Often, it is not WHAT was said, but HOW it was said.

Happy camping.