Dealing with campground reservations

[wtmtnhiker]

My wife and I traveled around the country mostly in 2010, 12 and 16 and never really worried about making too many reservations and as a result we never planned more than a couple of days out. These days I have learned the hard way that you need a reservation for every night and so have to stick to a regimented schedule being committed to staying someplace on a certain day. I have booked a trip from NH out to Yellowstone and back. Wanted to also do Grand Tetons but couldn't find a spot anywhere. As I made reservations out and back I found many campgrounds full even on weekdays and when I did get a site usually at my 2nd or 3rd choice I found that there were only a few left available. I surveyed the campgrounds and they all said that they have been absolutely slammed whether or not it was a "destination" spot.
This brings me to my question for those of you have been out on long trips in the last month or so. Logistically how did you work it ( or think you would work it)if you got to an interesting place and decided you wanted to spend an extra day or two or suffered a breakdown or other mishap? Seems to me that the ripple effect to the reservations made would really be an issue since you might not find availability and in my case it could mean calling 10 or more places to change things up. Makes me think maybe I should just stick closer to home and hope things calm down for next year. Thoughts?

[gtnsmlr]

We are fulltimers. Booking for this year has been a chore as the reservation widows have been a moving target but , we know where we wanted to be (mostly state parks) and finally got the year programmed and reserved all the way out to the middle of October. Then bail down the coast to AZ

[GDS-3950BH]

valhalla360 wrote:

GDS-3950BH wrote:

Or they might realise based on what is happening in the real estate market the land is worth way more When used For residential or commercial development than it is for campground or RV park.

Commercial is hurting. Lots of places looking to eliminate office space and Amazon killing retail stores.

It is in certain places and sectors. We have 50 million worth or work on the books, half of which was signed in the last 2 months. A lot of mixed use, inner city projects. Retail below, apartments above. Plenty of light industrial.

I see the offices are returning to normal, too many folks skating time when working from home, and the rush hour traffic have come back with a vengeance.

All of that aside unless its in a tourist driven or other limited limited specific area, a campground is the worst use of real estate there is from a financial perspective. Especially so if it's in an area where winter comes into play.

[linnemj]

We just returned from a 7 week trip to the Southwest. I am a planner so reservations were made for all but 8 days of the trip. I build in some “float” days on weekdays both going and coming home. We just them to spend extra time at several places in both directions that we liked.

All of our major destinations had full campgrounds - Big Bend NP, Tucson, Carlsbad, NM, Joshua Tree NP, San Diego, Phoenix area, and Grand Canyon NP. Even before COVID, between the increase in retirees camping and people home schooling their children, campgrounds were crowded mid week. It has gotten worse! We did a 4.5 month trip to Alaska 2 summers ago and all the major destination campgrounds were full then.

[toedtoes]

Crowe wrote:
Can't give much advice on the reservation front (I've always been a planner) but I'd make a list of places you feel you didn't spend enough time at and plan another visit. I know some people don't like to go back to places they've already been but I've found it may take multiple trips to fully appreciate locations.

I like this idea. A second visit can open up a new appreciation for a place. And if it's not really up to a lot of "sightseeing", then it's a great excuse to just kick back and relax for a few days.

[mockturtle]

jdc1 wrote:
Go when all the schools are in session.

You mean, about 2030? :W

[jdc1]

Go when all the schools are in session.

[naturist]

Serious camping boom going on these days due to COVID-19. No doubt about it. Just had a peek at the bookings for an NFS campground at which we’ve hosted several times, and see that reservable sites are only available for a day or two at a time for the next 6 months, and then only mid week. Weekends are booked solid until late October. While weekends always have been full, mid week sites were always open all season. Not this year. You want to camp, get reservations or expect to boondocks or overnight in parking lots.

[ferndaleflyer]

We have in the past year traveled from W Palm Beach to central PA. Never had a reservation and never had any trouble finding a spot. Only full camp ground we found was near Winchester VA. Had to stay 3 extra days in New Smryna FL and it was no problem. Be rolling out soon.

[Crowe]

Can't give much advice on the reservation front (I've always been a planner) but I'd make a list of places you feel you didn't spend enough time at and plan another visit. I know some people don't like to go back to places they've already been but I've found it may take multiple trips to fully appreciate locations.

When we had our 5th wheel our truck broke down. The repair shop gave us permission to stay overnight on their property (fortunately we didn't need it). You run the risk of no availability even under "normal" conditions. You can try parking lots in places such as Wal-Mart, Elks, etc., if you really get stuck. Also you could contact the local authorities to get help.

If you want to keep your vacation as stress-free as possible it might be the tune to stay more local. Keep in mind, though, up here is as busy as anywhere else. With all of New England, NY and PA close by there's a multitude of possibilities. We do a lot of adventure travel now but sometimes there's great comfort and relaxation in "being a tourist in our own backyard" as the saying goes.

[valhalla360]

GDS-3950BH wrote:

Or they might realise based on what is happening in the real estate market the land is worth way more When used For residential or commercial development than it is for campground or RV park.

Commercial is hurting. Lots of places looking to eliminate office space and Amazon killing retail stores.

[valhalla360]

Just finished an 8 month loop of the country.

Only time we had any issues was around spring break near Charleston SC.

Usually call out a week ahead to check that they have space.

[southernsky]

Back in 2010 when we retired we plan a month plus trip and reserved each stop. Made the trip difficult because we had to be a certain place at a certain time. Then we decided the following year just to plan two to three days ahead. This has worked great until "The new norm". Planning a trip this year has been a real pain having to plan each stop again. Hopefully as QCMan has stated nothing happens and create the ripple effect. Glad when we can get back to the "Old Norm"

[GDS-3950BH]

rlw999 wrote:
The bright side is that the current boom is giving campgrounds enough capital to pay for improvements and/or expansion which we'll all be able to take advantage in the coming years as the boom fades.

Or they might realise based on what is happening in the real estate market the land is worth way more When used For residential or commercial development than it is for campground or RV park.

[rlw999]

The bright side is that the current boom is giving campgrounds enough capital to pay for improvements and/or expansion which we'll all be able to take advantage in the coming years as the boom fades.