Camping reservations with Corp of Engineers parks

[mtlakejim]

The wife and I often camp at Corp of Engineers parks. The parks are generally clean and have good people at the local level. However their reservation system leaves a lot to be desired. First off there is a 4 day waiting period if you try to reserve online! If you go online on Monday the earliest you can reserve a site is Thursday! Secondly if you show up in person the gate keepers can only guarantee your site for 4 days! If someone else goes online and reserves the site your already on then you HAVE to move!!!!

We have stayed at a lot of state and private campgrounds and Corp of Engineers seems to be the ONLY campsites with this issue to our knowledge. Has anyone else experienced this issue and is there someway as a group we can pressure the Corp to change their policy and improve their booking system?

[bakerkids]

Tom/Mary Lou wrote:
I find this really odd. Have always used Recreation.gov for COE parks and never had a problem or a wait. In fact over this last weekend I made reservations at 4 different parks in four different states. Got to pick the sites, got my senior discount, paid up and immediately got confirmation numbers. In fact since we get the senior half price COE parks have moved to the top of our preferred parks.

That's exactly my experience. I also choose COEs and have never run into problems. I don't, however, yet qualify for the senior discount but it's still cheaper, and better, than our state parks.

[doxiemom11]

If there was not waiting period - you drive in - get on one of the available, walkup or non-reserved sight. Get all set up and guess what - someone went on line an hour ago - reserved it for tonight and someone comes to tell you that you must move. After only a couple hours on the site. That is why there is usually at least a 2 day period that you must wait before you can get onto the site you want to reserve. It would be chaos if you could spur of the moment go online, reserve the site and show up 2 hrs later.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

I've found that if my search shows no sites available, to adjust the search parameters. Often I'll search for any site, not just RV sites or sites with electrical power, so that I can view the Date Range Availability Tab.

Too many individual campsites are coded wrong in the system and the various projects aren't really manned or equipped to verify the factors for each campsite.

I once offered to redo a campground where we were hosting for the NPS, and the park wasn't interested in updating the data.

[Laman]

Well as stated earlier it must be an individual Corps District policy in some areas. Yesterday I tried to book in two additional COE parks in Ga. and both gave me the 4 day delay warning. I then tried two parks in Tn. for the same time period and they did not have that restriction.
Also both of the Ga. paks showed full up to four weeks out which I found hard to believe as I have been to both of those parks several times and have never seen them full. I called one park and was told that after next weeks holiday they had plenty of sites not reserved, go figure.

[jamway]

Tom/Mary Lou wrote:
I find this really odd. Have always used Recreation.gov for COE parks and never had a problem or a wait. In fact over this last weekend I made reservations at 4 different parks in four different states. Got to pick the sites, got my senior discount, paid up and immediately got confirmation numbers. In fact since we get the senior half price COE parks have moved to the top of our preferred parks.

X2 We made our reservations Tuesday and we are in the site now.

[mikestock]

I applaud you for wanting to tilt at the windmill however you are dealing with a government agency and government agency's do not listen to anyone or even answer to anyone.

There are ways to accomplish changes. One COE park we frequent has a hard and fast rule that the gate is locked at 10 PM.

This has always been a problem on certain Saturday nights after late SEC football games nearby. On those weekends the park is almost 100% occupied by fans. There was no way to make it back by 10 PM after a night game. I, among others, have talked to the area manager of the COE district and tried to offer suggestions for these rare nights which occur, maybe, 3 times a year. I even offered to give them a combination lock to interlock with their chain lock and give campers the combination. Easily change the combination each time. The manager discussed it with me on the phone and told me that sometime in the distant past they used a combination lock and the combination got out to a rowdy group who got into the park and caused problems. I asked him how having a combination lock there for 3 nights a year with a new combination each time could be problematic. He just said "NO". Suggested I bring two vehicles (from 150 miles away) to the park and leave one at the gate. The nearest campsite to the gate is 0.8 miles away from the gate and there is absolutely no lighting. The area is wooded and snakes are plentiful.

I wrote a hand written letter to my US congressman about the problem and how impossible it was for me and my 70 year old, handicapped, wife to deal with this.

My congressman worked wonders. Changes were quickly implemented to allow someone to keep the office open for two hours after the games end. So the "windmill" can be tilted if the right people get involved.

[Kaz]

TO: PawPaw_n_Gram

Wow. Thanks very much for taking the time to do this post. This is very helpful and answers a lot of questions I've had. The grandkids like to go "camping" at a COE campground a couple miles from our house, so we encounter the reservation system often and I've noticed quirks that are just hard to understand. Incidentally, as of January 1, the campgrounds here (at West Point Lake) have gone to 100% reservable (instead of some being held for first-come/first-serve). I'm told that operating in this manner increases the utilization, which is important in these budget-strained days. The Corps press release announcing this change does say, "...if a site is not occupied and does not have an incoming reservation for the time period a person desires to camp, that site should be available on a first come first served basis." That raises the issue you noted of last-minute reservations not showing up on the host's paperwork.

I think that COE campgrounds (even without full hook-ups) are some of the best in the country.

Thanks again,
Skip

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

mtlakejim wrote:
(although you would think that a group with ENGINNERS in it's name would have full hookups at every site---the campground we use the most only has electric).

When my uncle worked on building the Greers Ferry Dam and the first campgrounds - the idea of full hookups didn't exist.

When we first camped on Lake Greeson in 1964, there were two hand pump water wells, and open pit toilets which had the septic tank pumped out once a month.

And we though it was a pretty good campground.

Also remember, all the 'improvement's like water near all sites, bathhouses, electricity, even sewer - are paid for by money generated within the COE region. Many campgrounds cannot have sewer hookups at all sites due to the geography with a large network of pumps to move the sewage. Other project have problems because they don't have space or proper locations for septic fields.

Very little tax money goes into the recreation mission of the COE. And recreation is a secondary mission. The primary mission of projects such as Greers Ferry is Flood Control. I actually remember some of the floods on the White River before the dam was completed.

mtlakejim wrote:
Generally speaking we have had very good relations with the gate keepers. They seem just as frustrated with the reservation rules as we are.

,,,,,,,,

By the same token you should be able to go online and make reservations for the same day.

It is the gate keepers who push for a longer reservation windows.

The Reservation System generates a DAR - Daily Activity Report - during the overnight hours each morning. This is e-mailed to each site/ location depending upon how the individual lake, park, etc - has setup their system.

The DAR list which sites are currently reserved and for how long. It list incoming reservations for the next four days.

Some of the COE people I've talked to say they are very frustrated if a person comes in, they say - site # 12345 is open for the next four day, and someone shows up the next morning with a reservation for site # 12345.

When the system list a site as not reserved for the next four days, the gate keepers want the system to make sure no one reserves the site. The gate keepers want to be able to control who uses the site for the next four days.

One issue for gate keepers is how well their individual internet connections are to the reservation system. If they have a good connection, they can look on the system and see sites which are open for longer than four days, or for only a few days. If they don't have a good connection, or no connection, they don't have access to that information.

Also, the individual gate attendant contractor computer skill is important.

I've taught more than one attendant how to check to see which sites have active reservations up to two weeks out.

If I have cell data coverage while checking-in, I can also look on my phone at recreation.gov and tell them which sites (if any) are open for the next two weeks, or what ever period I want to stay.

Looking at Heber Springs CG right now I can see sites E-06, E-08 thru E-12 non-electric sites are open for at least 14 days starting May 22 when the CG begins reservations.

I also don't see any openings for Memorial Day for electric sites.

-----------------

Sometimes we decide to go to a COE campground at the last minute. Sometimes we decide to end the travel day early, sometimes we decide to go longer, or to even leave our current CG early and go to a COE park.

Before I go to a COE park, I'll look at recreation.gov and see which sites are open with no reservations for the next X number of days. I'll write down those campsites - and when I get to the gate, I know which sites are open for the time period I want to stay.

No I couldn't reserve the site - but I do know for the site(s) I want if there is a reservation within the next two weeks and when it starts.

Tom/Mary Lou wrote:
I find this really odd. Have always used Recreation.gov for COE parks and never had a problem or a wait.... In fact since we get the senior half price COE parks have moved to the top of our preferred parks.

The OP is focusing on the advance reservation window. More and more COE parks are not allowing you to make a reservation sooner than four days before you arrive.

[Tom_Mary_Lou]

I find this really odd. Have always used Recreation.gov for COE parks and never had a problem or a wait. In fact over this last weekend I made reservations at 4 different parks in four different states. Got to pick the sites, got my senior discount, paid up and immediately got confirmation numbers. In fact since we get the senior half price COE parks have moved to the top of our preferred parks.

[mikestock]

although you would think that a group with ENGINNERS in it's name would have full hookups at every site---the campground we use the most only has electric

Funny you mentioned this subject. Deerlick Creek COE park, near Tuscaloosa, AL has seven tent sites in the woods. All are a minimum of 75 feet from parking. They all seven have electricity at the site. All boxes are 20, 30, and 50 amp. I'm quite certain the 30 and 50 amp breakers and receptacles and adequate wiring are expensive to install, but no one can explain how a tent camper can possibly utilize them. Can you imagine a private owner doing such a thing?

There are 40 RV sites in the park and only the three camp host sites have sewer, leaving the other 37 wanting. Only the government, spending your money, would recklessly waste money in such a ridiculous manner.

[TyroneandGladys]

mtlakejim wrote:



This IS the number one issue with COE campgrounds in Arkansas. I have heard from dozens of other campers that would agree! What I am asking my fellow Good Sams to assist with is setting up a protest that will get the COE buracracys attention since they obviously don't listen to their gate keepers! If anyone knows how to send this on to the Good Sams issue resolution team it would also be appreciated.

I applaud you for wanting to tilt at the windmill however you are dealing with a government agency and government agency's do not listen to anyone or even answer to anyone.

[mtlakejim]

Please note that we do in fact often carry our 5th wheel down a couple days in advance of actual camping just to get a spot. We can do that because we live close and I work an unusual schedule where I get days off in the middle of the week. We have even considered getting a tent to place on a site to reserve it so my wife can go to the campground to secure a site(You have to put something on the site if you show up in person). Still the idea that you have to do this is ridiculous.

[mtlakejim]

Sounds like we are not the only people to have issues with the COE. The campgrounds are usually fairly nice (although you would think that a group with ENGINNERS in it's name would have full hookups at every site---the campground we use the most only has electric). Generally speaking we have had very good relations with the gate keepers. They seem just as frustrated with the reservation rules as we are.

As to calling or going online to make reservations my argument is that we should not have to go thru that hassle if we show up in person! I have NEVER seen that kind of issue before anywhere and we camp a lot in the South.

By the same token you should be able to go online and make reservations for the same day. We often decide at the spur of the moment to go camping (the lake is only 8 miles away). There is NO excuse for the reservation system to be so screwed up that it would not allow reservations any closer than 4 days out period!

This IS the number one issue with COE campgrounds in Arkansas. I have heard from dozens of other campers that would agree! What I am asking my fellow Good Sams to assist with is setting up a protest that will get the COE buracracys attention since they obviously don't listen to their gate keepers! If anyone knows how to send this on to the Good Sams issue resolution team it would also be appreciated.

[TyroneandGladys]

Have only stayed a COE one time. Had a reservation arrived during "Lunch" everything was closed waited over an hour. During the hour I was told I was not allowed in the parking lot since I was "camping" but to go to my site and then come back to register. Went to my site just backed in and was told I was not allowed to be in my assigned site till I was registered so back to the parking lot. When "lunch" was over stood in line for over 30 minutes and saw so much confusion and frustrated people. Then back to my site and found someone already set up in it and the host could not do anything had to wait for a actual COE employee to come to move them and then they wanted to me move to a non hookup site instead.
COE not again for me
COE will be my VERY last choice.