Later and Later Check-in times

[padredw]

I have just noticed as I plan for a trip that the COE parks (and some others) are having a later check-in time: many at 4:00 pm and one, at least, with 6:00 pm. These are all in Arkansas, but I think it applies more broadly than that.

That certainly does not fit my usual pattern of moving around noon. Have you noticed this, and what can we do about it? I know that what suits some may not suit others, so I know this is a personal opinion.

[valhalla360]

GDS-3950BH wrote:
The vast majority of state parks we were used to operated mostly on the honor system with no full time monitoring of who comes in or out. The camp hosts have limited duties and authority, none of which have anything to do with check ins or check outs. You might see a ranger drive thru once per day.

PA is a good example. Some of the large really popular parks near urban centers may be manned full-time from Memorial day to Labor day, but most are not and those are not manned in the shoulder seasons, and both check in and check out is 3 PM. Been that way for 50 years or longer and works well.

Off season, it doesn't matter much as you can usually get in early anyway.

Most of our experience is in Michigan but we've been to state parks in several other states and usually, you have to check in before going to your site.

In Michigan, most are fully staffed like any other campground. It's only some of the ones in the remote areas where they use the honor system. And literally for decades, there have been games with getting sites because they are popular and fill up on weekends...and the parks counter with rules.

[doxiemom11]

We have been going to COE parks for a long time that had 3 or 4pm check-in. Yes, checkout at most of them is either 1 hr before or the same time. If the site was available when we arrived we have always been allowed to park and set up no matter what time it was. We do however travel so that we arrive maybe and hour or so before check-in. I do go online the night before to see if anyone is on that site, if not then we know we can arrive at anytime.

[GDS-3950BH]

valhalla360 wrote:

time2roll wrote:
Could book a day early and check in 6am the next day? 😉

Not sure about COE but I know some state parks, if you don't occupy your site, they can give it away. People were booking Thursday night but arriving Friday. Why? The reservation systems open up sites X number of days out, so if you book Thursday as your first day, you got into the reservation system a day before everyone else.

The vast majority of state parks we were used to operated mostly on the honor system with no full time monitoring of who comes in or out. The camp hosts have limited duties and authority, none of which have anything to do with check ins or check outs. You might see a ranger drive thru once per day.

PA is a good example. Some of the large really popular parks near urban centers may be manned full-time from Memorial day to Labor day, but most are not and those are not manned in the shoulder seasons, and both check in and check out is 3 PM. Been that way for 50 years or longer and works well.

[valhalla360]

time2roll wrote:
Could book a day early and check in 6am the next day? 😉

Not sure about COE but I know some state parks, if you don't occupy your site, they can give it away. People were booking Thursday night but arriving Friday. Why? The reservation systems open up sites X number of days out, so if you book Thursday as your first day, you got into the reservation system a day before everyone else.

[valhalla360]

wapiticountry wrote:
It takes more than just seeing if people have checked out. The picnic tables need to be moved back to where they belong and cleaned, fire pits need to be cleaned, sites need to be checked and cleaned of dog doo, trash, cigarette butts etc. Even if it only takes 5 minutes a site, if there are 30 check outs that's two and a half hours non-stop. Then there are always people who arrive early and check out late. If there is a very narrow window between departure and arrival times, that becomes a problem because everybody thinks 30 minutes one way or the other isn't a problem. Make the window 4 or 5 hours and 30 minutes either way isn't an issue. Of course you always have the choice of staying somewhere else if you don't agree with a park's arrival and departure policies.

Never seen a campground where they do all that and we've been to hundreds of campgrounds across the country including COE campgrounds. Not saying they don't exist but what you describe must be extremely rare.

If it was a private campground doing something dumb, I might agree. It's their campground and they can run it any way they like. We are talking about public campgrounds owned by us, the taxpayers, so if we, the owners don't like it, we have every right to complain.

[goducks10]

wapiticountry wrote:

goducks10 wrote:
We never wait for the check in time to arrive. Just show up after the check out time. Been doing that for years. We're on the west coast so maybe things are different. We have been scolded a couple times for arriving early, but so what. Depending on the CG some don't care. Seems like state parks are more finicky.

What would be your reaction if the park told you they couldn't accommodate your arrival until the check in time and didn't have space to park you until then so you had to come back? That is the policy at a park I have a financial interest in should that arrival be hours before actual check in time. We have had a few of those over the years where the arriving guest got very upset and we made the decision that if they couldn't accept our check in times and policies they likely wouldn't accept and honor other policies so we just refunded their deposit money and sent them on their merry way.

We did have that happen. But we just hang out in a parking lot. Once in 10+ years so no biggie to us. Honestly I don't see why some parks have a hard time with letting people in early. I hope the park you're associated with actually spruces up the site and removes all the garbage left behind. If not then why the wait time?

[time2roll]

Could book a day early and check in 6am the next day? 😉

[CFerguson]

goducks10 wrote:
.... Depending on the CG some don't care. Seems like state parks are more finicky.

ime, private CGs are more concerned with their customers' convenience whereas the gov run CGs are most concerned about themselves. In all my years of RVing, i can count surly employees at private CGs on 1 hand but it'll take a lot more digits than i have to total up the surly gov CG employees. (tho surly folks are still very much in the minority!).

[padredw]

All this in good will. Threads have a way of their own. But since I created this thread and have found that my concerns are pretty widely shared I have some hope we can address those concerns helpfully.

I will quote below a message I sent to Campendium and TheDyrt. Maybe others will join me in making this a constructive crusade to persuade COE (and maybe some others) to rethink these extremely late check-in times. 6:00 pm is near dark and night time.

I am accustomed to check-out around 11:00 am and check-in around noon or 1:00 pm. Anyway here is my message:

Padredw wrote:
Thank you for a very useful website and a virtual community. In planning for an RV trip up into Arkansas next week, I ran into, what is for me, a problem. Two of the COE campgrounds had a check-in time of 6:00 PM (and a check-out time of 4:00 PM). I have been traveling all across the United States in fifth-wheel trailers for over 20 years. This late check-in time seems completely unreasonable to me and out of line with my experience over most of those years. So why do I write Campendium?

1. I would like to know when and why COE management began these very late check-in times. Such a virtual community that you represent might be more likely to get a straight answer than I could get as a single citizen.

2. I would like to see if there is anything we can do to reverse this change in COE policy. Again, such a virtual camping community that you represent may be able to have more influence than I ever could as a single respondent.

3. On the other hand, I do want to do what I can so maybe you can tell me the most effective office or person with whom to communicate in the Army Corps of Engineers to express my concerns.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

GDS-3950BH wrote:
From what I have seen traveling on business some areas of the country go overboard with the covid foolishness and some don't. Strange how the areas not going overboard appear to have lower case and death numbers.

Saddens many of us deeply when we see folks talking about COVID-19 as foolishness. We're all tired of it but it's real!! I hope you never experience the serious side of what this virus can do either personally by losing limbs or needing a transplant due to it's affects, or even losing someone close to you!!! As for those not going "overboard" as you say, I'm sure there's a lot more dynamics to those areas as a direct comparison! Population, density and more ...

That aside, part of the ongoing changes, stricter and often silly rulings, rudeness sometimes and just inconvenience of booking in and out is why we boondock/dry camp all but when there's no option to in areas we want to be in. We arrive what time we want and leave what time we want and change our days even on a whim, sharing with others limit aside if applicable (ie; 14 days).

Rightly or wrongly with CGs,I also look at it that I'm paying for 24hrs a day, yet on the arrival day and leaving day I don't get that? Fair enough couple hours difference for quick sweep through on gator/golf cart (most sites need nothing doing to ready them), but really more than that shouldn't be necessary for the most part.

To each their own but as others have said, if you don't like it don't patronise it, or if you do, accept it is what it is. Vote with your dollars.

[GDS-3950BH]

dedmiston wrote:
Are the check-out times later too?

I wonder if there are COVID requirements where the parks are required to sanitize picnic tables etc. in-between guests?

Sanitize picnic tables? We've been to a few state and USACE campgrounds this season and have not seen any picnic tables sanitized. Actually we have not seen anything being cleaned or sanitized any different than in prior years. The places have been packed with out of state people despite misc quarantine requirements regarding specific states and have not seen anyone questioned.

From what I have seen traveling on business some areas of the country go overboard with the covid foolishness and some don't. Strange how the areas not going overboard appear to have lower case and death numbers.

[wapiticountry]

goducks10 wrote:
We never wait for the check in time to arrive. Just show up after the check out time. Been doing that for years. We're on the west coast so maybe things are different. We have been scolded a couple times for arriving early, but so what. Depending on the CG some don't care. Seems like state parks are more finicky.

What would be your reaction if the park told you they couldn't accommodate your arrival until the check in time and didn't have space to park you until then so you had to come back? That is the policy at a park I have a financial interest in should that arrival be hours before actual check in time. We have had a few of those over the years where the arriving guest got very upset and we made the decision that if they couldn't accept our check in times and policies they likely wouldn't accept and honor other policies so we just refunded their deposit money and sent them on their merry way.

[wapiticountry]

valhalla360 wrote:

BurbMan wrote:
This trend started way before covid....just like a hotel, check out at noon, check in at 4:00. The CG needs time for maintenance during peak season, whether it's mowing or repairs. Also just like a hotel, if you are arrive at 2:00 and the site is clean and ready to occupy, most will certainly let you set up on it.

Most campgrounds clear out mid week, so not buying that it's mowing.

Really, no reason to have more than an hour gap between checkout and checkin. That gives plenty of time for staff to do a quick drive thru to see if everything is in order. If they have to fix a water tap, they can do that with a rig parked there.

Of course, the time difference wasn't the issue. The issue is pushing back both check in and check out.

It takes more than just seeing if people have checked out. The picnic tables need to be moved back to where they belong and cleaned, fire pits need to be cleaned, sites need to be checked and cleaned of dog doo, trash, cigarette butts etc. Even if it only takes 5 minutes a site, if there are 30 check outs that's two and a half hours non-stop. Then there are always people who arrive early and check out late. If there is a very narrow window between departure and arrival times, that becomes a problem because everybody thinks 30 minutes one way or the other isn't a problem. Make the window 4 or 5 hours and 30 minutes either way isn't an issue. Of course you always have the choice of staying somewhere else if you don't agree with a park's arrival and departure policies.

[goducks10]

We never wait for the check in time to arrive. Just show up after the check out time. Been doing that for years. We're on the west coast so maybe things are different. We have been scolded a couple times for arriving early, but so what. Depending on the CG some don't care. Seems like state parks are more finicky.