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"Old fashioned State Parks?

Jayco-noslide
Explorer
Explorer
RVing last summer throughout Mich. and this winter throughout the Gulf Coast area then Tx,. NM, Az and MO. we had a chance to stay in a lot of state parks which we generally prefer. I'm really noticing the difference between older campgrounds(small sites, only elec. and poorly kept bathrooms) and some of the more recently remodeled ones. Some of the older ones seem "old fashioned" and remind of camping many years ago and sometimes the staff mentality seems old fashioned also. Unclean bathroom seem almost expected, while the better ones are cleaned daily. Not sure of my point except that these older ones need to upgrade in order to attract us seniors with RV's.
Jayco-noslide
47 REPLIES 47

the_silverback
Explorer
Explorer
I would have say that most of the state parks in Michigan are "old fashioned".
the silverback
2015 crossroads Rushmore 5th wheel

clubhouse
Explorer
Explorer
Johno02 wrote:
We have observed the same things. Unfortunely, the younger folks controlling the money to do the upgrades see no reason to spend it to benefit anyone except themselves and what they want to do. Seniors don't even exist. If it was for their benefit, it would be done tomorrow!


I'm very interested in knowing where "the younger folks controlling the money" are? As a younger folk myself it certainly seems that it's generations ahead of mine that hold the purse strings. Maybe in the "tech world" youth controls money and power -- but that really doesnt appear to be the case most everywhere else.

rockhillmanor
Explorer
Explorer
fla-gypsy wrote:
rockhillmanor wrote:
All you have to do is read the local papers where these parks are at and you will see that one of the first places the government makes spending cuts is funding to the State Parks. They no longer are given the funds to keep these Parks running efficiently. Florida of all places being a tourist destination has seen their funds cuts dramatically.

If you think about it what was the first thing we saw closed after last years gov shut down? ALL the parks. ๐Ÿ˜ž


And yet

1 park in Florida gets millions year after year

because it is favored while others languish for a lack of funds. It has everything to do with politics


Gawd I hope it's NOT the Ocala National Forest!
Although it probably is seeing there is a LIVE bombing range in the middle of that one. Not to mention the highest population of homeless druggies living there. :R

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

bonscott
Explorer
Explorer
GordonThree wrote:
Are there any State/Federal parks in Michigan with full (sewer / water / elec) hookups, or even just water / elec, as in a water hydrant you can hook a hose to and leave it hooked?


There are a couple. I know that one of the campgrounds at Holland SP is for example. Just check the Michigan DNR website and you can search for such sites.

Michigan like many other states no longer funds the state parks and all money is generated by the entry fees and camping fees and they are on their own for upgrades and such. Honestly in Michigan most of the more popular parks have had their bathrooms/shower rooms replaced in the past 10-15 years. But obviously if you're camping in a more rustic campground you'll have vault toilets and such. But it is called a rustic campground for a reason. ๐Ÿ˜‰

For me, if you want/need full hookups there are tons of private parks for that, leave the state parks and state forest campground more rustic.
Scott

Coleman 14x9 Instant Tent

Jayco-noslide
Explorer
Explorer
Full hook-up's isn't necessarily the issue. We really don't expect FHU at state parks. We want elec. at the site and water would be nice but not a requirement and sewer is not expected. More important issues are the interior roads (to accomodate a mid-sized MH), level sites with a firm surface and bathrooms cleaned daily. As for, what does this have to do with seniors? Not much except that as many RV'ers age they progress from a tent, etc. and wanting a few more comforts and ammenities. Youth will tolerate more and may be less likely to complain? I agree that Michigan is especially lacking and offers poor value for the non-resident with Wisconsin being close behind. I expect to pay around $30(including entrance fee) only if the campground is 1st class.
Jayco-noslide

fla-gypsy
Explorer
Explorer
rockhillmanor wrote:
All you have to do is read the local papers where these parks are at and you will see that one of the first places the government makes spending cuts is funding to the State Parks. They no longer are given the funds to keep these Parks running efficiently. Florida of all places being a tourist destination has seen their funds cuts dramatically.

If you think about it what was the first thing we saw closed after last years gov shut down? ALL the parks. ๐Ÿ˜ž


And yet 1 park in Florida gets millions year after year because it is favored while others languish for a lack of funds. It has everything to do with politics
This member is not responsible for opinions that are inaccurate due to faulty information provided by the original poster. Use them at your own discretion.

09 SuperDuty Crew Cab 6.8L/4.10(The Black Pearl)
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rfryer
Explorer
Explorer
I found dewey02โ€™s post very informative. My perspective differs from the OPโ€™s, though, in that I donโ€™t think that concessionaires belong on public land and I consider โ€œimprovementsโ€ as destructive rather than a plus. Some improved campgrounds close to the highway are OK, but trying to โ€œimproveโ€ most of them would defeat the whole purpose of camping. I might as well stay in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

GordonThree
Explorer
Explorer
Winged One wrote:

Not many.

Hartwick Pines, Holland, Sterling, and South Higgins have some full hookups.

I don't believe there are any other sites with water and electric.

DNR campgrounds


Thanks for the link, I might check out Hartwick Pines this weekend, its not too far away.
2013 KZ Sportsmen Classic 200, 20 ft TT
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Dashonthedash
Explorer
Explorer
In Colorado, the state has cut off virtually all spending for state parks, funding now coming exclusively from the Lottery and user fees. There have even been occasional, fortunately unsuccessful, attempts to divert some of that money for "other" purposes. There has been some deterioration of services and maintenance but, thanks to the camp hosts and volunteers, most of the parks are still in reasonably good shape. Many of the federal campgrounds in the state have gone to private concessionaires, which has resulted in an overall increase in facilities & hookups, but little improvement in maintenance.
Gary Shapiro
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Winged_One
Explorer
Explorer
GordonThree wrote:
Are there any State/Federal parks in Michigan with full (sewer / water / elec) hookups, or even just water / elec, as in a water hydrant you can hook a hose to and leave it hooked?


Not many.

Hartwick Pines, Holland, Sterling, and South Higgins have some full hookups.

I don't believe there are any other sites with water and electric.

DNR campgrounds
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dewey02
Explorer II
Explorer II
Before retiring, I was the Recreation and Wilderness program manager for a 3 million acre national forest with 40 different developed campgrounds. Much of what is said in the previous posts is true to at least some extent.

First, a specific national forest will identify an overall recreation niche that it best serves. Generally, you will find less-developed campsites in NFs (no electricity, water is available, but not as hookups). But that doesn't mean the NF will not have Any modern campgrounds. Of the 40 campgrounds we had, we identified 2 for complete modernization. These were in high use areas, and got elec. and water hookups, several very modern shower houses, paved roads, boardwalks, boat ramps, visitor center and childrens playground. Attendance at such sites skyrocketed, and they are very popular.

In other areas, we tried very much to not compete with private campgrounds who offered more developed sites. And many people do not want their favorite campground to be highly developed, but prefer a more low key camping experience.

It is also true that money is tight, and that improvements often go to favorite sites, or to a Ranger District where the staff are "go getters." This is just natural. If program managers have one Ranger District that is eager and excited to improve their infrastructure and bring in partners and partner funding opportunities, and another Ranger District has a laid back staff that is content to just clean. And maintain their existing facilities, who do you think will get the money for new facilities? It is a fact of life.

Finally, many National Forest (and state park) campgrounds are concessioned out (run by contractors). Once again, some concessioners are very progressive and active. We had a concessioner that came to us wanting to construct camper cabins at his own expense. He did a great job, extended the camping season, and ultimately got approval to build a second one. Other concessioners are much less progressive, and must be constantly pushed to perform basic maintenance and repair.

A few years ago, every National Forest went through a very detailed analysis of their recreation infrastructure, including use level, maintenance costs, and condition of buildings. Based on these and other factors, each site was ranked in terms of its priority for improvements, maintenance, and in some cases, decomissioning of some parts of the site, or closing of the entire site. This info is available from your local USFS office if you want to know the plans for your favorite NF campground or picnic site.

rockhillmanor
Explorer
Explorer
There were quite a few forum members that got stuck in that whole mess.
Never heard if everyone get their money back?

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

monkey44
Nomad II
Nomad II
rockhillmanor wrote:
All you have to do is read the local papers where these parks are at and you will see that one of the first places the government makes spending cuts is funding to the State Parks. They no longer are given the funds to keep these Parks running efficiently. Florida of all places being a tourist destination has seen their funds cuts dramatically.

If you think about it what was the first thing we saw closed after last years gov shut down? ALL the parks. ๐Ÿ˜ž


YUP, and we were in one. Still steaming about it six months later. Note, for the record. While OUR parks closed, the federal handouts to other countries did not, nr did the salaries in DC. Remember that when you wake up in November.
Monkey44
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Back-country camping fanatic

rockhillmanor
Explorer
Explorer
All you have to do is read the local papers where these parks are at and you will see that one of the first places the government makes spending cuts is funding to the State Parks. They no longer are given the funds to keep these Parks running efficiently. Florida of all places being a tourist destination has seen their funds cuts dramatically.

If you think about it what was the first thing we saw closed after last years gov shut down? ALL the parks. ๐Ÿ˜ž

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

NCWriter
Explorer
Explorer
fla-gypsy wrote:
2gypsies wrote:
We have found that most forest service campgrounds are every bit as clean as the updated state parks. Some even have paved sites and electric and some we've run into have full hookups. We don't need hookups but we were surprised at how many forest service ones now have it. Public parks are always our first choice.


X2 on public parks. The best of all worlds for me


Some Corps of Engineers parks, also. We stayed at the Abiquiu Riana lake campground in Georgia O'Keeffe country north of Santa Fe, NM last October. Beautiful campsites, facilities and scenery.