School me in public parks camping...
I'm woefully embarrassed to admit that, after 10 years of camping, we have extraordinarily minimal experience with county/state/national parks. We've always done the 'rv park' thing. The kids are ol...
Forum Discussion
A lot of good advice given with prior posts. A couple of things to add:
** As mentioned about state parks, check the state park website. You may find that some state parks are reservation only. That has become a trend here in Colorado that a goodly number of state parks require reservations, no walk ins allowed. I frequent the state parks here and noticed the change in the past year or so, from an experiment at some state parks to a requirement at all of the ones that I usually enjoy. All of the ones I go to have electric hookups, common water, and a dump station.
** Twin batteries can usually last a long weekend without the generator. Switching all interior lights to LED bulbs helps in that. I also carry LED lanterns if I don't need to turn on overhead lights. I like to listen to music, the on board stereo/CD player doesn't seem to draw too much electricity.
** As previously mentioned, carrying extra water in jerry cans of some sort can get you through a weekend. I carry a 5 gallon igloo for drinking water and use the on board water for showers/toilet/dish washing.
** The 2 main reservation systems (for SP/USFS/NP) are reserveamerica.com and recreation.gov. There are frequently pictures of campsites at the map level of the websites. Getting to them can be a chore, but can be done. Explore those 2 sites to get a feel for what they offer.
** USFS campgrounds, at least in this area of Colorado and Wyoming, almost never have any sort of amenities. There's the occasional CG that may offer electric at some sites, and even rarer, showers. There may be common water, but rarely are there dump stations. What they do offer is generally spread out campsites, and depending on location, less crowds.
** As mentioned about state parks, check the state park website. You may find that some state parks are reservation only. That has become a trend here in Colorado that a goodly number of state parks require reservations, no walk ins allowed. I frequent the state parks here and noticed the change in the past year or so, from an experiment at some state parks to a requirement at all of the ones that I usually enjoy. All of the ones I go to have electric hookups, common water, and a dump station.
** Twin batteries can usually last a long weekend without the generator. Switching all interior lights to LED bulbs helps in that. I also carry LED lanterns if I don't need to turn on overhead lights. I like to listen to music, the on board stereo/CD player doesn't seem to draw too much electricity.
** As previously mentioned, carrying extra water in jerry cans of some sort can get you through a weekend. I carry a 5 gallon igloo for drinking water and use the on board water for showers/toilet/dish washing.
** The 2 main reservation systems (for SP/USFS/NP) are reserveamerica.com and recreation.gov. There are frequently pictures of campsites at the map level of the websites. Getting to them can be a chore, but can be done. Explore those 2 sites to get a feel for what they offer.
** USFS campgrounds, at least in this area of Colorado and Wyoming, almost never have any sort of amenities. There's the occasional CG that may offer electric at some sites, and even rarer, showers. There may be common water, but rarely are there dump stations. What they do offer is generally spread out campsites, and depending on location, less crowds.
