35 Foot Max?

[Lancaster57]

My wife and I are planning to buy a Class A by next summer. We both are able to work from home so we figured "why not take it to the road?".

Right now we're favoring something like the Forest River Georgetown series. We very much like the 369 XL, but we started looking at park options and want to be inclusive of State park campgrounds, many of which have a 35 foot limit which makes us feel like we may need to get something a bit smaller.

So my question to this community is...are we making too big a deal of the 35 foot limit, or is campground accessibility a more important factor over the long-term than a few extra feet and a few more features?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

[jwolf55]

Most of the Indiana State parks were built during the WPA and some spots are small but on site descriptions it will state "not for large units" We stayed in one last fall and it stated "large units may not be able to open awning", and sure enough we couldn't due to a tree.



Better shot

[Mile_High]

Coming from a 40' 5er and crew cab truck, this 43.5' MH is like a shorty 🙂

We just traveled to CA and OR. Its a little big. We fit like a glove in most pull through sites with the toad disconnected. Some campgrounds had to work with us to find a site we could fit.

[Executive45]

Yes, this topic surfaces regularly. We are in our ninth year of fulltiming with over 100,000 miles traveled. Most State and Federal parks are no longer issues. Most have 'updated' their parks to meet the larger rigs. That said, most have NOT UPDATED their web pages. There are trade offs to everything. The extra room and CCC of a larger coach, IMO outweighs the reduction of available camp sites. Yellowstone was mentioned. How often will you be going to Yellowstone? Do you NEED to stay INSIDE the park? There are so many camping options available near any of the State or Federal parks you'll come to appreciate a larger coach. As Ivylog mentions, buy as large a coach as you can afford because replacing a too small coach gets expensive. Also, most often, the determining factor is not the size of the camping spot. It's the roads and turns that you'll have to maneuver that limits where you can go. If you can't GET TO the campsite, it won't matter how long it is. Finally, with a larger coach, you'll learn to call ahead to verify if you'll fit. Fortunately, most park rangers are better equipped to be accurate as to whether you'll fit than many private park phone people.

If you want an example, we spent two months at Folsom Lake last year. We are 45' plus the tow. Wanted 50amp service and full hookups. Below is the info from the California State Parks website. Max length listed 31'. They have one pull thru site that's at least 70' long.....Dennis

Folsom Lake Recreation Area

[Isaac-1]

I would not let +/- 1 ft limit my decision, because you will always find some place you will not fit unless you buy one of the smallest class B's. It may be due to the width of the road, overhanging trees, or of course length of the pads. I know of one relatively nearby (75 mile away) national forest campground (built by the CCC in 1937) that list max length at 24 ft, could I squeeze in with my 28 ft class A, maybe, maybe not. I scouted it out when I was passing by in a car recently and it looks tight enough getting in that I don't think I want to try it.

[TechWriter]

Lancaster57 wrote:

So my question to this community is...are we making too big a deal of the 35 foot limit, or is campground accessibility a more important factor over the long-term than a few extra feet and a few more features?

If you just camp in CA state parks, then, yes, over 35 feet can be an issue. Same goes for many East Coast state parks.

Countrywide, over half the state park sites are at least 40 feet. Check it out.

[Ivylog]

Welcome to the forums... this subject has been debated often over the 15 years I've known about this site. I made the mistake of believing those that said 36' MAX. Did not take long to realize that's not true so traded for a 40' loosing a fair amount of money. Once we went half time, size and slides were more important than the few sites we cannot get into. Again costing $$$. I built my MH bay big enough to hold a 45' although we are happy with our 42' which in Yellowstone becomes a 40'. :W

I now advise buying more MH than you think you need ONE TIME...not like what I did. Many that say go short have short rigs... how do they know where I can fit a big rig and we have camped all over the country mainly staying in public CGs. USFS CG's that do not take reservations are our favorites... do not show up Friday hoping to find a site big enough, but late Sunday or Monday there are plenty of sites as the working folks have gone home. Not sure who comes up with the lengths as one of my favorite USFS CG in the Tetons says 28' max and I.can get my rig in 3 of the 12 sites. one very easily. In the picture above it's often the post for your payment that's in the way making it hard to get into the site.

36-38' is the largest for gas MHs BUT many have limited Cargo Carrying Capacity... not good for Full Time use.

[dahkota]

The shorter you are, the more campsites you will fit in.
A 20' rig can park in a 40' site but a 40' rig cannot park in a 20' site.
If you are not reserving in advance, your best bet is to try first come first serve campgrounds during high season where-ever you may be.

Having full-timed for 3 years in a 33' A, I can say that:
1. if I want to stay in a specific state/fed park and they have reservations, the earlier I make them, the better chance I will get a site I like that I can fit in.
2. There are parks that I love that I must make reservations way in advance or during the off season to get one of their few sites I will fit in.
3. There are parks that we used to go to with our 28' tt that we can no longer go to due to length restrictions.
4. There is almost always a private park in the area of where you want to be that can accommodate larger rigs.

Just an example from my search this morning - Fish Creek Campground has 173 sites. 23 of them will accommodate up to 35'. Arriving on June 9, 2017, there are 7 sites available. 2 of those are handicap sites, 2 are in the no generator section, and three are tight pull-thrus. There are private parks in the area and a first come first service park in the area, so you have other options. They may not be what you want, but there are options.

[Dutch_12078]

The length of the site is not always the determining factor behind the limits. The photo below shows a site at Manatee Springs State Park in Florida with a 35' foot max limit with our 34' coach parked on it, obviously with plenty of room left. The catch is that even at 34', it was pretty tight rounding the turns in the dirt access road and bending the rig around to back into the site with out taking down any trees on the other side. That's the part that doesn't show up in those nice site photos on ReserveAmerica. 😉

[ReneeG]

George Beggs wrote:
I tried to get a site at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone for this summer. I have a Bounder 35E but it is closer to 36'. I was told that if any part extended from the site I would be made to leave. I got a site in West Yellowstone (outside of the park). It is much easier to get a site if you are shorter. In the national Parks I have to make reservations many months (7) in advance to be able to get a site.

With that said, Baker's Hole FS CG with electricity at most sites, can fit big rig motorhomes and fifth wheels. It's our favorite place to stay when visiting Yellowstone. Take a look also at Mammoth, and they too can fit long rigs. So again, it's what you are comfortable with, but your 36' is doable and you will have many options.

[Lancaster57]

rk911 wrote:


if you're thinking of using a specific park or parks why not call and speak to a human and ask about lengths?

Thank you for your reply. Like I imagine many here, we plan on seeing quit a bit of country with no one specific park in mind. That's the reason my question is so general. I was just looking for a general impression from a community that has experienced such things first hand.

Thanks for all the comments everyone! You're making me lean towards the 36 footer!

[Aridon]

We've been 43 and 45 ft and haven't had any issues going where we want to go. There have been very few (count on one hand) parks that couldn't fit us and we just stayed somewhere else in the area.

Really not a big deal. Unless the specific park you want to spend a ton of time has issues fitting you then don't worry about it.

[2gypsies1]

We used public parks almost exclusively during our 16 years of full-timing and had absolutely no issues with our 40' motorhome. There are many options instead of California's state parks which are in a separate class than other states. For instance, we've used every single one of Arizona's state parks with plenty of room. There are very nice national forest campgrounds, county and city parks. We also used national parks such as Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Teton, etc. and without reservations. We don't need hookups.

[rk911]

toedtoes wrote:
This comes up a lot and there are so many opinions as to whether the couple extra feet in length is a problem or not...My guess is that a campground that limits to 35ft is more likely due to the actual campground (parking pad lengths and/or campground roads) rather than the roads leading into the campground...

agree. the pad might be 35' long but the space may be quite a bit longer. our wheels might be on the pad but there is usually enough space for the rear of the motorhome to fit beyond the rear edge of the pad and for our toad in front.

[George_Beggs]

I tried to get a site at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone for this summer. I have a Bounder 35E but it is closer to 36'. I was told that if any part extended from the site I would be made to leave. I got a site in West Yellowstone (outside of the park). It is much easier to get a site if you are shorter. In the national Parks I have to make reservations many months (7) in advance to be able to get a site.