Any Length Restriction Resources?

[mrekim]

I've seen the various discussions about the RV length and getting into federal/state parks, etc.


I understand that if you have a bigger rig you can typically find something nearby if the specific park or area your interested in cannot accommodate you.

I know that I can pick areas of interest and then look up length restrictions one at a time.

I'm wondering if there is a comprehensive list out there somewhere. Ideally a list of some state and federal parks and the max RV length for each.

[Ivylog]

I already referenced the USFS CG which is east of Moran junction in the Tetons. Near the south entrance of Yellowstone there is a free campground that we use for the southern part of Yellowstone. Instead of paying $60 or more in West Yellowstone we go north several miles to Baker's Hole USFS campground... $18 for elect and no problem even if 45'. Inside Yellowstone by 42 foot becomes a 40 foot motorhome... Never been measured and never a problem. I've parked at Old Faithful but it's at the back of the parking area and not a problem getting in or out.

We usually Boonedock five days a week and then travel and resupply on the weekends. We will call ahead on Saturday and make a reservation at a private campground so that we can dump and resupply our water and do laundry. With 100 gallons of water we do not cut back on its use and have to run the generator two hours a day to charge the batteries while boondocking. The smaller the unit the smaller the tanks. For FT I'd want at least 5000lbs of CCC.

[2gypsies1]

We have no problem staying IN many national parks with our 40'. I think that would be the limit.

In Yellowstone we've staying in 3 campgrounds - Mammoth, Madison and Bridge Bay. We've also stayed at West Yellowstone in Baker's Hole national forest campground.

Public parks are always our first choice and we've honestly have never a problem once we did some research. With a longer RV that's the key - research. There's not one place that lists the size of all the campgrounds. Google is your friend. 🙂

[mrekim]

Executive wrote:
This "MYTH" comes up every now and again...that's exactly what it is..a myth. Our rig is 45' which is pretty much the longest coach out there. That said, we've been all over this beautiful country and have not found that to be true.

I did a quick check of Yellowstone park.

(Yellowstone RV Info)


It seems like there's a 40' limit there. I realize you can go outside the park to a private CG. My issue is trying to understand what I'm giving up in flexibility for comfort. Hopefully you're familiar with the area and options for your rig.

There's Eagle Creek (BLM?) with what appears to be a 40 foot limit as well.

There's a KOA outside the park in Cody.

So in that area - with an incomplete look - it seems like 40 feet gets you way more options vs 45 feet.

Are you familiar with this area, and can you share some options where 45 feet works?

Ivylog wrote:
13 years ago because of post on here on this subject I bought a used 36' DP. Did not take long to realize 36' MAX was BS so traded for a 40' single slide. Once we became half timers bought current rig with four slides. I always post about this subject: Buy more RV than you think you need... ONE TIME and not like me.

This is exactly the exercise I'm working through now. We have a 35 foot (bumper to bumer) TT, so this help us with getting a feeling for what we want in terms of living space. I've run into some issue with this TT (Limited sites - always booked in advance, can't fit in Acadia - but lots of options outside the park, etc.).

I'm using the forums to gather info, but want to make the decision based on actual data. We may go as far as to compile a list of 50-100 places we intend to visit and check them out one at a time.

Ivylog wrote:

OP, are you thinking of coming over to the dark side from the trailer side?

That's the plan. I really like the idea of being able to set up camp at the place of interest without having to drive an hour or more to get to our ultimate destination. This is especially true for a long stay. I don't want to feel like I'm commuting to my destination.

We'd like to do some hiking and exploring of the national and state parks while we are still able. Ideally there would be a lot of places where we could set up and hike or bike/hike right from the campsite.

Right now we have a 35 foot bumper to bumper trailer. I think that would be about a 33 foot motorhome. We need a larger bath and bedroom vs what we have now. Based on the floorplans and units that we've seen so far we're going to be at a minimum of 34-37 feet. So even if it turns out that 30 feet or less is the "magic number" we won't go below our minimum size.


It also seems that there's a good jump in the interior spaciousness when you jump from a 2 axle rig to a 3 axle one ( greater than 37 feet). We are taking that into account too. This is why I'm trying to go through this exercise of the trade off of length vs flexibility.

Ivylog wrote:

I do not know of any accurate resources other than google maps. That said, I usually use www.UScampgrounds.info to find sites as it gives you elevation and lets you zoom in to see.

This is helpful - thanks.

[dahkota]

California has such a list. Speaking from experience, it is typically the roads, not the individual sites, that will limit the size of the rig. Having watched an RV too big for the roads do quite a bit of damage trying to navigate them, I would defer to California's knowledge. Always check with a towed if you are unsure.

[Tom_Barb]

Two times I wished We had a shorter coach. once at Old Faithful parking lot, we got boxed in by cars in the parking lot, and could not turn short enough to get out. we waited 30 minutes for a couple cars to move. The second was at Mt Rushmore, I was required to parallel park the coach.
I find parking lots are the worst place to have any big rig, never a problem in getting a camp space.

[Ivylog]

X2 on what Dennis said although we are only half timers... he is FT. We are only 42' and usually stay in USFS CGs that do not take reservations. My favorite USFS CG in the Tetons says 28' max and that is probably true of all but two of the sites. One of those anyone could get into, but the other takes some skill. By arriving late Sunday or early Monday most of the . weekenders have gone home vastly increasing your chances of finding a site big enough. I cannot remember in the last 5-6 years not getting into my first choice CG. Granted with google maps/earth you can take a pretty good look before you get there.

13 years ago because of post on here on this subject I bought a used 36' DP. Did not take long to realize 36' MAX was BS so traded for a 40' single slide. Once we became half timers bought current rig with four slides. I always post about this subject: Buy more RV than you think you need... ONE TIME and not like me.

OP, are you thinking of coming over to the dark side from the trailer side? I do not know of any accurate resources other than google maps. That said, I usually use www.UScampgrounds.info to find sites as it gives you elevation and lets you zoom in to see.

PS: I've owned this rig 11 years so three RVs in less than three years is expensive. I also built my MH bay large enough to hold a 45' although I plan on keeping this rig another 11+ years.

[Executive45]

This "MYTH" comes up every now and again...that's exactly what it is..a myth. Our rig is 45' which is pretty much the longest coach out there. That said, we've been all over this beautiful country and have not found that to be true. We stay in State Parks, Federal Lands, Corps of Engineers Parks, (our favorite BTW), Elks Lodges and small county parks. As I type this, we are in a COE park in Washington. From here we are headed to a 35 space county park in Oregon. Sure there are a limited number of spaces we can fit in but we've not found a park that did not have a space for our rig. We do make reservations ahead of time and often will call the park to make sure they have a site large enough, but we've never had someone say nope, you're too big. There are some private cgs that indicate on their web page they are not big rig friendly but we simply ignore those.

Now here's the deal. To answer your question, many, if not most parks are constantly changing and improving their cgs. Much of the improvements are adding 50amp service and enlarging their sites. Many sites were designed for smaller coaches with zero slides. This made the sites short and narrow. To accommodate the influx of coaches that have slides, the spaces needed to be enlarged. It costs very little to make them longer if you're already making them wider. Does that make sense>? So, if someone were to make a list, and you can buy the "Big Rig" book but that list, like the book is out of date before it goes to press. Sure many of the sites in the book and/or list would be valid but there are many other sites out there that you'd be missing.

I hope this answered your question....Dennis