New to rving

[Jmanuch]

Apologies if this appears twice. I'm new to rv and am wanting to purchase a 25' class c. I've heard that most areas have a 22-23' length restriction. So my question is that is it difficult to get around and lodge with a 25' class c ?? Any advice is greatly appreciated

[tatest]

I have not yet encountered a restriction in the 21-23 foot range, but I've also not taken a RV to New England. Through most of the parts of the country where I've been, the Deep South and mid-continent from Appalachians to Sierras, I haven't seen RV site length or access restrctions until 30 feet or longer, and even those are rare.

There are, however, in many public parks, camping areas where the parking spot for a site is sized for a standard vehicle (less than 24 feet) and that is because the site is for setting up a tent. Small RVs, like Pop-ups and camper vans, can sometimes use these, but not larger vehicles, and these small sites typically do not have RV hookups.

[frankdamp]

We had a 32' Class A for four seasons and stayed almost exclusively at State, County and City parks - never a problem. We do know of a few CGs with close-spaced sites or tricky entrance roads, but the ones we've run into with those issues have mostly been commercial CGs.

One of the most spacious parks we've stayed at is Beebe Bridge, near Lake Chelan in eastern WA. On one visit the next nearest site was over 200' away. That particular park is run by the local electric utility.

[toedtoes]

sfpcservice wrote:

toedtoes wrote:

sfpcservice wrote:
Pay no attention to length restrictions. Just show up and say "So we're here, where do we park this thing?" Worst case is you spend the night in a parking lot. We've never had a problem, just don't use the same logic on camgrounds with 4wd only or boat only access!

Most of those restrictions are written for folks with zero maneuvering skills.

At the campgrounds where I camp, you try that and you'll be making a long drive home. First, there is no one to tell you where to park - you reserved a specific campsite weeks/months ago or you drive around looking for an open spot. Second, it doesn't matter how good you are at maneuvering, there is no way you are going to fit that 28 ft tt and 15 ft truck on that 20 x 10 ft parking pad. Third, there is no parking lot to be had - you're lucky if there is a gas station within an hour's drive (and that hour's drive is only 20 miles because it's a logging road).

Sounds like you're camping at Yosemite. There is a private website out there with pictures of every campsite in Yosemite to assist RV folks in choosing one that will work before you reserve.

No, not Yosemite. Mostly national forests. And yes, there are tools to help a person find a campsite that will work before you reserve - some of those tools are:

Satellite imaging to see the campground and site;

Photo websites that have photos of each campsite in the campground;

And length restriction information that is included on the reservation website.

Ignoring those and just arriving to be "told where to park" will result in no camping for you.

[Diesel_Camper]

toedtoes wrote:

sfpcservice wrote:
Pay no attention to length restrictions. Just show up and say "So we're here, where do we park this thing?" Worst case is you spend the night in a parking lot. We've never had a problem, just don't use the same logic on camgrounds with 4wd only or boat only access!

Most of those restrictions are written for folks with zero maneuvering skills.

At the campgrounds where I camp, you try that and you'll be making a long drive home. First, there is no one to tell you where to park - you reserved a specific campsite weeks/months ago or you drive around looking for an open spot. Second, it doesn't matter how good you are at maneuvering, there is no way you are going to fit that 28 ft tt and 15 ft truck on that 20 x 10 ft parking pad. Third, there is no parking lot to be had - you're lucky if there is a gas station within an hour's drive (and that hour's drive is only 20 miles because it's a logging road).

Sounds like you're camping at Yosemite. There is a private website out there with pictures of every campsite in Yosemite to assist RV folks in choosing one that will work before you reserve.

[toedtoes]

sfpcservice wrote:
Pay no attention to length restrictions. Just show up and say "So we're here, where do we park this thing?" Worst case is you spend the night in a parking lot. We've never had a problem, just don't use the same logic on camgrounds with 4wd only or boat only access!

Most of those restrictions are written for folks with zero maneuvering skills.

At the campgrounds where I camp, you try that and you'll be making a long drive home. First, there is no one to tell you where to park - you reserved a specific campsite weeks/months ago or you drive around looking for an open spot. Second, it doesn't matter how good you are at maneuvering, there is no way you are going to fit that 28 ft tt and 15 ft truck on that 20 x 10 ft parking pad. Third, there is no parking lot to be had - you're lucky if there is a gas station within an hour's drive (and that hour's drive is only 20 miles because it's a logging road).

[Diesel_Camper]

Pay "some" attention to length restrictions. Just show up and say "So we're here, where do we park this thing?" Worst case is you spend the night in a parking lot. We've never had a problem, just don't use the same logic on camgrounds with 4wd only or boat only access!

Most of those restrictions are written for folks with zero maneuvering skills.

Edit: If you are within a few feet of the restriction, you'll most likely be ok. Part of RVing is problem solving on the fly. Remember, you wanted an adventure....

[drsteve]

A 25' C should be no problem, unless you are trying to get it into some primitive forest campground with tiny sites and limited access roads. Some state parks have sites that are too small, but those are generally denoted on the reservation page. As mentioned earlier, often the problem relates to narrow, tree lined roads rather than small sites, so if you're good at backing up, you can still make it. 🙂

[NCWriter]

What everybody else said.

Just pay close attention to the site size listed (before you book and pay in full) for a state, national, or other public park site on a reservation service like "Reserve America." It's not unusual to find a range of sizes in older campgrounds. Sometimes tents only.

We have a 25.5' Class C and have no problems getting around or finding sites. In the world of motorhomes, a 25 footer is considered fairly small.

[fitznj]

Couple of State Parks in NJ have a length restriction; I asked why and they
told me that the roads to the sites are tight and they got tired of having to
rescue people who wedge themselves between trees !!.

These SPs are off the beaten track and are tough to get to - I think the length restriction is 24ft

[DrewE]

I haven't had any real problems finding campsites for a 32' class C in New England. The selection in some places can be somewhat limited, but with a little flexibility and/or advance planning even there it's usually not a big problem. I think a 25' unit would be even less of a problem.

Of course, there are all different sizes and types of campsites, and it goes without saying that a smaller RV will always fit into more places than a larger one. For that matter, there are quite a few sites in the Vermont state parks (and elsewhere) that only have walk-in access and so are only usable by tenters. Everything has its tradeoffs; but I don't think you'd find a 25' RV is particularly limiting.

Sometimes the size limits claimed at some parks are quite conservative, though not always. For example, in the picture below (at Watkins Glen), I was technically two feet longer than the stated maximum for the site...and, as you can see, actually only took up maybe half the space available. In this case, at least, the access roads were not any obvious limitation either.

[toedtoes]

Well first, are you planning on staying at traditional campgrounds (national forest, state parks, national parks, etc.) or RV parks (private parks that are closer to towns and cities?

RVPARKS should be fine. They can accomodate most everyone size-wise.

Campgrounds can vary greatly. Out here in California, there are some that can only handle 20ft or less, 25ft or less, 27ft or less, 30ft or less. It can be based on the length of the parking pad or the road leading into the campground. The more remote the campground, the more likely there is a size limitation.

[azdryheat]

Much depends on which government campground you stay at as they all have different length restrictions. Sometimes it's not so much the length of the campsite as it is the tight roads getting to it.

[JWRoberts]

Jmanuch wrote:
Apologies if this appears twice. I'm new to rv and am wanting to purchase a 25' class c. I've heard that most areas have a 22-23' length restriction. So my question is that is it difficult to get around and lodge with a 25' class c ?? Any advice is greatly appreciated

Been camping in all kinds of campgrounds for 30 years and have NEVER heard of a 24' limit. Most all campgrounds now can handle 40'+ rigs.

[kknowlton]

In general, if you want to camp primarily in national parks, national forest campgrounds, and state parks, you will be better off with a camper roughly 25' or less. If you will prefer private campgrounds that are more destinations in their own right, with a pool, game room, planned activities, etc., then you can have a camper of almost any size. This is a broad generalization, but it might give you an idea of what you might need.