Campgrounds for large families
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Aug-13-2018 05:46 PM
I find a lot of camgrounds with a base rate of $50-$60, but that that only includes 2 or at most 4 kids. If I pay $5 per person over 4 kids, that's as much as $30 per night extra depending on how many we have with us for that trip. I do understand campgrounds wanting to keep large groups from getting a single site and packing it full, but we end up paying $80-$100 a night for just an average campground unless we do a lot of research ahead of time to find places that just let us park our big trailer full of our own kids on a site just like everyone else.
Anybody else run into this problem, or are we just so few and far between that it's only a couple of us that this kind of thing is a problem for?
And no, I'm not talking about "resort fees", though the term "resort" is often used quite generously by the campgrounds themselves. If there are extra amenities and things that are included that makes perfect sense. I'm willing to pay extra for those, paying for extra people is fair. I'm talking about your average run of the mill campground with a playground and maybe a pool who wants the extra $30 per night from us with no real added benefit, or to whom at least we are a negligible burden.
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Me, the Wife, and a whole bunch of kids
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Sep-01-2018 08:39 AM
ppine wrote:
Maybe you should try some boondocks camping.
There are not a lot of areas to boondock in the eastern US.
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Sep-01-2018 07:36 AM
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Sep-01-2018 06:36 AM
As to group size, you can prove these kids are your family, whether by birth or foster. If you're staying within the guidelines of what a park determines is a family group, then go there.
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Aug-31-2018 09:21 AM
These rules are put in place, whether you like them or not, because most situations involving too many people in a campsite are NOT people who legitimately have 6-10 children. (Except maybe in UT, ID and AZ, lol).
What your asking for is like buying frozen food but being able to open it up and take the carrots out of the chicken pot pie because you don’t like them.
It’s a one size fits all rule whether you agree or not.
If I’m camping in an established campground, I don’t want the site next to me with 15 people in it. Brothers, cousins, et all. Would I care if you had your kids there? He!! No. Sounds like fun. Got enough for a good football game!
How does the campground know that YOU are legit, or are you trying to cram your whole Cub Scout den on one campsite?
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Aug-30-2018 09:11 PM
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Aug-29-2018 11:05 AM
We lead a local support group for foster/adoptive families. Whenever we plan a camping trip, we open it up to include families from our group as well. If we plan to camp over a long weekend up to a week, we will get a group site. Having multiple families camp with us really offsets the costs of the site and makes it a reasonable cost for everyone. Plus, the group sites we stay in are away from the main campground, so our kids can feel comfortable being themselves without judgement. For shorter weekend trips, our group will dry camp in the woods. We "circle the wagons" so we can create a common area in the middle, making watching all the kids so much easier.
I would recommend that you find other foster families in your area that you can go camping with. Camping is so much more enjoyable when you can share it with people who totally understand all that comes with fostering.
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Aug-16-2018 09:39 AM
We have been RV'ing/camping for 53 years now and also live in West Michigan just 50 miles south of Silver Lake area so often with many of our family and their minor friends along also. We do prefer the state parks as that is where true nature and real outdoors is abundant and so important for kids. We are retired but take grandkids and of course each likes to take a friend along too. In fact we encourage it!
We always took our 2 kids of our own camping and virtually always each had a friend with them too! That already makes 6 on the one site! We do strictly adhere to the 6 per CG site rules and always have. Beyond that 6 in our total party which was so often, we always pay for second site. Why over 6? Because often there was added grandkids and the total group would be 10-12 or even more. A couple times there was more than 18 of just our family members alone but never more than 6 per paid for site. Max was 23. We take out 5th wheel to family camping events.
Yes, there needs to be a camping/sleeping unit of some type on that 2nd or 3rd or fourth site also which only right and we have found that to be the norm requirement also. The older kids loved to sleep in the tents by gender so really made it easy. 2 in a pup tent and later found using a dome tent for 4 or maybe 4 or even 2 tents for 6 total on an added site. Always had a 2-1/2 gal porta potti in there for them too as there was room for it, especially the girls tent, so no need to go the CG restroom at night alone. Where's there's a will, there's a way! So easy to do as we simply pitch a tent on the site. Where do we put the picnic table? As close as possible to the line between the 2 sites which keeps a buffer zone for the other sites on either side and keeps most all traffic in the central area between the sites. That is why we always have 2 sites or more paid for per night for our clan when over 6. If 3 or 4 sites were needed so keeping only 6 max per site, the eating gathering area was always centrally located.
Talking mostly about State Park CG's but several private parks too. Some most used were/are Grand Haven, Hoffmaster, Silver Lake, Ludington, Interlochen, Leelanau, Wilderness, Burt Lake, Hartwick Pines, state parks in the L.P. In the U.P., Straits, Tahquamenon, Muskallonge, state parks. Platte River and DH Day in Sleeping Bear NP. Also Indigo Bluffs RV Park near Sleeping Bear NP.
We still do a lot of large family camping and it's not that hard but almost a must to have consecutive sites reserved well in advance.
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Aug-15-2018 11:13 PM
Ralph Cramden wrote:
If they're anything like the ones at our County Fairgrounds it would be sort of hard to call it "camping". I guess it could be stretched to that, but parked next to someone 5' away in a muddy field would be more accurate. Actually they don't allow it at this particular fairgrounds. Those are the power pedestals along the bank and the sewer connections have to defy gravity. They have them for the Carnies.
Nope. Nothing like that. We've stayed in some very nice ones with paved sites and nice hookups.
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Aug-15-2018 07:47 AM
SDcampowneroperator wrote:
I'll chip in with a simple concept. Say the camp has an extra fee amenity, be it waterpark, paddleboats, mini golf pick your fun. Along comes a mom and asks ' why cant you make it free?'
Our reply is how could we make it free, we would have to raise our rates to cover the cost which would not be fair to those who do not use that amenity, in effect having them pay- subsidize your family.
I wouldn't expect anything like this to be free. In my experience, if those are covered at all, they fall under the "resort fee". I'll use Monroe Co KOA as an example. They have a giant outdoor chess board, a waterslide, mini golf, playgrounds, pancake breakfast every morning, etc. All of that is included in the resort fee. So when you're somewhere like that where you are getting wristbands in order to use attractions, I'd fully expect you're going to pay for each additional person who comes with you. We had 7 kids with us that weekend, I think we paid something like $85 a night.
Now if the waterslide had an extra wristband, mini golf was $3 per game, breakfast was not included, etc, and everything is pay as you go, that's when I start to wonder about the extra fees for extra people in my trailer. If we pay according to what we use at the campground anyway, then it seems to me like those fees cover the actual use of the attractions, and the extra $5 per night for putting people in all the beds in my camper feels unnecessary.
I also wonder about campgrounds that do not have any of those amenities but still want the extra fees. I can understand the worry about taking over the bathhouse, so maybe it partly depends on capacity. I'd wonder if that is more common for large groups spanning multiple sites than for single families though. For us, we have a lot of little ones, so only my 2 oldest sons use the campground showers. Everyone else showers (or baths) in the camper, including my wife and I. Same to an extent with the restrooms. I haven't actually noticed any times when the restrooms were full or long lines for the showers when we've camped, so I couldn't say. If others have had those experiences, specifically with large families like mine and not large groups that occupy more than one site, then maybe there is something to that.
If all there is to offer families is a playground and maybe a pool, I have a hard time believing that my big family requires an extra $20-$30 per night of maintenance to those facilities. I highly doubt we do significantly more damage to the grass, or require significantly more chemicals in the pool, or wear and tear on the playground. The general impression I am getting in this discussion is that families like ours are a significant burden, or that we lower the enjoyment value of the campground to others. Like I've said, I know we get the looks sometimes when we roll in and people worry that we're going to be out of control and overrun with all our kids. But if 4 kids are "allowed" on a site, I just have a hard time with the idea that 8 or 9 are proportionally that much more of a burden on everyone else.
For you campground owners, it's your park and I get that you might rather not deal with us, and that's totally ok. I'm not even saying you should or shouldn't do it that way. I'm just looking for the ones who sell their sites for all family sizes, the ones who figure that if we are one family only using one camping unit and we're comfortable in it, that is good enough.
As to the trailer question, we used to do this in a 3 bunk hybrid. It's amazing how many you can sleep in one of those things, though it doesn't leave room for anything else and it definitely limited how often we went anywhere. But this summer we upgraded to the unit in my signature. It has an opposing slide bunkhouse, and when the bottom beds are folded out they are almost king size. We can sleep 3 kids on a king size bed, plus the 2 bunks back there give us 6-8 easily in just the bunkhouse. We can get a couple smaller ones on the couch too, or one on the couch and one on the dinette, then of course mom and dad up front. Pulling it with a 1 ton 15 passenger van, so there's room for everybody in both tv and rv.
2007 Chevy Express 3500
Me, the Wife, and a whole bunch of kids
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Aug-15-2018 05:51 AM
hawkeye-08 wrote:Now that is a unicorn. A government program that is well thought out. The requirements to participate are clear and it would be hard to argue that they are onerous, invasive and/or discriminatory. However, if you give it enough time and publicity the politicians will figure out a reason and a way to screw it up.
Here in Washington, when my daughter and SIL and their 5 kids (2 their own, 3 fosters), they can get state park sites for $5 per night and the foster kid(s) have to be present. Their foster id also works for our "Discover Pass" which is needed to visit certain areas (day use areas).
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Aug-15-2018 03:30 AM
WTP-GC wrote:
FWIW, I would rather have my campsite next to a large family of well-behaved children vs. 2-4 adults that stay up all night partying under their awning.
Or a couple of stuck up busy body geezers which seem to be more common now days for some reason.
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Aug-15-2018 03:27 AM
FWIW, I would rather have my campsite next to a large family of well-behaved children vs. 2-4 adults that stay up all night partying under their awning.
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Aug-15-2018 03:23 AM
2gypsies wrote:
Also keep in mind that camping is allowed at many fairgrounds - if a event is not going on at that time. We've used them a lot as we traveled.
If they're anything like the ones at our County Fairgrounds it would be sort of hard to call it "camping". I guess it could be stretched to that, but parked next to someone 5' away in a muddy field would be more accurate. Actually they don't allow it at this particular fairgrounds. Those are the power pedestals along the bank and the sewer connections have to defy gravity. They have them for the Carnies.
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Aug-15-2018 03:19 AM
WTP-GC wrote:Ralph Cramden wrote:
This thread is a fine example of the RV.Net creed........
RV.Net..........Complicating the uncomplicated since 1852 LOL.
Until I read this forum, I wasn't aware of the inherent risk of death I was taking each time I traveled down the highway on my chinese-made tires and with my fridge running on gas.
At least you have the 1 ton dually covered to pull the 10K # rig with covered thanks to these boards........That 290 is a **** nice rig BTW.