What's up with CGs?

[BurbMan]

Made a reservation today and immediately got this email from the CG management, with a "Read Receipt Requested":
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No abusive, belligerent or loud activity will be allowed.
ANY AND ALL ILLEGAL DRUGS AND/OR SUBSTANCES ARE PROHIBITED. Abuse of this policy
will result in immediate eviction from the campground without refund and
involvement of the local authorities. Anyone causing a disturbance or creating
an unsafe environment will be asked to leave the campground, without a refund.

QUIET TIME IS FROM 10pm to 8am

1.) PARKING:
- ***NO PARKING IN GRASS, PLEASE STAY ON GRAVEL*** Always Enforced
- LIMITED PARKING SPACES - RIDE SHARING ENCOURAGED
- $10 per additional vehicle per night
- All vehicle owners without a vehicle pass posted on the rearview mirror will
be asked to leave without a refund
- If any vehicle does not fit on the GRAVEL PART at your site, use the LIMITED
overflow parking (See Map for Location of Overflow Parking)

2.) VISITORS:
- UPON THEIR ARRIVAL - ALL Visitors must fill out a guest registration and pick
up a vehicle pass from the office and must leave the campground by 10PM.
- $5/person per day (plus $10/extra per/vehicle per/night if staying the night)

- No more than 4 extra visitors and/or 2 extra vehicles assigned to your site
per day
- Visitors will be assigned to your site. Campsite hosts are responsible for
their visitors and the visitors' actions
- All vehicles must have vehicle pass visible on mirror. Without visible pass,
vehicle & owner of vehicle will be asked to leave, no refund given.

3.) FIREWOOD POLICY: IMPORTANT ! ! Always Enforced ! !
- DO NOT BRING ANY WOOD INTO THE PARK. IT IS PROHIBITED
(including pallets, saw mill pieces, etc) due to the ash bore, long horned
beetle or other
insects & infestation creating spreadable tree disease and damage.

!! NOTE: If you do bring in firewood, you will be asked to leave the park,
no refund given !!

- WE HAVE FIREWOOD BUNDLES AVAILABLE AT THE CAMPSTORE FRONT PORCH
(SELF SERVE) $6.00 per bundle.
- TEXT (xxx) xxx-xxxx, include your name, site # and how many bundles you will
be picking up. We add the bundles to your reservation, charge your card on the
day of departure for any remaining balance and send an itemized email receipt.
- Please do not move fire rings.
- Do not burn anything other than firewood or charcoal in fire pits.

4.) PETS:
- 2 WELL-BEHAVED PET MAXIMUM
- If pets are unruly or loud, we may ask you to remove them from the campground
- Must be leashed at all times
- Never left outside unattended
- Must pick up after pets and dispose of waste in proper trash receptacles.
- If children are walking pets, be sure the children know they must pick up
after pets too.
- Pets are not allowed in public buildings, gated pool area, or in the fishing
lake
- CHOWS, DOBERMANS, PIT BULLS, ROTTWEILERS (OR ANY MIX INCLUDING THOSE BREEDS)
are restricted.
Sorry in advance - No exceptions.

5.) BOATS/TRAILERS:
- Please find an alternative for bringing in boats or additional trailers of
any kind.
Our sites do not have space for more than 1 camping unit and 1 vehicle.

6.) CHILDREN under 18 must be supervised by parents/grandparents at all times,
in all public buildings, around the lake and at the pool.

7.) TRASH DISPOSAL:
- All trash must be taken to the dumpsters. Trash bags left on the site at
checkout may incur extra charges.
- You may also incur charges if our staff has to clean trash or cigarette butts
from your site or firepit.
- The dumpsters are noted on your site map in your check-in packet upon your
arrival.
- If a dumpster appears to be too full, please select a different dumpster so
the lids will close completely.
We greatly appreciate your help in maintaining a clean environment for all
campers.

8.) Any TENT will need its own reserved site. No site sharing.

9.) Outdoor Rugs:
- Outdoor rugs can be placed on gravel only. Be aware, this may take up part
of your seating area or parking area, thus having to park in overflow. Please
do not put outdoor rugs down in the grass.

10.) FIREARMS & SAFETY: FIREARMS, BB/PELLET/PAINTBALL GUNS, BOW & ARROWS,
FIREWORKS, AND/OR EXPLOSIVES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE USED OR PRACTICED WITH
ANYWHERE ON THE PREMISES. HUNTING OF ANY KIND IS PROHIBITED.

11.) Please leave kiddie pools, GAS golf carts / motorized / battery-operated
/ remote-controlled / drivable toys & devices, scooters & hoover boards at home
due to potential safety hazards.

NO CANCELLATION REFUND DUE TO WEATHER.
- The first night of any Cancelled reservation is a nonrefundable deposit.
- ANY HOLIDAY or SPECIAL CAMPGROUND EVENT WEEKEND: ENTIRE AMOUNT IS
NONREFUNDABLE.
- However, if you contact us at least seven days prior to your reservation, we
can move the reservation 1x within the same season.

Information is subject to change without notice.

This email confirms your reservation. Please contact us if any corrections are
necessary.
------

Let me say that I have no issue at all complying with any of these rules, they just seem like common sense. These are common CG rules AFAIK.

I'm not sure if this is what CG owners are dealing with these days or if I'm going to hear banjos playing near my site after dark. At least 6 instances of "we will evict you with no refunds given" and not a single "thank you for your business"....

Am I headed to the redneck oasis or is this just the state of RVing in 2022?

[cptqueeg]

I'll be going early and late in the seasons or dispersed to avoid cretins like Qamper. It's pretty much a free for all at peak periods.

It's not just city folks or the young that causes the problems by any means.

[Cloud_Dancer]

I have my mind made up on pitbulls. My mind. my conclusions. Their campground, their rules. However, I don't like their "rv over 10 years old rule".....

[goducks10]

JIMNLIN wrote:
Myself and my family has camped since dads came home from WW II era.
We've always had rude people in campgrounds.
JMO its worse today for several reasons already mentioned. I've noticed campgrounds close to a large city are crowded to over crowded seems worse. Same for towns/city with a college or large university.
I see culture clash is another player. One culture wants to just party.....others want to relax and enjoy peace and quiet....others want to socialize....other want to enjoy loud boats/off road vehicles or loud music/etc.

Campgrounds just like the USA today have people with all kinds of anti attitudes that ignore rules and laws.

x2

[valhalla360]

way2roll wrote:

RetiredRealtorRick wrote:


I particularly love the dog rule, especially as it applies to mixed breeds. Be sure to have your dog's DNA test results handy so you can prove its lineage 😉

How can you legally restrict certain breeds of dogs and mixed breeds? You either allow dogs or you don't. I get that dogs are considered property (except to people that own them) but it's pretty discriminatory. I don't have a dog in this fight (pardon the pun) but it's a weird clause.

Easy, it's a private business and they are looking at the risk profile (also their insurance may be the ones pushing it):
- Chihuahua gets lose and goes after a 10yr old...worst case is probably a nasty nip on the ankle and a band aide. (I'm sure someone will give an example of one chewing the face off a baby but statistically, serious injury with a liability claim is far less likely)
- Pitbull does the same thing and there is likely a hospital visit...possibly worse.

Then there is the perception issue:
- Chihuahua acts aggressive and it's annoying.
- Pitbull acts aggressive and people get scared.

Neither is good for campground business but scared is more likely to cause people not to revisit a campground.

Unfortunately, it's more the owners than the breed but while there are exceptions (have friends who run a pit bull rescue and their dogs are great), many people drawn to the big "aggressive" breeds tend to encourage (often unknowingly) the bad behavior.

[BarabooBob]

I worked as security at a very popular resort in Wisconsin Dells. Extremely rude customers are not only found in campgrounds. We dealt with loud parties, smoking many substances and people threatening us with physical injury. Our advantage over most campgrounds was that we had cameras everywhere, over 600 cameras that we could bring up for the police.
We would ask people to obay the rules ONCE. After that, we would inform them that they had to leave. If they gave us a hard time about it, we walked away and they would taunt us with insults and say that we were weak for walking away. About 20 minutes later I would knock on the door ands they were escorted off the property by the police.
I hope that campgrounds would get similar help from the police if they had problems.
And yes, some people (usually drunks) would get physical when we asked them the first time to quiet down. They got to go to jail and their group got evicted. I am retired law enforcement and most of the other security officers were either retired or active duty cops. We had a great security force.

[JIMNLIN]

Myself and my family has camped since dads came home from WW II era.
We've always had rude people in campgrounds.
JMO its worse today for several reasons already mentioned. I've noticed campgrounds close to a large city are crowded to over crowded seems worse. Same for towns/city with a college or large university.
I see culture clash is another player. One culture wants to just party.....others want to relax and enjoy peace and quiet....others want to socialize....other want to enjoy loud boats/off road vehicles or loud music/etc.

Campgrounds just like the USA today have people with all kinds of anti attitudes that ignore rules and laws.

[mdcamping]

pasusan wrote:

BurbMan wrote:

mdcamping wrote:
I agree with everything mentioned, let me add one small Item. Check the REVIEWS on the campground, best way to find what is actually going on.

Mike

Speaking of which, is Woodall's no longer around? What is the go-to site now for finding campgrounds and reviews?

This site: Used to be RV Park Reviews

Though not always accurate, google reviews gives you a fast insight.

OP, just curious how do the reviews look?

Mike

[JRscooby]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
Last year I reported a national park site where a noisy party was still going on at 1 AM to the park night number. The operator asked if I had reported it to the loop host, and I replied that the site was the loop host's. A few minutes later a park police SUV pulled up and shut the party down. The next morning two park rangers showed up and soon after the host started packing up. One of the rangers stopped by my site later on and told me my call was strike three for that host. A few days later a new host moved in. A very quiet one... 😉

As host in state park, I was told I should remined campers of the rules, then call Ranger if there was problem. Friday night, I called about a loud party, no action. If whole CG had to hear, thought we should all join in. Next day I went to office, printed a couple of flyers. FREE FOOD! FREE BEER! SITE # XX. COME WHEN MUSIC STARTS! Grabbed a stack of blank printer paper. Late afternoon, started around the loop, when I got to where I could be seen from site XX, I started putting a blank sheet on each picnic table. As I skipped over site XX one of the called to see what I was doing. I gave them the printed flyer, went on with the blanks. The music never started. I thought it worked, but park management was not happy.

[Dutch_12078]

Last year I reported a national park site where a noisy party was still going on at 1 AM to the park night number. The operator asked if I had reported it to the loop host, and I replied that the site was the loop host's. A few minutes later a park police SUV pulled up and shut the party down. The next morning two park rangers showed up and soon after the host started packing up. One of the rangers stopped by my site later on and told me my call was strike three for that host. A few days later a new host moved in. A very quiet one... 😉

[covered_wagon]

I was threatened after politely asking a group at 1:30 am to stop yelling swear words, being so loud keeping our church group awake. They threatened me twice if I said another word. I further told them they should think twice about being so foul mouthed around their small children. He came at me as I stood my ground but, was stopped by his buddie. It was quiet after that and I learned to never camp where there crowds or popular places. I go lonely roads, lonely campgrounds and find the hunters during hunting season to be the most polite people ever. Some places are magical and everyone is friendly and very quiet at night.

[valhalla360]

cptqueeg wrote:

BCSnob wrote:

cptqueeg wrote:
Pallets of all origins move freely move through North America w/out any body giving it a second thought.

Yes and no. Yes, once manufactured into pallets they move freely. No, the USDA (and countries that have adopted ISPM 15) does look at where the wood came from used to make the pallets.

USDA: ISPM 15-Compliant Wood Packing Material

Got it. There are rules, but IRL those rules are not enforced in interstate or international trade in N America.

Enforcement is at the production level.

Kind of like CAFE mileage standards for cars...The enforcement is done at the design and production levels. They don't have stations at the state borders with crews doing test runs to confirm the MPG.

Is it perfect, no but most companies don't build their own pallets, so enforcement at pallet producers is an efficient approach.

Also, the risk profile of pallets is likely far lower (not zero but lower):
- Firewood typically includes the bark and often semi-rotted wood which is more likely to contain insects. It's also frequently taken to forested areas where any insects have a quick and easy path to new trees.
- Pallets are typically made of solid wood with the bark removed. They tend to live their lives in trucks and warehouses where insects must travel further to find a suitable live tree.

[toedtoes]

pbeverly wrote:

We were at the Great Smoky Mountains NP a few weeks ago. We did what is considered the most popular trail. At the trailhead it clearly stated NO PETS. Of course there were exceptional and entitled people that this rule did not apply to. Service dogs are not an exception here and none of them were service dogs anyway.

Service dogs ARE allowed everywhere visitors are allowed in National Parks - that includes trails.

Per the NPS website:

In October 2018, the National Park Service (NPS) issued a policy memorandum regarding the use of service animals by persons with disabilities in national parks. The revised policy aligns the NPS policy with the standards established by the Department of Justice and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Only dogs are classified as service animals, and they must perform a specific task that assists a person with a disability. Emotional support or comfort animals are not service animals.

AND

Service dogs are legally permitted anywhere that visitors can go. They must be allowed wherever visitors are allowed.

I just wanted to clarify that.

pbeverly wrote:

Dogs are only allowed on 2 trails within the entire park. When researching I learned this is pretty much standard practice at all National Parks. On their website they explain why and it pretty much all very valid reasons.

Exceptional and Entitled people can do what they want and to Hell with the rest of us.

Yes, in most all National Parks, dogs are only allowed in campgrounds, on paved roads, and on a few select trails that will always state so at the trailhead. In addition, leaving your dog unattended in your RV is against the rules. And most parks have a policy against leaving your dog in a vehicle under certain weather conditions (too hot or cold) and you can be ticketed for violating the policy.

During my trip to Death Valley, I saw many visitors trying to take their dogs on the trails. While at the Artist's Pallette, I explained to a 60+ year old couple that their dog was not allowed on the trail. They got back in their car and drove away. I moved on to the second parking area and saw them drive up. They saw me and drove back out. I am sure they drove around to the main road, came back in and took their dog on the trail as soon as I was gone.

People like that ruin it for the rest of us.

[cptqueeg]

BCSnob wrote:

cptqueeg wrote:
Pallets of all origins move freely move through North America w/out any body giving it a second thought.

Yes and no. Yes, once manufactured into pallets they move freely. No, the USDA (and countries that have adopted ISPM 15) does look at where the wood came from used to make the pallets.

USDA: ISPM 15-Compliant Wood Packing Material

Got it. There are rules, but IRL those rules are not enforced in interstate or international trade in N America.

[BCSnob]

cptqueeg wrote:
Pallets of all origins move freely move through North America w/out any body giving it a second thought.

Yes and no. Yes, once manufactured into pallets they move freely. No, the USDA (and countries that have adopted ISPM 15) does look at where the wood came from used to make the pallets.

USDA: ISPM 15-Compliant Wood Packing Material