Larger Campsites?

[ragged_claws]

Wife and I just got our first TT (ECON 16RB). We've never camped in RV parks before but have done some tent camping and dry camping with a small pop-up camper on our old pick-up truck. I've been looking through the TT pic sticky and have seen a lot of great trailers and camp sites. Many of the full hook up RV sites seem to have very small/tight spaces however. Since my wife and I like a little elbow room between us and our fellow campers, we could use some guidance regarding camp site selection. Are camp sites that cater to the full hook up RV folks generally more cramped than the dry camp sites? Initially we would like something like boondocking (sp?) and a roomy dry site with maybe a dump station and some running water somewhere in the campground. Since we're new to trailer camping and not familiar with the nomenclature of camp site types, maybe you folks could lend a hand or point us to a place on the forums that might be better able to help with these kinds of questions.

Thanks,
Kim

[Doug33]

I wish NJ state parks had at least electric on some of their sites, like PA does. All NJ parks are no utilities and are $20/night. I would gladly pay $30-$40 a night for electric. Many of the parks are nice a and spaceous, but there is no way I'm camping without A/C during the summer. And their time restrictions on generator use prevent one from keeping the TT cool during the night.

[2112]

wmoses wrote:
...I must confess when I hear / see of some of the parks in other parts of the country I come to appreciate what we have here in the Great State of Texas. Someone mentioned economy of scale ... thank goodness that does not seem to matter in the parks I tend to frequent. Sites more often than not have nice space between them and in State Parks there is vegetation between...

This applies to many but excludes Huntsville SP. For whatever reason they decided to squeeze as many RV sites in as they could and not a single one is level. I think the state bean counter laid out this park.

[Passin_Thru]

I was raised in NM and my cousin lives in Creede. A tree grew there once but it blew away. I go up in Elk season although the burn changed my plans on where to hunt. Last August it was in the 40s and rainy when we got there, snowed above 10K. Other than no trees the river is beautiful and the people nice at MV.

[Thom02099]

Here in Colorado, many of USFS campgrounds have goodly space between sites. Some are tight for other reasons, ie, getting around trees/rocks/boulders, but the sites themselves are well spaced. We've found some real hidden gems in USFS campgrounds, and with my geezer card, I get to camp for half price! $20 for 2 night camping is definitely worth it!

In our immediate area, one of the hidden gems is Bellaire Lake near Red Feather Lakes. There's also Dowdy and West Lake in the same area. All have electricity sites available, and you're not on top of your neighbor.

Also in the Poudre Canyon west of Fort Collins, there's good camping with plenty of space between sites, both for boondocking as well as electric sites. Another hidden gem in the upper Poudre Canyon area is Ranger Lakes on the west side of Cameron Pass. Electric sites and LOTS of privacy -- and it's rarely full, except during hunting season.

These are 2 of my go-to areas for when I don't want to travel far but want to have some privacy.

[JohnnyG73]

I sometimes boondock at county parks. Some of them are quite undeveloped and only sport pit toilets and a water pump for $10 a night and that is based on the honor system, you fill out an envelope put $10 in, and slip it into a locked box. Once a week a park maintenance guy empties the box, replaces the toilet paper, and leaves. Some of the sites are so huge you could easily park 2-3 trailers plus vehicles and many are literally water front property on beautiful lakes or rivers.

Last year we stayed at a nice place that had water, sewer, electric, and cable TV hook-up. The site was large enough to also park my boat, 2 vehicles, and plenty of room to spare including trees surrounding for privacy from neighbors. It was about $250 for a week but well worth it. If you google boondocking campsites you will find a lot of opportunities.

[dee74]

Golden_HVAC wrote:
I talked to a guy who had a small Toyota based motorhome in one of the larger sites. He says he reserves a site for his "30' motorhome" then shows up with his 20' RV, and has a slightly larger site. Sometimes they put him into a tent site, because his little RV will fit.

Fred.

I have learned this lesson. I have a 25 foot trailer and I sometimes get a smaller site. Another person I know with the same trailer tells the same campground they have a 33 foot trailer and they always get a bigger site. The next time I make a reservation my trailer may "grow" in length.

[wmoses]

Bisker wrote:
Wow! Beautiful site, obviusly NOT a California state park!

Beautiful indeed, but with me going to CA soon your reply has me a little concerned ... oh well ....

[_tiredTeacher]

ragged claws wrote:
... Since my wife and I like a little elbow room between us and our fellow campers, we could use some guidance regarding camp site selection.

OK, we have two discussions going here. Here you are referring to space between sites. My experience on the East Coast has been more amenities = adequate site size (for big rigs)but less space between sites.

Teach

[Mr_Maverick]

The wife and i generally do most of are traveling and camping during the week.That way there is less people and more peace!!!

[Doug33]

The big issue with private CGs is the cost of land, especially if they are located in popular tourist areas. Since land is at a premium, they cram the sites in as densely as possible. They tend to be amongst other developed property, and thus usually contain a high percentage of permanent seasonal sites.

State parks (at least out east) tend to be in rural areas away from tourist attractions. There is significantly more land, as they are not near development, so the sites are spread out. However, even though these sites may be farther apart and larger, that does not mean the site is necessarily usable, especially for larger TTs. I've been to many state parks with huge sites, but the access to the sites is terrible. The entrance to the site can be on a severe slope, or the site can be littered with large rocks or trees, making it difficult to get the TT on the site, and then use your awning or slideouts.

The other down side of some state parks is that large groups of people can occupy one site. This can lead to a lot of noise and rowdiness from non-camper types that ruins the camping experience. It can be real trouble when a bunch of people decide to go camping and party all weekend long. They typically know nothing about camping ettiquite, nor do they care.

That doesn't necessarily mean you can't have that situation at a private CG....

[Bisker]

Murphsmom wrote:
We, too, prefer to stay in the state parks or the Federal campgrounds. This year we stayed at Harris Beach State Park in Oregon. We had a site with electric and water hookups plus cable. There was an on site sewer dump. They also have showers and a laundromat. Our site was large and quite private.

Wow! Beautiful site, obviusly NOT a California state park!

[Murphsmom]

We, too, prefer to stay in the state parks or the Federal campgrounds. This year we stayed at Harris Beach State Park in Oregon. We had a site with electric and water hookups plus cable. There was an on site sewer dump. They also have showers and a laundromat. Our site was large and quite private.

[wmoses]

rbpru wrote:
Our experience has been “more conveniences, the less room”. There are some exceptions of course.

Same here. Most times it seems that parks that tend to be the so-called "resorts" with their swimming pool(s), hot tums, game areas, clubhouse, etc. tend to have sites jammed together. If one is looking for a hotel experience while camping then these are the answer. We prefer State Parks, Good Sam parks with trees and grass, and in all cases a quieter environment where one can "watch the grass grow".

[wmoses]

BarneyS wrote:
We have found that most older, private parks are tighter than the newer ones. Also, generally we have found State parks to be more roomy in most cases. Some of the best parks we have found have been County, Military, some City, and most Corps of Engineer parks.
Barney

Agreed. This certainly seems to be the case here in Texas. I must confess when I hear / see of some of the parks in other parts of the country I come to appreciate what we have here in the Great State of Texas. Someone mentioned economy of scale ... thank goodness that does not seem to matter in the parks I tend to frequent. Sites more often than not have nice space between them and in State Parks there is vegetation between. Full hookups or electricity+water sites are indistinguishable - some are bigger some are smaller, some are more private some are more open.

I was looking at CGs in CA in the Santa Clarita area and have come to the conclusion that the selection there sucks. Using the Allstays app and looking at the number of State Parks and Good Sam Parks - what a joke! Not too many options and those that are there have middling reviews at best.

OP - now you are off the ground and in an RV, there is lots to learn but one thing I am going to say is this - when looking for places to stay, Google and Google Maps / Earth is your friend. Check out the reviews and images for the campground and also look at it from above on Google Maps (Satellite) or Google Earth. Yes some of the satellite imagery may be a year old or so but it give a lot of idea of what kind of park and what space, trees, site sizes, etc. you can expect. Take the reviews with a pinch of salt too many are "less than useful".