Do You Have To Reserve Campsites Months in Advance?

[frank_a]

NY can be tough. Especially state sites in the Adirondacks, but also famous at geological wonders like Letchworth and Watkins Glen. There are a lot of beautiful state campgrounds around the Finger Lakes that fill up fast. We have reservations the week after Labor Day at Delaware Seashore State Park, and made those reservations back when the snow was flying, otherwise we would not have got a great site. I reserved the site on the web a few minutes after midnight the day reservations opened. Ya gotta be on your toes for the good ones!

Frank

[Hazel in Sk]

I suspect the Parks system in Saskatchewan is heavily influenced by 'richer' people. We see them with their huge units, and huge ideas of their own importance and over inflated beliefs in their levels of entitlement.


Personally - I find the way our tax dollars are spent creating ever bigger and fancier campgrounds very upsetting.


We don't want, or need a direct waterline. We are perfectly comfortable with our solar panel and battery. A propane stove on a picnic table handles our meals very well. If we wanted all the luxury level comforts and conveniences of home we would stay at home!

[Glenn Baglo]

[QUOTE=Hazel in Sk;543146 If we wanted all the luxury level comforts and conveniences of home we would stay at home![/QUOTE]

You appear to be in the minority. If you weren't, you'd be able to find a campsite.
I just looked up Miracle Beach Provincial Park on Vancouver Island. It is 100% reservations and the first available campsite is November 19. Needless to say, I'll be at home.

[KC Cate]

I am not sure if this should be a new thread, but on the subject of reservations I have seen references to a few "camping networks" . Are these a good deal and if so which one do you recommend? Thanks form a soon to be egg traveler

[Uplander]

Hazel in Sk,
Just because you do not want full hook-ups when you camp does not mean everyone should not have hook-ups. Suggest you seek out camping locations that you like. Who knows someday you might be rich and own a big rig and need those full hook-up sites. Big RVs pay for all those extras that you resent.

Happy Camping!

[Mike Magee]

Cathy, not sure what part of KS you are in, but if you are anywhere close to OK you might try some of the COE and state park CGs west of US-75 around Copan, Bartlesville and Skiatook.

If in NE KS, I know a nice little county CG just over the Iowa state line, close to I-35, that I have stayed at several times and I have never seen it more than 1/2 full. One summer night I was the only one there. IIRC there's a tiny lake (pond, really) on the premises, fishing allowed.

[RogerDat]

Takes all sorts to make a camp ground interesting. Since most of the FGRV's tend to the smaller side we tend to have more folks that use the camper as a hard sided tent than say the Winnabago site would. My 13 ft. can probably park inside the expando of my sisters 5th wheel. Last time I took a television with us camping there was a war on and we had a kid in it so we wanted a way to find out what was going on.

I'm not a big fan of the long reservations or 100% reservation system either. The long term folks at public campgrounds are the bigger issue for me. They tend to tie up the premium sites. And while the 100% reservation approach does make some sense when you consider how hectic some folks schedules are when it gets combined with the long term campers it can make a camping trip not scheduled and paid for 6 months in advance a challenge.

National forest baby! If you can find me I did not go in far enough No amenities unless you count total absence of light pollution, crowding and noise other than nature. No reservations! Well ok some reservations about how bad the skeeters will be or if deer flies are going to be bad but neither one wants a credit card number to hold my spot.

[Jon in AZ]

I'm with you Roger, except for the part about the NF campgrounds. My wife says flush toilets, or she's not going.

I believe public parks have a responsibility to maintain fair and equitable access for all potential users. As far as I know, no public park is fully funded from user fees alone. Everyone subsidizes the development and operation of parks through their taxes, and everyone owns the land they are on by virtue of their citizenship.

Some policies I heard of that appear to support fair and equitable access:

• Maintaining a portion of sites on a first-come, first-served basis (could be smaller during peak season, larger off-peak).
• Monitoring and enforcing abuses of the reservation system (double-booking, repeat last-minute cancellations).
• Limiting stays during times when demand exceeds supply.
• Allowing a portion of reservations to be available to local residents in advance of general availability.
• Providing a variety of site types, from primitive to full-service.

[Hazel in Sk]

Actually, I do appreciate the fact that different campers have different rigs, different site preferences and different schedules. When a Park is publically funded it seems unreasonable (to me) to fill it with Seasonal people, leaving no sites for those who cannot afford to pay for a whole season, or who prefer to go camping in a variety of places. It also seems unreasonable (to me) to spend public tax dollars converting sites to Full Service, leaving no economy sites for those wanting basic camping. Most Parks, with some intelligent thought can satisfy the desires of most campers. Full Service in one area, Primitive in another - for me that would also mean no generators! If some people want and need a generator I understand. If some people want to get away from the noise of traffic, engines etc. that too seems easy for me to understand.


Many of the places we used to camp are now so noisy with big units using generators, furnaces, air conditioners etc. that we can't enjoy being there. Yep - there should be places for those who want to take along many comforts - but quieter areas are also needed for people who enjoy more basic camping (whether that is in a trailer or tent).

[cpaharley2008]

Well said, Hazel....

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Hazel in Sk

I suspect the Parks system in Saskatchewan is heavily influenced by 'richer' people. We see them with their huge units, and huge ideas of their own importance and over inflated beliefs in their levels of entitlement.


Personally - I find the way our tax dollars are spent creating ever bigger and fancier campgrounds very upsetting.


We don't want, or need a direct waterline. We are perfectly comfortable with our solar panel and battery. A propane stove on a picnic table handles our meals very well. If we wanted all the luxury level comforts and conveniences of home we would stay at home!

In many states, the funding of parks no longer comes from the general fund but from user fees . The parks are told to be financially self substaining. Reservation fees ,seasonal campers and full hookup sites are used to generate enough money to keep the parks open.
Tent and primative camp sites would not generate the necessary capital to keep the parks open. This concept is best stated by the statement of one local politician " It is not the governments responsibility to provide recreational opportunities for the general public"
IE : If you want to go camping go to a KOA and pay the going rate.

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Providing a variety of site types, from primitive to full-service.

This is a topic near and dear to my heart. On a recent trip to GA (Georgia for you non-Southerners) at Kolomoki State Park the dog and I were exploring not-to-far off the beaten path when we stumbled upon an old, unused and abandoned part of the campground. It apparently was an older section that was being allowed to grow up. There was a full Male/Female bath house with laundry hookups and 30 or more double water spigots sticking up out of the ground amongst the trees. No paving, pads, or site designations. I suppose it was intended to be a tent-only area at one time. I would love to park there (at a slightly reduced fee) as water is really all we need, and not even that close. We would like (and be willing to pay for) access to the bathroom(s).

I realize many parks have "primitive" areas but they seem to be reserved for tents and our "hard side tents" are not allowed.

[David Tilston]

There are a number of Forestry camp grounds in Alberta, and BC. There are not too many amenities, outhouses mostly, but the price is usually right.
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j...FX96rc90fhNcfw
http://www.westfraser.com/responsibi...ma/campgrounds
http://www.redrocksawmills.com/
http://albertascampgrounds.com/campi...ry-trunk-road/
https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/drm/!bak/r...Recreation.htm
http://freecampsites.net/#!British Columbia&query=region