How do you rate PRIVATE campgrounds?

[Gina D.]

The "Supersite" posts have spawned this poll.

Having just completed a journey up and down the US West coast, I managed to stay in just about all "kinds" of campgrounds there are, from Government run, to Private RV parks.

I saw all different terrains and geographical areas. Desert, mountain, farms, deltas, beach.. freeways. In mid summer, no place I stayed was void of other campers, despite what I thought were major faults, and some places that I thought were outstanding were nearly (But not totally) deserted.

Could be I am weird (OK, I AM weird.. but) I am curious about what attracts folks to different destinations, for several days or just overnite, and what they like or puts them off when paying private park prices.

The most outstanding place I stayed was actually a PRIVATELY owned campground. Usually, these, in my experience, are the least desirable for my needs due to location and just plain general atmosphere. But Gubmint run parks have their major drawbacks too, usually regarding the other campers. (The WORST place I stayed was a Corp of Engineers park) I am sure it has to do with price and that most of them are on water..

One of the private parks I stayed in, I am planning on returning to for a week long stay. The price was a mere 10 bucks more per day than the State Park I stayed in the nite before, which had all the same amenities, was very nice, but was a bit more crowded. It will cost more than the State Park nearby, but to ME, is reasonable and totally worth it. It was a rustic "Camping" park with all the benefits of the wildeness parks and a place to plug all my junk into. Near perfect!

Anyway.. you have a "Dream Park" in mind.. YOU run the world here.. what would you want in this park, in generalities, that would make you pay a tad bit extra over the gubmint parks?

The poll is very general, please feel free to add your two cents to items not listed! Please post and explain WHY you made the choices you did.

Remember, these questions regard PRIVATE campgrounds that you generally will pay a premium for, and it darn well better have X,Y AND Z for THAT price!

[Gina D.]

Ah!

We have voters, but this group is strangely silent

Why are things important or NOT important to you? Do yo only look for a nice spot for the night? Do you (Like me!) survey a place and think "This would be GREAT for a rally!"..

Are you more social and like to see the goings on around you and maybe have a good place for you and traveling companions with thier own rig stay?

Are you a terminal hermit and want nothing to do with others, no matter how primitive?

[Bigfoot Mike]

My number one criteria for picking a RV park is Location. Is it by the lake, by Mission Bay, close to the features I want to take advantage of.

Lori loves to camp by water so that is what I checked. It just doesn’t tell the whole story.

I couldn’t find that option on your list.

[Gina D.]

That would be spread over the 3rd question, Geographic area. Factors that make the location important.

I added that clarification.

[james kent]

When on the move accross country, wether from province to province or state to state, you're mainly mobile. At the end of a day towing a 13 footer you look for an open spot. Period. Nice extras are hot running water and a shower, flush toilets, and at the end of the week mabee, a clean laundry to wash clothes.
A longer stop of several days is usually to a scenic location, a gathering, or a happening, in which case the activity dictates the location. Rather than the location dictating the activity.These little trailers are made for haulin', an' that's just what they'll do' [Hmm Sounds like the start of a song EH!] Rather than the SUPER sized creations that you can't afford to pull down the highway anymore. Therefore they sit in the private parks row on row on little cement pads with their generators humming to break up the still of the night.
We're three days towing across Ontario and another three days accross the praries to the Rocky Mountians and we take another three days through the Rockys to the coast. We've seen a lot of little parks, some good and some that you just wanna forget, but by and large , a campsite is still what YOU make of it.

Jim

[Bigfoot Mike]

That would be spread over the 3rd question, Geographic area. Factors that make the location important.
I added that clarification.

See, it isn’t the geographic features, [b]It’s the location. It may have this feature or that feature or no feature. It’s the Location.

Does it place us where we want to be. Near family for a wedding, near property we are looking to buy, at the beach, in the mountains, convenient to the route we have chosen.

No. 1 reason we chose a place is [b]LOCATION.

[Bill MacDermod]

to us the choice is whether its a stopover or a destination, if its a stopover we don't worry too much about it, if its a destination it has to be in the right location and the price has to be right for what you get.

[Gina D.]

OK, I added that...

[Bigfoot Mike]

OK, I added that...

THANKS, I changed my vote.

(rank has its privileges)

[Robert Brummett]

I didn't vote since I actively avoid private sites. I've used them on very few occasions in my trailering and my primary motivation while in one was getting on the road again as soon as possible.

[Frederick L. Simson]

The "Supersite" posts have spawned this poll.

I posted about "The Supersite" because I found it to be quite a novelty. Campland on the Bay in San Diego is a large and popular RV campground. They have only [b]ONE supersite. The rest of the property, to me, is underwhelming, and the budget sites are kind of like the steerage accommodations on the Titanic. [b]I'm a little jaded. I live here. To a visiting Tourist, the park is probably a good value for a short period of time.

[Frederick L. Simson]

When on the move accross country, wether from province to province or state to state, you're mainly mobile. At the end of a day towing a 13 footer you look for an open spot. Period.

What does a beginning camper do? In my earliest days, I had a lot of enthusiasm, but not much practical sense. I had a 13' trailer that served primarily as a portable motel room. I gravitated toward the KOA campground chain, for the same marketing reasons that I tended to eat at McDonald's.

[Bigfoot Mike]

I posted about "The Supersite" because I found it to be quite a novelty. Campland on the Bay in San Diego is a large and popular RV campground. They have only [b]ONE supersite. The rest of the property, to me, is underwhelming, and the budget sites are kind of like the steerage accommodations on the Titanic. [b]I'm a little jaded. I live here. To a visiting Tourist, the park is probably a good value for a short period of time.

About thirty years ago we use to camp there with a pickup and a slide in camper. They had about 5 sites that backed up to the sand right on the bay. We would take our canoe and just have a ball. It was an easy, cheap, great weekend trip from Orange County.

Remembering that we took our son and his new wife about 8 years ago to Campland on the Bay. The site we got was way over priced and tiny. We were no where near the water. The group on our left was a Girl Scout Troop of maybe 12 girls. Do you know how high their voices can be, OUCH!! On the other side was a group of young 20 year old boys that came to drink and party next to us which made it the trip from H---. I think we paid $75 per night that time.

I doubt we will ever camp there again.

[Bob Starr]

When I full timed in my bus, I did spend a lot of time in San Diego. I seem to remember staying at Campland once, because they use to have a undeveloped dry camp back then and it was cheap. But that was not really the way I lived around there. My usual routine was to go to such places as Shelter Island and pull myself right up to the waters edge and stay the day, and, then, at night go find a parking lot somewhere. Shelter Island or Fiesta were some of my favorite places, just could not stay overnight. It was beautiful and peaceful out there and you could watch ships come in all day. If you put out a fishing pole, you could stay way into the night. I realize this is certainly a different way of living, but it sure can be an inexpensive experience!
Bob

[jack maloney]

We generally avoid commercial campgrounds, using them mostly for overnight stops when there isn't a decent park in the area.

Our sole criterion is simpy instinct - we have traveled much of the world and learned to trust our senses when it comes to places we stay . General condition of the campground, the way it 'feels,' and the attitude of the host are much more important than 'amenities.'

[ronsmith100]

Someone may have already responded but the number one thing I look for was not on the list.
If there are full time renters in the park I wont stay there.

[Gina D.]

Hi Ron, it's on there now.. go ahead and vote your 3 choices!

Thanks

[Lance MacArthur]

Hard to pick out specifics -- parks either have it or they don't, in my experience. Like Bullard's, but its missing cable and wifi, which is nice at night. Terrible's in Pahrump is pretty ideal, for my liking.

Some parks, the mosquitos hover outside the window waiting to eat us, but the park is otherwise lovely. Others have great settings, but are overpriced, dirty or something negative.

We haven't set up our rig for dry camping, as we like our electricity. So we're pretty much confined to rv parks and campgrounds with facilities. Should note that the state parks in most of Texas have all kinds of amenities, and many are located in pristine areas.

We're off on another back-east trip next week, heading along I40 and all the byways we can find on the way to Tennessee. I'll try to remember to take pix of the better places.

Maybe as a result of your poll, we could set up a new post of folks recommendations of parks, and what to expect there and why it was chosen.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Some of the best days and nights were spent away from everything and everybody. Examples; Off a gravel road, behind some trees and brush. Could just barely be seen from the road. We did see 3 cars and 1 motorcycle go by. Another time; March, Eastern Oregon, no trees, a BLM campground with 1 camp site. Saw a number of cars, a few fisherman, and a few rubber rafts going down the Deschutes River. We were right on the bank.

It's interesting we've been in a number of State Parks and those are mostly a faded memory. Many of the NFS campgrounds have some nice memories. But the two above stand the most.
So I guess the "remote" is our prefered. We don't need anything else, not even level. That place behind the trees was not very level. BAL leveler was almost at max.

Remote

[bonnie w]

Hello RonSmith100, Finding myself house poor in 1994 I chose to buy a travel trailer to live in. It's had it's advantages to moving three times since then, and now settling here since 1997. It was a great alternative lifestyle because I could just pick up and arrive in my new destination with just the power/sewer to connect. Where I am now my next door neighbor and I are employed with the hospital here working full time. The life style suits me just great as the rent is super reasonable and included are electricity, cablevision, water for $295 per mo. The spot I have is superb with a small yard I've fenced for my dog, an attached enclosed porch with wood stove, and my small washer/dryer. The winters can be very damp and cold because I am parked beside the river with the end of the ocean bay behind me. There are lots of things that I miss like a bathtub and space, but I like my freedom over living in a compartment (apartment).

Up until recently parked beside me were three reprobates with dumpy, gunky trailers and one motorhome. Outside their places were forty five gallon drums over flowing with beer cans. They really believed that the tourists and neighbors enjoyed listening to Patsy Cline full blast. Two years or more they lived there, and recently the caretaker had them moved up near the entrance. I agree with you that if I were a tourist that I would think about driving out again after seeing them. The caretaker confirmed that tourists have done just that. I hope Ron that I have given you two ways to look at permanents in trailer parks.