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Old 07-30-2017, 11:08 AM   #1
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Reservations starting to be required

Ok, so if you read my thread about finally getting my 5 yr Fantastic Fan Leak fixed you know I did a 5100 mile Trip going all the way to the Canadian Border and meandering back home to FL. All MN State Parks are 100% reservable now. There are no walkup sites held back. So I was unable to camp in any of them on the North Shore. A Ranger said from now on I'm gonna have to reserve a year in advance bc they fill up. That doesn't fit with my style of travel b/c I never know where I'm gonna be or how long it will take me to get there. We had to hide out in truck stops and rest areas over night a few times bc of bad storms so I would have missed my Ressies anyway. So it's frustrating if I don't make Ressies my only option is expensive private CGs (which btw were also full) that look like parking lots. I wonder how many other States are going to this policy. We already can't get into our FL campgrounds during winter for a quick weekend getaway last minute and now I cant get into Some State Parks during the summer b/c of this new policy

Issue #2. We traveled down through KY specifically to see Mammoth Cave. Guess what, they now have online ressies for tours! That's right, no touring the Caves unless you booked in advance. There were people there from Europe highly upset they made the trip and wasn't able to get a tour. We did the $5 Self Discovery tour but it wasn't very big and you didn't see any formations etc. So off to a Commercial Cave down the road so we could at least go inside one and the trip there not be a total bust.
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Old 07-30-2017, 12:30 PM   #2
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North Dakota, South Dakota, and I believe Wisconsin have all gone the same route. In South Dakota they had a phone at the entrance to the campground where you could call and reserve a site for the night. No fee but if you used your phone they added a reservation fee. We also found an Army Corp of Engineers campground in Montana with the same policy. No more cash in the iron ranger.
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Old 07-30-2017, 12:31 PM   #3
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Ok, so if you read my thread about finally getting my 5 yr Fantastic Fan Leak fixed you know I did a 5100 mile Trip going all the way to the Canadian Border and meandering back home to FL. All MN State Parks are 100% reservable now. There are no walkup sites held back. So I was unable to camp in any of them on the North Shore. A Ranger said from now on I'm gonna have to reserve a year in advance bc they fill up. That doesn't fit with my style of travel b/c I never know where I'm gonna be or how long it will take me to get there. We had to hide out in truck stops and rest areas over night a few times bc of bad storms so I would have missed my Ressies anyway. So it's frustrating if I don't make Ressies my only option is expensive private CGs (which btw were also full) that look like parking lots. I wonder how many other States are going to this policy. We already can't get into our FL campgrounds during winter for a quick weekend getaway last minute and now I cant get into Some State Parks during the summer b/c of this new policy

Issue #2. We traveled down through KY specifically to see Mammoth Cave. Guess what, they now have online ressies for tours! That's right, no touring the Caves unless you booked in advance. There were people there from Europe highly upset they made the trip and wasn't able to get a tour. We did the $5 Self Discovery tour but it wasn't very big and you didn't see any formations etc. So off to a Commercial Cave down the road so we could at least go inside one and the trip there not be a total bust.
Needing reservations for popular destinations and popular attractions and having them filled up long in advance for the high season is nothing new. Especially in Europe The main thing that changed is doing it online. Online reservations while they can be somewhat frustrating are certainly more convenient than phone calls where you have to call during business hours and then work through a phone tree only to get put on hold.

The concept that having a travel trailer means you can be spontaneous during the great summer weather and just get up and go when the mood moves you is more of a state of mind induced by fantasy dreams than it is a reality especially if you are in desire of having utility hookups in a campground.
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Old 07-30-2017, 12:53 PM   #4
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Well needing reservations is new to me since I've not encountered it til this year. I definitely would not have expected Mammoth Cave, a National Park to do online booking of tours or I would have tried to nail down a date to book one. Lots of others were surprised by that too and some choice words were being exchanged esp by those who flew in just for the Cave tours. I too can fit in tent sites and don't need hookups but all the tent sites were taken as well. We stayed in Rest Areas, Cracker Barrels and Truck stops when we couldn't get a site anywhere. Paid for a commercial park for laundry and showers when necessary. We hit the more popular areas during the week so figured we would get in but nope not happening.
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Old 07-30-2017, 01:01 PM   #5
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And, it's only going to get worse as the bulge of baby boomers moves toward their final campground.
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Old 07-30-2017, 02:53 PM   #6
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Ressies starting to be required

I just got an e-mail that the Golden State is going to a new reservation system. Rolling reservations, rather than 1st of the month, sounds like a good change. It also said more sites will be reservable, good for planners, but bad for spontaneous travelers.

It's a different world from the 60's when I started traveling and camping with my parents. I remember getting out the Woodall's about 2 or 3 in the afternoon to decide where we would stop for the night.
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Old 07-30-2017, 03:45 PM   #7
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Since State and County parks are now supposed to be self supporting , what other options do they have . They make money off the reservation fee , camping fees and cancellations fees .
They need to have the campgrounds full to cover their expenses.
Depending on drive up business is financially not viable .
Holding sites open hoping someone might show up doesn't make sense especially when reserving a site online is so simple and easy.
The nice thing about reservations, is that at the end of the day we know we have a place to camp . I've done the late night frantic drive around trying to find an open campsite , never again.

I refuse to camp at Walmart or Cracker Barrel , it just goes against my conscience.
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Old 07-30-2017, 04:53 PM   #8
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+10 get used to reservations and making them way in advance. National Parks are setting records for crowds. And if you visiting a park, don't just show up. Spend some time on goggle and learn the rules. Unfortunately, camping is less spontaneous than hotelling, as the hotel companies continue to build motels. I can't recall a national park adding a campground lately. Maybe it's happened somewhere. Florida state parks are booked 11 months in advance.

The basic rule is plan ahead, know the rules and book accordingly. I got up at 4am to make my last reservation on the first day they were available, and I wasn't the first one.

While RV sales continue to set records every year, parks are not expanding. You have some states in deep financial trouble where parks are contracting, not expanding. Fewer rangers/personnel to handle camping fees, so they have gone with on line reservations and unpaid camp hosts. Stayed at one state park in Wyoming, if you rented a yurt (which you reserved on line of course), they gave you a key code, and there was a key pad on the door. No personnel at the park at all.

Try to get into the Lodge on the bottom of the Grand Canyon, basically impossible!
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Old 07-30-2017, 05:29 PM   #9
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I think you're right Bill, it'll only get worse.

With government spending an inordinate amount of money on entitlements and benefits, it leaves less and less for investing in infrastructure like recreational facilities. Our state parks and national parks need to double or even more, in numbers and capacity, to keep up with demand - but that's clearly not going to happen.
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Old 07-30-2017, 05:58 PM   #10
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With government spending an inordinate amount of money on entitlements and benefits, it leaves less and less for investing in infrastructure like recreational facilities.
"Recreational facilities" ( AKA entitlements and benefits ).
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Old 07-30-2017, 06:03 PM   #11
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"Recreational facilities" ( AKA entitlements and benefits ).
No, because they're available to all, and they belong to all - not just some. A road, or a bridge or a park is not an entitlement or a benefit in that sense. But it is a good indicator of where the spending priorities are.
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Old 07-30-2017, 06:15 PM   #12
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No, because they're available to all, and they belong to all - not just some. A road, or a bridge or a park is not an entitlement or a benefit in that sense. But it is a good indicator of where the spending priorities are.
According to your definition then veterans benefits are an entitlement since they aren't available to all .

Like they say " Entitlements are bad if I don't benefit from them"
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Old 07-30-2017, 06:22 PM   #13
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According to your definition then veterans benefits are an entitlement since they aren't available to all .

Like they say " Entitlements are bad if I don't benefit from them"
Veterans benefits are an entitlement, but to my mind they're an earned one. That's very different from a handout. I read recently that almost half the US population is receiving some form of government benefit, either earned or unearned. In the mid 80's for example, it was under 25 percent. When the pieces of the pie are redistributed so dramatically, infrastructure (like campgrounds and parks) will suffer.
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Old 07-30-2017, 06:41 PM   #14
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No worries (unless you are older and not in good health)...

The second great depression in the US will come in the next few years and then you won't even be able to give away a campsite that was previously prime.

Its supply and demand, and now the demand is at record levels. But the pendulum will swing. It always does.
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Old 07-30-2017, 06:54 PM   #15
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Not everybody has the luxury of planning a year in advance with work and school schedules though. So the working folks have to stay home b/c they can't get a site? It's our taxes supporting the system. And when I experienced storms and had to stop mid day for the night so would have missed any Ressies I had and forfeited my money so Ressies can me useless and costly when you don't make your scheduled arrival. Believe me Cracker Barrels and Walmarts are better than nowhere to sleep b/c of weather messing up your plans. So I am thankful for them as an option.
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Old 07-30-2017, 07:24 PM   #16
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I really wish you would avoid the use of "Ressies." I have never heard that before and neither the Urban Dictionary nor Google were any help in decriphering the meaning. I did not read this thread initially because I figured that a "Ressie," whatever it is, was nothing that interested me. But I am always interested about making reservations, since most of my "camping" is in high demand areas, and/or time critical. Colloquialisms usually do not translate well.
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Old 07-30-2017, 07:30 PM   #17
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In any case, wouldn't it be "rezzies"?
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Old 07-30-2017, 07:41 PM   #18
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I've liked reservations and I've hated them. I like them when I've the time to plan way ahead and grab a primo spot that I could never hope to get as a first come first served. And, I hate them when I'm the walk in. They are fast becoming the norm now though, so we are planning accordingly. More dispersed camping, more boondocking, and being more creative in our camping choices. And, unfortunately, fewer spur of the moment trips.
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Old 07-30-2017, 08:10 PM   #19
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Lol, Sorry Gordon. Actually I never heard of the term either until on this and other camping sites so I figured it must be a common term amongst RVers that I was unfamiliar with.

Glen, seen it spelled both ways so just tried to go with what I've seen the most common but ya, to me it would be z's too.
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Old 07-30-2017, 08:21 PM   #20
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Not everybody has the luxury of planning a year in advance with work and school schedules though. So the working folks have to stay home b/c they can't get a site? It's our taxes supporting the system. And when I experienced storms and had to stop mid day for the night so would have missed any Ressies I had and forfeited my money so Ressies can me useless and costly when you don't make your scheduled arrival. Believe me Cracker Barrels and Walmarts are better than nowhere to sleep b/c of weather messing up your plans. So I am thankful for them as an option.
1) Why do working folks have to stay home ?
2) I paid taxes when I worked and I pay taxes now that I am retired.
( Property , State , Federal Etc.)

I worked 3 jobs for 30 years ( 1 full time and 2 partime)
I had 1 weekend off per month and 2 to 3 weeks vacation a year.
I had to have my vacation schedule for the year turned in by Jan 31 of that year . I was not denied access to anything I just had to take the time to plan ahead.
I have already reserved a spot for our 2018 Canadian fishing trip
I have made reservations for 2018 deer and elk hunting
I have reserved a campsite for our 2018 fall family camping trip.
All it takes is a calendar and a little effort.
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