Campsites and fulltiming

Seren

Well-known member
One more month then our fullltime vaction begins! Have a couple of questions about campsites... Looking forward to going where ever you feel like going, whenever you decide to go. We will be staying in the Southeast till next spring, then head out West and plan on doing a little boondocking - no reservations required! We belong to 1000 Trails (free year membership from the dealer we bought our RV from), and Passport America. I would assume that you should have reservations for 1000 Trails and state parks, but we do not want this to become a rush from one resevation to the next. So, making a short question very long, what are the best sources to find good campsites that have don't need reservations (book, websites, or apps)? What about sources that give ratings of campsites? Basically, how do you experienced fulltimers determine where you go next? I would assume that you at least call the campsite to see if they have an opening before heading there



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pegmikef

Well-known member
A lot of state and national parks have what they call walk in sites that can't be reserved and they are on a first come first served basis. These sites are usually in addition to reservable sites. You can usually call ahead to see what the prospects are for obtaining a site . . . but if you are doing that why not make a reservation? A lot of parks won't make reservations less than two days in advance. One source that often gets overlooked are the Corps of Engineers park. Most of them are nicely maintained and will accommodate the larger rigs. A good source for info on all national/federal camping opportunities is recreation.gov. Most states have a website for their parks and other forms of recreation.
 

MTPockets

Well-known member
We've travelled summers for many years (full time for 2 1/2 years) and find that Sunday night thru Thursday night are the best days to just show up and get a spot. Exception being the major National Parks - Zion, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and a few others; you're better off to make advance plans for the popular National Parks; and even then, better to do it several weeks or better-months in advance. Friday and Saturday nights can get pretty 'iffy' in many other spots; so we tend to plan ahead and make reservations for weekends. Finally, as mentioned, many places reserve spaces for the drive-ins, but you need to get there early (by noon) to have the best chance of getting a spot. Even the boondocking can get crowded June thru August. We've discovered that making advance plans and reservations is a lot more relaxing than having to worry whether we can find a spot for the night. That way, the full day can be spent exploring and relaxed with no worry about where to park for the night or having to rush to get there early.
 

dewwood

Well-known member
We only make reservations, like others have said, on Holidays or major weekends. We usually use the weekends to travel from spot to spot, sometimes overnighting in parking lots. One site we use extensively is: http://www.rvparkreviews.com/. It is very useful and has non-biased reports from other campers.
 

chiefneon

Well-known member
Howdy!

We seldom make reservation. We usually travel Tuesday thur Thursday and tipically stay a week are more (taking advantage of the weekly rate). We also take advantage of our TT's membership when it suites of travel plans. When traveling we like to stop before 4:00 pm to be able to get a good site. As stated three major holidays ( Memorial Day, 4th July and Labor Day) make sure your in a good location before the holiday starts and wait until its over and the holiday crowd has left to contuine you travels.

"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon
 

wdk450

Well-known member
It sounds like you already have some good resources, but you may need to FULLY check out what KIND of Thousand Trails Membership you have. Some limit you to only 30 nights camping a year. Mine is on the other end of the spectrum (365 nights a year, 3 weeks in most all campgrounds, can immediately move to another TT campground), but it cost me a lifetime membership purchase and about $600 a year membership fees. Thousand Trails has a pretty good on-line reservation website, which I use a lot, I have also found their telephone reservation agents to be EXTREMELY helpful, and they have gotten me very special discount rates at TT affiliated Encore parks.

I have my year fully planned out around my Loners on Wheels singles camping club monthly outings, and mostly stays at TT Preserves in between. I am also going to the Heartland Pacific Regional Rally July 4th weekend, then up to Oregon for the Heartland Oregon Chapter rally two weeks after that (staying at TT South Jetty in Florence until the Oregon Rally). I have made 2 week reservations at South Jetty and TT Whalers Rest (near Newport) for alternating 2 week periods until Aug 20, when I have a NorLow's campout in Fortuna, Ca. That should take care of much of the hot summer in California for me.

I have found that along with a text document planning my travels, that Google Calendar is very helpful and it sends me e-mail reminders when I have a task to do (like when I come into the 90 day window before a Thousand Trails stay and I can now make a reservation).
 

aatauses

Well-known member
You will enjoy your new adventure. Others have given you some great advice so I will only add one thing to consider--you say your going to go full timing---what size is your rig?? If you are in the 38-40 ft range some parks cannot accommodate especially if you have slides, so we always call ahead to get that information. I also agree that during the week you should not have an issue, just make sure you can fit.
al
 

Seren

Well-known member
You will enjoy your new adventure. Others have given you some great advice so I will only add one thing to consider--you say your going to go full timing---what size is your rig?? If you are in the 38-40 ft range some parks cannot accommodate especially if you have slides, so we always call ahead to get that information. I also agree that during the week you should not have an issue, just make sure you can fit.
al

39 ft. Yep, have heard a lot of National and State Parks have limitations

Thanks for all the input.

Initially will be staying in Florida and stopping at a few state parks before going to a 1000 Trails for a week or so. Just found an excellent app for FL State Parks (info and reservations). After that, will be slowly heading to GA-NC-TN-VA for at least few months and may even stay in the mountains through the fall. Will probably use our 1000 Trails membership, but stay at smaller campsites in between. Will take the road less travelled (keeping off the interstates) and enjoy ourselves.


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