CG reservations getting impossible to get

[Magnolia Tom]

Anyone notice how hard it is to get a reservation these days? We usually camp at state parks. In the past, we could book a trip with a couple weeks to a months notice. Now it's like a couple of months or more. [emoji35]

We tried to get a site at one of our favorite CGs (which happens to be one of a very few that you can site reserve) for the summer. Nothing. Kept trying further and further out. Nothing. Booked until January of next year. Crazy! We could get a "non reservable" site in two months but they aren't as big, or as nice. Guess we are going to start camping more in the federal parks. Maybe it's because we have a big trailer but sheez! Sometimes we would go on a whim and could usually find something. Those days are over. Bummed.

[Bookemdanno]

Yes...we booked our favorite SP in FL for this summer, last year! But I have found that I will check on certain places daily (sometime twice) for cancelations...knock on wood...I've always been able to get in, but that was also with the smaller 28BHBE. The new trailer may be more of a problem??

[Crabman]

Cheap gas, improving economy, RVs selling like hotcakes all contributing factors

[Mustang65]

Not sure, but I believe that there were 250000 new RV's built last year, and the number has been climbing over the years. Pretty soon it will only be dry-camping where ever you can find a spot. Probably have to make reservations at Walmart in the future for that overnight stay.

Try getting a spot in the Keys state parks between December and March, they are booked a full 11 months in advance. The only way you can get a spot is if someone cancels.. we have been lucky 2x, but had to check each day at 8AM.

Don

[Magnolia Tom]

I'll buy the cheap gas and higher sales volume. Improving economy? Not so much. I think in a good economy people would be going on vacation not doing budget friendly camp outs.

[Crabman]

Originally Posted by Magnolia Tom

I'll buy the cheap gas and higher sales volume. Improving economy? Not so much. I think in a good economy people would be going on vacation not doing budget friendly camp outs.

Well at least it's improved from the
08-09 financial crisis which were 2of the worse RV sales years ever. Now these big ticket items are selling briskly which should
suggest we are in better times.

[wags999]

I think the tens of thousands of boomers retiring also plays into the mix. Also, for those working at the top 20% or so, the incomes have grown much larger. Its why you also see the big class A's all over. Part of the problem with campgrounds is, they were built for the most part in a different era...smaller rvs, more tenting etc. Parks were designed in the 60's , 70's and 80's are no longer equipped to handle the larger rigs. . Out west many of the state and federal campgrounds can only handle 30' or smaller. For private campgrounds it's difficult to change sites to fit todays needs. It's part of the reason I wanted to stay below 30'.

[blderman]

Originally Posted by Magnolia Tom

Anyone notice how hard it is to get a reservation these days? We usually camp at state parks. In the past, we could book a trip with a couple weeks to a months notice. Now it's like a couple of months or more. [emoji35]

We tried to get a site at one of our favorite CGs (which happens to be one of a very few that you can site reserve) for the summer. Nothing. Kept trying further and further out. Nothing. Booked until January of next year. Crazy! We could get a "non reservable" site in two months but they aren't as big, or as nice. Guess we are going to start camping more in the federal parks. Maybe it's because we have a big trailer but sheez! Sometimes we would go on a whim and could usually find something. Those days are over. Bummed.

Exactly why we do most of our camping in the National Forest. Never need a reservation and can camp anywhere we like. I understand that is not for everyone though.

[McGarrett50]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

Not sure, but I believe that there were 250000 new RV's built last year, and the number has been climbing over the years. Pretty soon it will only be dry-camping where ever you can find a spot. Probably have to make reservations at Walmart in the future for that overnight stay.

Try getting a spot in the Keys state parks between December and March, they are booked a full 11 months in advance. The only way you can get a spot is if someone cancels.. we have been lucky 2x, but had to check each day at 8AM.

Don

From the RVIA: “Powered by gains in five of the seven major vehicle categories, January (2016) wholesale shipment totals represented a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of more than 435,000 units, the highest such monthly reading since September of 1999"

[Bassdogs]

Sitting in Reg office at INks Lake SP in Texas waiting for a cancellation for Sat nite. Been in Tex for almost 4 weeks now and finding out TX Sp's are routinely full on weekends year around. Been in this park since Mon but nothing open for Sat nite. Told we should get in with a cancellation.

Love this park

[namusmc65]

Most state parks in Georgia have walk up sites they keep open for people without reservations. I have never gotten burned yet by just going in, without a reservation. You can't reserve specific spots so if you go in on a Monday when most folks have checked out, you get the pick of the spots. Then you can stay for your two weeks allotment before having to move. The working folks tie up all the reservables just about every weekend here. That's why we try to go in the first of the week.

[Seann45]

We all keep telling our friends and family they gotta try RVing and this is what happens.. Someone said 250,000 new RV's last year but I am sure there were not 250,000 new campsites open... this is one of the reasons I like to BOONDOCK 100% of the time

[clubhouse]

Originally Posted by Magnolia Tom

I'll buy the cheap gas and higher sales volume. Improving economy? Not so much. I think in a good economy people would be going on vacation not doing budget friendly camp outs.

From a financial perspective we can go on any type of vacation we chose. There was a time every vacation for us involved flying and resort hotels. We now chose camping for 95% of our vacations because we prefer it. I travel extensively for work, flying somewhere renting a car and staying in a resort might sound desirable to some but for me it feels like work.

That said in Calfornia it is no more difficult now than it was 8-10 years ago to get a reservation, and you must have a reservation. Sites in most CA CG book up within minutes of being released, whether that's 6, 7 or 12 months in advance depending on the park.

We already have New Years booked. Our summer vacation was booked exactly one year early. On Tuesday Sept becomes reservable in CA SP, but guess what Labor Day weekend is already sold out in the popular spots because on 2/1 when Aug came available many of us booked 8/30-Labor Day to get the reservation early. Even if I pay for Wed and Thursday but not show up till Friday it's worth it to me to have the spot I want at the park I want.

Camping is no longer spur of the moment for many of us. It's becoming a sport just to get sites.

[JMack]

We camp in Texas SPs (Inks Lake is a favorite). Last month we made reservations through September because everything gets booked up so fast. Earliest we could get a weekend spot at Garner SP was August. I suspect we'll sit down in June/July to start making reservations for 2017.

[North of 49°]

The campground reservation system for provincial parks around here starts in early April, for mid May reservations. I always do it online, but I have to be at my computer right when it opens. And I still can't always get what I want. Fortunately, we pre-plan our trips well in advance, so we always have contingency plans. There's a good half-dozen campgrounds within a 2.5 hour drive that we like, so if we can't get what we want, we just make a reservation somewhere else.

[Country_Mouse]

Originally Posted by clubhouse

From a financial perspective we can go on any type of vacation we chose. There was a time every vacation for us involved flying and resort hotels. We now chose camping for 95% of our vacations because we prefer it. I travel extensively for work, flying somewhere renting a car and staying in a resort might sound desirable to some but for me it feels like work.

That said in Calfornia it is no more difficult now than it was 8-10 years ago to get a reservation, and you must have a reservation. Sites in most CA CG book up within minutes of being released, whether that's 6, 7 or 12 months in advance depending on the park.

We already have New Years booked. Our summer vacation was booked exactly one year early. On Tuesday Sept becomes reservable in CA SP, but guess what Labor Day weekend is already sold out in the popular spots because on 2/1 when Aug came available many of us booked 8/30-Labor Day to get the reservation early. Even if I pay for Wed and Thursday but not show up till Friday it's worth it to me to have the spot I want at the park I want.

Camping is no longer spur of the moment for many of us. It's becoming a sport just to get sites.

Clubhouse, I am learning this sport you speak of here in CA. This is our first year with our tt. So far I'm pretty proud of my accomplishments of having a trip booked each month through July at this point. Planning on being on the computer bright and early March 1st to get that Labor Day reservation! When my husband retires in a few years we'll be able to do more reservations during the week. Will just have to figure out the best ways to get Internet so kids can still attend classes since we homeschool.

[nhfire152]

I'm experiencing some real frustration with Moose Hillock in Lake George,NY. It's a new campground to the area as I believe this upcoming season is number three for them. Last year, about 4 families booked a weekend in August. Friday and Saturday night. We were told it was a three night minimum however. So, plans had to change, more days off had to be approved (a few police officers in the bunch) and we had a great time at a beautiful resort.

Fast forward to this past week. We are trying to plan our trips for 2016 and planned on doing a long weekend back at Moose Hillock. Not a holiday weekend but just a random weekend again in August. We call to book and are told that there is now a FIVE night minimum for July and August!!! Seriously?!?!

So, a Facebook review was in order to "vent" about their new changes. The following day while at work, I get a phone call from someone asking if I was the "crazy person" that enjoys posting things all over the Facebook pages of businesses. Turns out to be the owner of Moose Hillock. After some conversation he told me it was a four night minimum not a five and its in place to help out the clientele that take many days off and travel to their resort. Ridiculous to say the least. We try to get about a dozen trips a season up here in the Northeast. A trip is two or more nights. I can see doing a few "bigger" trips each year, but most are just two nights. To demand more than three is just greedy and I wasn't afraid to tell him this.

[clubhouse]

Originally Posted by nhfire152

I'm experiencing some real frustration with Moose Hillock in Lake George,NY. It's a new campground to the area as I believe this upcoming season is number three for them. Last year, about 4 families booked a weekend in August. Friday and Saturday night. We were told it was a three night minimum however. So, plans had to change, more days off had to be approved (a few police officers in the bunch) and we had a great time at a beautiful resort.

Fast forward to this past week. We are trying to plan our trips for 2016 and planned on doing a long weekend back at Moose Hillock. Not a holiday weekend but just a random weekend again in August. We call to book and are told that there is now a FIVE night minimum for July and August!!! Seriously?!?!

So, a Facebook review was in order to "vent" about their new changes. The following day while at work, I get a phone call from someone asking if I was the "crazy person" that enjoys posting things all over the Facebook pages of businesses. Turns out to be the owner of Moose Hillock. After some conversation he told me it was a four night minimum not a five and its in place to help out the clientele that take many days off and travel to their resort. Ridiculous to say the least. We try to get about a dozen trips a season up here in the Northeast. A trip is two or more nights. I can see doing a few "bigger" trips each year, but most are just two nights. To demand more than three is just greedy and I wasn't afraid to tell him this.

We burn several nights each year over this kind of stuff. My typical nightly rate is $30, so if want 3 nights that's $90, if there is a 4 night min is $120. We end up just make a reservation longer than we want and just think of it as $40 nigh and leave with a day/night remaining that we paid for. It's not like I'm going to let $30 stand in the way of my family spending time together.

I bet we burn 4-5 nights a year this way. If rates start climbing I might have to rethink this strategy. But right now the juice is still worth the squeeze.

[cariboocreek]

It's the same in Canada. But my take is that although there has been an increase in the number of RV's on the road another big issue is the lack of sites to fit the bigger rigs. I remember as a kid we had an 18' Shasta (yes I'm that old) and it wasn't considered a "small" unit. Today my 40 plus foot rig is not even the biggest on the road, but the campgrounds haven't kept up with the growth both in numbers but also in size. The new campgrounds have recognized this and the high end ones cater to the big units.

We are not boondockers and the group we hit the road with don't care so much about the price of a site but whether is it comfortable, have all the amenities, and number one, can we get in and out without whiteknuckling it. I admit that we are "glampers" but this is a large sector of the market. To get these sites I am booking a year in advance and even at that didn't get a spot in our favourite campground in Kelowna this summer.

Oh well, first world problems....

[MIFL19H]

We planned a trip for this Summer and booked it all last weekend and experienced for the first time the requirement for multi day booking or specific days you can't leave on.

Edmund Babler State Park in St Louis, MO. Wanted to book from Tuesday through Friday, leave Saturday morning. Reservation system said no can do, I couldn't believe it so I actually called the reservation line and they said if you book a Friday you have to book a Saturday, no way around it, so had to pony up.

Croft State Park in South Carolina... apparantly all South Carolina State Parks are a 2 night minimum no matter when it is. We only needed 1 night as we are passing through on our way to Indiana so booked it for 2.

As discussed earlier the cost is not outrageous, as an example Croft SP is $20 a night so we had to pay $40 for the night. In the past with our Hybrid any overnight stay we had to hotel it and that was over $100 so not complaining.

This trip was the first time we had encountered this issue.

As cariboocreek said... First World Problems so not complaining.