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Old 10-16-2017, 12:11 PM   #1
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Picking a RV site for first time visit?

When looking for a RV site how do you select your destination?

I've been using RV Park Reviews and I'm noticing a trend (at least in south/central Texas) that the RV sites are either permanent RV parks with little daily sites, a concrete slob of parking spaces, or the park/sites are so packed that their isn't a lot of room between RV's/Trailers. The last park we stayed out looked like a resort on the website only to find that the distance between RV/trailers were less than 3 feet and the resort was a small pool with no amenities close to what they said they offered.


For the more experienced RV'ers, what advice would you give me in finding a good place to stay for weekend travel? Or, am I really seeing a poor quality in Central/South Texas? It does seem the northern states have great parks with plenty of space and scenery.
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Old 10-16-2017, 12:42 PM   #2
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"Central/South TX" is a large area. If you are RVing in and around the Eagle-Ford shale, many commercial parks have been created for or taken over by full-time oil workers.

Non-commercial campgrounds (State parks, COE parks, etc.) will almost always be nicer and are the first places we look to when we plan on camping, whether in TX or elsewhere.
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Old 10-16-2017, 12:46 PM   #3
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Here is my opinion from the upper Midwest. Around these parts you have two major chains. They both do a great job of packing them in (not as close as you mentioned but definitely closer than I'd like). One of those chains caters more to occasional visitors and the other to seasonal memberships or campsite ownerships. There are public campgrounds (state and national parks). The campsites are HUGE but you'll rarely find full hookups--although a few days ago we were at one of the few in Indiana that offer full hookups. What's left (privately owned campgrounds) can be absolutely wonderful, just OK or terrible. I use the website you mentioned and also look at rvparky.com, Yahoo reviews, etc. Unfortunately it takes a lot of cyber time to find really great campgrounds. One thing you should do, after going to a campground, let others know about your experience--good or bad--by sending your reviews in. Many folks only post negative reviews but I'll do good ones also. If folks see good reviews, they'll want to go there also.
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Old 10-16-2017, 12:48 PM   #4
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We much prefer state parks over commercial campgrounds. Fewer amenities, but more spacious sites. We like the miles of hiking trails that are found in many state parks.
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Old 10-16-2017, 01:37 PM   #5
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Google earth works good too for trying to interpret where on the scale from reality to fairytale the RV park marketing falls. I usually check the satellite view and sometimes streetview gives a reasonable look as well.
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Old 10-16-2017, 02:04 PM   #6
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A Northern CA perspective.

I'll echo State Parks, National Parks, COE CG are our preference. Full hook-up privately owned RV Parks/Resorts tend to be extremely tightly spaced. There are a couple exception, but it is rare.

We also found that there are different kinds of campers and that dramatically impacts people's reviews. We are outside with the kids and a campfire every night type of camper. Yet I see many that prefer to stay in and enjoy the amenities of their RV. I find the former compromises for more space while the latter compromises for full hookups.

The first time to an area is a crapshoot. In the beginning when ever we were there we would tour all the CG options and note locations and sites we would want the next time.
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Old 10-16-2017, 02:05 PM   #7
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A Northern CA perspective.

I'll echo State Parks, National Parks, COE CG are our preference. Full hook-up privately owned RV Parks/Resorts tend to be extremely tightly spaced. There are a couple exception, but it is rare.

We also found that there are different kinds of campers and that dramatically impacts people's reviews. We are outside with the kids and a campfire every night type of camper. Yet I see many that prefer to stay in and enjoy the amenities of their RV. I find the former compromises for more space while the latter compromises for full hookups.

The first time to an area is a crapshoot. In the beginning when ever we were there we would tour all the CG options and note locations and sites we would want the next time.
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Old 10-16-2017, 02:12 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NC Roamer View Post
We much prefer state parks over commercial campgrounds. Fewer amenities, but more spacious sites. We like the miles of hiking trails that are found in many state parks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BCK View Post
Google earth works good too for trying to interpret where on the scale from reality to fairytale the RV park marketing falls. I usually check the satellite view and sometimes streetview gives a reasonable look as well.
We found a new COE campground by accident over July 4 holiday when we were out joyriding in our boat. I'd seen this place on the map but didn't give it much thought because it was farther off the beaten path. But after seeing it from the water, we both decided we needed to give it a try.

It was great. Plenty of room. Great camp hosts and beautiful vistas.
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Old 10-17-2017, 07:44 AM   #9
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I am somewhat partial to commercial site rather than state parks. In many cases, I go camping with friends so having close lots is many times a benefit for us. State parks are good when I go by myself and want a big open area, however I have found many of the state parks sites have no services. I can deal with no power, even though I dont really like hearing generators all day, having power is nice because of this. However, I have 7 kids so there are 9 of us in the RV. If we plan on staying for more than a few days, I HAVE to have water and dump hookups. Doing dishes and showers for that many cause my grey tank to fill at a VERY fast rate. Due to such, I tend to find campgrounds with full hookups. In my state, it is VERY rare to find a state park with full hookups, Some have power and water, but very very few have sewer.

I also tend to prefer commercial sites because of the customer service. The owners know that you are their income and because of that, most of them are very nice. They also know we RV'ers seems to talk a lot so they know if they are not nice, we spread the word and they lose business. State parks run like a typical govt setup. Getting anything fixed or done at your site will be done whenever they feel like it. Many of the park attendants are not all that personable either. There have been a few exceptions, like the attendants at the Riana Campground at Abiquiu Lake are fantastic, but other campgrounds not so much.
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Old 10-17-2017, 09:42 AM   #10
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Here is my opinion from the upper Midwest. The campsites are HUGE but you'll rarely find full hookups--although a few days ago we were at one of the few in Indiana that offer full hookups.
Can you please elaborate where in IND do they have full hookup?
I like the state parks but the ones in IND do seem a bit cramped and only have electric with a general water spigot at bath house . I have stayed at O'bannon Woods State Park a few times and also some private campgrounds. I prefer the full hookup so I don't have to hookup again to empty my tanks.
The state parks in OH usually have only one or two full-hookups and the rest are electric only with shared water by bathhouse
Thank You
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Old 10-17-2017, 12:17 PM   #11
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Brookville Lake has several full hook up sites. We stayed there for a couple of days in Aug. Nice park.
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Old 10-17-2017, 12:26 PM   #12
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Thank you to everyone who has replied.

The info everyone shared has been valuable to me. The COE parks I've visited have full hookups - but no wifi or cable hookups. I guess, if I really want cable I could look into the DirecTV dish option.

I haven't boon docked yet - heard good and bad (generator noise) but it does look enticing.

What I love about this site is you can learn anything about RVing and more.
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Old 10-17-2017, 12:42 PM   #13
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Thanks, I've been meaning to camp there, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. I love kayaking the Whitewater River from Laurel to Brookville but the lake is a bit choppy for Kayakers with all the motorboats
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Old 10-17-2017, 02:26 PM   #14
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A website I favor to pick a campground is www.RVParky.com.

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Old 10-17-2017, 09:05 PM   #15
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A website I favor to pick a campground is www.RVParky.com.

Murff
Thanks - that site is new to me and it looks to already have been beneficial in finding a good park.
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Old 10-17-2017, 09:30 PM   #16
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Pretty good App, too!

You are welcome!

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Old 10-17-2017, 09:38 PM   #17
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Corpus is a good destination, go there all the time with our RV ,, HOPEFULLY ALL OK THERE that we can head back,,,ALL THE STATE PARK, Garner state park has RV sites.. notice your in SAN ANTONIO ,, Time to go Fishing
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Old 10-18-2017, 05:13 AM   #18
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The process.

I pick our route/destination. Determine area I will need to be the first night.

Go to RVparkreviews and look for available CGs. Read reviews. Use Google maps and sat/street view to see what the place looks like and the neighborhood it is in. Pick more most suited to our needs (overnight or destination).

Then determine where we will be the next night and repeat.

If I am lucky there might be 2 or 3 CGs that are suitable. If not then I pick the least of the evils.

Yes, what I want in a CG is different depending if I want an overnight or destination site. AN overnight spot all I want is easy access and clean, preferably in a decent neighborhood. For destination I like a little more space, nice areas to walk the dog, places to eat/shop nearby.

West/Central TX is dominated by oil field workers. Yes, many of them are like parking lots with hookups. If you have to stop in that area then you just have to suck it up.

Rvparkreviews can be wrong for what you want. Eg, some people rate based on showers/restrooms. Since we don't use those I ignore those ratings. Some harp on a minor issue, like attitude of manager. If I am staying overnight I don't care if the manager is rude. I do look for issues with larger rigs. Low branches on main park road, steep inclines, etc.

Look at when the people were there. Some CGs do improve over time. Some get worse.

And reviewers may overstate an issue. One stated there were big drop offs on the shoulder of the narrow access road. When we got there we found one 20ft long spot where the road shoulder dropped 6". The 2 mile long road was only 1/2 mile. And the road was side enough for two RVs to pass.
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Old 10-18-2017, 09:08 PM   #19
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Every has some good points
We look into a few things
For the trip are we using the TT as a moving Hotel (multiple stops) and site seeing or just camping, going to the same spot for 4+ days. this will have a bearing on what the RV park has to offer you.

We plan the trip and about how far we want to go in one day, (or local 1 day distance) then start looking for RV parks, we personally go to about 75+% state park types, they usually have sites a little farther apart, but more rustic, sometimes with less facilities (hookups).

Next how long are we going to be there, overnight or longer...this has an effect on the status of my tanks (water, black, gray). Do I have enough water if I need it (sometimes I carry full water, 80 gal, sometimes I run almost empty depending on the my route and sites)? Can I dump my tanks on my site, at dumpstation there (before and/or after I park) or do I need to (can I) hold it until the next RV Park. I might roll in with 2/3 full tank, dump before I park, then empty before I leave depending on the next site. Again how long will we be there for and what's next.

Facilities: Water/electric/septic at the site, in the park, or none, am I running off batteries/solar and internal water tanks.

Location: State park type or resort, depends on you and what type of camping you like.
I google the sites, a few web sites, look at reviews, site info, aerial map, some help, some you can't see thru the trees (don't forget road view, it might show something the areal doesn't). there was one state park we picked had 300 sites, only 2 backed up to the water, the park picture map didn't match the google aerial by counting sites from the road, they were one site off for the water, I pick the one off and ended up with my back picture window (TT with RLS) looking over the lake.

Routes: make sure you fit on the roads. shortest route might be bad. There are some trucker or RV mapping programs that alert you to low overpasses tunnels, bridges etc.

Don't wait unti almost on "E" to fuel, interstates and major highways aren't bad, the locals could/can be tough, Gatlinburg TN, going thru town is real narrow roads.
Fuel/food stops. I run a diesel TV, during the trip, I sometimes have my wife google food, gas station to see what it looks like before we get in there, I've done some drive by's and said "forget it, we're not even going to try that, we'll head to the next one.

Thats a quick what we look for in planning the route.
Good luck and have fun.
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Old 10-21-2017, 11:13 AM   #20
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One search method I use is Google Earth and a search example is "RV campgrounds along I75 in Kentucky". Then I do a sky view of the campgrounds and visit their websites. Adjust the search text if desired to specific locations/type including state and COE locations.
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