Campsite Vehicle Length Question

[AJ13NUSAF]

Hi Everyone,

Trying to book up our weekends this summer (just booked in Bryce Canyon so very excited!) and have a question on some spots and if we can fit our camper in. Looking in a Utah State Park where the "maximum vehicle length" is 20, and the "driveway length" is 35. We have a 21 foot camper with 3 foot A frame so about 24 feet and tow with an F-150. Would we be able to fit in this? I looked at pictures of the site and feel like we could fit in, however not knowing terminology I wanted to check. Thanks for the help!

AJ

[LuckyDuck]

Our 212QBW’s are 25’6” total. My truck is another 19 feet (shortbed), so I generally need 45 feet if parked in line. Some parks you can park your TV diagonally or crosswise in front if your TT but when in doubt, check with the park before booking. To your question, I don’t think you can fit in a 35-foot driveway.

[THE MEEKER]

I would call the park office directly and ask. I have been in some campsites that will allow me to park my vehicle perpendicular to my TT as long as I was careful not to damage the grass or gravel.

I was in Allegany State Park in New York a few years back when a 44 ft. Heartland Cyclone 5th wheel from Tennessee tried to back into a 38ft site, which was the largest site at the time. The park could not accommodate that monster and they had to be turned away. They came all that distance for nothing. Best to call the park just to be sure.

Have fun!

[Jagiven]

Best to double check. My experience at MN state parks, they measure from the concrete stop to the roadway. It is common for me to back my TT up until the wheels are getting close to the stop. This gives me more room in out front. Not doable at every site due to trees. But I often can gain a bit of room. Or slip my TT in to a slightly smaller spot.

[Brownie]

I always use the "bumper-to-hitch" measurement when booking a site - in my case, that's 30'. For Michigan State Parks, the reservation website lists the max. camper size and also the site dimensions. Makes it pretty easy to tell if your rig will fit!

[TWP723]

They will consider it 24ft. and say no. Some places are extreme sticklers and some aren't. Best to make that call and find out. But I'm pretty sure they'll say you're too long.

[Scott]

It is possible that the max vehicle length is because of an obstruction you would have to navigate around to get into the site, like a tree or sign. While the site might be long enough for you to fix, you might not be able to make the swing to get into the site.

[brightsky]

Originally Posted by AJ13NUSAF

Hi Everyone,

Trying to book up our weekends this summer (just booked in Bryce Canyon so very excited!) and have a question on some spots and if we can fit our camper in. Looking in a Utah State Park where the "maximum vehicle length" is 20, and the "driveway length" is 35. We have a 21 foot camper with 3 foot A frame so about 24 feet and tow with an F-150. Would we be able to fit in this? I looked at pictures of the site and feel like we could fit in, however not knowing terminology I wanted to check. Thanks for the help!

AJ

With this limit " 20 feet max, drive way: 35 feet", can a motorhome of 35 feet fit into it?

[madmaxmutt]

Some places use conservative measurements, and some don't. I try to use all the information I can find, in these cases. Satellite view in Google maps, and Bing maps often helps. I somewhat wish they would street view the sites, but that could also be a double edged sword. I do use the youtube campground drive throughs. Just pause at the site you are looking at. They are not perfect, but it is another piece of information to help you decide.

[LuckyDuck]

For public campgrounds (USFS, BLM etc), this site is helpful for me: https://www.campsitephotos.com/ It gives you a good visual idea of the pad, adjacent trees etc.

[Tunce the traveler]

With extended tent ends I’m at 28’ and was not allowed to keep the car on the pad. The tent end was not allowed to overhang the pad. No problem for us but I would call ahead just in case & BTW this is in Brookings Oregon.

[E_Benson]

I would recommend a few of the same things mentioned here. Calling the campsite is always a good options. I have found them to be friendly and realistic about what can be done. Also, look at Campsitephotos website and see if you can see any issues in backing in and pushing your wheels all the way to the back of the pad (most places do not have issues as long as your wheels are on the pad).

Finally, my experience at Yosemite National park is they don't really care about your trailer length if you can back in and fit your trailer / vehicle on the pad. But, if for some reason you cannot fit, they really isn't anything they can do. The numbers are typically conservative for folks that are not great at backing trailers. If you are within a few feet, then probably not an issue.

[craigav]

Yes, calling is best. Not to start anything here but I have more than once been frustrated with certain parks that don't size rv's to the site. For example, I got the last site (that was large enough for my 32' and toad) once at a campground and they had plenty of small sites left, but they had given out all of the larger sites to very small RV's and in a couple of cases tent campers. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against tents and small RV's as that is where I started and have enjoyed for many years (I liked my truck camper the best but it was small). IMO, campgrounds should assign the smaller sites first to those RV'rs who don't need the larger sites, in other match the sites up as best as possible based on the RV length and needs.

[paul42]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

Best to double check. My experience at MN state parks, they measure from the concrete stop to the roadway. It is common for me to back my TT up until the wheels are getting close to the stop. This gives me more room in out front. Not doable at every site due to trees. But I often can gain a bit of room. Or slip my TT in to a slightly smaller spot.

This is a good point, and typically gives you a little fudge room. I have been in parks though, typically seems to happen most at forest service campgrounds, where the "concrete stop" is nothing more than a set of giant boulders that you can in no possible way back your bumper over / past / through. The really frustrating part is I've seen campsites that had plenty of room beyond the "stops", but for whatever reason, it was decided to minimize the available space.

[Kim Gass]

Bryce is fun
I recall that the site had fencing snd rocks to make perpendicular to your unit parking an issue.
Call them

[Bandit12]

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

For public campgrounds (USFS, BLM etc), this site is helpful for me: https://www.campsitephotos.com/ It gives you a good visual idea of the pad, adjacent trees etc.

A couple years back for Memorial Day, my DW wanted to go to a lake her Dad took her to as a kid, Convict Lake Cal. I google mapped the campground, used campsite photos, watched video of the campground, and determined I could easily fit our X23B into the site. When I got there, the forest service had not yet been able to clear the brush back from the roadways. I got the trailer in the site, but I also had limbs and branches in my tow vehicle. Since it was an older TV, I wasn't too concerned with scuffs on the body. Now with our new trailer and my new to me TV, there is no way in hell I could get into that same spot. I agree with what others have said, call the campground, ask, and make sure if you get there and can't fit in the site you reserved, you can switch into a non reserved site you CAN fit into.

[kirkelli]

Many parks measure the carved out section you park on and don’t consider the overhang between behind trailer wheels. I’,ve parked in many sites rated for 25’ with 36’ Eagle with no problems, Except once where they used large rocks to border the spot.. and of course, I cheated and rolled them back a few feet