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JDnBeastlet · 08-20-2013, 11:52 AM

I would like to know if anyone has towed a 34' Airstream with a ProPride 3P or Hensley Arrow through the sharp turns in the Woodlands CG in Sandbanks Provincial Park (Ontario). I'm pretty sure I've seen that combo in that spot - I'm just hoping that someone here has done it!

Yes, I know it's a VERY specific question. No joy on Google so here it is.

We have a 30' SOB and we camp every year in Woodlands. There are some very tight turns on the road through the CG and with the way our 3P cuts the trailer in behind we have to be sure to follow the outside of the curves with the tow vehicle.

We're interested in the 34' Airstreams from the 80s and are wondering if anyone here has been there and done that. We are not willing to sacrifice the park for the length!

While I'm at it, anyone with a 34 footer having problems finding sites in Ontario Provincial Parks?

Thanks!

andreasduess · 08-20-2013, 08:24 PM

I will be picking up our 34' 1984 International this coming Friday, complete with Hensley hitch. While I can't report on towability at CG, we've had no problems finding and booking camp sites for our upcoming visits to Long Point, McRae, Earl Rowe and Presqu'ile.

The Pinery was the only park where I couldn't get space for this year, but then it's one of the most popular parks. Especially if you're prepared to dry camp without power, sites are ample.

pmclemore · 08-21-2013, 09:05 AM

We're heading up your way, but more to the east in mid-to-late Sept. Thousand Islands area then down the St Lawrence. We have a 31-footer and know what you mean about tight turns in prov parks.

We enjoy the dry-camp spots but don't kick when we can pick up hyrdo too - makes everything just a bit easier.

Pat

BradB · 08-21-2013, 10:58 AM

I'm going to try getting a 34' into Woodlands in a few weeks but with an Eaz-Lift. Not quite as long but still a big combo.

BradB · 08-21-2013, 11:00 AM

We have had difficulty getting sites period at Bon Echo - no matter what size. I've noticed that it is often possible to fit in smaller sites. We had one at Algonquin last week that was for a 30' and we could have got a 40' in it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDnBeastlet

I would like to know if anyone has towed a 34' Airstream with a ProPride 3P or Hensley Arrow through the sharp turns in the Woodlands CG in Sandbanks Provincial Park (Ontario). I'm pretty sure I've seen that combo in that spot - I'm just hoping that someone here has done it!

Yes, I know it's a VERY specific question. No joy on Google so here it is.

We have a 30' SOB and we camp every year in Woodlands. There are some very tight turns on the road through the CG and with the way our 3P cuts the trailer in behind we have to be sure to follow the outside of the curves with the tow vehicle.

We're interested in the 34' Airstreams from the 80s and are wondering if anyone here has been there and done that. We are not willing to sacrifice the park for the length!

While I'm at it, anyone with a 34 footer having problems finding sites in Ontario Provincial Parks?

Thanks!

andreasduess · 08-21-2013, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradB

We have had difficulty getting sites period at Bon Echo - no matter what size. I've noticed that it is often possible to fit in smaller sites. We had one at Algonquin last week that was for a 30' and we could have got a 40' in it.

I noticed that when looking at site sizes - they're frequently much larger than stated.

Has anybody ever run into an issue with park staff checking trailer length? I think that our 34' would fit into 99.9% of all Provincial Park sites marked for "up to 32'"

AldeanFan · 08-21-2013, 12:37 PM

My parents had a problem at Port Burwell, the trailer would have fit on the site but there was no way to get the trailer around the loop to the site. I suggest you scout the area on foot before committing to a road, You may have to get creative and drive the wrong way around the loop or use a neighboring site as a maneuvering point to get where you need to go.

I have never seen a trailer measured at a provincial park, and I have seen trailers on sites that were clearly too large for the site. I always believed that provincial park size limits were intended to help campers reserve sites appropriate for their rig and not to police who camps on what site.

We keep a note book in the trailer to record our favorite sites in each park we stay at so we know what to reserve for the next trip. We also write notes in our NextExit book about gas stations, rest areas, shopping malls and grocery stores that are easy to park in, or should be avoided.

andreasduess · 08-21-2013, 01:41 PM

I wasn't suggesting that I would cram the trailer into a tiny site - but adding the "up to 32'" option often opens up sites where there weren't any before.

BradB · 08-22-2013, 01:27 AM

I don't think the park staff care as long as you don't try to cut down trees to fit. Honestly, I don't even think they know which trailer belongs to which person in the line on a busy day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by andreasduess

I noticed that when looking at site sizes - they're frequently much larger than stated.

Has anybody ever run into an issue with park staff checking trailer length? I think that our 34' would fit into 99.9% of all Provincial Park sites marked for "up to 32'"

JDnBeastlet · 08-22-2013, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradB

I'm going to try getting a 34' into Woodlands in a few weeks but with an Eaz-Lift. Not quite as long but still a big combo.

Hey Brad,

Look forward to hearing about your experience.

aimcom · 08-30-2013, 01:40 PM

we have a 30' with a hensley. our challenge last summer and this summer has been finding provincial spots at all, because we didn't book early enough ahead of time.
we just bought our trailer last summer and didn't/couldn't start booking until we actually had it, and by that time everything was gone.
this summer, after the fact, our older son's hockey team decided to hold their hockey camps each week in August, which was when we had planned to take our vacation. Suddenly, we were scrambling for weekends because that's all we could take.
(we like having electric for the microwave and a/c, but it's not a necessity.)
On the plus side, I can say that there's no "up to 32" sites, that we've camped on yet (in ontario, we've been to macgregor point, killbear, algonquin lake of 2 rivers, charleston, and ivy lea, so far), that you couldn't have also fit your 34.
We have also stayed on some "up to 18" sites from time to time that you could maybe get into, too - you have to be prepared to strategize; and be pretty darn good at backing up; and definitely not try it as night time closes in ;-) which always seems to happen to us, as it's hard to be timely when you have young kids with you ;-) i think kids were put here to test us ;-)
another thing, there's a couple of 18' sites this weekend up here at algonquin that're big enough, but the trees across from the site, and on the site, would make backing in very tricky.

cwf · 08-30-2013, 06:49 PM

With our 3p it "turns inside" our TV track. So, if you swing wide it may be doable.

andreasduess · 08-30-2013, 08:24 PM

We just returned from beautiful Long Point on Lake Erie. I was really glad that we didn't get one of the more scenic sites and instead ended up with a site at the main drag. It was still quiet, green and secluded and the scenic sites were a nightmare to get in, even with a smaller trailer.

Beautiful, but sloped and sandy ground. It also didn't help that it was raining hard when we arrived. As I had already been soaked filling the fresh water, that wasn't a perfect start.

Tomorrow morning we are off to Balsam Lake for the long weekend.

MrUKToad · 08-30-2013, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andreasduess

Tomorrow morning we are off to Balsam Lake for the long weekend.

You must have booked early! I couldn't get into Balsam Lake midweek this summer

Some of the access roads in Provincial Parks can be narrow and make getting that big backing up turn correct first time quite difficult.

andreasduess · 08-31-2013, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrUKToad

You must have booked early! I couldn't get into Balsam Lake midweek this summer

Some of the access roads in Provincial Parks can be narrow and make getting that big backing up turn correct first time quite difficult.

We booked last week, while at Long Point. They had a number of spaces open.
Always check for cancellations.

BradB · 10-16-2013, 08:57 AM

Here's my report from Sandbanks:

I would be very careful in Woodlands with a 34. The site we were supposed to have indicated a 32' was possible but there was no way we could have gotten in that site. Usually a site that is listed for 32' is huge but I'm not sure that even a Bambi would be able to fit in it. Even the roads are pretty difficult to manoeuvre around let alone trying to back into a site with a tree in the middle of the entrance.

Geobie07 · 10-16-2013, 09:46 AM

We were at Sandbanks with our 30' (with Hensely) this past summer (#614 in Woodlands - perfect site). The corners were tight but completely doable. There were many large SOB's in there, so while it might be tight I don't see why it would not be possible.
[Site #614 says only trailers up to 32', but the site is much larger than it appears on the Ontario Parks website pictures, and 2 of the trees showing in the picture have been taken down - I think you could fit a 40' trailer in there!]

Aviator · 10-16-2013, 12:57 PM

I can't speak to Sandbanks, but last year we were part of a group who accidentally towed our trailers through the "Dragons Tail" in North

Carolina.Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, motorcycle and sport car two lane tourism serving Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, Cherohala Skyway, Moonshiner28, Devils Triangle, and Six Gap North Georgia.

We made it through without a problem and I was towing a 34' with a ProPride.

andreasduess · 10-16-2013, 01:16 PM

We just had a beautiful, but very tight, spot at Presqu'ile, #121 in Pines. What I should have done was take the loop the "wrong" way, but when I realized that it was too late. I then managed to back it in with inches to spare.

The site itself was large enough, but the turning space was limited due to trees. Glad we had the Hensley and that our TV is nimble.

I drove out the way I should have backed in, much easier.

BradB · 10-17-2013, 06:06 AM

Yes, I'm sure 614 would have been fine. I'm talking about site 651 - that section of Woodlands is not at all easy to manoeuvre. Interestingly, there were no trailers in the treed section of that part, only in the open field.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geobie07

We were at Sandbanks with our 30' (with Hensely) this past summer (#614 in Woodlands - perfect site). The corners were tight but completely doable. There were many large SOB's in there, so while it might be tight I don't see why it would not be possible.
[Site #614 says only trailers up to 32', but the site is much larger than it appears on the Ontario Parks website pictures, and 2 of the trees showing in the picture have been taken down - I think you could fit a 40' trailer in there!]