reservations?

[runningbarre]

We are newbies at this just bought our first a.s. and want to get towing, we do not know if we need to make reservations at campgrounds? we have a 34 ft classic and want to go see michigan's u.p .and traverse bay, any help greatly appreciated! do you belong to koa or any other group, does wbcci have more info on this we have just sent in our members at large membership;can we just drive in to a campground and expect a spot or do we need to reserve?

[eubank]

It pretty much depends on location, on the season and on holidays. If you're heading for a super popular location (e.g., Grand Canyon, south rim) at pretty much any time of the year, it'd be worth your while to get a reservation. And if you're heading out during holiday season (e.g., Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day), then, again, try to get a reservation. And, of course, seasons count: Shoulder season is earlier than middle of season, but it's not a bad idea just to check ahead to make sure that your destination campground is open at all during shoulder or off season.

Discounts are a different story. There are several flavors available ...

'Course, you could also boondock! Your rig can do it!


Lynn

[loudruff]

Hi there! We are just sw of Cleveland in La Grange. We have been having some fun camping around Ohio. With a 31 footer plus tow vehicle you may have more difficulty finding campgrounds with longer sites for you. It may be that calling ahead is the way to go. Larry and I have not yet had a problem but we have a small Argosy Minuet 6.7 m. Most State Parks have what they call "walk in" areas or sites which are available to those who just show up. They are usually not premium sites and they are usually few in number. Ohio is the heart of it all. Summer time is a prime time, so this time of year it is probably smart to call ahead on weekends. During early spring and late fall when the young uns are in school we have not found a problem.
Larry and I were in the UP of MI in the fall and did not have a problem up there. There are boondocking opportunities in the UP. We don't find many of those in OH, unless you want to find the WalMarts and truck stops.
Here in Ohio there are bunches of us here on the forums and we have been trying to get together whenever possible. We have made lots of new OH friends and we have had some fun forums rallies. Larry and I are not members of any formal groups. We have found this forum group to be very special.
The Cardinal Card or the Golden Buckeye are two ways to get lower prices for campsites at various State Parks in Ohio. They give greater discounts during weekdays. Since Larry and I are both retired now, we can start taking advantage of the weekday discounts. LOL
We have an Ohio opportunity coming up at Westbranch SP Aug. 21-24 and you will find that on the Calendar here on the forums. Here is the link to the thread.http://www.airforums.com/forums/f288...nch-41872.html
Do you have a tow vehicle or are you currently looking?
Hope you can join us soon!
Lou and Larry

[Jim Foster]

We are usually traveling along the west coast and always make reservations if we know for certain when we want to stay in a particular area. State and National campgrounds usually charge for reservations, so we avoid them in favor of "mom and pop" RV parks which almost never have a reservation fee and many times have very liberal cancellation policies. We use a credit card to make the reservation, but most do not charge anything to the card until your visit is complete, or you do not cancel in time.

Better than making the trip and finding "no room at the Inn".

[runningbarre]

thanks for all your help we were hoping to get away before school starts, but teenager has football, enough said about scheduling things!! We are unsure about the get together in august at west branch,want to but unsure if schedule will permit, yes we have a ford 250 to pull and we have made sure that the lights, towing gear is ready, we have a local spot to camp but are wanting to see the rest of the world!! thanks for all your help this is a great site and we do a lot of lurking, not much posting yet but are getting scads of info, thanks again guys John and Julie

[2airishuman]

hi 'barre and welcome to the forums AND 'streaming!

as already suggested IF you know WHEN and WHERE ya wanna camp and NEED a guaranteed spot...

make a reservation.

otoh if it's not a big holiday and u are flexible, a spot can usually be found somewhere.

others have explored this issue here...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f368...buy-40383.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/...ons-33575.html

keep in mind each trip into an area is preparation for the NEXT trip into the same locale...

my travel is 1% reservations and 80% improvisation...

so that leaves 19% for the imagination...

cheers
2air'

[UpNorthAir]

You are heading right to my back yard ... I recommend staying at MI State Parks. Three that come to mind are Traverse City State Park, Petoskey State Park, and Young State Park. During the months of June, July, and August these parks are really full and I would recommend making a reservation. The state has a really good online system here is the link.

Michigan CRS Reservation Service

I have heard that there have been cancelations this year at Young State Park -- Young State Park Detail -- I would check them out and see if you can get a spot. This park is beautiful, Awesome Beach! I take the kids swimming here all the time . Its about 5 miles down the road from my house. The park is close to Boyne City, a really kewl "Small Town America" with concerts and festivals going on all summer. Incredible sunsets while enjoying a Kilwins Waffle Cone .


Petoskey State Park sits on Little Traverse Bay, Lake MI. Beautiful park and beach, but much colder water. Traverse Bay State Park is nice but not my idea of getting away from it all. Its right next to US31 the main drag into Traverse City, but it does have a beautiful beach.

There is a KOA in Petoskey. I've never been there, plus it is not on the water .

If you are into boondocking, there is Fisherman's Island State Park just south of Charlevoix right on Lake MI. Really kewl but no electrical hook up.

So I guess to answer your question would be yes it is wise to have a reservation up here during peak times (June, July, and August). I book mine 6 months in advance, they get booked up pretty fast.

Good Luck,
Joe

[Gene]

We use the same standards we used for motels in deciding whether to make a reservation: how busy is it, is the location very desirable, are we going to be traveling late, etc.

The problem we've encountered in the 4 Corners area is that many RV campgrounds don't answer their phones. We get a machine and leave a message, but they don't return the call (or call weeks later). Or there's a message to call between 4 and 6 pm, or before 4:30 pm or whatever times they pick which usually don't work for us. Or maybe no machine at all. Or just come in and pick a spot (but will there be one?). Pretty independent people and they don't get our business.

For state parks in Colorado, during the summer months, a reservation is necessary. In the winter, the system on the internet lies and tells you everything is reserved. It's run by some private company that posts screwy things on their website. I understand some other states' parks are equally confusing off season—same company does the reservations.

Gene

[moosetags]

Welcome to The Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

We usually make reservations for a campground. You just never know when a certain campground will be booked. When we are just passing through an area, we will do the truck stop or Wal-mart thing if we can't get into a campground.

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by UpNorthAir

This park is beautiful, Awesome Beach! I take the kids swimming here all the time . Its about 5 miles down the road from my house. The park is close to Boyne City, a really kewl "Small Town America" with concerts and festivals going on all summer. Incredible sunsets while enjoying a Kilwins Waffle Cone .

Joe

Ooooh, you hit a nerve, a good one. I lived in Boyne City, early 50's, as a boy of 12+. I just loved that area. Sounds like it has grown just a tad. I would liked to have stayed but the folks just HAD to move to Calif.
Neil

[UpNorthAir]

Originally Posted by FreshAir

Ooooh, you hit a nerve, a good one. I lived in Boyne City, early 50's, as a boy of 12+. I just loved that area. Sounds like it has grown just a tad. I would liked to have stayed but the folks just HAD to move to Calif.
Neil

See if any of looks familair to you.

Boyne City: Americas Home Town


Boyne Chamber - Area Photos

Joe

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by UpNorthAir

See if any of looks familair to you.

Boyne City: Americas Home Town


Boyne Chamber - Area Photos

Joe

Of course it's familiar . It has only been about 58 years since I lived there. Hardly changed at all. Kidding aside I have happy memories from living there. I left when I was 14. Strangely 2 weeks ago my niece (my late brother's daughter) was visiting from Anchorage and blurted out that she had been recently in Boyne City. The conversation was interupted so I did not quiz her further. Obviously she went there because her dad told her how happy he was there too. Thank you for the links.
Neil.

[gaylejoe]

We are finishing up our 3 month outting with our AS. We have been from Texas to the West Coast up through OR, WA, ID, MT, WY, NE, and KS. The only place we needed reservations was inside Yellowstone and was over the July 4th weekend. The RV parks where we have stayed are not full so there is a good chance you can just drive up. Although we are only pulling a 25 footer most of the campground can accomodate your rig.

[Gene]

The problem with making or not making reservation is you don't know until you get there whether you needed them. When we are going to places that are destinations for many people, it's a weekend, we know we are going to get there late, or we find out the town is having some sort of massive celebration of being settled 150 years ago and every man has to have a beard (it's safe because I already have one), we try to err on the side of making reservations. Sometimes there's only one place we want to go because of things we want (internet access is a big one for us) or there only two places anywhere nearby and one seems to be crummy. Sometimes we get there and half the place is empty. No harm done so long as we don't use too many cellphone minutes.

The problem is that, as I wrote before, RV parks often don't answer the phone or call back. Last time we went to Denver, we called 3 places and only one answered. They got the business, and when we got there, we wished one of the others had answered. We haven't being doing this very long but we often find the place that works for us best won't answer the phone. Are others having this problem contacting RV parks, or do they just don't like us?

Gene

[eubank]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

The problem with making or not making reservation is you don't know until you get there whether you needed them. ...

It's a pain, I know. Unless it's a major holiday weekend, when we'd be full anyway, we more or less expect a little fluctuation in arrivals and departures for reservations. We just ask folks to keep in touch.

The problem is that, as I wrote before, RV parks often don't answer the phone or call back.... Gene

Duh. You'd think they'd have figured out how to use a phone by now; it's only been around for a century or so.

Lynn

[pilgrim]

If we're going to ANY kind of campground on a Fri. or Sat. we'll make a reservation. If during the week, we have found there is usually plenty of room - that's the basic plan. To date, we've never gone anyplace without a reservation. I traveled for many years (before retirement) and I always planned ahead. Knowing I have a place to stay tonight gave me a lot more relaxation than not knowing and worrying until I arrived. The computer and the telephone make it so easy today.