Visit our Popular Forums

barrettjl · 01-20-2012, 04:33 AM

Hi All,

I was reading some older posts, and there were several that said folks had chosen a 25FB (rather than a 27FB) because some State Parks had a 25' limit.

That confuses me because the 25FB is actually over 25', at 25' 11" (for a 2012).

Does the 25FB fall outside State (or National) Park restrictions of 25' or less?

Have folks had trouble finding places in State (or National) Parks for their 25FB?

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

RickDavis · 01-20-2012, 04:46 AM

Nobody runs out with a ruler, The lengths are only guidelines.
I have occasionally had to unhook because of short sites in older national parks but not a serious problem. You have nothing to be concerned about,
I have seen forest service sites where the book said 22 feet and a 14x70 mobile home would fit

dznf0g · 01-20-2012, 05:59 AM

I've yet to have been sized out of a campground with my 30'er. I know there are some tight ones out there, but I haven't run into them yet. Like Rick said, I've had to unhitch in a few.

handn · 01-20-2012, 07:11 AM

I have a 25 Safari and prefer to camp in county, state and forest service campgrounds. The only places where I have been "sized out" are sites designed for tents. Even older campgrounds designed before rv travel will usually have a site or two that will work for a trailer.
A campground directory will give you notice of a small campground. If things look tight, I will park and walk through first.
A 25 footer is idea for camping off the grid. It is big enough to be comfortable and small enough to be maneuvered.

ROBERT CROSS · 01-20-2012, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by handn

I have a 25 Safari and prefer to camp in county, state and forest service campgrounds. The only places where I have been "sized out" are sites designed for tents. Even older campgrounds designed before rv travel will usually have a site or two that will work for a trailer.
A campground directory will give you notice of a small campground. If things look tight, I will park and walk through first.
A 25 footer is idea for camping off the grid. It is big enough to be comfortable and small enough to be maneuvered.

Same here....

Bob

Road Geezer · 01-20-2012, 09:22 AM

We have a 27FB and have visited CA state parks in northern CA with no length problems. I don't know why parks post length limits quite a bit shorter than what their sites will actually handle.

We typically use Reserve America to make campsite reservations; and the website provides campground maps and individual campsite details listing max length. I can usually get a pretty good idea about ease of access from the map. For example, a site that is shown as angled off the roadway will probably be easier to back into than one that is perpendicular. Also double wide sites allow me to unhitch and park my TV next to our TT.

One municipal campground nearby sternly warns on their website that anyone with a TV / MH longer than 22' "will be directed to another campground !" In practice, the resident caretaker is quite flexible and we've seen RVs over 35' parked there. We've stayed many times with no problems.

Last weekend we were at Pfeiffer Big Sur and barely fit into the site; it was a really tight squeeze and we ended up parking our TV in the overflow area. Worked out fine.

The one rule we have found to be enforced rigorously is that once parked we can't stick out into the roadway. So as long as our TV's tongue is inside the campsite driveway, we're OK regardless of the length limitations.

In other words, we've found that there's typically lots of flex; we just don't over do it.

Silver Goose · 01-20-2012, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barrettjl

... Have folks had trouble finding places in State (or National) Parks for their 25FB? ...

Many park campgrounds were built when campers were shorter and narrower. It has been my experience that the public parks that state a 25' limit are saying in so many words that a trailer that size will likely fit in any trailer site but there may be many that will accommodate longer trailers, they just can't guarantee one will be available upon your arrival. Unlike the clean slate cookie cutter design of many commercial RV parks, sites in public campgrounds are often placed here and there among existing trees and rocks and none are alike. That also means nature's obstacles could make it particularly difficult to maneuver a longer trailer into an otherwise deep site. If given a choice, we often take a walk through the campground looking over the available sites and my DW remains at the one we decide on while I go back for the rig. I'd feel confident with a 25' in about any state or national park.

Silver Goose · 01-20-2012, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Road Geezer

... The one rule we have found to be enforced rigorously is that once parked we can't stick out into the roadway. So as long as our TV's tongue is inside the campsite driveway, we're OK regardless of the length limitations. ...

Another rule is the wheels must remain on the pavement. Sometimes they put a curb across the rear of the site. If the pavement extends that far, I use the curb as my rear wheel chock. Apparently it's okay for the stabilizers to touch the ground, they just look at the tires.

Alumaholic · 01-20-2012, 10:51 AM

To echo what the others have said, 25' is a great size because you can take so many places, especially in Texas where the State Parks seem to accomodate even the big rigs (probably because Texans do love their 5th-wheel travel trailers).

Here in NM, I am "sized out" of some NM State Parks with my 30.'
Since some NM State Parks have a limited number of spacious sites, I am sized out of a few more if those sites are taken.

I have only been to a couple NM State Parks where I would not have been able to get a 25' Airstream in and out.

The length of the tow vehicle becomes a consideration as well.

The combined length of any Airstream towed by a 2500HD, long-bed, crew-cab will keep that Airstream out of some spots where short-bed, single-cab could tow it.

Jammer · 01-20-2012, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barrettjl

Hi All,

Does the 25FB fall outside State (or National) Park restrictions of 25' or less?

Have folks had trouble finding places in State (or National) Parks for their 25FB?

Hi Jeff.

In the wide world out there, there are individual campsites of all imaginable sizes. As a result, any time your rig is a foot longer there are some places you can no longer stay.

For example we stayed at a modern Corps of Engineers campground last fall where some of the most desirable sites were about 18' long. They were occupied by a mixture of tents and pop-ups. We stayed in the same campground at a larger site a couple hundred yards away.

Another example would be Carley State Park, which was constructed specifically as a more rustic sister facility to Whitewater State Park (both in Minnesota). While Carley State Park is primarily intended to be a tent camping facility it is open to RVs. The park has a nominal length limit of 30 feet including tow vehicle. While this is not enforced, the sites are small and maneuvering a 25 foot trailer into them without damage would require skill.

Often times, in practice, you can use a small site if you unhitch. Some campgrounds require you to park your tow vehicle at the campsite but this is rare and exceptions are often granted if the rules are enforced at all.

I have heard reports of campgrounds that check vehicle length with a tape measure or with painted lines at the entrance gate, though this is rare.

But that's all fairly exceptional. I don't think we've ever been "sized out" of a campground where we wanted to stay, we've just had to stay at larger sites which tend to be placed farther from the natural attractions than small sites. It is rare for a situation to arise where the only remaining sites will accommodate a smaller RV but not our 30' trailer.

The biggest practical problem I've had, size wise, with a 30' trailer is in non-camping locations. In some residential areas I can't park without partially blocking driveways because the trailer+TV length is longer than the space available. At my house in the city I can't park in the driveway without blocking the sidewalk. The limited ground clearance, particularly the departure and breakover angles, are a problem on even some of the better forest roads.

But I like my 30' and would not want to be limited to anything smaller, because we frequently travel as a family or with friends.

Alumaholic · 01-20-2012, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jammer

Hi Jeff.

But I like my 30' and would not want to be limited to anything smaller, because we frequently travel as a family or with friends.

Thanks, Jammer, for bringing us back to what is important.
We would not go back to our 23' Airstream just to fit in some state park we might want to visit someday.

Jammer · 01-20-2012, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alumaholic

Thanks, Jammer, for bringing us back to what is important.
We would not go back to our 23' Airstream just to fit in some state park we might want to visit someday.

I am hoping at some point to get a second rig that is smaller and more nimble, but have no intention of getting rid of my 30'.

Alumaholic · 01-20-2012, 03:54 PM

This is exactly why we all need a "fleet" of Airstreams.

Boondocker · 01-20-2012, 06:41 PM

In my experience, the issue of size is generally more of an issue in National Parks and National Forests as opposed to state parks. Even most National Park Campgrounds have sites that will accommodate the bigger Airstreams. Having said that, the shorter you are, the more sites there will be that your camper will fit in and less chance you wont find a spot. A 25ft rig is a generally safe length for finding a spot.

I travel with a 24ft and have for several years (fairly extensively). For NP travel I think a 27ft unit would be as safe (in terms of fitting) and prob a 30 would be as well.

A final thought: sometimes its not the size of the site so much as maneuvering to get in it. Sometimes there are trees and rocks or posts in the way that create challenges. But that aside, I think the above is a reasonable account.

TG Twinkie · 01-20-2012, 06:49 PM

I have a 26' Argosy and have stayed in State Parks in Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa without problems. I tow with an extended cab long box pickup. Don't know about NF campgrounds but would expect there are places that won't accommodate my rig.

Photobitstream · 01-20-2012, 07:10 PM

Sometimes it is about getting to the campground, not fitting in the campground. Big Bend National Park recommends 22-foot or shorter trailers because the road to the campground is steep and has a lot of switchbacks. The Ancient Bristlecone Pine National Forest campground has no size limitations I am aware of, but I would not want to pull anything longer than 22-feet up the road from Big Pine, CA.

However, I would love to take my wife's Mini Cooper S Convertible up that road.

barts · 01-20-2012, 07:49 PM

We pull our 25' Tradewind with a 20' long truck; sometimes we have to unhitch. For very tight parking we have a front mounted hitch; this will really let one sneak the trailer into a tight spot.

We've only had to unhook in one site (in Oregon) so far; we'll try Yosemite next fall...

- Bart

Elf1 · 01-20-2012, 07:59 PM

Ok, IMHO, for 2cents worth we travel with a 34' and a crew cab with an 8' bed. The ONLY places we've been stopped are Mesa Verde, NP and Arches. That was it. Its about how comfortable you are with manuvering your rig, your ability to back and ability to handle tight places getting in and out. Once you get the hang of it...and you will...its just like riding a bike, you will have no problems at all. Just take it slow and try out your abilities in a parking lot with some buckets or cones as "trees" they move a LOT easier and dont have the "crunch" effect. Happy shopping and good luck with your choice
Rob

RickDavis · 01-20-2012, 08:03 PM

Your 25 will be OK at Mesa Verde, but you will need to unhook there

barrettjl · 01-21-2012, 04:44 AM

Thanks to all for the replies!

We have only had trouble one time with our current trailer (a 17' Casita) in Sequoia National Park, Lodgepole campground. The details said a 21' trailer would fit. The problem was it didn't mention the rocks in the way of turning to back into the site

. It took us 30 minutes (seemed like hours) to get into that spot. I wondered if somehow a site's Max Length took that into account, but it seems probably not.

We've also never had to pay attention to size limits on the roads getting to places as mentioned above. I'll have to start paying attention to that

Related question: When a road says "max length of xx feet", is it referring to the trailer length or the combined trailer + tow vehicle length?