Camping in state & fed parks

[BJo]

This may not be the place to post this, but since I don't know where to put it, I landed it here. We have a 92 Excella that I consider wonderful for 2 people. Our son & d-i-l & their daughter would occasionally like to go camping with us but they only have a 1/2 ton PU & can't afford to replace it. I suggested they consider a pop-up as it is light enough that their vehicle can handle it. Someone mentioned to d-i-l that pop-up campers are not allowed in federal (& maybe even state) parks because they are not bear proof. I've attempted to google it, but can't find any answers. Anyone heard this before?

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by BJo

This may not be the place to post this, but since I don't know where to put it, I landed it here. We have a 92 Excella that I consider wonderful for 2 people. Our son & d-i-l & their daughter would occasionally like to go camping with us but they only have a 1/2 ton PU & can't afford to replace it. I suggested they consider a pop-up as it is light enough that their vehicle can handle it. Someone mentioned to d-i-l that pop-up campers are not allowed in federal (& maybe even state) parks because they are not bear proof. I've attempted to google it, but can't find any answers. Anyone heard this before?

BJo,

It depends on the park and the campground. If there is a bear problem, then for safety you want only a hard sided camper. A few years ago, we were in Yellowstone and the Canyon campground was the only one with a hard sided restriction.

I have seen plenty of tents at the valley campgrounds in Yosemite.

Bill

[azflycaster]

We had a popup for many years. We camped at many Federal and State campgrounds with it. The only campground that I know of with that restriction is Fishing Bridge at Yellowstone. Not camping at that one is no loss to me. The campground looks like the parking lot at K-Mart.

[S C Streamer]

We have used our Coleman tent trailer at Yosemite N.P. for years, no problems or restrictions. Also at Sequoia / Kings Canyon N.P. and numerous CA State Parks with no problems either.

The parks that have bear problems usually have bear proof food lockers to store your food and other bear goodies like toothpaste,etc. .

Happy Camping,

Mark

[Boondocker]

As previously mentioned, there are a few places that will not allow the pop ups. In addition to Fishing Bridge at Yellowstone, I know that some of the national forest campgounds along the Wind river coridor are also restricted due to griz.

The real consideration for me in moving from a pop up to a hard side is that even though pop ups are allowed almost universally, you still have all the restrictions of tent camping in bear country, namely, having to store all food and smellables outside of the camper in bear boxes. To me this is a pain and I hate to spend 20 minutes in the morning hunting down my coffee and what not. Much better to have the pot on the stove and ready to go.

I would recomend thinking about a vintage airstream. As a point of reference, my 1968 Trade Wind is 24ft, has everything (shower ect), weighs about 4K empty and is verry much towable with a half ton. Furthermore, with a little careful shoping they can get into a nice unit for about the cost of a new pop up. The airstream should hold its value and outlast a pop up. Just my thoughts for what it is worth.

[Chaplain Kent]

Welcome to the forums. You did not say where you were from or where you will be doing most of your camping. I can assure you that in the mid-west there is no such restriction on pop ups in state parks. We recently travelled through Northern Georgia and stayed in state parks along with many pop ups, same as in Tennessee, Kentucky, SC and NC.
A used pop up camper is a great way to start camping if you don't have a lot of money to invest. We see many young families enjoying their vacations with their pop-ups. Whenever you are camping in a state or National park facility there is the possibility of meeting up with nature. Not only bears but raccoons, coyotes, skunks, fox, abandoned dogs and even cats can be present. When you follow good housekeeping practices and understand you are sharing the environment with these animals everyone can have a great time.