Campground Sticker Shock - RV-Dreams Community Forum

FreeToRoam · RV-Dreams Family Member

Campground Sticker Shock

ahoweth · RV-Dreams Family Member

Some Rv parks are pretty expensive, especially at certain peak times of the year. Around $50 is the highest we have paid so far for a single night of camping. That was in Frankenmuth Michigan. It was a Jellystone park. I have seen some places with rates over $100 per night in season. These have been on the gulf coast, during winter months. Some of the Outdoor America parks can be pretty pricey too.

We have joined several campground discount organizations to partially avoid high overnight fees. A few of the are Escapees, Passport America, Good Sam, etc. So far we have been extremely happy with Passport America.

This is just our experiences. We haven't done anything like an indepth study about prices.

Speedhitch · RV-Dreams Family Member

Freetoroam, you are correct there are some high price RV parks out there. As Allen stated above you can find some dooosies. You might want to look at the weekly rates. You'll find that they will break down at a much lower rate per day when you stay a week and your electric will still be in with your rent. When you have more time and you can stay a month at a time you will see an even better rate when broken down by day. Your electric will be tacked on to this but if you conserve it still comes out cheaper. Shop around there are good deals out there but you have to look for them. I am sure some of our members here have stayed in that area and should be able to let you know of a cheaper place.

Joe and Sherri

FD5 · RV-Dreams Family Member

We paid just over $70 a night on the beach in North Carolina.

Kaisooba · RV-Dreams Community Member

We pulled into the Newport Dunes Resort, In Newport Beach CA. The waterfront lots were $240 per night..! They have I think 30 of these all but two were full! Could not believe it! We were four rows back at $68 a night. We could not believe people would pay that much money to sleep in there own rig....Different strokes for different folks I guess.

mikeway · RV-Dreams Family Member

French Quarter RV Resort in New Orleans charged $72 for an elegant park with 24 hour security.

Mike

FreeToRoam · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. Now, my rate in Jackson doesn't sound so high..everything is relative, I guess. And, we've also been told that when we see the area, the breath-taking beauty will make us forget all about the price of the campsite. Never been to that neck of the woods and we're looking forward to it. Thanks again.

blijil · RV-Dreams Family Member

Check out the outrageous $13-$15 a night to dry camp in most National Forest Campgrounds these days. On the other hand Wolf Creek Campground in Pagosa Springs CO was so high ($70 a night) that we were willing to drive a few miles more each day and pay almost $35 a night at a weekly rate. You can still by a lot of gasoline for the difference and even my gashog didn't burn the $35 a day difference and accomodations weren't quite so elegant but at least satisfactory.

Larry and Jacki

Oh how about $35 a night for a nothing location like Taos. Unless you like sage.

Luvglass · RV-Dreams Family Member

We paid $80 for an ocean front site in Florida and have read of over $125 a night in the Florida Keys. There are some really expensive places out there, but luckily, there are many reasonable CG's to choose from. State, County, and Federal parks are usually the best values and offer some of the nicest surroundings.
Fred

RVDude · RV-Dreams Family Member

Stay in the Teton National Park at Colter Bay, room enough for a 45footer easily - BTDT. No sticker shock when you stay with the Feds! Colter Bay beats every private CG around there for location and beauty. Much smaller rigs can fit in the other NP CGs with ease and are even closer to Jackson town proper.

It does seem the nicer private CGs (i.e. pseudo-resorts) are in the $60-80/day range and even the KOA type CGs are often in the $30-50/day range. Needless to say, I avoid the KOA type of CGs as much as possible - I just can't figure out the value of staying at them. But, that's just me... Unplugged is not a problem, it's an advantage!

I did pay $125/day 4 years ago for a fabulous private beach front site in a crappy CG in the Keys, but just for a couple days.

-- Edited by RVDude at 22:49, 2008-03-30

Old Snipe · RV-Dreams Family Member

$70 for one night (and only one night) at a campground in PA along Rt.78. There is a Cabela's just a few miles down the road that was configured for RV's, complete with dump station, etc. Unfortunatley, the local town passed an ordinance for no overnight stays in their parking lot. You wouldn't suspect the local campground owners had anything to do with that, do you?

OTOH, $9 a night in Key West, no hookups, $14 FHU, at the military base.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose... smile

Best Regards!

alspa · RV-Dreams Community Member

Probably because this (Jackson Hole Area) was or is Bill Clintons playground...He Jammed up the highway going north of Jackson for hours with his caravan of Secret Service and entourage several years ago when we were there. Jackson is not bad a little south of Town, and very reasonable if you go to the Gros Ventre ??check spelling US Forest servic campground north of Jackson near Yellowstone,with a small rig. Neat place by the river We saw a Moose when we woke up out our front window in the river. Jackson Has that super inlaid with silver dollars bar as a fun place near the park with all the antlers at the entrances. Enjoy ....it's only money, use the bucks and enjoy the years before you run out. We liked Jackson and if you go west from there into the Caribu Mountains to Soda Springs, you can camp in the national forests....if you have a generator and full tank of fresh water......Great area on the way to Pocatello, with stops at the hot springs at Lava Hot Springs.. No big rigs will fit- last time we were there, it was 24 to 26' to nose into campsite right up to the bushes by the river to get off the roadway around the campground without sticking out....