The Prices!

We normally book most of our Florida and southern Georgia reservations for the coming winter while we're there the previous winter as soon as the reservation windows open. We had to hold off this year while we were waiting for my wife's medicine men and witch doctors to give her clearance to make the trip. Yesterday we got the go ahead thankfully, and over the course of the day I filled out an early January to mid-April trip to two Georgia state parks, seven Florida state parks, and one national forest campground schedule at prices ranging from $42 for a premium full hookup site in Georgia down to as low as $18 for an electric and water site at a Florida state park. Even a full hook up site at the Ocala National Forest Salt Springs campground was just $21.50 with our Senior Pass. Reservation fees and taxes are not included in those prices though. Granted, booking this late I didn't expect to find premium coastal sites, and the farthest south will go will be near Tampa. The point being, I guess, that Florida does not have to be expensive, and there are still sites available if you don't mind moving around every couple of weeks.

 

Having seen so many advice, here I just know an old saying: The higher (is) the price, the better (is) the quality of the merchandise.

 

Ahhh, if only that were always true, Monica...

 

Hi - we've been to our county park site and no, we did NOT have to pay any day fee. This was part of our overnight fee. I will put a shout out for Emigrant Lake near Ashland, Oregon - lovely except for the fire season horrible air! Still, lovely place. What we saw of it. Did I say horrible air?

 

I think is generally the best idea, of course!

But you yourself said you had to hold off a bit for medical clearance, and it's been the case for us that we haven't always been able to book far in advance. Plus, at least here on the West Coast, some regional parks will have weird "windows" for booking - meaning, you can't book too far ahead, either. I know one popular park, Dockweiler State Beach in Los Angeles (near us) you can book something like seven or eight months ahead, but no further than that. In our case, we did a shakedown time there right after we bought our rig, but it was April and we had no problem booking for then even at the last minute - and yes, it rained! So not a primo time of year, but primo enough for us.

Bottom line, there are bargains out there but you have to be prepared to do your homework, work with windows that exist, and really . . . get lucky.

 

Yes, unfortunately, it isn't the case at all in the RV Park world. Some parks are hidden gems and very inexpensive, and some parks are over entitled, bloated blobs on the landscape. And sometimes you have to stay in the blob (hopefully for just a night) and suck it up.

 

So for a bit of perspective - our prices per night so far:

Bakersfield - $27 (check only)
West Sacramento - $58 (that's WITH the good sam discount)
Emigrant Lake, Ashland, OR - $30 (that includes the day use fee - there was an $8 booking fee)
Portland, OR - $38-40 (not sure because we were charged weirdly - which I still have to straighten out - and we are here 10 days, so 7 are at a weekly rate and 3 are not).
Kennewick, WA - $53 (pull through site)
Coeur d'Alene - $41 - (now this is an after Labor Day rate and not near the water)

So with the exception, so far, of West Sacramento which was an old KOA park (emphasis on OLD) but with plenty of kid stuff to do . . . still too high in my book based on location and age of camp . . . we're doing okay.

It looks like the Missoula/Lolo area will be okay, too. The square dance place is up from when we stayed there a couple of years ago, but it's still within the $30-35 a night rate which works for us big time, plus it's very pretty there on the creek. (and a nicer creek than what was there in Sacramento!)

The Kennewick Park looks all brand new, so I'm okay with the rates, although we won't be utilizing any of the upgraded stuff.

We are considering Zion NP and a camp nearby but it's in the $50-60/night rate. And a few of the other places along the way in Idaho Falls and Salt Lake City should be between $40-50 a night.

Last night before we tuck the rig away for awhile will be in Vegas, and we've stayed before at the Oasis - it's not cheap there! But we liked it before and we will only stay overnight or maybe 2 nights, so who cares? By then, I'll be ready for the pools and cafe and Ben & Jerry's from the camp store.

 

One more comment to this thread. We don't like having to pay high prices for any park we stay at however what we really don't like is paying a high price and then finding out that the park is nothing like what the pics and website show it to be. That's when we feel like we've been ripped off. And in saying that we never go back to any park that has given us that feeling. Look for prices in many parks and campgrounds to continue to escalate in the coming years. A decade from now it shouldn't come as a surprise to any RVer to be paying prices of $100/night and more for just an average park. Not trying to sound negative here, just saying what I feel we all have to look forward to down the line........

Safe travels, BankShot................(aka Terry)

 

Yeah, some parks just like you said, overpraised but actually not; or some are very nice but have't been known by so many people. So we should share the nice parks and let more people know about them.

 

Isn't that the whole purpose of RV Park Reviews? To let people know about the good and the bad of the parks we visit?

 

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Spot on Dutch. I'll drink to that..............

BankShot.............(aka Terry)

 

We've got a nice big bottle of Crown Royal in our rig - all ready for you guys!

Yes, agreed that prices will continue to escalate at RV Parks - but still . . . I prefer them to motels and hotels. Naturally, as we're happy RVers, and occasional fliers and stayers in hotels - and then grumblers at the prices for that "privilege".

No, I'll hang out in my RV, sleep in my own bed, and so on and yeah, okay, grumble a bit about prices . . . and still be happy I'm there and not in an overpriced chain motel somewhere.

 

"Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white"

Don't you have your spear gun with you at all times Mike?.................

Swim on, Terry..............(aka BankShot)

 

Can I be invited to share the Crown Royal. I'm a Rye and Ginger fan!......and I'll behave!

 

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Hey Rollin - I have a 1969 bottle of Walker's we can sample next time you're going by the MV turnoff on I-80. :And if that don't trip your trigger I also have an unopened bottle of 15 year old Schenley "Order of Merit" that was casked in Sept. of 1957 / bottled in Dec. of 1972 just waiting for a special occasion to be opened and sampled also. Although from what I've found out about it, it's now worth a few bucks to certain whiskey collectors so I may have to reneg on that offer..... Travel safe and keep the cork firmly in the bottle, and preferably on its side to keep the cork most and the good stuff inside from evaporating..........

Regards, Terry..............(aka BankShot)

PS: A good Canadian never behaves because behaving means having no fun.........

 

Very detailed information about the price of parking. Really appreciate it!

 

At that point we may as well go back to traveling in the minivan and stay in hotels.

 

uh... we camped at Glacier NP last year and [not including the stealth camp nights] it was the cheapest night we spent! Just $10 for a "dry camp" site at St. Marys