I personally do not like it for two reasons. First the risk of not having a site to suit my 35ft rig, weather it be due to slope or position of trees etc. Second, we tend to travel with a group but all arrive at different times. When we went to Skidaway the first one there chose all the sites. Thankfully one of us arrived early enough to snag 3 together. But if we could not get there early, we ran the risk of not being near each other. Why camp together if we can't be together. Makes it hard with little ones too.
I am still wayne_tw wrote: I believe Georgia State parks allow you to reserve a site based on size, and classified by a color system. For example, if you need a 30' site and reserve one of those, you can have your pick of any 30' sites available. What's wrong with that? The OP implies that you should have a campsite reserved and when you arrive, there may only be a 16' site available for your 45' motorhome. I don't think that is how it works.
Our experience is that their system does not work. For example; one of our favorite GSP's is Vogel, near Blairsville. They have quite a few real great sites for large RVs like our 38ft 5er. They also have a separate pop up loop, that big trailers cannot get into due to trees and turns, and the size of sites. What happens is anyone can reserve anything they want over the net. So we get there and there is a pop up or a backpacking tent set up on a site that could hold a 45 ft MH, and the pop up loop is empty. Not all of the 40ft sites are really 40 ft, and many of them have little twists and turns that I could not shoe horn into. Makes it real tough. Like the OP, I called GSP last year and asked about site speciffic reservations, and got the same answer. They NEVER intend to do it, and could not really tell me why. Could be they really do cater to the locals, and I guess since the locals taxes pay for the parks, maybe they should, but it makes us think twice before going to some of the nicest parks in the southeast. Pity.
So if you pulled into a CG that takes site specific reservations and found a bunch of tenters and pop-ups in 40ft sites (even one of your prime sites) you would be ok with that? They paid the same as everyone else shouldn't they have the same options?
Quote: So if you pulled into a CG that takes site specific reservations and found a bunch of tenters and pop-ups in 40ft sites (even one of your prime sites) you would be ok with that? They paid the same as everyone else shouldn't they have the same options?
I agree 100% !!! They have just as much right to those sites as anybody else. They paid the campsite fee and should be able to camp in whatever they choose !! In reading some of the previous comments it sounds like tenters, pop-ups, and small campers are expected to by-pass the best sites "JUST IN CASE" somebody towing a rolling condo shows up....and when I reserve "specific" sites at local COE parks, they don't tell me "where the trees are located".....and someone mentioned Vogel State Park...they have some really nice sites on the creek...we went last spring and got one of them..I believe that if you could reserve those specific sites, they would be booked all the time by the same people making it difficult for the rest of us to ever get them....This has been debated over and over, I just feel like nobody should have to "settle" for the small sites just because some people choose to have huge rigs....these are "campgrounds", not "RV Parks" and I believe everyone has the right to use all sites in the park...and I am glad GA has no plans of changing the current system...just my opinion.
JENNIFER AND DUANE
BUFORD, GA
'10 STARCRAFT TRAVELSTAR 217RBSS
2002 GMC 2500 HD 6.0 4x4 4.10
SO MANY PLACES, SO LITTLE TIME
Bodyshop Bob - Where did you get your information about TN state parks taking reservations? There are only three parks that currently take any kind of reservations, the rest are strictly first come, first served. I know of one park (not sure about the other two)that you can reserve a specific site but only half of the park sites are reservable. I hope you are right that changes are coming.
BTW, even though I mentioned in a previous post that I like the GA state park system, it would be great to reserve a specific site. Our favorite park is Vogel but there is probably 1 or 2 sites that I cannot get in to. One of them was open on the creek this past visit but could not get in to it and had to get a site off of the creek.
And...I will probably rattle some folks with this but I have to say it. If you are going to buy a monster fifth wheel or travel trailer, please do not complain about not being able to fit into some of the oldest state parks or national forest campgrounds. It is common knowledge that the sites are often smaller with more trees than private or newer parks. I have watched several of these try to get in to sites at Vogel only to get ticked off and blast out of the campground.
RedGATitan wrote: So if you pulled into a CG that takes site specific reservations and found a bunch of tenters and pop-ups in 40ft sites (even one of your prime sites) you would be ok with that? They paid the same as everyone else shouldn't they have the same options?
Not at all where I'm coming from! I do not look down on the little guys! I have been a tenter all my life, and I pulled pop ups for over 30 years. What I am saying is that all the sites at Vogel are listed as 40ft except the pop up loop sites, so when I make a reservation for one I should reasonably expect to be able to get on the site. However, many of the sites are not going to work because of hills, bends in the site, etc. Example: So I get there and there are two sites left. Both 40 feet. One has a bit of a dog leg in it that a tent or a pop up would have no problem with. The other is straight. A guy with a tent gets there just ahead of me and takes the straight site. We both paid for a 40 ft site, and we both drove 400 miles to get there. But I can 't physically get on my site. How in the world can anyone say that is a fair way to work? Also, how many of the smaller rigs say they are, for example only 20 feet long, reserve for 20 feet, and take a 40 ft site anyway? No one at the park polices that.
Someone else on here made a comment that seems to infer folks with big rigs should stay away from older state and national parks. However, I know for a fact that Vogel has many sites that big rigs can easily get into, because I have been on them. I also know that one of my other favorite parks, Black Rock Mountain, has virtually no sites I can get into since I gave up my pop up, so sadly I can no longer go there. I do not expect to shove my way into a site that is too small. That's why I want to be able to reserve a specific site before I get there.
washley - Sorry if my comments were misunderstood. I don't think that those with big rigs should stay away from the older parks, but please understand that you may not be able to get into the available spots if you have a very large rig. And, I do feel your pain on the tent/pop up sites at Vogel. I had the same thing happen to me this year. There were several folks complaining about this very thing during our stay there in July and I heard many of them say that they were going to talk with the new manager about it. I really can't complain since we stayed on some of the bigger sites when we had a popup.
I think that is the point. If you reserve a specific site number you are assured after a LONG drive you will fit. But if you have to choose one of many, you could have an issue. We all know not all sites are created equal even though they may have the same "length" or "category" according to the reservation system.
Regardless of the size of my rig, I don't like knowing that I may not get a site in the location or layoout that works for my family and it is not always size either.
Geez I haven't tried to book a state park in GA yet. And I was planning on doing just that but I didn't know you can't book site specific. I doubt I will take the chance.
I don't want to drive 400 miles, find out the length site left open all have that extra tree so my slides on each side can't come out, or that dogleg like another mentioned, or it is on that sharp corner with tight trees and I can barely back into without alot of trouble.
I am not a good type chance person lol. I truly want a site beforehand that I know my camper will fit. I like to control my situation definitely. In GA I guess I will just find a reasonably priced cg and book that
We love camping at state parks and recently camped at a SP in VA which has the same system as GA. We had no problems with our site. Matter of fact one of the regulars told us we got the best spot, we got the last spot that was available. Back in April we stayed in GA for one night but had truck problems so had no problem staying an extra night because we we were in the "first come first serve spots". Everyone was so helpful. I think any of your SP across this wonderful country you have to really plan ahead to get a spot.
Offline
Online
