We do it both ways. If I am going to Yellowstone anytime in late June, July or August I make a reservation because if I get there and everything is full There is no boondocking, no parking lot parking and you have quite aways to go to find a forest service campground. Now I can go to this same area in May and early June, Sept, and Oct without a reservation and have never had a problem.
We did a 3100 mile trip the first of June (Idaho, oregon, Washington, Montana and Wyoming) without a Reservation and never had a problem, I wouldn't do this same trip in July without reservations at least in some of the area's we went. If it is a tourist stop, coastal area or offers many things to do in a small area Then during the summer and especially on weekends I would make them.
I don't think it is a one way or another answer
Him and Me
06 Dodge drw
06 Crossroads Zinger (searching for our dream fw)
Camp Driveway is always the best first adventure - you get to know your RV and it's amenities as well as stocking it.
Being in NC, you've got a slew of private CG's, as well as some beautiful state parks. Are there any areas you'd like to sight see? If so, you can find a campsite nearby and enjoy both the camping and tourist attractions!
Always have a reservation confirmation in hand before hitting the road. Don't want to get all excited, spend hours loading up and driving to whereever only to find they are full and I have to start searching for another location. With three kids in the car, that is not a good way to start the vacation.
David,Wife,4 kids,SIL,1 grandchild
2003 Ford Excursion Eddie Bauer 7.3 PSD w/3.73 rear end
Jayco Kiwi Too 30T bunkhouse w/triple bunks
Prodigy Controller
Reese Dual Cam HP
Michelin LTX M/S
2001 F150 SuperCrew
rhondavid wrote: Always have a reservation confirmation in hand before hitting the road. Don't want to get all excited, spend hours loading up and driving to whereever only to find they are full and I have to start searching for another location. With three kids in the car, that is not a good way to start the vacation.
Good point. When it's just the 2 of us I don't get bent out of shape if we have to drive a little farther. But with the kids? on a weekend? No way! We get reservations.
Just a side note: we did a 6,000 mile loop around the U.S. last summer, June-July-August, and in all that time we only got a few reservations more than a few hours in advance. Yellowstone was one of them( 4 months in advance, and very glad we did!). Even when we were on the way to Las Vegas I think we only called the CG about 30min before we got there. 'Course, we don't drive until 10:30pm either. We always have a plan by 3pm and are off the road no later than 6pm. Kids gotta play in the pool, ya know
"Those who dwell...among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."--Rachel Carson, environmentalist, 1956
we learned around this area to ALWAYS make reservations and not only make them but print out the reservation confirmation with site number, payment confirmation and the whole nine yards. More than once I have had to pull it out and show it to a attendant or host to prove a reservation that their computer did not show.
For us we would rather have the peace of mind of not only knowing were were going to have a spite but we know WHAT site.
We've been fulltimers for about 2 years now and have RARELY made a reservation. In fact, I can only think of three times that we did, and each of those times were during holiday periods.
However, we're in a Class A and we're completely self-contained. Those without a generator may have a different perspective.
Traveling our country and seeing the sights, enjoying fun-filled days and campfire nights See our travel pics
The rig: 2006 SportsCoach Cross Country SE
The toad: 2006 Saturn Vue
The Captain: Skip
The Co-Captain: Norine
Furry passengers: Penny & Biscuit
When we travel on weekends, we always make reservations. Weekdays, no reservations. We like to be able to stay at a place we like or move on if we don't like it. I always only pay for one night during the week and if we decide to stay, I'll pay for the rest of our stay. We've been to some places that made us uncomfortable and others we wished we could have stayed at longer. There was this one place.... but I digress.
The key to this for me is the Trailer Life CG Director on CD-Rom. I open it on the laptop and check for near-by CGs. I call them and see if they have space for us. During the weekdays, I've never had to make more than one call. We also carry a generator and have a small inverter (400 watts) for the TV, radio, and DVD player. I keep the fresh water tank at least half full. There's a free dumping station in the town next to ours that we can use in a pinch. We can camp anywhere.
DW and I in our Gulfstream Amerilite 21MB
Chevy Silverado 2500 HD - Duramax Diesel 6.6L - Allison Tranny
"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area." - Major Mike Shearer - British Army - Basra, Iraq
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