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RV LENGTH

ckary72
Explorer
Explorer
I'm new to RV's and don't own one yet. I read somewhere that a lot of campgrounds don't allow RV's longer than 30'

Is there any truth to this?
28 REPLIES 28

Veebyes
Explorer II
Explorer II
Short answer is no, not true. Length problems come with rigs 35 & longer. The longer you go the more the restrictions. Generally the private CGs know what they can accommodate & assign sites suitable to length i.e. they won't put a class B in a site that a 40' 5er needs.
Boat: 32' 1996 Albin 32+2, single Cummins 315hp
40+ night per year overnighter

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troubledwaters
Explorer
Explorer
The facts are thus: The longer your trailer the less campsites you will fit in. The closer to the camping date you get, the less sites will be available that you will fit into. If you make your reservations 6 months ahead of time you will find a whole lot more sites available to fit you then if you make your reservation 6 days ahead of time. So like a lot of things in life, it's a trade off; you can get one or the other. You can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.

Tom_Barb
Explorer
Explorer
With a "good Sam's" road atlas, a cell phone it isn't difficult to call ahead to see if a camp can/will take you.

Barb starts about noon when we are traveling to see which camps near where we hope to be by end of day will/can take us.
2000 Newmar mountain aire 4081 DP, ISC/350 Allison 6 speed, Wrangler JL toad.

2gypsies1
Explorer
Explorer
ppine wrote:
I am always surprised to hear people say things like "we never have trouble with our 40 foot motor home finding places to camp."

I guess we don't go to the same places. I run into places all the time where it is hard to fit a 25 foot trailer.


I've recorded every place we've stayed and the document is 300+ pages. It's been suggested that we sell it but that's too much work and besides . . the special places wouldn't be as special. Honestly, we have never been turned away because we couldn't fit and we don't make reservations. We do our research beforehand. We don't just drive into any place. There are so many references out there to check things out plus word of mouth. Our friends like the same kind of camping we do so we compare all the time.
Full-Timed for 16 Years
.... Back in S&B Again
Traveled 8 yr in a 40' 2004 Newmar Dutch Star Motorhome
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

Tom_Barb
Explorer
Explorer
2oldman wrote:
2chiefsRus wrote:
Don't forget to consider the interior roads in campgrounds. Sometimes the campsite is large enough but you may have difficulty getting to it.
How true.

When in doubt, get out and walk it first. Once you're in, it's near impossible to avoid that stand of trees on a sharp bend which can do real damage.

That is how we use the towed. I had to back the jeep out over a mile once because of a tree down

the fun of boon docking. ๐Ÿ™‚
2000 Newmar mountain aire 4081 DP, ISC/350 Allison 6 speed, Wrangler JL toad.

2oldman
Explorer
Explorer
2chiefsRus wrote:
Don't forget to consider the interior roads in campgrounds. Sometimes the campsite is large enough but you may have difficulty getting to it.
How true.

When in doubt, get out and walk it first. Once you're in, it's near impossible to avoid that stand of trees on a sharp bend which can do real damage.
"If I'm wearing long pants, I'm too far north" - 2oldman

dodge_guy
Explorer
Explorer
My trailer is 35 feet. Total length is 55ft. Iโ€™ve yet to find a spot I couldnโ€™t get into. We camp at everything from resorts to state/national parks! I was only at one campground that was tight, but it still wasnโ€™t an issue!
Wife Kim
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A bad day camping is
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catkins
Explorer
Explorer
Some National and state parks do have limited or no larger RV spaces. Looks as if CA is one with issues with state park sites.

We camp mostly in commercial parks or on BLM land in AZ. We very rarely have an issue with our 36' motorhome. Each campground is different and they always ask size when reserving or checking in. Good luck in doing your research and finding that right for you setup.

ppine
Explorer II
Explorer II
I am always surprised to hear people say things like "we never have trouble with our 40 foot motor home finding places to camp."

I guess we don't go to the same places. I run into places all the time where it is hard to fit a 25 foot trailer.

Ivylog
Explorer III
Explorer III
CA is one of the worst for small sites (what do the do with all the tax $$$ they collect?) BUT the posted length is more an average. Even in CA I was able to sites big enough for my 42' DP but not on Friday.
This post is my opinion (free advice). It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
Sold 04 Dynasty to our son after 14 great years.
Upgraded with a 08 HR Navigator 45โ€™...

2chiefsRus
Explorer
Explorer
Don't forget to consider the interior roads in campgrounds. Sometimes the campsite is large enough but you may have difficulty getting to it. We have traveled all over the US and Canada in our 40 footer and rarely have a problem finding a campground. As so many others have said already, really depends upon where you want to go and how you want to camp. We are retired and full time so want a larger rv; if you are only going to go on weekend trips and want to dry camp in the wilderness, then you would likely want to go smaller. Or you may fall somewhere in between.
Dave & Kathy
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bikendan
Explorer
Explorer
ckary72 wrote:
I'm new to RV's and don't own one yet. I read somewhere that a lot of campgrounds don't allow RV's longer than 30'

Is there any truth to this?


Mostly No.
but seeing you're in California, many California state park campgrounds do have a lot of smaller campsites. there are a lot of their campgrounds that have few or no campsites that will fit a 30' RV.
i've spent a lot of time in many California state campgrounds and i've seen many that can't accomodate large RVs.
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tatest
Explorer II
Explorer II
Not a lot of campgrounds have limits that short for all campsites. Some of the state parks I go to have some campsites that won't take anything longer than a 20 foot van, but those are supposed to be parking for tent campers. Same parks have other sites as deep as 50-60 feet.

Many older public park campgrounds are full of sites built in the 1930s to 1950's for tent campers and small trailer units, and these areas can get quite crowded when all sites fill with large modern RVs with awnings and slideout rooms. I am familiar with one on the south side of Grand Traverse Bay, and I suspect California also has some crowded campgrounds in older parks.

There are options other than campgrounds, particularly disperse camping in forests, where shorter is better and a tent works better than a vehicle of any size.

Pick a RV size based on how you want to use it. That is a compromise between how big a house you think you need and where you want to take it. The smaller it is, the more places you can take it. The bigger it is, the longer you might be willing to live in it.
Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B

2gypsies1
Explorer
Explorer
We've never had trouble finding our spot with our 40' motorhome in any public parks including national parks, national forests, county, city, etc. They were always our first choice. Now... you won't fit in all of them and you won't fit in every site but it's very doable with research. Get the RV you'd be comfortable in and you'll find places to stay.
Full-Timed for 16 Years
.... Back in S&B Again
Traveled 8 yr in a 40' 2004 Newmar Dutch Star Motorhome
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel