Interpreting FS information

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Lindesu

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Jul 4, 2015
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Hi Community!  My husband and I are working the 5 year plan toward retirement and have given consideration to buying a bigger 5th wheel, given that we may live in it full time for a couple of years.  However, we do want to do some boondocking, so that will impact our decisions about length. We have done a little bit of dry camping in the Gunnison National Forest. In that location, we found there were plenty of options for bigger rigs.  I have recently downloaded the app UC Public, a great little app that provides information about camping areas and lists thousands of BLM, COE and FS lands. Some of these listings specify length restrictions (30ft, 32, 45ft, etc.), but many others, perhaps half, have no information listed about length. So my question is, for those of you who have done a lot of boondocking, have you found that these camping areas, for which there is no guidance or information about length, are they more likely to have plenty of space or more likely to have very limited space? Thanks for any information!
Susan
 
Hmmm, so I have always considered myself fairly savvy with technology, but while I use Google Maps frequently for navigation and other searches, I don't know how to use it for this purpose. Feeling dumb! :p

* Could you mean Google Earth?  While no exact measurements, it could give an indication of whether or not we would fit.
 
I use google earth and zoom in to the campground.  I look to see if other RVs are in the sites.  You can usually figure out the size of the RVs by comparing them to cars or pickups also in the same view.
 
For National Forest CG's I use http://www.forestcamping.com/

Great info about the RV parking pads and interior roads of the CG's as well as excellent directions to the CG's.

I also use Google Earth to look at the CG's and the roads to the CG's.

When I am planning on visiting an area, I plan on spending a week or more in the area.  So I select a CG I know I will fit into for the 1st night and then drive my toad, or tow vehicle to check out other CG's and look for boondocking places on the back country roads. 
 
We were Campground Hosts for the past two summers in a Forest Service Campground.  Neither Google Maps nor Google Earth will provide any information about that particular campground because of the forest.  You just can't see the sites.  Although there are sites as long as 60' the roads within the campground are narrow and it is difficult for a larger RV to get into some of the sites.

My suggestion is when you find an area where you would like to stay, contact the local Ranger Station.  They should be able to provide better information as to whether or not your particular RV can maneuver within the campground and/or fit into any of their sites.
 
Thanks for the ideas, all of which were good ones. I did do a sample investigation using Google Earth, and can see how it can be useful. But, jsetti, your advice is exactly what the people at the Forest Service said, when I called them. Talked to a nice young man who suggested that when we decided what forest we wanted to go to, to call the local station and get an idea of where we could get into.  Our current 5th wheel is a 30 footer, but if I am going to live in it full time, I would like it to be more comfortable, both in size and amenities. I know there will be many places that we won't be able to park.  Hopefully, there will be some places big enough for us, regardless of where we go. 
 
The times I have gone into the local ranger station, most of the time 10-30 miles from the CG's I am interested in, the clerk in the office had never visited the CG's.  They work in the office, not the field.  They may have a chart showing some info about the CG's, the same info usually available on the NF website. 

Many NF and other public CG's don't have wide and easy roads to get to the CG's and campsites.  What does matter is how experienced are you in maneuvering your rig in tight spaces.  Only YOU can decide if it is to difficult to get your rig into the campsite you think is perfect for you. 
 
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