Reservations or not??

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Ken & Sheila said:
Not always true. GTC is the concessionaire in the Grand Tetons. They give 50% off the base rate if you have a senior pass and you dry camp in one of the Campgrounds. If you camp in on of the RV Parks or in an electric site in one of the campgrounds you still get a discount. Last summer the senior pass gave you an $11 discount.
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I have camped at the Tetons many times and never gotten a discount. This must be a new development.
 
SeilerBird said:
I have camped at the Tetons many times and never gotten a discount. This must be a new development.
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In 2011 we received ~$9-10/night discount on our full hookup site at Colter Bay.
 
Interesting, we have NEVER not gotten our discount from our senior passes at National Parks or Forest Service Campgrounds. You only get a discount on the camp fee, not the electrical hookups. Where Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone is one exception, there is no discount there as they call it something else.... than just a campground. But all the other campgrounds in the park are half price for seniors. As are all the Forest Service campgrounds surrounding the park.  Of course, if one stays in a state campground, that is a different story.

Nice note on the check... only, we generally do that.. now I know why!

My husband retire off the forest, if some host told him he did not get the discount, he would probably have an earful from him!

Donna

 
tanglemoose said:
Interesting, we have NEVER not gotten our discount from our senior passes at National Parks or Forest Service Campgrounds.
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I can tell you for certain that you will NOT receive a senior discount at Trailer Village in Grand Canyon NP (full hookup CG within the park, not to be confused with a commercial CG outside the park with a similar name.)
 
tanglemoose said:
Interesting, we have NEVER not gotten our discount from our senior passes at National Parks or Forest Service Campgrounds. You only get a discount on the camp fee, not the electrical hookups. Where Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone is one exception, there is no discount there as they call it something else.... than just a campground. But all the other campgrounds in the park are half price for seniors. As are all the Forest Service campgrounds surrounding the park.  Of course, if one stays in a state campground, that is a different story.

Nice note on the check... only, we generally do that.. now I know why!

My husband retire off the forest, if some host told him he did not get the discount, he would probably have an earful from him!

Donna
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All of the campgrounds in national parks with hookups are run by concessionaires and they do not give the discounts.
 
Also, if you guys do pay by check. 
Please read the signs at the pay station and put the info on the checks that is asked for(usually driver's license and car license numbers).  Makes things easier for us mouth-breathing, non-ranger hosts.  I probably spent 1/2 hour every day last summer chasing down campers for info that's asked for at the very entrance to the campground. 

Just FYI, both Forest Service campgrounds at the North Rim give the senior discount.  When making reservations on recreation.gov, the web site will also take the number of the $80 annual pass for a discount, but it's not valid for camping discounts and I always had to collect the extra $9/night.  Funny how most people who made reservations using the annual pass always had the extra $9 ready.  Almost like they knew when they made the res. that the pass wasn't good for the discount.
 
SeilerBird said:
All of the campgrounds in national parks with hookups are run by concessionaires and they do not give the discounts.
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With all due respect, I have already noted that we received ~$10/night off at Colter Bay and the full 50% discount at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley.  Both of these were concessionaire-run parks with full hookups. 
 
Relee52 said:
I'm getting a little nervous about our plans. We've unloaded most of our "stuff" and have a realtor for the house and planning to hit the road full time in about a month, which is exciting and a "bit" nerve wracking. Our plans have been to go where our nose points us, little scheduled other than to avoid hot and cold weather and severe storms. However, in looking at state parks and national parks and even RV parks, it seems many are booked way in advance, up to a year. I want to go places and, if we like it, stay a month or so. If we don't like it pick up and leave. Having reservations certainly doesn't lend itself to "foot loose and fancy free" travel. So I am back to the forum to dip into the well of acquired wisdom that I've found here.
As usual, thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions.
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all goes back to location and time of year whether RV sites are booked up or not. We a planning a longterm stay of 2 months in Arizona (leaving Feb 23rd)  with one month at RV resort by Phoenix where I did make a reservation.  Our trip from illinois I mapped a route that will take 5 days of moderate driving between RV parks and contacted all 4 overnight stops and only one needed a reservation. I used the Good Sams trip builder and really made this all pretty easy to plan.  My only concern remains finding gas stations along the way for my 32ft RV to fit....a real down side to having a gas engine.
 
decaturbob said:
My only concern remains finding gas stations along the way for my 32ft RV to fit....a real down side to having a gas engine.
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We've never run out of gas with our 32 footer pulling a 15 foot toad.  Overall length is close to 50 feet.  Just takes a bit more time.  Planning is the key.  Not only which station you can get in, but how you exit the station.  Becomes second nature after a while.  However, you probably don't want to wait until the "get gas red warning light" comes on.  ;)
 
We made reservations all along the southern states, California, Oregon and Seattle on our way to Alaska.  Sheryl really likes to be guaranteed a spot when we pull in. We have never done a trip like this and wanted to eliminate as many unknowns as possible. Also we are leaving Florida at the beginning of February and traveling through all of the snowbird states and especially needed a reservation in Phoenix for Cubs Spring Training.

But we are now sort of "stuck" in Seattle on May 15th. Do we need reservations for traveling through British Columbia and onto Anchorage? Or since so early in the season it isn't necessary? For this part of the journey, we really want to wing it as much as possible so we can stay somewhere as long as we want and not have a schedule. We have allowed ourselves from May 15th to July 2nd  to go from Seattle to Anchorage and back through Alberta to Glacier National Park.

Also when entering Canada we will be required to give a specific location? Or, can we just say traveling through?
 
Dream Chasers said:
Also when entering Canada we will be required to give a specific location? Or, can we just say traveling through?
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The most I've ever been asked when entering Canada is a general question about our plans for our visit.  No one cares where you spend your time while you're there.
 
    Now that is unlike when we Canadians enter the US, they ask for an address, and often a phone number.  The year we went to Yuma, we were given a hard time since we were travelling from the east coast, spending a month to get there, they were not happy that we didn't have a specific location to tell them for that month of travelling.  He grudgingly let us pass through.

Ed
 
Hfx_Cdn said:
    Now that is unlike when we Canadians enter the US, they ask for an address, and often a phone number.  The year we went to Yuma, we were given a hard time since we were travelling from the east coast, spending a month to get there, they were not happy that we didn't have a specific location to tell them for that month of travelling.  He grudgingly let us pass through.

Ed
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Don't feel badly; we usually get more hassle coming back into the US than we ever get entering Canada. 
 
docj said:
Don't feel badly; we usually get more hassle coming back into the US than we ever get entering Canada. 
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We were pulled over for a secondary inspection coming back from Campobello Island, an American Canadian joint national park.  As far as I know, there's only one way in by car and one way out.  The guy checked our car like he was looking for drugs.  Couldn't believe it.  Actually started thinking the guy might be up to something.  Other than that, maybe he was just bored.  But seriously, Campobello Island, WTF.  US Border Patrol..., maybe Trump will privatize it.  Let the Canadians do it.  Entering Canada has alway been a pleasant experience.  Border patrol are very helpful and actually smile when they greet you. 
 
    Actually Gary, the bridge crosses between New Brunswick and Maine, but there is a car ferry that takes you from Campobello to Deer Island, NB and another to the mainland, Donna and I have gone that way to visit an old University buddy on Deer Island.

Ed
 
You lost me Ed.  Are you saying the Campobello is part of New Brunswick.  I'm only aware of one bridge to the island.  And that one is located in Lubec, Maine. 
 
Thanks for the reassurances about the border crossing. Can you please advise if we should worry about having reservations or not in Canada and Alaska for late May and all of June? We are thinking that it shouldn't be a problem finding spaces as it is early in the season.
 
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