31C in National Parks
- Thread starter sixkilo
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
halfwright
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2013
- Posts
- 1,212
A lot of the national parks have size limits on the website or at reserveamerica.com They are only as good as the person taking the measurements. Some with large sites have tight turns. Driver skill also enters in. They are not going to come around and measure your rig, but they don't want you blocking the road.
We are in the process of making a decision on what vehicle meets the have to's and want to's list. Like everyone else we have our own list of items to be considered in the purchase. Our own driveway is challenging due to steepness and parking space. We have a 30ft stretch of 18% grade.
SeilerBird
Well-known member
There is no one length used by the park service, each campground is different. I camped many years in NP campgrounds and rarely had a problem finding a spot long enough for me to fit in. Generally speaking, if a NP has length restricted camping you will usually find commercial campgrounds close enough to the park to solve your problem. For example, at the south rim of the Grand Canyon there is a 30 foot length limit at Mather campground. Trailer Village can fit longer rigs but is usually full. Right at the entrance to the GC is Camper Village that rarely fills up and a shuttle bus stop is right next to the campground.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
You will also have to learn the distinction between an actual size restriction and a phrase like "sites up to 31 feet" or some such. Parks that state a maximum size restriction usually have at least some degree of active enforcement, including things like painted lines on the entry road to gauge the overall rig length. SParks that just state a site sizes usually are being informative and do not actively enforce.
Sometimes the reservation system states a size for a site, e.g. up to 32 feet. The reservation computer or person may not accept a booking for that site if you state your rig is larger, but often the site measurement is conservative (based on an unskilled driver). Probably no one will measure you if you cheat a bit on your stated length but do in fact fit on the site. But if you cheat and then don't fit, don't expect any sympathy (or refund).
If in doubt, call the park office and ask about roads, sites, and enforcement.
Sometimes the reservation system states a size for a site, e.g. up to 32 feet. The reservation computer or person may not accept a booking for that site if you state your rig is larger, but often the site measurement is conservative (based on an unskilled driver). Probably no one will measure you if you cheat a bit on your stated length but do in fact fit on the site. But if you cheat and then don't fit, don't expect any sympathy (or refund).
If in doubt, call the park office and ask about roads, sites, and enforcement.
The only NPS campground that we've run into that actually measures is Organ Pipe (they have lines painted on the pavement at the entrance). We've run into several with posted size limits. Some, we could easily tell why there were limits (small sites, tight bends). Others with limits, we had no idea why they had the limits. We were once told that they listed the smallest site as the size limit so that if that was the only one left, no one could complain that it was too small.
Reserveamerica.com lists site sizes for many federal and state campgrounds and even has site pictures for some. It can come in handy.
We have lied on size when making a reservation but as Gary said, if you lie and you're too big for the site, don't expect sympathy, assistance, or a refund.
Reserveamerica.com lists site sizes for many federal and state campgrounds and even has site pictures for some. It can come in handy.
We have lied on size when making a reservation but as Gary said, if you lie and you're too big for the site, don't expect sympathy, assistance, or a refund.
