Campground book

[MA]

I only recently found out that AAA does not make their camping books any more. Those were fantastic. Now they say all that is out there is Woodall's and I cannot find one of those anywhere. I want a print book, not an e-book. Can someone give me a web site where I can get a set of print books for various states? I particularly want to know about state parks that have water and electric and spaces larger than the sardine can setups at RV parks.

 

[Howard R]

You might try RV Bookstore

http://rvbookstore.com/shop/cv.aspx?c=65

Howard

 

[kwajkat]

What about the good sam rv guide book?  Amazon has a bunch of rv books that are not kindle books. Be creative in your searching words

 

[DearMissMermaid]

Woodoalls has books from a variety of years and prices at amazon at this link:
http://amzn.to/1KMVxuZ

A new state park book just came out in January 2015
http://amzn.to/1SN0lnf

Now you make me feel guilty for regifting my AAA camp books. They were pretty much the high end RV parks, they didn't really fit my needs. I tend to stick to state, federal, county and city parks. Many of them are still reasonably priced though some have upgraded to accommodate big rigs and added big costs.

One couple I met wrote to the 48 lower states tourism offices asking for camping info and received a ton of free info from each state. They had a file box with 48 folders and info. They were happy with their choice as they didn't care to do internet at all.

Researching campgrounds is very time consuming. I find a state I like and I am trying to visit all their parks. I don't feel the need yet to race about coast to coast just to say I did it. I am slowly savoring the places I end up.

My favorite is a state park that allows me to stay 4 weeks if I move after 2 weeks, so I have 4 weeks reserved in spring and fall to fill my itch.

Many state and federal parks require online or telephone bookings. SOme of the most popular are booked the day the dates open up, so this can be a huge challenge to get spots in those places.

Last summer I ended up in some beautiful places that were not busy at all, I am still scratching my head wondering why, but we surely enjoyed the extra space, peace and quiet.

Word of mouth... you need a way to keep up with the word of mouth referrals. Some of the nicest city and county parks are word of mouth, the local municipality just hasn't bothered to advertise their jewels. There is one I go to that has no reservation system at all. you show up and if you can get in, you can pay for a whole month and enjoy. Twice now I have shown up on Sunday afternoon to claim a spot after the weekenders moved out.

Good luck!

Figure out in your rig where you will keep all the books and papers and most importantly the notes of word of mouth camps.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The Good Sam parent company produced both the Woodalls and Trailer Life campground guides for many years, but recently merged them into one guide book called the Good Sam RV Travel Guide. It's all the same now.  https://www.goodsamcamping.com/

There is another competitive guide from Wheeler - see http://www.wheelersguides.com/
And one called Big Rig Best Bets at http://www.big-rigs-rv.com/Home.html

Many people use online guides now, or Smart Phone apps, of which there are several. The best known is from the Allstays travel guide people, but there are others. Search the Apple or Android app stores is you are interested in that approach.

 

[MTPockets]

We got rid of all the books.  Once we got used to it, it's so much faster and easier to check on smart phone or laptop.  Information is current, pictures, hook up info, etc.  I will never go back to paper now with all the apps available, Google Maps, satellite images, etc.... Not to mention the storage space saved.

 

[ArdraF]

I still prefer the printed campground directory put out by Good Sam that Gary correctly described as the combined Woodalls and Good Sam publication.  It's had a few name changes and our latest version is called 2016 Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide (Good Sam RV Travel Guide & Campground Directory).  It includes more than 12,000 public and private campgrounds in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.  It provides site lengths, time limits, type of roads, whether shaded, type of patio, pull-through, backins, type of utilities, other amenities, last year's price, and the like.  It's certainly the most comprehensive campground directory.  We tried both Wheelers and the Big Rig directories but prefer this one.  I like the printed version because of being able to thumb back and forth quickly, especially when a couple of states are involved (think Four Corners with campgrounds in four adjacent states).  To me that's easier than the various online versions.

By the way, another publication Next Exit also names campgrounds near interstate highway exits.  You can then look it up by name elsewhere to locate details.

Another resource is the visitor centers located along the interstate highways.  Many are well stocked with maps and brochures for campgrounds and activities within the state.  We have found campgrounds in visitor centers that didn't advertise anywhere else and were quite suitable for overnight stays on our way to another destination.

ArdraF

 

[denmarc]

Is there a resource available for those camping "on-the-fly"? Or something that gives real time info for available camping sites?
I'm thinking that if such info is available, there are no guarantees due to proper reporting by any CG and the like. But, it may be a somewhat useful resource.   

 

[ArdraF]

I'm not sure that "real time" is much different from other things like the printed Good Sam campground directory.  It's not like campgrounds get up and move to a new location or even change all that much from year to year.  Sure a campground may upgrade something but you can use a 2014 directory in 2016 and won't have many changes.

We seldom make reservations so probably qualify for your "on-the-fly" definition.  When we decide we want to stop in an hour or so we start looking for a campground an hour ahead.  It's not rocket science.  Just call the campground (phone numbers are in their directory entry) and find out if they have sites that suit your needs such as pull-through, full hookups, swimming pool or whatever.

ArdraF

 

[Hfx_Cdn]

    We always kept the PA book handy too, it didn't list all campgrounds, but it was where we wanted to stop because of the discount.

Ed

 

[WILDEBILL308]

I still prefer the printed campground directory put out by Good Sam that Gary correctly described as the combined Woodalls and Good Sam publication.  It's had a few name changes and our latest version is called 2016 Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide (Good Sam RV Travel Guide & Campground Directory).  It includes more than 12,000 public and private campgrounds in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.  It provides site lengths, time limits, type of roads, whether shaded, type of patio, pull-through, backins, type of utilities, other amenities, last year's price, and the like.  It's certainly the most comprehensive campground directory.  We tried both Wheelers and the Big Rig directories but prefer this one.  I like the printed version because of being able to thumb back and forth quickly, especially when a couple of states are involved (think Four Corners with campgrounds in four adjacent states).  To me that's easier than the various online versions.

By the way, another publication Next Exit also names campgrounds near interstate highway exits.  You can then look it up by name elsewhere to locate details.

Another resource is the visitor centers located along the interstate highways.  Many are well stocked with maps and brochures for campgrounds and activities within the state.  We have found campgrounds in visitor centers that didn't advertise anywhere else and were quite suitable for overnight stays on our way to another destination.

ArdraF

There is an app for that. It is called Visitor Tips it is put out by Certified Folder Display Service, Inc.,  the largest distributor of visitor information in the US and Canada. Yes this app gives you access to all those folders without having to stop at the tourist information building.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.visitortips.visitortips&hl=en
Bill

 

[denmarc]

I'm not sure that "real time" is much different from other things like the printed Good Sam campground directory.

I just wondered. Trying to put a late Summer trip into some sort of plan before implementing and making any reservations ahead of time.

 

[MA]

THANK YOU for all the information! I have a trip scheduled that is cross country, leaving the desert SW, to arrive on the East Coast on a designated day for an educational workshop, and then plan/hope to wander back home to the SW after that is over. I didn't want to just hop a plane and then come back home in the middle of the summer, so that's why planning the wanderlust trip. But I'm not good at backing up the trailer, and just have to have pull-through. But don't like to be ten feet from the next guy, either, getting barbeque-smoked out and whatever'd....so I have some thinking to do as to how I want to do this. Maybe a small motor home is a better bet than my current TT plus truck.

 

[Larry N.]

There is an app for that. It is called Visitor Tips it is put out by Certified Folder Display Service, Inc.,  the largest distributor of visitor information in the US and Canada. Yes this app gives you access to all those folders without having to stop at the tourist information building.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.visitortips.visitortips&hl=en
Bill

They sure want access to a lot of stuff, such as ID, tracking phone calls, etc., with no indication why they need all that. I think I'll pass on that one.

 

[ArdraF]

The app may be useful but some of the live people at the visitor centers can be extremely helpful.  I recall one lady as we entered Quebec Province who got out her maps and started drawing routes and writing place names UPSIDE DOWN and in English!  We were most impressed.  But we've encountered many such helpful people down here in the Lower 48.  They can tell you things about the local area that you wouldn't know to check otherwise.  An app can't do that.

ArdraF

 

[robertusa123]

Anouther old school idem the internet has killed

 

[DC8Captain]

I little off topic but I also keep a notebook on campgrounds I have visited. I print a campground map, make notes on the back of the page like which are the best sites, and put it in a plastic sleeve and a binder.

Dale

 

[Molaker]

Is there a resource available for those camping "on-the-fly"? Or something that gives real time info for available camping sites?
I'm thinking that if such info is available, there are no guarantees due to proper reporting by any CG and the like. But, it may be a somewhat useful resource. 

The closest thing to this that I'm aware of is ReserveAmerica.com and Recreation.gov.  There are others, no doubt, but websites which make reservations are most likely to have real-time information.  Most of the time you can check these sites for what is available without actually making a reservation.