Lock Fees

[ButchW]

I'm not sure what you mean... there are plenty of state parks, for example, that allow you to reserve a specific site.

I'm referring to the "Preferential treatment" by campground host, not specific site reservations.... The specific site should go to the 1st person that tries to reserve it, not one that the host wants to have it...
Butch

 

[Oldgator73]

I'm referring to the "Preferential treatment" by campground host, not specific site reservations.... The specific site should go to the 1st person that tries to reserve it, not one that the host wants to have it...
Butch

Still not understanding the point you are trying to make. The park host has no control over reservations or site selections. You make your reservation online and get a confirmation via email that includes inclusive dates, site and what you paid.

 

[Old_Crow]

If this is a private campground , fine... But if it's a public campground, then it's BS... 1st come 1st serve...
Butch

I manage 14 Forest Service campgrounds and I'm here to tell you that the FS is moving away from FCFS sites and more towards online reservations. I have 2 campgrounds that were changed from about 50/50 to 100% reservations about 2 years ago. The locals are still whining, but the people who have to drive 5 or 6 hours to get to the campgrounds are quite happy.
Hosts showing preferential treatment is one reason I try not to hire any hosts from the local community. That and they always seem to disappear early on the day before their day off and return late the morning after.

 

[SMR]

In our experience as volunteer camp hosts in Florida State Parks, we have no control over the campsites (same when we hosted in TN and GA).
We are responsible for cleaning the sites and bathrooms.

I could see some places where you have walk in sites where the host handles the site rental giving preferential treatment to friends.

 

[ButchW]

Still not understanding the point you are trying to make. The park host has no control over reservations or site selections. You make your reservation online and get a confirmation via email that includes inclusive dates, site and what you paid.

The CA State Campground I frequent (not near as much as I would like, because of difficulty of reserving) has about 10-12 prime sites, out of 70-75, that are not available for reservations... Of those, 3-4 are camp host and 3 reserved for ADA.... So who has control of renting those remaining sites?... They seem to always have a RV on them.... I just hope the host isn't calling his buddy in... I can see a couple for emergencies or a 1-night layover... But most of these are there for the whole week (1 week max stay)... I guess on my next stay, I'll have to go up and ask how the camper how they got the site... May not get an answer though...
Butch

 

[Oldgator73]

Gulpha Gorge CG at Hot Springs NP Arkansas used to be first come first serve. They now take reservations on recreation.gov. When we were there we showed up early in the morning and waited for someone to pull out. There was a line of folks waiting for a spots.

 

[Old_Crow]

Gulpha Gorge CG at Hot Springs NP Arkansas used to be first come first serve. They now take reservations on recreation.gov. When we were there we showed up early in the morning and waited for someone to pull out. There was a line of folks waiting for a spots.

I'm currently playing bounce-around-the-campgrounds in central Arkansas dodging 14-day limits in an effort to stay close to my kid's houses. My best advice is to move on Sunday or Monday.

 

[Mooree]

The basic rates for Camping fees in the US range from about $10 to $50 per night excluding hookups, depending on the location. This site lock fee isn’t mandatory, but paying it guarantees your booked site to make your stay worry-free.

 

[Mooree]

A site lock fee is an additional expense that secures your space at your preferred camping site. It is not required, however paying it guarantees your reserved site, making your stay worry-free.

 

[Onyrlef]

A fee doesn't cost you anything anyway, I know 'cause the guy on TV said but wait if I order in the next 10 minutes I could get a second miracle bionic light for my garage, which scares off attackers in ski masks, "free", just pay a separate "fee".

 

[mikeylikesit]

Yes, they are everywhere! I paid it, reluctantly, at Campland by the Bay in San Diego, but only because we are going out there to camp with our Son and his family, and we wanted 2 sites next to each other. I normally would not really care which site I get, and would not pay extortion....haha.
gotta have priorities!

 

[Onyrlef]

Interesting how things are defined down, reservation once meant reserved, now it means maybe reserved, maybe not.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I've worked in several different campgrounds across the USA. In all of them, when we gave a reservation, it was for a site with certain facilities, e.g.50A full-hookup, not for a specific site number. If a particular site was requested, we noted that and tried to make it happen, but didn't guarantee it. We would try to notify in advance that the requested site was not available, and once in a rare while somebody would cancel. I guess it never occurred to the campground owners that they could charge a fee to "lock in" a site selection. Our motivation was always to meet the wants of as many customers as possible and fill the park to 100% capacity.

 

[Old_Crow]

We don't charge a lock fee at our Forest Service campgrounds. If you reserve site 27, you get site 27. Only time we'll move somebody is if they reserved a site they can't get into. However, even this might not be possible in a couple of my campgrounds that are 100% reservation with no first come first served sites.

 

[Onyrlef]

I've worked in several different campgrounds across the USA. In all of them, when we gave a reservation, it was for a site with certain facilities, e.g.50A full-hookup, not for a specific site number. If a particular site was requested, we noted that and tried to make it happen, but didn't guarantee it. We would try to notify in advance that the requested site was not available, and once in a rare while somebody would cancel. I guess it never occurred to the campground owners that they could charge a fee to "lock in" a site selection. Our motivation was always to meet the wants of as many customers as possible and fill the park to 100% capacity.

In State Parks at least in OK, TX, LA and AR. you pick a.site which is available during the time period you select and it's reserved until you cancel or no show. It's really quite simple. The
limited number of National Parks and Refuges we've occassioned operated similarly.

 

[Joezeppy]

Impeccable timing that this post came up again. I mentioned in a prior post that I had only run into this one time. Well, this past weekend, I ran into it again. Stayed at Swan Bay Resort in Alex Bay, NY with a group of friends. We decided to reserve the same group sites for the same weekend next year and found out that they now have a $20 site lock fee. I had what I feel is one of the best non-waterfront sites in the park and am staying in a group so I paid the fee but would not have if we were staying alone.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

In State Parks at least in OK, TX, LA and AR. you pick a.site which is available during the time period you select and it's reserved until you cancel or no show. It's really quite simple. The
limited number of National Parks and Refuges we've occassioned operated similarly.

I get that. If the reservation system works by site number, then I would expect to get the site number I reserved. Or be notified if if became unavailable for some reason, e.g. flood or power failure, before I arrived. But you still have to recognize that sometimes stuff happens, perhaps too late to give notifications or options.

An example: We were on our last night on a prime site in a Georgia State Park when I received word my brother had died suddenly. We needed to make a high-speed run to NY so decided to go by car. I went to the park office to ask if there was any place I could leave the coach plugged to enough power to keep the fridge going. The manager very kindly and without hesitation said "Leave it right where it is and we will work around it until you get back". We were gone 5 days and I'm sure some arriving campers were disappointed in their reservation, but for us it was a godsend.

 

[jymbee]

I do quite a bit of research when planning our travels and check with several resources in an attempt to get the "best" site. Campground review sites can be quite useful in helping to avoid "very unlevel" sites as well as "too noisy", "too short", "too close to the adjoining site", sites.

Google Maps for overall location as well as in some cases their Street View is another useful tool.

Well worth the effort IMO as we rarely get surprised by a site that has any of the negative factors mentioned above.

If I couldn't reserve a specific site, I wouldn't even try to make a reservation. That's also the reason I would only fly Southwest at a last resort given their free-for-all nonsense when it comes to seating. Of course many people I know love SW and don't mind the games they have to play. For myself, I rather enjoy the sleuthing to secure a good site. Different strokes...

 

[NY_Dutch]

I get that. If the reservation system works by site number, then I would expect to get the site number I reserved. Or be notified if if became unavailable for some reason, e.g. flood or power failure, before I arrived. But you still have to recognize that sometimes stuff happens, perhaps too late to give notifications or options.

An example: We were on our last night on a prime site in a Georgia State Park when I received word my brother had died suddenly. We needed to make a high-speed run to NY so decided to go by car. I went to the park office to ask if there was any place I could leave the coach plugged to enough power to keep the fridge going. The manager very kindly and without hesitation said "Leave it right where it is and we will work around it until you get back". We were gone 5 days and I'm sure some arriving campers were disappointed in their reservation, but for us it was a godsend.

We had a similar event occur when my mother died some years ago. The FL state park manager had me park the coach next the maintenance garage where I could plug it in.