How do I find a camping ground?

[fueledbymusic]

I know nothing about finding a place to park and sleep in the trailer. Camping in other words. HELP ME! I want to try camping with my new 94 Prowler for the first time!

If you needed to find a nearby place to camp to Rialto CA 92376. What would you guys suggest (basing on the internet)

How do I know the places I look on the internet is actually a camping park or not. Cause some of those places look like just a place to park or store a trailer?? I would prefer to park in the open. Or Ill settle for a trailer park, I just want to get to know about camping and all.

What do I need to get a heads up (look out for) on while camping or looking to find a park etc. How much is the fee to bring in a trailer etc etc? What about hooking up the water, electricity etc? Or is it mostly dry camping in those open area parks? I have no idea!

Any heads ups or help to how to find a camp park will greatly appreciated! THANKS!

 

[R. J. Barton]

Ah, you must use your google-fu, grasshopper. 

 

[SeilerBird]

The best place I have found for finding campgrounds and RV parks is RV Park Review:

http://rvparkreviews.com/

First you click on a state and then click on a town. Rialto does not have any sites listed so I went to the Campground Search page and in the Search Nearby section I choose a 25 mile radius, United States, California, and then Rialto. About 25 sites were listed.

Most of the sites listed on this website are paid for campsites. If you are looking for free or low cost then the best site I have found for this is the US National Forest Campground Guide:

http://www.forestcamping.com/

Or as RJBarton said, you can Google "campgrounds Rialto California" or "RV parks Rialto California". I usually Google both since the results are usually different.

 

[Kim (skyking4ar2) Bertram]

Using RV Park Reviews has proved invaluable to us in the last two years. We won't stay anywhere that we have not at least looked up there.

Getting familiar with the radius search function or using the maps with the campground locators on them are the keys to getting the most out of it. It's surprising sometimes that the campgrounds are not listed in the cities you might expect due to unusual city boundaries. That's when the radius thing proves to be a big help.

You also have to sift the reviews carefully, especially when you start getting mixed reviews, and you will notice that different types of campers will review differently based on their personal preferences. What I want as an over 55 in a Class A might be a lot different than a small family with little kids needing a pool and a place to run their dog.

 

[SeilerBird]

You are absolutely correct SkyKing. I do a lot of on line shopping and read a lot of user reviews. I have also used RV Park Reviews a lot. What I have learned is to ignore the very worst reviews and the very best reviews. I mean the ones that are way over the top such as "This is the best campground I have ever stayed in. Everything was fantastic, blah, blah, blah." Probably a review by the owners. Or a review like "The place is a trash can, the staff is rude, dog excrement every where, blah, blah, blah." They were probably asked to leave because they were told to keep the noise down at 2am when they were having a drunken party.

 

[geodrake]

Check out your state parks.  Most states have a State Park web site from which you can find parks by geographic area.  We have had a lot of good experiences in state parks all over the country.  They don't always have full hook-ups, but usually have power.  There are also a lot of great county parks and some city parks offer camping too.  And don't overlook the National Parks.

MicroSoft Streets and Trips is a good resource too.

 

[jtstromsburg]

I also like reserveamerica.com, to at least look at the state parks and some private parks and the availability of specific sites.

 

[Great Horned Owl]

If you have a smart phone, AllStays Camp & RV does a great job of locating both campgrounds and non-campground overnighting sites like Walmart, truck stops, etc.

Joel

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You can find pretty much all campgrounds in an area using the online Trailer Life Campground Guide, or you can buy a copy on paper or CD.  But checking up on it via the internet sites mentioned above is a good idea.

 

[BLAKDUKE]

Another way is first locate a campground in/around the area you want to be thru google maps.  Then when you get there try to find a yellow pages phone book.  You possibly find a few more that were not on google maps.  If not then you can refer back to the sites on Google maps. 

 

[Jim Godward]

I haven't tried All Stays but I found that in large cities, there are usually small parks that cater to contractors and there personell.  If you can locate one in a city area, i.e., LA and Orange County CA, that they can tell you about others in the immediate area you are looking for.  It is kind of an underground network and few if any advertise even in the Yellow pages.

 

[fueledbymusic]

THANKS! Great info here!

So far, the applewhite location near Fontana look interesting.. LOL
So what I see there. Its something like $10-$15 a day.
A question about this fee, is this a fee for bringing a trailer/ RV or are these fees just to simply enter the park?? So when they say Back-ins 13x30 does this mean no trailers/RVs over 30 feet?





This is the info I got from this park:

RV Park DetailsFacility Info:
Type (National Forest) Open All Year Day Max Stay (14) Pets Welcome No Reservations Elevation(ft) (3300) Handicap Access Sites:
Spaces Available (44) Dirt Sites (44) Pull-thrus (2) Back-ins (13 x 30) Room for Slideouts Shaded (Mostly) Recreational Facilities:
Stream Body Of Water (Lytle Creek) Fishing Amenities:
Restrooms Public Phone Condition of Interior Roads (Good) Surface of Interior Roads (Paved) Condition of Exterior Roads (Good) Surface of Exterior Roads (Dirt)

 

[Terier]

Finding campgrounds is pretty much what everyone has shared.  Do a search in the general area you are interested in.  As you read the information on the website you will find key words like full hookups, back-in sites, pull through sites, etc...  Look at the driveway length and max vehicle/RV length too.  Have questions? Call the campground to verify before making the reservation. 

Start searching surrounding Riverside & San Bernardino counties for campgrounds.  There are two campgrounds in Riverside CA that you may wish to check out at Rancho Jurupa.  Sometimes I will drive to the campground to take a look around before making reservations.

Here are some ideas for campgrounds not too far from Rialto:
Cottonwood @ Rancho Jurupa - Riverside County
Lakeside @ Rancho Jurupa - Riverside County
Prado Park - Chino/Ontario - San Bernardino County
Canyon RV Park - Anaheim Hills (91 fwy)
Yucaipa - San Bernardino County

http://www.rivcoparks.org/reservations/camping-reservations/
http://cms.sbcounty.gov/parks/Activities/Camping.aspx
http://www.campsitephotos.com/campground-directory/state/California?sortby=name

Good luck,
Terier

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

So what I see there. Its something like $10-$15 a day.
A question about this fee, is this a fee for bringing a trailer/ RV or are these fees just to simply enter the park?? So when they say Back-ins 13x30 does this mean no trailers/RVs over 30 feet?

Daily rates are camping fees - daily rental for the camp site that you occupy.  Some state or county parts also have an admission fee for campers, but it is not common. I don't know about California parks.  Those who enter a park without renting a campsite will typically pay a small daily use fee, but again it varies by state and sometimes by park. Somebody from California can be more specific, I'm sure.

A 13x30 site can hold a camper that is up tp 30 feet long and up to 13 feet wide. Typically the length measurement is for the "pad' where the RV will actually sit - there is usually additional room to park your car/truck. There may also be space for a picnic table (often included), grill, etc.

 

[John From Detroit]

My 38 foot RV will fit on a 28' pad, if you can believe that (I measured it, Front wheels to rear jacks, of course it hangs off the "Back" of the pad so I have to make sure there are not trees, etc, there)

How to find RV parks.. There are several publications that list RV parks, alas all of them are out of date by the time they hit the shelves as new parks open and old ones close all the time, but, they do make a good start.

The WOODALL's guide, Which is published by the folks who own Camping World if I recall correctly (NOTE IF) is included with the computer software Microsoft Streets and Trips, which helps me get lost,, ir, not get lost, on occasion.

IF you belong to the American Automobile Assn.. They have a guide, in fact many of them (one per state).

Your state department of parks (In michigan that is part of the Department of Natural Resources, or DNR) has a guide to state parks.

www.recreation.gov has nathional parks, forest service, Dore of Engineers and such.

Put 'em all together, and you have a fair list, still not complete.

 

[fueledbymusic]

I do remember hearing about some parks "not wanting" RVs or trailer older than a certain year.
I have not seen anything so far that says anything about older trailers/RVs

How concerned should I be with this. Since my trailer is a 1994.
They're gonna say it straight out and clearly, right?

 

[Great Horned Owl]

I do remember hearing about some parks "not wanting" RVs or trailer older than a certain year.
I have not seen anything so far that says anything about older trailers/RVs

How concerned should I be with this. Since my trailer is a 1994.
They're gonna say it straight out and clearly, right?

That is not terribly common.

 

[Steve N Dee]

I do remember hearing about some parks "not wanting" RVs or trailer older than a certain year.

Most parks use this a way to deny admittance to someone in an "unsightly" rig.  My experience has been, if you are reasonably clean and maintained, you would not have a problem even at a place that says no rigs over X years old.

 

[SeilerBird]

I do remember hearing about some parks "not wanting" RVs or trailer older than a certain year.
I have not seen anything so far that says anything about older trailers/RVs

How concerned should I be with this. Since my trailer is a 1994.
They're gonna say it straight out and clearly, right?

Basically any park that won't let you in because of the age of your vehicle is going to be more expensive than you would probably want to pay. It is usually only the high end parks that have this restriction. However in southern California I have ran into this in some middle of the road parks. It is not really the year you have to worry about it is the condition of the vehicle. The amount of duct tape and dents can influence them. And usually they are only worried if you want to stay for a month or longer. It becomes hard to evict someone after they have been a resident for a while in some states and the thinking is that if your RV looks shabby you might not be able to keep paying rent then they will have to evict you.