Hell in a Handbasket!

[Crusadernoob]

Love our state parks in NC!

Just got back from a private in VA Beach, third year in a row at this place and it gets worse every year. Won't go back again.

[ChipBruce]

We stayed in one and drove through 2 other Branson-area Missouri state campgrounds a couple of weeks ago and they are marvelous. My thought is always, it is so quiet here it's kind of scary. I'm not complaining, just bragging....Happy Trails.

[B and B]

Originally Posted by TURBS

Iowa ' s sp run a tight ship.
Also no Glass bottles or hard liquor.

TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded
2011 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "11 nights"

No BVT? I have seen bafoons a lot worse off on watered down corporate suds than a stiff Rye and Coke.

[Evereddie]

Originally Posted by MilCop4523

could be worse - could be like the young man in Calais jsut up the road from us that lit a firework on July 4th off his head and died from his error...

Darwin awards come to mind.

[txredfish]

I have stayed at some of the state parks that were very well run and others that I will not never sit foot on again. I went to one state park where people were parked all over the place. I had to stop twice to ask people to move their car/trucks in order for me to get my TT to my campsite. They acted very rude and annoyed. Low limbs that hit my TT.
Kids running all over the place through the campsites. This place was not for me.

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by Lloydg

Where is this CG located? Please let your forum friends know so we are forewarned.

For the most part, our complaints only affect the seasonal campers. The average weekend campers seem to be pretty happy.

And honestly, we'd like to have the place full every weekend. Then the owners will hopefully have the cash flow to address a few of the problems.

[DreiHunde]

Originally Posted by Evereddie

That's just not true everywhere. We stay only in state parks and COE parks in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Nothing at all like what you report. Sorry you have bad areas.

X2! Never a problem other than one young lady thinking it was ok to let her toddlers roam neighboring sites! But a quick "what are you thinking" conversation with her corrected that!

[peaceparson]

We stayed at an Indiana State Park some years ago and had to deal with a camper who threatened to do physical harm to my autistic son, and then to me. Guy objected to us camping next store to his family. He had been on another site the night before, and insisted on moving because he discovered that the neighbors were a same-sex couple. After he complained to the park ranger about my son, they moved him to yet another site--really obscure and very near the exit. Next move--out the gate! That was the worst experience in over ten years of camping. We usually find state and national parks to be full of friendly people who love the peace and quiet of the outdoors.

[loumichelle735]

PA and Maryland state parks are great in our experience. Well run, quiet and clean. We have been to many and not had a bad experience. Our preference is for SPs.


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[CNYCamper]

Have almost exclusively camped at NYS parks since 1978 and never ran into a real problem. Some parks better than others and you learn over time. Never out on 5/30 or 7/4 week-ends. Over the years I've perfected my "slow burn" look which works pretty good on wayward campers, people who leave grocery carts in the lot and wrongly park in handicapped spaces.


Worst was a guy from Quebec running an industrial generator at 7 am while sneaking in 2 TT's on 1 site the night before. Problem was the guy was very gregarious so when the ranger stopped to talk/yell at him he got the ranger laughing and they became pals. Next was a guy in the 80's singing along to a Willie Nelson tape at the campfire. That might have been me.

[aceinspp]

Over all we have had good luck in State parks. You even find some problems at KOA or Good Sam CG. Biggest complaint I have is the folks let there dogs run loose when the rules are they are to be on a lease. I've heard this saying so many times oh my dog would not hurt a fly. Not the point rules are rules obey them. Of course we have one less idiot that did not like safety rules and shoots off fire works from his head. Later RJD

[n-e-d]

Originally Posted by VT Skier

Never have a problem in the VT State parks.....Well unless you don't mind the large invasion of Massachusetts vehicles.....

Come on the New Yorkers out number us

[bikendan]

We prefer state parks we just refuse to use them in the summer or during holidays.

[magpi26]

Originally Posted by f5moab

I have found state campgrounds to be terrible, from MI to UT, I no longer visit them. The hosts are worthless and not enough park rangers to keep the peace. And that is even being a personal friend with a UT state park ranger.
Too many people not respecting the rights of others.

We camp a lot at WV state parks and find them to generally be well managed and the rules enforced. There are exceptions and I know for sure it is dependent mostly on the individual superintendent in charge. It is like any business or organization in that leadership is key.

[Still Kickin]

Originally Posted by MilCop4523

could be worse - could be like the young man in Calais jsut up the road from us that lit a firework on July 4th off his head and died from his error...

OR, Darwins' theory at work!

[Platokidd]

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

Sounds a lot like this past weekend at the CG we reside at.

Then when a few of us posted our frustrations on the private FB page created by and for seasonal campers like us, the posts mysteriously disappeared.

A whole lot of people are unhappy with the way the CG is being run. Many people have already pulled out and quite a few more are planning to pull out in the near future. We've already started scouting other nearby CGs.

Nice and quite down the road from ya.

[F.R.O.G.]

Unfortunately, sometimes common sense and common courtesy are sadly misnamed.

[ben31]

I am in the Southeast and have seen everything from well run State Park campgrounds to ones like you described. It seems to be the more hard up the park is for funding, the less they seem to care about how people act. The well run ones seem to stay full year round (or all season long). We have erased a couple of "backup" campgrounds just for the craziness, which we didn't want to deal with. For example Big Lagoon State Park in FL is a nightmare! Almost never full, even though it is in a big tourist spot. There is a reason for that.

Therefore, we make reservations well in advance for those nice campgrounds and tend to stay only in parks which have good reputations (like Henderson Beach State Park in Destin).

Create a network of friends and keep each other informed. Also use trip advisor and other tools. Good luck!

[dav7158]

We've only returned to camping since November but have been able to hit four Louisiana state parks (in the area of the toe of Louisiana's boot0, called the Northshore, from New Orleans on the southshore, or the Florida Parishes.) So no summer camping experiences yet but the parks are really great places to visit and have regular Camp Host and ranger visits. I think there has been a great deal of physical plant work and improvements in the last 10 years so are fine places to visit at a reasonable cost.

[peaceparson]

I've pulled my pup out of the drive twice so far this summer, but only to get it to higher ground! The alley next to my house turns to a river in a hard rain, and flows about knee deep, which is above floor level for a FR Flagstaff pup. Next week--THE REAL THING! My son and I will leave for ND, via the Mackinaw Straits Bridge and U.S Highway 2. My son is autistic, and loves to ride in the car. This time, he gets the front seat for about 1,300 miles (my wife is taking the train earlier)!