Walk up campsites

[ProCharger]

My wife and I have a travel trailer on order which should be here in April. We were reluctant to make reservations Memorial weekend in case things got delayed. Since then we have talked to the dealer (2 weeks ago) and was told we would definitely have the TT well before Memorial weekend so I started looking at campsites fairly close to home (150 miles) to dust off any cob webs before we go any real distance. I can only find 1 campground that has full hookup with availability but it is very pricey, only reason I have not committed. $173.xx for Friday-Monday, 3 nights. There are several state parks in the area which run $72.00 for the exact same length of stay but they are 100% booked. Of those same parks there are roughly 75 full hookup sites that are walk up only. My wife works at a bank and getting off early is not an option but we could make it to the parks by 5:30 Friday with a 5:00 check in. What are the odds we could grab a full hookup in this scenario? I told my wife I would bet walk up full hookups are already 100% filled on Thursday but that is just my gut feeling. Anyone with walk up holiday experience that can chime in?

Thanks!

[Mr Havercamp]

Originally Posted by ProCharger

My wife and I have a travel trailer on order which should be here in April. We were reluctant to make reservations Memorial weekend in case things got delayed. Since then we have talked to the dealer (2 weeks ago) and was told we would definitely have the TT well before Memorial weekend so I started looking at campsites fairly close to home (150 miles) to dust off any cob webs before we go any real distance. I can only find 1 campground that has full hookup with availability but it is very pricey, only reason I have not committed. $173.xx for Friday-Monday, 3 nights. There are several state parks in the area which run $72.00 for the exact same length of stay but they are 100% booked. Of those same parks there are roughly 75 full hookup sites that are walk up only. My wife works at a bank and getting off early is not an option but we could make it to the parks by 5:30 Friday with a 5:00 check in. What are the odds we could grab a full hookup in this scenario? I told my wife I would bet walk up full hookups are already 100% filled on Thursday but that is just my gut feeling. Anyone with walk up holiday experience that can chime in?

Thanks!

Walk up sites that are full hook up? Never heard of that. Typically walk up sites are sites that have a parking area along a loop road and the actual site is back a trail in the woods. If you have to walk up to the site how do you get a trailer into it?

[Kimber45]

the state park I regularly camp at has 13 non reserve walk up sites. based on experience i would stop and buy lotto tickets on the way, on a holiday weekend you probably stand a better chance on the tickets then getting a site.

Showing up a day early you would probably stand a chance. My park is only 18 miles away. I have gone and ate the extra $23 threw a tent up to hold the site then showed up a day later with my rig.

[Iwannacamp]

I think a lot of state park/corps stuff has partial walk-up only sites. Might wanna plan the week after and avoid the commotion. I like to people watch as much as any, but that's a tuff no reservation weekend unless you get there by Thursday.

[rbq]

Chances won't be very good on a holiday weekend. Most weekends around here are not good for finding a site as they start filling on Thursday & early Friday. Keep checking on the availability though on the reserved sites. There may be a cancellation. Last year the week before Memorial I was able to snag a site at a state park that previously had been all booked up due to a cancellation.

[Wobbles]

I think that COE parks call them "Walk Up". Those are non reservable sites, per Recreation.gov...

[Kimber45]

Originally Posted by Mr Havercamp

Walk up sites that are full hook up? Never heard of that. Typically walk up sites are sites that have a parking area along a loop road and the actual site is back a trail in the woods. If you have to walk up to the site how do you get a trailer into it?

A walk up site is non reservable ahead of time. first come first serve basis. I have a state park by me that holds back 13 sites this way.


"walk up" not "walk in" should be called pull in site but that would be confused with pull through.

[Iwannacamp]

Btw...corps lakes around here are about $20-30 night.

[Jmkjr72]

Here in wisconsin your best bet is to start looking at the walk up sites a week before (but all we have at statebparks is ele sites) ie driving trough and seeing when the person is leaving that is In the site. If you find one leaving a day before you want to camp. And hope you get your camper there before some one else

[ProCharger]

Originally Posted by Wobbles

I think that COE parks call them "Walk Up". Those are non reservable sites, per Recreation.gov...

Correct, the 3 "parks" I am referring to are Missouri Parks that are Corps Of Engineer. I guess I should have used non reservable sites but on the reservation pages they are listed as walk up. They are $24 per night full hookup as are the reservable sites.

Thanks for the replies. We do have 3 other bookings already, just nothing this soon so not all is lost.

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by ProCharger

I can only find 1 campground that has full hookup with availability but it is very pricey, only reason I have not committed. $173.xx for Friday-Monday, 3 nights. There are several state parks in the area which run $72.00 for the exact same length of stay but they are 100% booked. Of those same parks there are roughly 75 full hookup sites that are walk up only. My wife works at a bank and getting off early is not an option but we could make it to the parks by 5:30 Friday with a 5:00 check in. What are the odds we could grab a full hookup in this scenario? I told my wife I would bet walk up full hookups are already 100% filled on Thursday but that is just my gut feeling. Anyone with walk up holiday experience that can chime in?

Thanks!

As a fellow Missourian I would say your chances of getting one of those FCFS full hookup sites on Memorial Weekend are NONE.

Here’s how the game is played for those sites. People come in on Tuesday or Wednesday and pay for the site all the way through the weekend. Some people come with their trailers, get set up and go back home, while others just bring a pup tent and set it up on the site and then bring their trailer or MH in Friday evening.

Also I’m not sure what state parks you’re talking about in Missouri. There are 44 MO State Parks that offer camping and spread out among those parks there are only 217 full hookup sites and almost every one is a reservable site. All the rest are electric only or in a few cases, electric and water only.

EDIT:
WHOOPS, just saw you were talking about COE campgrounds.

[rmac04401]

Originally Posted by ProCharger

My wife and I have a travel trailer on order which should be here in April. We were reluctant to make reservations Memorial weekend in case things got delayed. Since then we have talked to the dealer (2 weeks ago) and was told we would definitely have the TT well before Memorial weekend so I started looking at campsites fairly close to home (150 miles) to dust off any cob webs before we go any real distance. I can only find 1 campground that has full hookup with availability but it is very pricey, only reason I have not committed. $173.xx for Friday-Monday, 3 nights. There are several state parks in the area which run $72.00 for the exact same length of stay but they are 100% booked. Of those same parks there are roughly 75 full hookup sites that are walk up only. My wife works at a bank and getting off early is not an option but we could make it to the parks by 5:30 Friday with a 5:00 check in. What are the odds we could grab a full hookup in this scenario? I told my wife I would bet walk up full hookups are already 100% filled on Thursday but that is just my gut feeling. Anyone with walk up holiday experience that can chime in?



Thanks!

Do you need a full hookup site for a 3 day weekend? Use your fresh water tank and enjoy camping. I bet if you look for just electric sites and fill your fresh water tank when you arrive you may find one. This will let you test out your plumbing in good shape.

Even with a full hookup you probably won't drain your tanks till you leave anyways after three days unless you have 30 min showers and wash dishes constantly.

[Mr Havercamp]

Originally Posted by Oakman

Here’s how the game is played for those sites. People come in on Tuesday or Wednesday and pay for the site all the way through the weekend. Some people come with their trailers, get set up and go back home, while others just bring a pup tent and set it up on the site and then bring their trailer or MH in Friday evening.

So play the game, come in on Sunday or Monday prior and pay up through the holiday weekend. Beat the people to the punch who come in Tuesday or Wednesday??? I know of a couple ACOE places here in PA where the hosts and rangers keep a sharp eye out for that tactic, and when people show up on Friday to really occupy the site they get a rude awakening and are on their way home.

Personally I gave up on the Holiday weekend camping years ago at State and ACOE places, too many rookies, inconsiderate nimrods, and a lot of noise on those weekends. We do Memorial day for a week every year, but come in on the holiday Monday and stay through the following weekend, and we usually have the place mostly to ourselves.

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by Mr Havercamp

So play the game, come in on Sunday or Monday prior and pay up through the holiday weekend. Beat the people to the punch who come in Tuesday or Wednesday??? I know of a couple ACOE places here in PA where the hosts and rangers keep a sharp eye out for that tactic, and when people show up on Friday to really occupy the site they get a rude awakening and are on their way home.

Really? I sure hope they give a full refund for the site. If I paid for a site and had a pup tent on it they had better not give it away. Rangers would get an earful from me.

[Wobbles]

COE and the Illinois state parks that I have been at seem to have different levels of enforcement for the "must be occupied" rule. They all have the rule...

I understand the rule and agree with it. The state parks I have visited are so under-funded that this rule is lightly enforced for the purpose of generating money.

After understanding how this rule is applied in your park of choice, then you must learn the reservation game.

[ProCharger]

Originally Posted by rbq

Chances won't be very good on a holiday weekend. Most weekends around here are not good for finding a site as they start filling on Thursday & early Friday. Keep checking on the availability though on the reserved sites. There may be a cancellation. Last year the week before Memorial I was able to snag a site at a state park that previously had been all booked up due to a cancellation.

Luck has it I found one at 5am this morning! Since I last posted I had a tab on my phones browser set to refresh with the requirements I would check quite a few times daily. Somebody must have cancelled, got a great spot full hookup right across from the playground and my daughter will only be 3!

I did make reservations at a private campground only a few miles from the one I found the open site at today back in March but for some reason I had a strange gut feeling about the place. Turns out that feeling had merit. When I called to make reservations I only had to leave a name and phone # and nothing else, no deposit or prepay which I thought was odd. On top of that it was a first come first serve basis on your site which were either gravel or dirt so I would only be guaranteed a site, just no clue where. Well I called them this morning to cancel my reservation, my name was nowhere in their books.......WOW! I mean come on!!! Scary.

[rmac04401]

Congrats on finding a spot