FCFS Camping - National Forests in the South

[muttinthehut]

We're new to whole RV thing and I've seen a couple of threads on First Come First Serve. We have a few locations about 2 hours away (primarily national forests), but I'm not sure I'm on board with driving 2 hours and being turned
away due to lack of space.

Has anyone done FCFS at some of the Nat Forest campgrounds in the South? If so, how's the traffic and vacancies at them? (I've never done a FCFS campground so looking for advice in general too.)

Just curious if it's worth the trouble or take a pass.

Thank you!

[Reverse_snowbird]

Our experience with Forest Service campgrounds were mixed. During the week we were able to get a FCFS site.
At another campground, they took one look are our 21' trailer and 19' truck and said we were too large for any of their sites. It was late and the camp host let us camp in their paved area in front of their bathhouse overnight.
I'd recommend you research the campgrounds near where you want to go.

[pgandw]

For FCFS USFS campsites in Colorado, I found arriving about 1030 for noon check-ins works pretty well. You can see what's open, and who is packing up to leave, and then wait in line to check-in. In most places in Colorado, nobody will say anything if you start setting up at 1130 if the site is not occupied.

OTOH, I've seen people not leave until 1 or 2 PM. That really sucks for everybody else.
I've yet to see any ranger station or anything besides an "honor board" to control things. It's up to the campground hosts and/or a drive-by patrolling ranger once or twice a day. May be very different in the South.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[muttinthehut]

Thank you both for the thoughts! Sounds like the best thing to do is make a call to do some research.

[Adrian Gordon]

We have probably just been lucky, but DW and I have stayed at many NFS campgrounds from Pennsylvania to Idaho and back to Florida over the past three years and have never found one full regardless of the time we have arrived.

[jimmoore13]

Common (and encouraged) in Colorado:
If you really want a site, the best way to get one is to go there in your car around Wednesday anytime or Thursday morning and setup a beater tent along with an older cooler, some beater chairs and "setup camp."

By the way, this is NOT encouraged in actual NFS campgrounds. There you must OCCUPY the site. But out in the National Forest and BLM land (even on spaces that are marked), those rules don't apply.

Before the haters start hating, this is the method encouraged by the rangers and sheriff's deputies in CO. A deputy is actually the person who instructed me how it's done.

Set the tent door facing away from the road, and setup your chairs facing the fire pit. I use some cheap "L"-shaped tent stakes to keep them from blowing over...or away. I put a couple heavy rocks in the cooler for the same reason.

I know you said 2 hours away. I've driven as far as an hour one way for this purpose, and I've never been disappointed. But beware: enough people employ this tactic that you're likely to be disappointed if you're showing up on Thursday evening.

If you get there and the beater tent is gone, that's the cost of doing business. Since literally anyone could have taken the tent, the fact that there are occupants on the site is not prima facie evidence that they took it and "stole your" site. You might politely ask, but since the stuff was technically "abandoned" you have no standing on which to make any claims. But with all that said, it's never happened to my stuff.

You say you work for a living? I get it. Presumably you are off work sometime on Wednesday or Thursday.

My beater tent is a somewhat substantial (and serviceable) Coleman 4-person dome tent. A little pup tent may not have the gravitas to hold down the site.

[dave961]

If you come in on a Tue, Wed, or Thu you will probably be OK. If you get there by 11am or so and it's full, park facing in and wait a few hours. Someone might leave.

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

Common (and encouraged) in Colorado:
If you really want a site, the best way to get one is to go there in your car around Wednesday anytime or Thursday morning and setup a beater tent along with an older cooler, some beater chairs and "setup camp."

By the way, this is NOT encouraged in actual NFS campgrounds. There you must OCCUPY the site. But out in the National Forest and BLM land (even on spaces that are marked), those rules don't apply.

Before the haters start hating, this is the method encouraged by the rangers and sheriff's deputies in CO. A deputy is actually the person who instructed me how it's done.

Set the tent door facing away from the road, and setup your chairs facing the fire pit. I use some cheap "L"-shaped tent stakes to keep them from blowing over...or away. I put a couple heavy rocks in the cooler for the same reason.

I know you said 2 hours away. I've driven as far as an hour one way for this purpose, and I've never been disappointed. But beware: enough people employ this tactic that you're likely to be disappointed if you're showing up on Thursday evening.

If you get there and the beater tent is gone, that's the cost of doing business. Since literally anyone could have taken the tent, the fact that there are occupants on the site is not prima facie evidence that they took it and "stole your" site. You might politely ask, but since the stuff was technically "abandoned" you have no standing on which to make any claims. But with all that said, it's never happened to my stuff.

You say you work for a living? I get it. Presumably you are off work sometime on Wednesday or Thursday.

My beater tent is a somewhat substantial (and serviceable) Coleman 4-person dome tent. A little pup tent may not have the gravitas to hold down the site.

So you’re saying if I want a spot occupied by a tent camper all I have to do is wait for them to drive into town for supplies. Then the site and tent are “abandoned” so I can just pull all their stuff out and move in.

[lablover]

If all of the sites are FCFS you have as good of a chance as anyone else. Most people leave campgrounds on Sundays or Mondays if it is a holiday weekend. I would encourage you to try on another day besides Friday or Saturday. Always try and arrive 1-2 hours before checkout. I sure wish the southeast had as many National Forests as out west does. We never had a problem and loved camping in NF's in the west except for Co, near RMNP. National Parks are a different story.

[muttinthehut]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

Common (and encouraged) in Colorado:
If you really want a site, the best way to get one is to go there in your car around Wednesday anytime or Thursday morning and setup a beater tent along with an older cooler, some beater chairs and "setup camp."

By the way, this is NOT encouraged in actual NFS campgrounds. There you must OCCUPY the site. But out in the National Forest and BLM land (even on spaces that are marked), those rules don't apply.

I’ve heard of this method but honestly thought it was a setup to get fined by the ranger. The “beater tent” comment cracked me up. I guess this method separates the pros from the newbies like me! I just didn’t want to drag the trailer and wife a couple of hours only to be turned away. Sounds like planning around weekdays is the safer bet.

I can imagine it’s a different experience everywhere and I appreciate the advice and replies!

[lablover]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

Common (and encouraged) in Colorado:
If you really want a site, the best way to get one is to go there in your car around Wednesday anytime or Thursday morning and setup a beater tent along with an older cooler, some beater chairs and "setup camp."

By the way, this is NOT encouraged in actual NFS campgrounds. There you must OCCUPY the site. But out in the National Forest and BLM land (even on spaces that are marked), those rules don't apply.

Before the haters start hating, this is the method encouraged by the rangers and sheriff's deputies in CO. A deputy is actually the person who instructed me how it's done.

Set the tent door facing away from the road, and setup your chairs facing the fire pit. I use some cheap "L"-shaped tent stakes to keep them from blowing over...or away. I put a couple heavy rocks in the cooler for the same reason.

I know you said 2 hours away. I've driven as far as an hour one way for this purpose, and I've never been disappointed. But beware: enough people employ this tactic that you're likely to be disappointed if you're showing up on Thursday evening.

If you get there and the beater tent is gone, that's the cost of doing business. Since literally anyone could have taken the tent, the fact that there are occupants on the site is not prima facie evidence that they took it and "stole your" site. You might politely ask, but since the stuff was technically "abandoned" you have no standing on which to make any claims. But with all that said, it's never happened to my stuff.

You say you work for a living? I get it. Presumably you are off work sometime on Wednesday or Thursday.

My beater tent is a somewhat substantial (and serviceable) Coleman 4-person dome tent. A little pup tent may not have the gravitas to hold down the site.

Sorry, but it is this kind of behavior that ruin it for the rest of us. It is flat out against the rules.