Campsite or Sight Seeing?

[sherman12]

Whenever you are on a trip with your camper do you spend most of your time at your campground, and how important to you is it, or is your destination the reason of the trip so you spend most of the day taking in the sights where you are?

We just got back from a great ten day trip up the west coast of Michigan. We stayed at Michigan State Parks on the whole trip. At the last two, Traverse City SP and Wildnerness SP by Mackinac City, especially Wilderness where our full hook up site was 100 feet or so from a quiet beautiful beach on Lake Michigan. We found it hard to leave the campgrounds each morning to take in the many things to see and do by at each location. Traverse City has Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore, about 30 miles away and a host of great New England type towns up the coast. Not to forget Traverse City itself! But the campgrounds were so nice and peaceful and rustic we wanted to spend more time enjoying the quiet and our camper. We made it work of course but I get the urge to find our next destination to be someplace that we will spend most of our time camping!

[kenandterry]

When you have a 330TS.......why leave?

[rockfordroo]

We rarely spend time in camp. TT is base camp/hotel for going out and seeing what's out there. Most CG's (even in many national/state parks) are often "too many sites too close together" to make it very enjoyable to stay in camp, IMHO.

[DreiHunde]

A little of both!

[Martsing]

Well, we have been tent camping for 20+ years before we purchased our Rockwood 2703WS this year. Tent camping and so far with the camper we tend to use the camp as a base and do/see things in the area. Although, there are places and times when simply staying in camp with some good friends, adult beverages, and great camp food is the perfect remedy. More often though it is as a base camp.

Marty

[DFW Rusty]

For us it is a 50/50. Short stays at local parks around the lake typically is us just sitting around with our camping group eating good food, watching the kids play and just RELAXING (we do take boats, bikes or balls depending on what the campground offers). However we also use our camper as just a place to stay sometimes, we would rather take the camper than stay in a hotel.

[Restcure]

There are a lot of variables that dictate whether we hang around or venture out.

Have we been here before? If the area is new to us we'll likely do more touring.
Are there non-camping friends in the area? We'll spend more time away visiting.
Are we camping with a group? If so we're more likely to hang around our site (or someone else's).
Are there attractions within the park (biking / paddling / swimming / fishing / hiking...)? If so we may be away from the site but still within the park.
Does the site have decent size and privacy? Meh, I'll nap anywhere. :P

[geeman53]

We can't sight see in most campgrounds. Some ,we can .

[Oaklevel]

Both..............

But also depends on everything that has been mentioned.........Sometimes its nice just to get away and sit with your favoiite drink on the beach and relax.

[larryo]

We tend to hang around the campsite. Most places we go to a pretty secluded.

[itat]

Originally Posted by JD and Beastlet

There are a lot of variables that dictate whether we hang around or venture out.

Have we been here before? If the area is new to us we'll likely do more touring.
Are there non-camping friends in the area? We'll spend more time away visiting.
Are we camping with a group? If so we're more likely to hang around our site (or someone else's).
Are there attractions within the park (biking / paddling / swimming / fishing / hiking...)? If so we may be away from the site but still within the park.
Does the site have decent size and privacy? Meh, I'll nap anywhere. :P

X2

There are one or two campgrounds we've been to several times and will continue to return to so we will mostly stay within the campground there, but we always venture outside the campgrounds at least one day. I just love to go for a drive. More often that not though, we camp for 5 to 7 days in a location we haven't been to before and we go sightseeing 2 or 3 days.

[rattleNsmoke]

We sight-see.

[SaskCampers]

Sight Seeing is the reason for our trips. Very rare that we stay local and camp although that may change now that we bought a boat to tube and water ski behind.

[mdstudey]

We have not been able to camp as much in our TT as we would like, but when we did tent camping there were a lot of times we just stayed there. When we were younger we would hike. Now I may do a short elevation gain hikes and then just hang out while hubby and dog (if allowed on trails) do the big hikes. We are not adverse to sight seeing either though.

[raytwntrvlr]

If we just want to get away from home for a weekend a visit a park close by we will be at the TT for the stay except for the usual short bike rides and walks. But earlier this year we did a swing through the NW including stops in Yellowstone and the Oregon coast... did not spend much time at the campground on that trip.

[MinneweeseMI]

We tend to do both and we travel differently for each. When sightseeing, we tend to eat at restaurants more or since we're in Michigan: a different microbrewery every night. When we are on a sightseeing adventure we are always looking for that next perfect spot to return to and do our other favorite type of camping: boondocking.

When sightseeing we don't bring the solar panel, never put up the awning or hammock and generally only stay two days in any given place.

Now that we have visited almost every square mile of Michigan we know lots of places to return to. The only place left is the thumb!

[5picker]

Depends on the trip.
We take some that are simply get-aways to relax and do nothing.
Then, we take trips that are sight seeing/educational.
With an R/V you have the best of both worlds!
Enjoy!

[markb422]

To Sherman12 next time you are in that area stop at Interlochen SP which is close to Traverse City. Especialy if you like a good concert, comedy show or musical. Just got back from trip to Interlochen SP which is across the street from Interlochen Center for the Arts. Had the privilage to see the World Youth Orchestra on Sunday and a Pat Benatar Concert on Tuesday.

[CaptnJohn]

We just planned our 1st trip of the season. 45 years ago we started to show our daughters the country. We made friends at some campgrounds and spent time there as well. Now retired there are still things we want to see. We park the camper when school is out and it rarely moves until school starts again. We generally search for the nicest CG in the area but only use it as a base to explore from. We live at the beach in SE NC so the beach is not a draw. Heading to the mountains on the GA/TN border, then to SC, then back to northern TN mountains. There will be one more before our snowbird trip to FL.

[spock123]

DW says if we stay in the camper then we may as well be home, we go but sometimes we stay. We see some pretty places


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