RV camp site cost/night

[Danijoh69]

We are just exploring RV lifestyle & wondering what the average cost of a camp site for a class C, full hook-up, is per night. I’m sure it varies wildly, but we are attempting to get an idea on what this will cost per night. Thanks for any help!

[eye95]

The lowest I ever paid for full hookups was $20/night (Caesar Creek State Park). The most was about $50/night (a KOA).

[Iwritecode]

It's going to vary a lot depending on where you go and when you go.

Just for example, the CG that I'm seasonal at charges $55/night. But that's only for water and electric. They don't have full hookup sites.

Some places will be more, some will be less. Some it depends on what month it is and even whether it's a weekend or a weekday.

You're best bet is to figure out where you want to go, look up some of the local CGs and check their prices. You'll get prices anywhere between $30 and $100+ a night.

[GravelRider]

I just booked four nights in Hershey next year during the big RV show. Full hookups at the Hershey Park RV Park cost close to $200 per night!

If we weren't going to be going with good friends and going specifically for the RV show, there's no way we'd ever consider that. We're usually boondocking or staying in state/national parks without hookups for $20ish per night. At KOAs and such, we've found that we're usually averaging around $50 or so per night for full hookups.

[upflying]

Cost depends on where it is and the amenities offered. I drove past a dusty RV park offering 50 amp service in Beatty, NV for $25 a night.
A shady, paved, pull through with grass, pool and a community center will be a lot more.

[Csbadvisor]

For an average $65 a day would be reasonable for trying to budget your costs. You will find many full hooks ups in the $40 range but occasionally based on location you may be pushing $75 to $100

[CHICKDOE]

$65/night is right around the average that we pay on our trips for full hookups. Many will give you a week for the cost of 6 nights.

[rsdata]

FL state parks for electric and water, but NOT sewer are generally about $32/night once taxes and fees are included. Dump stations are free within the campground. Full service private FL camps during the "winter season" are $60 and mostly higher depending on how far south and how close to beach areas you are.

[PSUFan1]

East coast and specially the Mid Atlantic and New England states have a higher cost per night rate than the rest of the US. We live in PA and rarely do we ever pay less than $50/night for full hookups and on average we are probably closer to $60-70/ night. We are booking a trip to Massachusetts next year and the average rate for that trip will be closer to $80 with some nights over $100 on Cape Cod. So obviously location means a lot just like hotel rooms.

[robsshots]

Okay, all of this depends on the kind of camping you want to do.

If a glamper, then you'll happily pay $50-$75+++ a night for the comforts of home with a pool, fishing ponds, beautiful bathrooms and showers.

If you are an RVer, then if you shop, you can get a nice spot with full hook-ups for what I would say is an average of $35 a night. Maybe $40 the way they are raising their rates.

If you stay in state parks you can sometimes save money. Except for Colorado which charges an additional daily in and out fee of $5 a campsite. What idiots!!

There are two easy ways to reduce costs. Passport American can save you a bunch of $$ at select campgrounds during the week. Weekends there are no deals.

Second is camp longer. You'll almost always get a better deal with weekly stays. You'll get huge discounts with a monthly stay. We stayed at a nice campground in Tennessee in Wears Valley, just south of Pigeon Forge and 15 minutes from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with a nice pool, beautiful setting, spacious site, excellent bathrooms/showers, decent laundry for $650 one month, $725 the next. Important to have a pool in that location during July-August IMHO.

Then we stayed at a nice campground for a month in Maggie Valley with full hookups, wonderful setting, 10 minutes off the Blue Ridge Pkwy and 20 minutes from Great Smoky Mountains NP. No bath/shower, but a laundry. Who cares when you have full hook-ups? We paid $550 for the month during peak fall color season...just this year.

Use the internet, listen to people you meet on the road. Everyone has a great place, great story of super RV park finds. Personally, avoid the KOA like the plague. Over-priced and rundown. Great for kids, but they really hammer you on daily rates and NO discounts for weekly/monthly rates.

Any more advice than that and I would have to start charging you.

[PSUFan1]

Good Sam is a good choice for discounts. It easily pays for itself.

[moff34]

Rates can vary wildly depending when, where, and sometimes, what part of the park you want to stay in. One extreme example of this is Campland on the Bay in San Diego, CA. Premium spots in the summer go for $275 per night while their non-hookup spots, away from the water, are "only" $78 per night.

Contrast that with a park in the redwoods we stayed at near Klamath in Northern California. A full hook-up spot was $35 per night, but they threw in a 20% AAA discount so it was only $28 per night.

In our quest of visiting every National Park we can get to, we have seen prices everywhere in between those two extremes.

[PSUFan1]

Wow $275/night. And I thought Fort Wilderness at Disney World was expensive.

[Crusadernoob]

$25-$150 is our range. I am usually around $35 night

[Reverse_snowbird]

When you say "exploring the rv lifestyle", what does that mean???
If you're over 62, a National Senior Park pass will reduce your camping costs by 1/2 at most national parks and US Corps of Engineers parks.
As mentioned, longer stays will generally reduce the cost per day (one week, one month flat rates are common)
We typically stay under one week at state, national, and COE campgrounds. If we're traveling, as KOA members we tend to stay there and their rates vary widely.
When we're planning, we budget around $100 a day for campgrounds, food and gas, but it has gone up occasionally to $150 a day if we're in high dollar areas. Now we seldom eat out because we prefer to 'eat at home' and we like to 'camp' and visit historical sites. That's dollar cost averaging because some days cost is for the campsite and food only where traveling eats into the budget quickly.

If you're working and plan to work from on the road, make certain you look into hotspot costs because campground internet won't work for you.

If you're a family that will be camping weekends only, you're going to be paying top dollar because spaces are hard to come by in low dollar campsites.

If you're uncertain, consider renting a class c and trying before you buy.

[jd4010]

We've been to less expensive (bordering on cheap) parks this year and we found that in most cases, you get what you pay for (mind you these were private parks not state rec parks). Low water pressure. Terrible roads in/out. Tight spaces. Power issues. Green swimming pools. More permanent structures than mobile. So we're sticking with the ones we like that range from $80 and up a night. To us, it's worth it.

[medalguy]

We have stayed at city parks with full hookups for free and paid about $150 for space near San Francisco. It’s all over the place but “average” defined as most common is about $50 a night.

[Tundra 2014]

It really depends where you are camping. I have payed $25 for a county park in Kansas and $95 on the Florida coast @ a luxury resort peek season.. If you are a senior the best deal is a lifetime pass for National Parks, usually about $50, but not always full hook-ups.

[dahagen]

All the answers shown are basically correct. I have seen FHU sites at a casino in NM at $15 a night, and KOA's in CO at $100 a night to FL at $200 a night. Remember that the longer you stay, the cheaper the daily rate. And I suggest Passport America and Good Sam cards to help reduce the costs. Just about every campground I have stayed at gives some kind of a discount, like for veterans, etc.

[Dirt Sifter]

Just look at Camp Ground Reviews or sign up for RV Trip Wizard and look at the parks or areas you think you'd like to visit. You'll get a better idea of what it'll cost you.