Posted on 02/16/2021 12:19:49 PM PST by SJackson
A few seconds into John & Mercedes Condon’s latest YouTube video, this famous RV couple states the cold, hard truth. Known as the RV Odd Couple, the Condons are known for telling it like it is.
In the recent video, Mercedes starts by saying, “I bet you can’t wait to go camping this year.”
John’s direct realization follows, “Good luck, guys! ‘Cause America’s pretty much sold out already.”
Is this true? Are most of the campgrounds in America sold out?
Well, while we know there’s still availability (in Kansas, maybe), the tourist hot spots are booking quicker than ever this year.
We’ve got a few tips to solve this problem. The RV Odd Couple does, too! Watch the video below for John & Mercedes tips and continue reading for ours.
Between the two of us, you’ll be in a much better spot for booking those popular campsites.
Visit one of the many Lesser-Known National Parks The USA has 63 designated national parks. I can almost guarantee you haven’t heard of half of them.
And, that’s a good thing!
That means these National Parks won’t be swamped with tourists.
Sure, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, the Grand Canyon, the Smokies, and Acadia are probably already booked-out for this year. But have you heard of Isle Royale, Congaree, Voyageurs, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, or Mesa Verda?
If you visit one of these five lesser-known National Parks, you’ll have a much better chance of finding an available campsite.
Book Your Campsite During the Shoulder Season If you really want to visit a popular camping spot, do it during the shoulder season.
What is a Shoulder Season?
A shoulder-season positioned is on either side of the most popular time to visit a destination. For instance, if the Yellowstone is busiest from May-August, the shoulder season would be April and September.
The weather is still good, and the crowds are much less.
You’ll have more luck booking a campsite during the shoulder-season!
Risk it at an FCFS Campground Are you the gambling type? If so, an FCFS (first come, first served) might be the best solution for you.
Almost every National Park has a designated FCFS campground. This means it doesn’t accept reservations at all.
If you learn the cadence of tourists, you can make FCFS campgrounds work for you. Most likely, you’ll have to arrive on a Sunday morning when most campers are leaving.
If you wait until mid-day on Sunday, other campers may already snag the site.
Boondocking, Baby! Does this entire article give you a headache? If so, be like us and say screw it!
We love boondocking because we don’t need reservations. And, virtually every National Park has boondocking sites available within 10 miles.
You’ll need to equip your RV with a few off-grid accessories. But, the payoff is total freedom.
If by boondocking he means National Forests and state parks, lot's of them take reservations. Unless you make big park reservations very early that's where you end up anyway. Since he's writing about RVs I assume he's not including the many undeveloped camping opportunities on Federal land.
People are tired of being under house arrest
All I know about it is, I love her, she loves me, but I don’t fit her society. Lord have mercy...
My daughter is planning a trip to the SW for April. Will stay mostly on BLM land.
California’s National Parks have had this problem for decades. Utah, Wyoming, Montana, not so much. The reason is obvious. Calif is so overcrowded that each weekend Lake Crowley is surrounded, elbow to elbow with fishermen. US-395 is bumper to bumper. Heck I-15 LA to Vegas is bumper to bumper. You live in these places you deserve what you get.
Choose your parks wisely.
I've camped outside in temperatures as low as -5F, but that's not for everyone. LOL.
There’s a nice BLM campground near Datil, New Mexico, just west of the VLA. Very pretty country around there.
This guy is currently hot tenting in the Rockies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvLZAkv86JA&ab_channel=Off-GridBackcountryAdventures
I like living a life I don’t need a ‘vacation’ from.
That, and Army Life pretty much ruined ‘camping’ for me.
*SMIRK*
Yes, it’s in CA, but if you like the desert and can get away in February to see it in bloom, visit Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Had an AWESOME hike through there with everything in BLOOM. Sagebrush 10 feet tall, covered in blooms and Hummingbirds so thick you practically had to swat them away like mosquitoes. A real Oasis at the end of the hike. I’ll never forget it.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638
Wife and I made our reservations for this year’s Moab and Zion trip in Sept last year, figuring that all those new RV owners from last year were not going to keep them parked. Great to see so many folks getting into RVing, and enjoying our nation’s natural beauty.
There are tons of people that RV and boondock on Federal land. Mostly BLM land.
No hookups and people don’t need it.
we make or camping reservations in California 6 months in advance. we have teams on computers, finger on the trigger at 8:00 A.M. sharp 6 months early when the calendar opens up. Mostly we don’t get what we are looking for, it’s gone in 60 seconds.
I cannot stand park campgrounds...
For me, I boondock in national forests and out west I have BLM lands as an option. Since I use a ground tent and am lazy, I'll normally stay several days at least when I've found a new perfect spot.
In 2020, I spent about 50 days camping in Tennessee and New Mexico. Supply wise, I drop into a town about once a week, resupply and top off water then grab a burger or pizza leaving town. I'll get another month or 3 of camping in later this year.
Camping like this and where I do so is different than going out for a few days. I have a combination of strong, durable gear and simple, reliable gear. You have to be prepared for weather extremes and hiking out if trails get blocked (this happened to me last year) or there's a truck breakdown.
I'm making one change to my gear this year. I'm fed up with propane fuel. At the end of the last camping season, I threw my propane lantern in the trash. Completely fed up with all the fuel used for lighting. I'll go back to white gas. Propane is very good for the stove as a canister lasts several weeks. But for simplicity, I'll switch back to white gas for cooking as well.
“I like living a life I don’t need a ‘vacation’ from.”
Our life is like that. Still, it would be nice to take a cruise. (For me, camping is not a vacation.)
Our life is like that. Still, it would be nice to take a cruise. (For me, camping is not a vacation.)
Retired in '07. Living the dream. Currently wintering in Southeast Alaska. Cruising Lealea.
That’s a gorgeous video. I’ve lived both in Hawaii and Alaska, and I got a little homesick watching. How does the kitty handle the cruise?
Kitty was fine. She sailed with us for sixteen years. Made three crossings between Hawaii and the mainland and rarely left the boat.
I once had a white gas backpack stove valve break while I was adjusting it. It lit my hand on fire causing first and second degree burns.
We were running sort of a figure eight trail so we were close enough to our cars that a friend was able to drive me into town for extra first aid supplies. ( I didn’t have enough for multiple days of treatment.
I called my wife when we got into cell range. Since she wasn’t expecting to hear from me for a week she was a bit concerned. I said “I have good news and bad news. The good news is I get to buy a new camp stove.”
BTW, you can buy a refill attachment at Harbor freight to refill your propane cylinders.
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