Campground Insanity

[Ubiety]

It’s too bad there’s no more camping etiquette

I miss trail etiquette :( Hands down one brand of vehicle contains the most inconsiderate/uneducated drivers; Sue Barr, you know who I am talking about. See what I did there? ;)

 

[Shakes355]

Those party folks tend to roll up wherever and whenever it seems. Hard to escape these days. It's not new though. That particular "style" of camping is quite common. In the past, those folks had their pick of campgrounds and RV villages. Since COVID and the "boom", it's hard for anyone to book something anywhere and thus there's a more prevalent risk of, say, a "collision of styles". Notwithstanding the overall increase in numbers generally.

Doesn't help that the general population tends to be quick to judgement and quite callous these days. Makes it real difficult to iron out those differences between neighbors in a cordial and courteous manner.

 

[YoKramer]

The problem in the Southeast is you don't have many places that I know of where you can disperse camp.

Of course after typing that I did do a search on Google and found the link below, appears to be some!

Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest - Camping & Cabins:Dispersed Camping

I guess the ticket for dispersed camping in the Southeast is National Forrest land, below is the National Forrests in Florida that allow it.

National Forests in Florida - Camping & Cabins:Dispersed Camping

Here in NC the National Forests allow dispersed camping as well. They will shut it down at times for one reason or another but make it easy to find out with an internet search before heading out.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Allowing the kids to wander free is just part and parcel with camp, I think. As kids, in the summer, we were told to be home when the streetlights came on. There are a lot of complaints about helicopter parents and kids not being outside playing and adventuring on thier own so I wont down anyone for giving kids a little freedom in camp.

Having said that...yeah, there are a lot of people who domt need golf carts, are inconsiderate about dog mess, etc.

We camp with friends every year at a nearby state camp ground and state park. Not the best pond water but I will say, the scenery is nice, and there is far more wooded space between camp sites there than in the private ground we stayed at up by Acadia. Mass state camp we do to is a winding road loop with camp site alternating on either side and some views of the pond. The one near Acadia was basically a giant mowed hub with little nooks for tents around the perimeter. No sense of privacy at all.

Admittedly I havent been far off grid like some have. I'd love to. Maybe this fall

 

[leeloo]

there are several threads about defining "overlanding" and after this weekend...my definition of overlanding is "travel and camping as far from campgrounds as possible"

On the other hand, in such a place, I think your training on subs was of great value :)
Yep, I started to do this whole thing just to avoid cities and crowds.


In Europe you have good and bad camp sites, depends on the country and local style of camping, and depends of the season as well. Second half of july and august are the worst.
. In the most touristy places close to the the sea or ocean, July, August can be pretty bad. This year, because I got the vehicle a week before the holiday, camping wild was not an option, was not prepared properly for that, so in some places I even opted to go to an airbnb after I saw some camp sites. I was able to find accommodations in some villages, a whole house with yard all to myself, just a bit more expensive than a campsite, because they were located in some remote vilages far off the beaten track., which is fine for me.
In some parts of Europe you simply have no option as wild camping is forbidden. But if you look, in general you find some good camp sites.
In Portugal, I found a camp site in the middle of nowhere with only 20 spots, managed by a couple who are into all green things, so they offer minimum power, no facilities for RV 's and the space between the spots is crazy big, even 100m . It was the closest thing to wild camping without being wild camping that I ever saw. But this is rare.
Nothing beats a nice wild spot though.
Next year I will do better.

 

[ZombieCat]

About four years ago some rowdy campers were the target of vigilante justice in this very park (Glacier). A group of young people in the park campground partied very loudly well past midnight. They were asked to quiet down and ignored the requests. I heard them still at it around 2 am when I visited the bathroom, but they were far enough away from my campsite that I didn’t get involved. When I returned from hiking late the next afternoon, one of their vehicles was being towed away. Evidently, someone had snuck into their camp after they passed out and slashed 5 of the tires on their two vehicles. It was a very costly lesson in obeying the rules of quiet time.
I don’t condone this type of retaliation, but it sure made me chuckle…

 

[Kevin108]

That's the typical state park campground. Instead of spreading the sites here and there around the property, like the national forests do, state parks like to build these little loop roads, essentially creating an RV neighborhood, resulting in precisely what you experienced.

 

[grubworm]

ha! its also quite funny. watch any camp space and you will see the dad who has spent tens of thousands of dollars on a rig, golf carts, etc and after spending the week buying stuff and packing for the trip, he gets off work friday and drives for hours to set up in the dark. saturday he sits all day under the awning drinking beer while the wife is inside the RV wishing she was anywhere else with anyone else and the kids are bored out of their mind and with no data service, they are reduced to driving motorized scooters on the only road for traffic because there is nowhere else to go.

after eating tons of junk food and trashing the inside of the RV, its now saturday evening and the kids are being vocal and ready to go home and dad is still in the same spot under the awning...
sunday morning rolls around and while the wife and kids are still sleeping, the dad is clutching a beer and taking down camp. two hours later and the gravel is crunching under the tires of the giant RV as it slowly lumbers toward the exit only to reappear again a month later in the exact same spot....

 

[Red_Leaf_Overland]

I try my best to avoid campgrounds and get out as far away as I can for the most part. That being said my wife doesn't feel as comfortable as I do bringing our 2 year old out into the wilderness so we do still hit campgrounds during family outings.

I have had similar experiences and my father is actually one of the people who tows a trailer 4 hours to sit in it for the weekend. He invites me every year and I usually have plans but it's a hard sell to get me into those camp grounds.

 

[MOAK]

There is a nice little state campground in the midst of Bald Eagle SF that has only rustic sites and two pit toilets. It’s nice in the off season, Monday thru Thursday nite. Otherwise we avoid state parks. Like it or not, terms are important. RVing is not camping. Overlanding is not traveling to a state park and camping. We built our truck, our trailer and over the course of 25 years have collected the gear necessary to travel and stay way off grid. I’m always amazed that with OB being 40,000 strong we’ve yet to encounter any other members out there on the road less traveled.

 

[FishinCrzy]

I can only think of one thing worser. The RV parks right next to the interstate with zero shade. I suppose if one is in transit and not going outside anyway you do what you must. Living in the East I have become accustomed to trees and shade. With my RTT getting far away from noise and people is imperative. I spend days searching for the right locations to fit my needs. I do have a reservation at a large campground on the water for my cross-country trek. I don't think it will be crowded at all during the middle of the week. I just hop this heat wave breaks some but not really worried as I have a good fan and should be some breeze out in the open by the water. My backup plans often include out of the way boat landings and occasionally cemeteries. travel days during the week to get to the forest and secluded for the weekends. Some of the places I am going a few people in the area is not such a bad thing. The people in those areas tend to be more interesting.

 

[Ubiety]

@MOAK and @FishinCrzy - I have come to the realization that "overlanding" is different things to different people and that is why I don't use the term much or apply it to myself. Some will never know the satisfaction of meticulously planning a trip and getting to the prime less traveled spot and that is ok, just not what I am looking for. That said, I have also met and traveled with some mighty fine folks through OB. My daughter calls OB the "Tinder of camping". Hahahahahaha

 

[bgenlvtex]

State and National Park campgrounds are very handy for an overnight stay while traveling elsewhere. Water and electric and sometimes a shower reminiscent of a prison.

We met a friend in Utah a couple of weeks ago and spent 3 days in what was effectively a city park for $45 a night 50 miles from Moab. We could have been in any of a thousand remote campsites but ended in the park to accommodate his hulking beast of a motor home with a 10 degree approach angle, 5 degree departure angle and 4 inches of ground clearance. BUT, we got to see a friend and the other options were worse.

 

[grubworm]

sometimes a shower reminiscent of a prison.

well, there is a soap on a rope made specifically for overlanding...

 

[leeloo]

. I’m always amazed that with OB being 40,000 strong we’ve yet to encounter any other members out there on the road less traveled.

I know what you mean. Outside organized local meetings, I met one guy, some years ago, he was an OB member from Switzerland I think , I saw the metal badge with number on his vehicle. It was in Albania , on Gjipe beach, very scenic , it is famous for difficult access ( scraped the bottom a couple of times in the Hilux I had back than) . I said hello, I mentioned I was a member too, he said hi, he turned his back, the guy was with his family and clearly wanted to be left alone. Spent the evening getting drunk with a nice German couple in a Defender parked near me, so it was all good :) . The guy traveled a lot in Africa and I heard some nice stories and learned a few things :)

 

[Correus]

Way back in the day, when SWMBO and I hadn't even been married 5 years yet, we were in desperate need to get away during a 3-day weekend. All of our plans were dashed, yet at the very last minute we were able to go. Unfortunately the lake we were wanting to go to was full (we had given up our reservation already). SWMBO called around and found a place. We were packed up and on the road within an hour. After a few hours drive we got to this lake we had never been to before. We were thrilled when the park Ranger said there would be few campers that weekend. Fumbling around in the dark we set up our camp in a wonderful spot. Started a campfire and opened a bottle of wine and just relaxed till the wee hours - we were absolutely alone.

Later that morning a sound woke me up. When I poked my head out of the tent I was a bit dismayed... the Ranger was horribly wrong. There were literally hundreds of people set up all around us! Everything from tents, vans, campers and massive RVs. There were so many people we could hardly see the lake now.

We were packed up again in less than 2 hours and outtathere! After exploring the area for quite awhile we found a primitive campsite that was perfect.

 

[Correus]

I know what you mean. Outside organized local meetings, I met one guy, some years ago, he was an OB member from Switzerland I think , I saw the metal badge with number on his vehicle. It was in Albania , on Gjipe beach, very scenic , it is famous for difficult access ( scraped the bottom a couple of times in the Hilux I had back than) . I said hello, I mentioned I was a member too, he said hi, he turned his back, the guy was with his family and clearly wanted to be left alone. Spent the evening getting drunk with a nice German couple in a Defender parked near me, so it was all good :) . The guy traveled a lot in Africa and I heard some nice stories and learned a few things :)

I've yet to encounter anyone either.

 

[OTH Overland]

We have run into a fair number of members during our travels (Not counting Expos and other events), and have had mixed results when introducing ourselves, about half were freindly and outgoing where we spent some time visiting and swapping stories, about a quater did not seem to remebmer that they were even a member, and the remaing quarter fall into the 'why are you talking to me' or less freindly catagory (wondering why they display OB logos in the first place if they do not want to be bothered). We have our badges displayed on all our rigs with stickers for our local region, as such we expect to be approached by other members in the wild and will allway make time to stop and visit. Its fun to see where people are from and where they are travelling. (We allways respect peoples privacy, and do not approch folks when they are camping or otherwise occupied without eye contact or some type of 'invitation', I am mainly refering to people we pass on the trail, highway or in a gas station or other public place.)

 

[KonzaLander]

I removed the OB badge from my vehicle after being approached by an overly friendly individual in a primitive USFS campground. This individual wanted to talk about OB, a lot, and did not get the hint that I just wanted to be left alone.

Back on topic. The worse campground experience I've ever had actually wasn't at a campground, it was in the dispersed camping area of Taylor Park, Colorado. I was familiar with the area and my wife and I had enjoyed camping there a decade earlier.

My brother-in-law and I had been traveling a route I planned from WY to NM. We planned to stop in Taylor Park to link up with a friend who was living the "van life" lifestyle in a 2wd Dodge van for the night. Camp for the night was a nice secluded spot a long ways from the huge SxS basecamps with fancy RV's and generators running. It was a long day to get here and we all retired when the sun sent down to get some sleep. At 12:31AM we were awoken by loud music. One of the SxS camps must have had concert size speakers, because it was LOUD. Then the SxS's fired up and started flying down the trails. Each SxS had more lights flashing on it than a firetruck and the peaceful valley looked like a light show. These shenanigans went on for hours and hours. My wife and I abandoned the RTT and slept in the front seats of the Land Cruiser to actually get a break from the noise and lights.

 

[orange01z28]

Give me kids and dogs any day over drunks staying up too late