FWC not permitted at Washington State Park Tent sites

[Bseek]

I was going to post that there would be door slamming noises in a camper, but got to reflecting on my time spent in campgrounds. Tent campers constantly get back into their vehicles for something. I think in many ways I would be much quieter because it is just pop six latches and lift. I always hate the clanging of tent poles when someone is setting up or taking down.

Regardless, they make rules and we should follow them.


Sent from my iPad using Wander The West

 

[Andy Douglass]

We just returned from a trip to Canada. No problem camping in any site and the campgrounds were clean and well patrolled. It seems that camping in California is getting worse in regards to parties, generators, dirty restrooms, and lack of proper management.

We live in California and have tent camped all over the place and I would agree to a certain extent. We have found that out-of-the-way National Forest campgrounds almost always suit us perfectly. They usually have pit toilets and potable water, and harvesting downed firewood is almost always allowed if you don't want to pay 10 bucks for a small bundle of beetle-ridden pine logs from the host. We stayed at one in the Payette NF in Idaho last year that was fantastic. It was at a dead end of a fairly long dirt road, had new pit toilets and a nice hand-pumped well. There was one other camper there for the 2-3 nights we stayed.

 

[slus]

We just returned from a trip to Canada. No problem camping in any site and the campgrounds were clean and well patrolled. It seems that camping in California is getting worse in regards to parties, generators, dirty restrooms, and lack of proper management.

Right, Oregon State Parks that I have been to make California State Parks look like homeless camps. Clean, dog friendly, soap in the nice clean bathrooms with free showers. We were blown away. The campground in Brookings even had someone driving around selling ice and ice cream!

On subject, the only time I have ran across similar problems is booking "Tent Only" sites online through Reserve America, I have to pay attention to driveway length. Occasionally I'll see a tent only site with a very small single car parking spot, and a small trail leading to the site, and those don't work for us. Got one one time by accident and ended up spending the night in the overflow parking lot because of it. Also occasionally we will find the sites marked tent only online have very off camber parking areas, I usually take two sets of leveling blocks to NF campgrounds just in case. No one has bothered me about being in a tent only or RV only site with the FWC

 

[Rockcod]

After just returning from a 3 state ,3 week fishing,hiking and camping journey, I stayed dispersed or tent only with great results. I always set up a tent for both Action Packer boxes and slept in the ATC. This kept my site occupied while I pursued fish or trails. In sites with a host,Eastren Idaho and Eastren/Central Oregon, they were nothing but accommodating and friendly. I think having the tent set up kept the hosts from needing to explain the site was occupied. All were National Forest/BLM or district water manegment sites, many with water and vault toilets. Happy people everywhere. I have spent 1/3 of my life in the ATC since picking it up in late April. I'm loving it.

 

[hoyden]

I try not to stay in campgrounds, and much prefer tent areas when I do. Because of the soft-sides of the FWC, the generator noises from RVs is super annoying. When I do pop-up near tent sites, I don't use my water pump or other non-tentish things but I must say that the constant zipping and unzipping of the tents is also annoying and the frequent trips to their cars to get stuff with the opening and closing of doors. Yeah....

This is why I avoid campgrounds as much as possible. I am campering to get away from people.... :-D

 

[Squatch]

Best part of being retired is mid week camping off season! Often have small campgrounds to ourselves.

I often use campgrounds that just have sites. They are for tents or rvs if they will fit.

I have stayed in a couple of state park campgrounds that were basically side by side parking lots for motor homes. The tents site were kinda like the places they forgot to mow between the road and the trees. I never return to those!

As far as using My FWC in a tent only site I've never really tried that.

 

[2tallDA]

Right, Oregon State Parks that I have been to make California State Parks look like homeless camps. Clean, dog friendly, soap in the nice clean bathrooms with free showers. We were blown away. The campground in Brookings even had someone driving around selling ice and ice cream!

On subject, the only time I have ran across similar problems is booking "Tent Only" sites online through Reserve America, I have to pay attention to driveway length. Occasionally I'll see a tent only site with a very small single car parking spot, and a small trail leading to the site, and those don't work for us. Got one one time by accident and ended up spending the night in the overflow parking lot because of it. Also occasionally we will find the sites marked tent only online have very off camber parking areas, I usually take two sets of leveling blocks to NF campgrounds just in case. No one has bothered me about being in a tent only or RV only site with the FWC

Concur on the clean,dog friendly campgrounds of coastal Oregon. We were up after mid Sept. last year and the mobs had gone home, and peace and quiet had been restored. Bonfires on the beaches,people riding horseback. Geez. It brings me back to Southern California in San Diego in the 50's. I'm anxious to make another run up there.

 

[klahanie]

First off, I amazed the OP got a refund. Seriously, did not know that was possible.

I get the tent only site rule. As mentioned sometimes they have a raised gravel pad (very useful), or uneven parking or remote parking.

I've noticed a lot of CGs have a mix of site types to accommodate different users needs. Where we camp this is usually not enforced rather there is a degree of courtesy employed by the users. Imagine you are a tenter, wouldn't you want to have a site with a pad left available? or have a long trailer, wouldn't you want to find a pull thru ? kids, a spot near the playground ? two rigs, double site; weak bladder, near the toilets. You get the idea ... Pollyanna perhaps but I have seen such consideration occur. That said, we've had plenty of bad experiences camping in Canada LOL

Funny thing, when choosing a site we consider tenters a con - assuming they will be up after dark talking, not having a place to go inside, unlike the RVers. Best are the old RV couple that have been together so long they have nothing to talk about and who are asleep by 9pm

 

[smlobx]

?..... Best are the old ...couple that have been together so long they have nothing to talk about and who are asleep by 9pm

We may or may not resemble that remark!

 

[ottorogers]

We reserved site #282 (online) at Twin Harbors State Park to go surfing in Westport for the weekend.

Our site was horrible with ultra bad smoke and overcrowding to the max.

We went to front desk for site change / refund. Front desk informed us that vans and campers and FWC's were not allowed at tent sites and that we must park amongst the RV's.

My Tacoma and FWC take up the same amount of space as any of the tent campers' cars jeeps edsels pickups minivans or vans.

Rule was made by the Park Manager and may not be in place state-wide but is a steaming pile of BS either way.

Thanks to the park employee who did issue us a refund for our site and reservation fee.

Anybody else have issues with this kinda thing? We have a call in to the Manager - keep you posted.

We avoid any RV park camping, as well as State or Federal, as much as possible, over crowding is the norm these days, sad it has come to this

 

[iowahiker]

Washington State has four site types: tent (or tent only), standard, hookups (electric), and full hookups. Tents can occupy any site type (which can be unfair). Twin Harbors and Grayland SP's are only 5 miles apart and an interesting study of "tent only". Twin Harbors has almost all "tent only" with a "trailer park" section of hookups. Grayland has almost all hookups with a few standard and tent only. We skipped Twin Harbors "trailer park" and for the same price (actually less) got a much better site at Grayland which has many new facility updates. Twin Harbors could convert the 20ish "tent only" sites near the trailer park to "standard" and so had more income (standard is a higher price than tent only) and we would have stayed (while leaving many tent only sites near the beach).

 

[iowahiker]

After camping through Washington and Oregon SPs in September and October, I consider labeling Oregon as "better" than Washington misleading since Oregon SPs have issues too.

Price advantages for Oregon will diminish after November 1 if the hosts are correct and an Oregon SP price increase is coming.

Meanwhile, Oregon SP's disorganized campsite assignment/status system could prevent any rig (tent, truck camper, trailer...) from having an available site. Multiple Oregon SP registration/payment stations do not indicate which loops/sites are reservable, non-reservable, open, or closed after site status changes of October 1/November 1. Individual sites can be mislabeled at the site. On-line, Oregon SPs list loop and site status under either "more info" or "alerts" (while the NF puts them under "season dates") depending on the park. One Oregon SP ranger thought putting a notice that loops F and G were open and non-reservable at the registration station as unnessary even though the internet park reservation page said loops E, F, G, H, and I may be opened and closed (and opened again and closed again) at any time after October 1 (A, B, C, and D were open and reservable). The "tent only" issue for Washington was a minor issue for us compared to figuring out what was open, closed, and/or available in Oregon SPs.

 

[park]

For the life of me, I can't understand why anyone with a pop up camper would choose to stay in a campground. Tent space or otherwise. That is the beauty of the pop up as you can stay just about anywhere. There have maybe been a handful of times when I was in a bind and had to stay in a campground. Having to deal with loud obnoxious people, their generators, screaming kids, yapping dogs, some authoritative camp host, etc., etc., plus having to pay for it...............no thanks. Give me some remote dirt road and a place to pull over any day. Hell, the back corner of a WalMart parking lot beats that. I met a couple on my last trip with a pop up camper on a four wheel drive rig and they had been on the road for almost two months. Reservations each night in campgrounds for their entire trip! Good God, I can't even imagine. I really believe that most people congregate in campgrounds because they feel it's unsafe to do otherwise and want to be around others. Most people are like sheep and like that flock mentality. I guess I should be thankful that most are like that though as it leaves the good spots void of the masses. Personally, I'll take this..............

 

[takesiteasy]

Nice campsite!

I agree with you in principle. We love being by ourselves. Unfortunately, the reality in the east or the midwest, wide open boondock sites like that are few and far between, though not unheard of. We quite often find ourselves in campgrounds and often regret it. Not everyone shares our ideal of a quiet and peaceful presence in natural surroundings. We usually seek out sites in small, rustic campgrounds without services where we have had better luck.

That's the beauty of wandering the west- lots of open spaces.

 

[Stalking Light]

Nice campsite!

I agree with you in principle. We love being by ourselves. Unfortunately, the reality in the east or the midwest, wide open boondock sites like that are few and far between, though not unheard of. We quite often find ourselves in campgrounds and often regret it. Not everyone shares our ideal of a quiet and peaceful presence in natural surroundings. We usually seek out sites in small, rustic campgrounds without services where we have had better luck.

That's the beauty of wandering the west- lots of open spaces.

Sadly too, a lot of what were 'boondocking' places in the east are being posted no camping because they have been trashed by over use and under appreciation for the resource.

 

[smlobx]

Sadly too, a lot of what were 'boondocking' places in the east are being posted no camping because they have been trashed by over use and under appreciation for the resource.

There is a post in Facebook by the owners of iOverlander commenting on that exact subject....

 

[RicoV]

Actually there can be several good reasons to stay in a campground, esp. if you're 'on the move', or you want/need easy access to restrooms, or to enjoy a trailhead right out of camp without having to drop the top and drive, that's just a few that come to mind. But yeah, as a rule we prefer getting off the beaten path like many popup folks do. And I can only hope that our upcoming dispersed camping opportunities will not feature a low-flying, pic-taking drone compromising the sublime serenity of our surroundings.
Rico.

 

[klahanie]

^ the main reason we will use a Park CG is as a quick, convenient over night stop during long distance drives vs driving around logging roads looking for spot as it get dark. CG use could depend on how much time one has and the particular concerns/wishes of everyone in the travelling party (if they are any to be considered).

I think a lot of the "boondock" places are getting trashed simply because of an increase in use, the result of being publicized on social media/internet. I imagine most people don't want their "backyards" blabbed about online, especially by outsiders. I say leave the back road spots to the locals and the quiet travellers among us.

 

[iowahiker]

Camping in a park versus dispersed depends on your purpose. We can hike one mile from a parking spot at many places on the Pacific Coast and have a beautiful spot alone (at least in late September/early October) and see one-of-a-kind things. The cost is returning to busy roads and campgrounds at the end of the day. Dispersed camping involves falling-in-love with an area and learning the quiet out-of-the-way spots. Campgrounds get us near many more trails than dispersed camping at the cost of coexisting with noisy humanity. If we fall-in-love with an area, then we would disperse camp but that has not happened despite traveling to countless natural places. Our truck camper gives us the mobility to move around noisy humanity and minimize the pain (after many years of tenting). We do wonder if we should go over to the "hard side" and become more isolated from humanity.

 

[park]

Actually there can be several good reasons to stay in a campground, esp. if you're 'on the move', or you want/need easy access to restrooms, or to enjoy a trailhead right out of camp without having to drop the top and drive, that's just a few that come to mind. But yeah, as a rule we prefer getting off the beaten path like many popup folks do. And I can only hope that our upcoming dispersed camping opportunities will not feature a low-flying, pic-taking drone compromising the sublime serenity of our surroundings.
Rico.

You might want to peruse that picture a little closer. I'll go out on a limb here and state that no ones sublime serenity was being disturbed.