Reservations or not?

[EJWPC]

I have been riding for a few years now, but I am just starting to do the motocamping thing. I used to camp quite a bit and I want to get back into it.

My question is how often you run into problems if you do not make reservations for a sight. I would much rather fly by the seat of my pants and just find a place. I just don't want to be caught with absolutely no place to stay plenty of times. I realize the time of year might matter, but how quickly are these places filling up even over Memorial Day Weekend?

[Mellow]

Most of the time, I don't make reservations... but, I like to travel on non-holiday weekends. On holiday weekends, you are pretty much taking a gamble... so, have a few alternate options for the area if possible.

For events like CampSTOC, I'd say reservations are a good thing especially if you don't know the area or campground.

On The Big Ride (http://mellowwing.com/Blog/?p=17), the 3 of us never made one reservation - we did come close to being homeless one day at Glacier NP during the labor day weekend.

[Viggo]

I never make reservations unless it's an event. I just like the freedom of no set schedule or place to be at a certain time. Only twice have I been left with no campsite available. Both those times, I found a farm where I could pitch the tent overnight. No fire, no shower, no nothing but there was also no cost; they wouldn't accept my offer of payment. All it took was the nerve to pull into a farmyard and ask. I was very uncomfortable the first time but the people were so nice about it I wonder why I don't do that more often. Of course, you don't want to wait until too late in the day.

[nm6r]

If you're not travelling with other motorcycles, there's always room for a motorcycle and a tent. A campground can always squeeze you in. Another trick on a full campground is to share a site with someone already there.

Ray
http://www.frontiernet.net/~st1300rider/smile04Bikerwheelie.gif

[uptoblackwood]

If it's not a holiday weekend, you'll be fine at most campground parks. The big name National parks are always busy and a reservation is a good idea....and State/National parks near big cities can be busy! I find that weekends the parks fill with scouts and people wanting to get out of town...(and not go far) for the weekend.

Forest

[Austin city limits]

Come,,, Join along with me and be a Charter Member of the,,,

He Man Motorcycle Club...

No Reservations,,,

No Maps,,,

No Clue...

:)

[Mark]

Come,,, Join along with me and be a Charter Member of the,,,

He Man Motorcycle Club...

No Reservations,,,

No Maps,,,

No Clue...

:)

Charter member here...
Mark

[Gonzo]

If you plan to go to Yosemite NP (my personal church), you need reservations SIX WEEKS IN ADVANCE, and the reservation list fills up daily. Can't make reservations beyond the 6 week limit.
gonzo

[STArnie13]

Always expect a crowd on holidays at least at the major sights. If you can stop in the early afternoon and get a campsite. Then go out and check out the area. :03biker:

[ParkerBill]

Unless I am going to some special place/park/whatever that is frequently crowded, I am another who flies by the seat of his pants when on trips. Just more fun that way and while I've sometimes ridden later into the evening than I planned, I've always found a good place to sleep, be it a motel or campground.

Having said that though, some people like to plan trips in great detail, including where they are going to stay each night, with reservations. My sister and her 2nd husband travelled all over the country a few years ago on their Wing and they were like that--planned every detail for months, made all the reservations, etc., and then rode rain or shine.

Ride Safe & Smart!

[motomac]

The only time I make a reservation is for a specific event. This year I called to make reservations for Wing Ding in Billings MT on Jan 5 and the campgrounds in Billings were already booked. I ended up in Hardin about 39 east of Billings. When I went to CampSToc both years I just walked in and got a site. Same with all the other SToc events I've gone to. If you get to a SToc event late, you can always hook up with someone who already has a camp site. Some of us snore and some of don't!!!

[Mark]

Some of us snore and some of don't!!!

And some of us wear ear plugs to sleep at night while camping with ST-Owner members...
:D

Mark
P.S.
Actually I didn't hear Joe or Mac while camping at DesertSTOC... but, the line was too good to pass up.

[wrk101]

First, I never make reservations (hotels or campgrounds). But.... that being said, how flexible are you to change/modify plans accordingly? A couple of weeks ago I was camping in Utah, and thought I might stop at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (ha ha ha). The larger National Park campgrounds seem to be full of rental motorhomes. Smaller National Parks/National Monuments in the area had plenty of camping available.

It was not a big problem for me, I just adjusted my route accordingly. But if it were some special, once in a lifetime trip, then I would go ahead and break my rule, and gulp, make a reservation or two....

My favorite story on no reservations was when I showed up at Disney World on my Gold Wing, the middle of Thanksgiving Week (no reservations). I pulled up to the guard booth at one of the Disney hotels, and told the guard I was looking for a room (he had a list of guests with reservations). He just about fell out of the guard hut laughing and spitting up. While he was laughing, he did give me the Disney 800 number, and surprise, surprise, I got a room.....

[George]

Seat of the pants, camp at the side of the road. On buys (Holiday?) weekends, you can get in 'n out of the shower at the real campground before they even know yur there! Dishonest? Hey, I pay my taxes!

;)

[EASt]

:bump

So, let's say you're riding along, and it's getting to that time of the day where you need to start heading towards a campsite for the night. How do you pick 'em?


Consult your atlas/maps?
Consult a book that lists campsites?
Call a phone number and have someone look one up?
Drive until you see a streetsign?
Or, did you already plan your campsites before keying the ignition?

[Mellow]

I always plan my daily mileage so I end up at a national or state park. Then, I grab maybe 2 others nearby.. If the next options are several miles away then I try to plan on getting to my destination early in the day so I have enough daylight left to hit option 2 or 3.

Having a gps really helps in this case as you can almost always find an RV park somewhere that will let you pitch a tent. However, most of the time state and national parks have space.. I also try never to plan my trips during holiday weekends or in places with few parks during spring break. That way you avoid the crowds..

An atlas isn't bad if you don't have a gps.

[DHTracker]

Seat of the pants, camp at the side of the road. On buys (Holiday?) weekends, you can get in 'n out of the shower at the real campground before they even know yur there! Dishonest? Hey, I pay my taxes!

;)

Camp at the side of the road? Hey - I just watch Easy Rider for the 125th time. :eek: Wear a helmet.

So what is the story about ground camping in the middle of fire ant town? Especially with all the wet ground? Do you nuke the vicinity and establish a fire base.