Public Vs. Private Owner Campgrounds?
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10268
Printed Date: 13 May 2024 at 2:25pm
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Topic: Public Vs. Private Owner Campgrounds?
Posted By: Sandy Musher
Subject: Public Vs. Private Owner Campgrounds?
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2017 at 7:17am
| We will be picking up our 2016 R-Pod 180 next week and can't wait to go camping! It is a little overwhelming trying to navigate through all the websites and deciding where to go, what spot to pick, do we want water/electric/septic etc. but also if we should stay in a private or public campground. Just wondering but R-Poders prefer and why? |
Replies:
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2017 at 7:55am
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We usually hit KOA's camping, we really like the standards they keep and the locations and staff. Our favorite is the KOA on Cape Hatteras where we spend our Octobers. We will stay at Flying J truck stops and Pilots, on the way to our destinations. Seems to work well so far.
------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2017 at 7:58am
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Everyone has different needs and expectations. You will just need to try a few and see what you like.
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Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2017 at 9:48am
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I completely agree with Furpod. My likes may not be your likes. We tend to prefer National Park campgrounds. No hookups generally, but they are usually a little less cramped and quieter. Two of our faves are Smokemont in the Smokies and Frisco on the Outer Banks. If I was going to be in one place for a month though, full hookups would be very nice.
TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: Sandy Musher
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2017 at 10:36am
| Thanks Leo B. We are so new to this that I never even heard of a KOA campground! That is why I'm glad I found this forum. They sound like great places to stop on your way to a destination. Is that what you use them for? |
Posted By: Sandy Musher
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2017 at 10:43am
Tars Tarkas - Our goal is to also use National Park campgrounds but want to start with using some of the hook ups and get used to camping before going off grid (so my husband and I don't strangle each other on our 1st try  ). We like the quiet too and love hiking and kayaking.
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Posted By: JGnTX
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2017 at 10:47am
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I will add a plus one for the KOA campgrounds. We have never used them before, most of our camping had been state park trips but on our first run with the r-pod we were traveling from Texas to the Grand Canyon so we needed some stops along the way. Our first layover was a KOA our second layover was an independent campground, both were nice and had their own personalities. We ended up staying at several more KOAs on the journey and found all of them good places to be. KOA does have a discount card program, it costs $30 but saves you 10% on the nightly rate. It paid for itself on our first trip.
As for what type of site, we tried to make sure that every other stop had full hook ups, that gave us the option to be able to dump if we needed to. Bottom line, anywhere in the Pod is a good place to be. ------------- The progression: Lift up camper - popup camper - Trailmanor - Backpack - 2016 R-Pod 171! |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2017 at 11:20am
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Over the years, we've only stayed in a handful of KOA campgrounds. They are a known quantity. Generally clean, with rules. Not generally dispersed very much (meaning tighter spacing). IOW, you can almost always count on them to be consistent. If you are looking for more of an outdoors experience, other places will be what you're looking for; be it public, private, or boondocking. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2017 at 1:46pm
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Considering your location, I suggest, as soon as you get it sorted out, for the real off grid experience, and great camping, Cataloochee and Balsam Mountain. Quiet, small, no hookups, low camper count. ------------- |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2017 at 8:35pm
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FYI, in case you don't know, Cataloochee is strictly reservation only now. It's probably the hardest campground to get to with a camper in the GSMNP so you don't want to get there and find you can't stay.
TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: Sandy Musher
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2017 at 6:16am
Tars Tarkas - Thanks for the FYI. Being that we live pretty close to Cataloochee we go to check out the elk every know and then. I end up biting my nails every time we drive there  and would never attempt to pull our trailer on those "roads".
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Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2017 at 8:16am
Probably because I grew up where roads like that are pretty common, the High Sierras were 30 minutes from home, and we were there all the time.. The road in to Cataloochee is no big deal to me..  I think it's been reservation only for a while. They have a sign, just before you "drop in" to the park that tells you, and gives instructions. The few times we have been there, no more then 10-15% of the sites were taken. ------------- |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2017 at 7:01pm
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I actually like both roads to Cataloochee, but I don't take the one to or from Cosby too often. The road in from the east is a great ride too, but not one I'd be delighted to tow the rpod on. Especially if I thought I was going to camp at Cataloochee and found out I couldn't. Surely they'd let you in if the campground was open and not full, but I don't know. If I knew there were no knuckleheads coming the other way it would be tolerable, but still not delightful. It's a long way back out if you get there and you can't stay too. For a fairly isolated campground I much prefer Balsam Mountain anyway, but we almost always go to Cataloochee every time we're in the Smokies, several times a year. We've never stayed a Big Creek. We've been up there and it's on my list to explore more someday. If you like that side of the Park and some fairly serious isolation, I think it would be a good one. We tend to prefer places like Smokemont where it's relatively centrally located with access to restaurants etc. As long as I'm rambling, we very much prefer the NC side of the Park. G'burg and Pigeon Forge are not our kind of destinations. I have a long history with Elkmont and a special love for it, but Cherokee, Sylva, Bryson City, the BRP, Fontana Lake, the Nantahala, Heintooga Rd, and the stark differences between Cataloochee and Cades Cove versus amusement parks and pancake restaurants on the TN side make it an easy choice for us. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2017 at 7:42pm
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On the TN side we are about 90% all time stays at Cades Cove, or there in Townsend. We have stayed in PF one time. And I agree, I would never drop into Cataloochee without reservations.. Tars, have you ever stayed at the Indian CG just before Balsam Mountain? ------------- |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2017 at 7:36am
No, but there is a back road that ends on the inside of that CG that I take pretty often with my FJ Cruiser, so I drive through it from time to time. There are some beautiful sites in there and I've never seen it particularly crowded. It seems somewhat dispersed anyway. I have no idea how well it's run or what amenities they may have. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2017 at 7:48am
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Flush toilets, hot showers, water points. That's it.. But it's high enough you wouldn't need a/c, and near as we could tell, nearly every site is secluded and has views over the tops of the Smokies.. Hosts seemed very nice when we stopped and talked to them a last year. ------------- |