Reservations are a requirement in today’s camping

Reservations are a requirement in today’s camping
What happened to those first-come, first-serve days for procrastinators like me?

Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer, has come and gone. But it wasn’t unnoticed. Although AAA reported fewer people would be traveling for the holiday weekend, the roads we traveled were filled with RVs and campers.

The weather was wonderful for camping, but sometimes if you leave the planning to someone else, it doesn’t get done and then you’re scrambling at the last minute. Earlier this year, we had planned to be in Tennessee camping and partaking in a family reunion. However, a death in the family that brought everyone from around the country together earlier, kept them from making the same trip in September. So, we were going to change our plans.

The problem is, we didn’t get the changes made in time. And, as often as I remind everyone here to make reservations early – we didn’t get ours made. And calling around just days before the holiday weekend left my husband and myself looking at each other knowing that for the first time in years, we had no camp site for Labor Day weekend.

We frantically called around to private and public parks, only to get the same message – no open sites. Finally, we found one, but there was a problem, the only open site couldn’t accommodate our 29-foot travel trailer.

So, you guessed it; we had no place to go. There used to be a time when reservations were considered odd in the RVing and camping sector of the industry. People got out of work on Friday and took off to the nearest or most desirable campground and put up camp. For the most part, those days are gone.

It makes sense that campground owners and operators want to know they have a full park for any weekend, but especially the holiday weekends. But planning too far in advance takes the thrill out of the open road and finding a destination by chance. While that can be done, for the most part, on other weekends throughout the summer, don’t leave the holiday weekends to chance. Learn from my lesson – MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS EARLY!

Now here are some campgrounds that take reservations and would love to open their sites to you:

• River Trail Crossing RV Park, Butler, Ohio, is on the Clear Fork Mohican River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The campground offers 44 total sites, from primitive tent sites to full hookup sites with 50-amp service for “big rigs.” Amenities include fishing, biking and hiking, a playground and even the chance to pan for gold in the river.
• My Brother's Place Campground, Houlton, Maine, is just two miles from New Brunswick, Canada. With 80 total sites, guests can stay in tents or RVs, or rent a cabin or 5th-Wheel Travel Trailer. WiFi is also available in the park, along with fishing, hiking and biking trails and nature trails, and swimming in a lake, pond or the ocean.
• Pioneer Trails RV Resort & Campground in Anacortes, Wash., is located among tall evergreens and including an adult spa, sports courts and 60 campsites. There are also six cabins and 24 RV rentals. WiFi is available throughout the resort, as well as a playground, basketball courts, regulation horseshoe pit and covered picnic areas.
• Indian Point RV Resort, Gautier, Miss., is surrounded by the Sioux Bayou that leads to the Escatawpa and Pascagoula rivers, leading to the Gulf of Mexico. There are 100 total sites and 16 cabins for guests without RVs. Amenities include cable TV, Internet access in the park, fishing, mini-golf, a playground and a swimming pool.