Whether you are taking an extended vacation or spending the summer traveling the country, you might happen upon a campground or RV park that you take a liking to. And given that you are enjoying your time, you may decide you want to extend your stay. While this is typically possible, you may be surprised to learn that many RV parks and campgrounds limit how long you can stay at them.
How Long Can You Stay at an RV Park or Campground?
Even when booking ahead of time, staying for long periods at a campground or RV park may not be in the cards. The amount of time you are allowed to stay at an RV park or campground largely depends on what kind of venue. These businesses may often choose to move people in and out to enable more customers to experience the park. However, there are locations where long-term or permanent stays are possible.
Let’s look at some of the different park scenarios and how they may affect your length of stay.
Parks in High Traffic Areas
If the campground or RV park you are staying at or looking to book is in a high-traffic area or a tourist location, you can expect that your stay time will be limited. Financially, it makes sense for these kinds of parks to limit the number of days people stay at them. They typically have no issue filling their space, so they should keep visitors flowing, allowing the maximum amount of people to visit their venue.
Parks in Low Traffic Areas
Campgrounds and RV parks that are off the beaten path and might be owned by a single family, for example, often do not have stay limits. If they nearly always have the capacity for more visitors, it behooves them to allow campers to stay as long as they would like. This allows the park to maximize its per-person revenue, making business sense when you don’t have the volume of larger venues.
Parks Close to Special Events
Campgrounds and RV parks that pull much of their annual revenue from a significant event or events located near them will have limited stay lengths – but only when the event is in town. Special events in an area are a big reason why researching ahead of time is so crucial. You may not be aware that the city you are planning on staying in during your journey has a large event going on and that the park you had planned to stay at is not taking visitors during the event.
Destination Parks
Destination Parks have a different business model altogether in that they offer full service and entertainment. These parks exist for visitors who don’t want to leave the area as their intention is to enjoy the park’s amenities. Due to this, stays are limited as destination parks don’t want people to be permanently camped out at their locations – it is typically a one-week event per site or group.
Membership Parks
Some campgrounds and RV parks have joined a membership club that allows an individual or family to enjoy discounts at any parks within their system. Most of these do have stay limits to keep traffic flowing and not upset the nature of the partnership – it is ideal if campers who want to stay somewhere can book at a member park. Stay limits may vary from location to location, though, so it’s best to research ahead.
State and National Parks
There is a limited stay at government parks simply because not having a time limit would invite people to live in them full-time. Many of these parks are considered destinations for travelers as well, so staying in them for long periods is not allowed for numerous reasons.
The best advice when searching for a new campground or RV park is to do your research. Finding out about a special event or the unknown popularity of a park you were planning to stay at can wreak havoc on your trip. No one wants to be ready to park it for the night and have to look for another venue due to the park being full. After all, camping is supposed to be relaxing. Having a plan can help make that a reality.
