Who PAYS to camp?

[PePaw]

I have always wondered what fun it is to pay to camp some place. Why not just drag up to the woods and pop up your tent or pull in your camper? What draws people to paid sites? I suppose it is all those fancy amenities but that just isn't camping in my opinion.

 

[Valdaree]

I have done this but it was when our daughter was young and the camp had showers, toilets and children's entertainment. At the time our camping gear was pretty basic so we wanted her to be able to enjoy more than just "roughing it".

 

[LittleLady]

We do for now. We have young kids, and go to a lot of places that have pools and playgrounds. Whenever we go out without the kids, we prefer to rough it. It's just not that easy with kids.

 

[woodsnwater]

Hey, Little Lady, I'm considering a weekend camping trip with the kids. WE are not too experienced with camping and the kids are 3 and 4 - any advice? Thanks

 

[Judy Ann]

I have always wondered what fun it is to pay to camp some place. Why not just drag up to the woods and pop up your tent or pull in your camper? What draws people to paid sites? I suppose it is all those fancy amenities but that just isn't camping in my opinion.

As a 54 year old single woman who taught herself how to camp last July in the state park systems in 5 different states, I'm a little touchy about this. I lack the knowledge of how to camp on property that I don't own. Lack the guns to defend myself and quite frankly, really don't care what others think about how and where I chose to pitch my tent as long as I feel fairly safe. Heck, for $20 a night, it may not be five stars, however in my mind it is priceless.

 

[Grandpa]

I've backpacked solo into many of the most remote wilderness' and primitive areas in the lower 48. I also have no problem at all wheeling in to a USFS campground and filling the envelope. I know some world class views right off the paved highway, some great fly fishing within 50 ft of paid for tent sites. Places where you can sit right at the picnic table and marvel at the beauty for hours.

Sitting on a rock eating mountain house is great but sitting at a table eating dutch oven pot roast or dutch oven steak and taters isn't bad either.

 

[Sammee]

I can see the benefits in both and, lets face it, we don't all live out in the great wilderness. Folks in densely populated areas will probably find it easier to camp in a regulated camp site, whereas we have a lot of spare countryside and forests that you can just pitch a tent in.

 

[IndianaHiker]

+1 Grandpa serenity and peace, is just as state of mind not a location. If the beauty of nature inspires and touches you and also has toilets there is nothing wrong with that. Hike you own hike and all that jazz.

 

[ChadTower]

There is no remote wilderness in MA. Land open and large enough to be remote here is always private property.

 

[rockytibby]

I'm fortunate to live in beautiful cali in the mountains. We have wide open country and lots of it. You could go for days and not see a soul. I dont pay to camp but if I had to I guess I would. My mother is in her fifties and wilderness camps all the time. She doesn't even own a gun. Dont be afraid to leave your comfort zone.

 

[outwest]

That law that talks about trespassing.

I have camped on private land before when I lived in another state but here I do not know any large land owners so paying is easier for us than getting arrested and/or shot at.

 

[dinosaur]

The last time I paid for camping was almost twenty years ago. My Dad and I were on a bicycle trip testing some new gear for a manufacturer. This doesn't mean I wouldn't do it again. It depends on where you wander.

I like IndianaHiker's post and agree with him. If the experience is good, it's probably worth the money.

As an afterthought, I would like to applaud Judy Ann. You've got some grit, girl.

 

[freedommachine]

I second the not needing a gun to go in the wilderness. I have lots of guns,heck they all stay at home. But I dont like to pay to camp. I prefer to disapear out in the woods and be left alone with my wife and dogs. I like that you have all the privacy you could want. If I do go to a pay campground it is during the cold wet, snowy months of the year when I know no else will be there. But I also live on the west coast where there is nothing but open mountains to do what you want.

 

[Refrigerator]

Very Rarely do I pay and if I do it's at a back-country camp ground with no services. Usually a meeting point for others to rondevu.

 

[mikepond]

If its a good place and the funds go towards preserving the park and area I am fine with paying. Now I do not pay every-time but I see no issue with it. To me its more like a donation for time well spent.