[Archived]

Gil,

Back in the day we used to use the Woodalls or Trailer Life and we learned how to read “code”. If the description said 50 amp, big rigs welcome, large sites, it usually was good for us. Today we just go first to the Big Rigs Book.

We picked up our copy at a cmpground, but I think the book is available at Camping World and via an internet purchase.

The reality is we really fit in almost every campground, but we decided if we have to have 30 amp service, I would just rather park in a rest area or truck stop and crank up the generator.

[Archived]

Good question Gil… We have been making notes in our Woodalls book for years and it would be great to have some place we could all go to that has been visited by a bus owner and shared here on our site. We’ll think a little more about that and how we can make that happen.

[Tom]

Big Rig Best Bets and you are sure to fit, BUT there are many places to go where you will not find a recommendation from them. Sooooooooo we have scrounged through recomendations and looked up places on other Forums, but you can never be sure what you will find.

We have a process that may work for you, not 100% reliable, but then we look at each other and say we tried.

Close to your route find the area you want to overnight, go to RV Park Reviews on the web and look at what there is available, read the reviews and look for the ammenities and make the first weed out, look at the location map of the chosen park and study the; tree cover, park layout, road width, site size and density etc in detail.

If you still like it go to that RV Parks web site and study it in detail looking at all pictures and note the type of Rv’r that is predominently there. There are little indications/hints that you will pick up over time and through mistakes shuch as if the web site is crapy so probably is the RV park.

If you still like the park, call them and as questions such as, what % of your rental is for trancient workers, is there good Verizon Phone Service, do you offer cable TV, do you have WIFI, do you have pull through sites, can we park the toad at the site, can we drive through the park with the toad connected, can you handle a Big Rig… I mean would a Greyhound Bus fit your park, are the sites level, etc and on and on……….. IF YOU GET A HESITATION OR SILENCE TO A QUESTION BEFORE THE ANSWER move on to the next park. PARK REPRESENTATIVES WILL OFTEN LIE TO GET YOU TO COME. MANY THAT ANSWER THE PHONE ARE WORK CAMPERS AND DO NOT HAVE REAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PARK. IF ASK FOR THE MANAGER/OWNER.

If you still like the RV Park, look them up on GOOGLE EARTH and look at the park again in detail, then take youer chances, have a back-up park just in case you need it, it’s still a 50 50 crap shoot.

Oh yeah, ask about the roads leading to the park and what is the best way to arrive. Often there are weight and height restrictions on approach roads.

Price is not a good guide, we have found many inexpensive GEMS and many OVER PRICED DUMPS!

Remember, GOOD JUDGMENT comes from EXPERIENCE and EXPERIENCE comes from MISTAKES, or something like that. We have made many, they are the MEMORIES.

Finding a good RV park is one of the most difficult parts of RVing.

Good Luck, JIM

[Greg]

Jim, well said.

What I’ve discovered is that “Big Rig” has no real meaning. I was in one park, a nice place, that located some of their Big Rig sites on a loop that required an empty site in a turn to negotiate the turn and large trees. They admitted the loop was too tight for really big rigs.

I’m skeptical of the advertisements stating Big Rig Friendly, sites to support the longest RVs, and the like. I’m not as skeptical when I see the 75-foot pull throughs. Mapping sites can be helpful unless the sites or access road is tree covered. Nonetheless, yet another resource worth looking at.

So far we’ve been pretty lucky. The biggest problem we’ve had is bushy trees and parks that think it’s okay to have them drag the side of your coach!