Comments on: In Season on-site RV Storage – really?

By: Suzi

Suzi — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:29:16 +0000

Remember Land between the Lakes was managed by TVA before Congress handed over to the Forest Service and folks that have been camping there have a different philosophy about camping than those who camp more often in a national forest. Of course the good thing is there are a bunch of options close by like the Shawnee NF and, personally, I think the Daniel Boone NF would be worth the drive.

By: Suzi

Suzi — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:23:18 +0000

Thank you for your input – you’ve got some good ideas and we will pass then on. Suzi

By: Teri Egts

Teri Egts — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:34:49 +0000

I am truly disappointed that the NFS would even consider allowing an empty unit to occupy any site for more than a few days time (the few days being that they are overnight hiking). Where does this leave those of us who can’t afford to pay all week only to use it for a few days, and those of us who live in Iowa and can’t get there on a whim? I plan and save my money so that I can take a wonderful vacation in the NF, which for now is one of the few affordable vacations we can find. However, if in the future we are doomed to pull into Sibley Lake in the Big Horns (which is always FULL) and can’t find an available site because people who live within eye-shot of these mountains are just parking empty trailers in them, I’d be very, very disappointed in the NFS. I agree with the reasons Suzi suggested for the alleged “decline” in campers. One point of view that was not mentioned is the apparent “need” for campers to have electricity now days, enhanced by all the amenities introduced into the RVs, ie. slideouts, microwaves, TVs and full entertainment centers (have you noticed all the satellite dishes in campgrounds lately?), wide-screen TVs mounted into the outdoor compartments, electric waterheaters, WiFi…just to name a few. In some CGs we’ve visited there were tenters occupying electric sites because they didn’t want to put up with listening to generators running all day in the non-electric sites. It was much quieter in the electric sites and no exhaust smells. Seems to me that if you want to encourage more camping in the NF you need to update those sites with electricity! Make the forest quiet again, allow elderly with breathing machines to camp (we met quite a few at Sibley) and allow camping to stretch into the Spring and Fall seasons with electricity for heaters, lights, and easier cooking choices (microwaves). I don’t mind paying a fair price for camping and a little extra for an electric hookup, but to be there to experience empty trailers and motorhomes vs. the comraderie and interesting conversations of other campers…what a disappointment that a part of our gov’t. my taxes support would even consider this. I think this is a BAD idea born out of short-sightedness and greed.

By: Phil Noll

Phil Noll — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 11:37:15 +0000

We have already seen an NFS campground doing this. Several years ago in Land between the Lakes. Can not remember the name. Discounts applied only to basic site, all else extra. Realized after there for a couple days that many rigs were unattended. Not only do these folks leave their RVs there, they bring all sorts of other”stuff” and leave that as well. ie: extra refrigerators, bikes, boats, outside tvs & the list goes on. We decided that sort of camp was not for us. We were surprised and disgusted to find this in a NF.

By: Parrot

Parrot — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 01:02:36 +0000

No we need more free camping.
NFS can use voluteer group like the AMC does for the AP Trail.
We certasinly dont need for for profit use of public land

By: ARC “Modernization of Recreation Sites” Plan? RV Storage? « A New Century of Forest Planning

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:19:00 +0000

[...] to a reader for this contribution.. Here is the link (to the Camping with Suzi blog), and below are [...]

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:47:01 +0000

I did a little digging on this. The proposal I found is at http://www.funoutdoors.com/files/USFS%20Recreation%20Strategy%20Final%20PDF.pdf which is a Forest Service document with “statistics” from the Outdoor Industry Foundation – the 501(c)3 non-profit arem of the Outdoor Industry Association which represents 4,000 manufacturers/distributors/retailers of outdoor equipment and activity. So we’ve go a lobbying organization pitching to the Forest Service to provide 20-30 year leases to private companies and extending GT leases to 15 years so their “investment” is protected. No thanks.