Is anyone winning the war against campsite reservation bots?

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Alan: How does the camphost deal with the fact that a 40' trailer might be sitting on the site? Greg was not referring to no-shows but someone who parked the trailer and left.

Its a complicated answer, many shades of grey.

In the worst case the National Park host would contact the Law Enforcement rangers who would make the final decision as to what should be done. If the owner is in clear violation then a hefty fine could be issued. For a state park I am sure the rules vary but I have witnessed an abandoned trailer being towed out of a site.

As I said however there are many factors that come into play. If it is a reservation made on "rec dot gov" then there may be contact information and the park can attempt to reach the owner. And the trailer license plate may also result in an attempted contact. All of this may take a couple of days and actionable results may happen in typical government speed. Unfortunately the most frequent result is the campsite being left unused while legitimate campers go without.
--
Alan

[Greg A]

I hope they have put some things in place to prevent the early trailer setup scheme. My guess is the lack reservation availability for F and S night has stopped this practice for now.
Glad to hear there is at least one camp host doing due diligence, who shall remain un named

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by alanmalk

Its a complicated answer, many shades of grey.

In the worst case the National Park host would contact the Law Enforcement rangers who would make the final decision as to what should be done. If the owner is in clear violation then a hefty fine could be issued. For a state park I am sure the rules vary but I have witnessed an abandoned trailer being towed out of a site.

As I said however there are many factors that come into play. If it is a reservation made on "rec dot gov" then there may be contact information and the park can attempt to reach the owner. And the trailer license plate may also result in an attempted contact. All of this may take a couple of days and actionable results may happen in typical government speed. Unfortunately the most frequent result is the campsite being left unused while legitimate campers go without.
--
Alan

Understood. Thank you.

[steve dunham]

The problems I have encountered has been with the non reservable sites more than the reservable sites . The area locals show up on Wednesday or Thursday afternoon , grab all the non reservable sites , set up camp and go back home until Friday afternoon in order to assure they have a site for the weekend / holiday
The Park Ranger wants to limit the stay in non reservable sites to 2 nights but he doesn’t have the authority
People will find a way to scam the system no matter how well crafted

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

The problems I have encountered has been with the non reservable sites more than the reservable sites . The area locals show up on Wednesday or Thursday afternoon , grab all the non reservable sites , set up camp and go back home until Friday afternoon in order to assure they have a site for the weekend / holiday
The Park Ranger wants to limit the stay in non reservable sites to 2 nights but he doesn’t have the authority
People will find a way to scam the system no matter how well crafted

I've seen a car parked at a non-reservable site but someone shows up at night so technically they are camping.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

People will find a way to scam the system no matter how well crafted

Isn't that true. Last summer at one of our favorite campgrounds a premium waterfront site next to us was set up like a permanent encampment. You wouldn't believe the stuff on this site. The young girl was hanging around with my son and his friends and said they had been there a month. Since the limit is 2 weeks they must have reserved in another name and went in and got another tag without ever leaving the site. Would have taken a diligent ranger driving around to notice they never left and would need to been motivated enough to do something about it.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by EdColorado

We have totally given up on Moab. It’s just a huge mass of people and traffic. Unless you’re into the 4-Wheeling aspect of the area, there are much better options in UT.



Ed

Could not agree more. I was born and raised in Utah and have very fond memories of Moab, and of course all the great camping in the area. No crowds, no reservations, no long lines anywhere. Nowadays you can't even eat at a restaurant in Moab without a long line and a long wait. Finding a campsite is like winning the lottery. The whole place just isn't the same, and we've found much nicer alternatives.

[Rossue]

Was in Moab in September and it didn't seem any worse than any other place during our five week trip through multiple states. Got a nice spot at Horsetheif, went early the next day to Arches and scored a cancellation for one night. Then we started putting notes on CO River sites and got a call on out way out of town: our favorite Big Bend #5 site campers were leaving. These are all first come and people can just keep adding days. We had the envelope tag we put behind theirs and left a note.

This approach doesn't work too well obviously for the gotta have a reservation folks, yet that's not us.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Greg A

I hope they have put some things in place to prevent the early trailer setup scheme. My guess is the lack reservation availability for F and S night has stopped this practice for now.
Glad to hear there is at least one camp host doing due diligence, who shall remain un named

Me too Greg ! Pat

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Isn't that true. Last summer at one of our favorite campgrounds a premium waterfront site next to us was set up like a permanent encampment. You wouldn't believe the stuff on this site. The young girl was hanging around with my son and his friends and said they had been there a month. Since the limit is 2 weeks they must have reserved in another name and went in and got another tag without ever leaving the site. Would have taken a diligent ranger driving around to notice they never left and would need to been motivated enough to do something about it.

In Ventura which used to be our favorite beach front camping .. many things going on like the a fire department had a trailer parked at the beach and new campers would show up after the camping limit so impossible for anyone else to get those spots . It used to be first come not anymore went to reservations after the last straw was people going and grabbing spots then reselling for more money to desperate people . We camped there for over 30 years now haven’t been back in 3 years . As soon as registration opens up all sites are bought up months in advance . At least we still have the memories ! Pat

[h2owmn]

I tent camped at Refugio back in the day and have camped at Carpenteria but not in at least 5 years. Too crowded--sites very small (i could barely park my Aframe and my car side by side which was required) and infested with ants. Found a nice private campground nearby that is not too expensive. Not "at" the beach, actually right up against the freeway....but I only spent dinner/sleep/breakfast so acceptable to me.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by h2owmn

I tent camped at Refugio back in the day and have camped at Carpenteria but not in at least 5 years. Too crowded--sites very small (i could barely park my Aframe and my car side by side which was required) and infested with ants. Found a nice private campground nearby that is not too expensive. Not "at" the beach, actually right up against the freeway....but I only spent dinner/sleep/breakfast so acceptable to me.

Carpinteria was also our family camping spot . It was great with the kids . Not anymore for years now . Kind of rundown and dangerous . Pat

[Greg A]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

Carpinteria was also our family camping spot . It was great with the kids . Not anymore for years now . Kind of rundown and dangerous . Pat

Loved Carpenteria! Mainly we enjoyed exploring the town and small restaurants. Haven’t been back in 10 years though, never seems to have much availability.
One day soon, but might try and find a commercial park in the area.
Stay safe Pat n Linda and prayers for your family as well as all Escape families. Wish we were all heading to Quartzite this year, but not a good idea. 2022 it is! First year at Quartzite I won’t be at since very 1st gathering.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Greg A

Loved Carpenteria! Mainly we enjoyed exploring the town and small restaurants. Haven’t been back in 10 years though, never seems to have much availability.
One day soon, but might try and find a commercial park in the area.
Stay safe Pat n Linda and prayers for your family as well as all Escape families. Wish we were all heading to Quartzite this year, but not a good idea. 2022 it is! First year at Quartzite I won’t be at since very 1st gathering.

Hi Greg ! Yes very cool town but they let the state campground to be neglected . They don’t want to put money in it any longer . We even used to do our craft shows for Christmas across from the museum , ride our bikes all around etc. very sad .
Who knew Greg we wouldn’t be able to go to Quartzite this year ? We had such a wonderful time and will really miss going this year.
Let us all follow the medical experts so we can get together again !
Take care of yourself and your family Greg ! Pat

[flynfrfun]

Originally Posted by Bobbie54

It's probably more common to reserve days before they want them and then cancel up to the date of arrival. That's why Washington put in a cancellation penalty. The later you cancel the more the penalty up to 50%. Though that definitely favors people who can afford to pay for more days up front and take a hit when getting them refunded.

I asked the rangers at Nehalem Bay State park in Oregon about this. They were aware of this trick and said something like it was not possible to cancel the front end of a reservation. Not sure if this is for all of the Oregon State parks or not.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by flynfrfun

I asked the rangers at Nehalem Bay State park in Oregon about this. They were aware of this trick and said something like it was not possible to cancel the front end of a reservation. Not sure if this is for all of the Oregon State parks or not.

Yes, it's for the entire Oregon State Park system. IMHO rightfully so.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

The problems I have encountered has been with the non reservable sites more than the reservable sites . The area locals show up on Wednesday or Thursday afternoon , grab all the non reservable sites , set up camp and go back home until Friday afternoon in order to assure they have a site for the weekend / holiday

We have seen that here in the Forestry campgrounds for 25 years, especially on long weekends. There were no reservations and the camping was quite cheap. No services, but campsites, tables, toilets and free firewood. This is one of the reasons I love having a gorgeous 60+ acre spot with over 1/2 mile of river for friends and family to enjoy whenever they wish. I do miss the exploring in other areas, but we mostly use our land for short stays seeing it is 90 minutes from home.

Originally Posted by Greg A

1 Wish we were all heading to Quartzite this year, but not a good idea. 2022 it is! First year at Quartzite I won’t be at since very 1st gathering.

Bookmarked 2022. Only time will tell regarding our plans at the time though. Had great fun at Quartzite the two times I went.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

We have seen that here in the Forestry campgrounds for 25 years, especially on long weekends. There were no reservations and the camping was quite cheap. No services, but campsites, tables, toilets and free firewood. This is one of the reasons I love having a gorgeous 60+ acre spot with over 1/2 mile of river for friends and family to enjoy whenever they wish. I do miss the exploring in other areas, but we mostly use our land for short stays seeing it is 90 minutes from home.

Bookmarked 2022. Only time will tell regarding our plans at the time though. Had great fun at Quartzite the two times I went.

We own 20 acres of woodland and are in negotiations to purchase the adjoining 20+ acres
Our thought is to clear a small portion of the land ( 1 or 2 acres) for campsites with a hand pump for water , a 2 hole pit toilet and some sort of solar system
Just a spot to get away with family or friends .
Sometimes we just want to get away at the last moment but don’t want the hassle of trying to find a suitable campsite or being stuck in a KOA parking lot .

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

We own 20 acres of woodland and are in negotiations to purchase the adjoining 20+ acres
Our thought is to clear a small portion of the land ( 1 or 2 acres) for campsites with a hand pump for water , a 2 hole pit toilet and some sort of solar system
Just a spot to get away with family or friends .
Sometimes we just want to get away at the last moment but don’t want the hassle of trying to find a suitable campsite or being stuck in a KOA parking lot .

Right along the line of what we use. No water pump but lots of water in the river. We do take water in the trailer and another 6 gal jug. Just a single hole outhouse, but that works as a big crowd is rarely over 20 people, usually around 6-12. It really is nice to leave home when it works best and arrive at any time you like.

In our 67ish acres a bunch is a hay field which gives us a bit of income, but all along the river is a real wide (a couple hundred meters and more) strip of trees. In there we have a couple clearings, the main one under 2 acres, but holds a lot of camping folk.

[h2owmn]

Sounds Idyllic, Jim.