# Size In National Parks



## mike (Dec 17, 2006)

We are in the very early stages of planning a long trip for next year of which i will post another thread. Basically the question is Does size matter in the national parks, We have heard that some parks will not fit a 28' tt. I, not we because the dw is really against it, am toying with an upgrade to a 28' tt and was wondering on our 6-7 thousand mile trip next year, chicago- topsail- west coast- back to chicago with everything inbetween would we be better off with our 23' in some of the national parks?


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

mike said:


> We are in the very early stages of planning a long trip for next year of which i will post another thread. Basically the question is Does size matter in the national parks, We have heard that some parks will not fit a 28' tt. I, not we because the dw is really against it, am toying with an upgrade to a 28' tt and was wondering on our 6-7 thousand mile trip next year, chicago- topsail- west coast- back to chicago with everything inbetween would we be better off with our 23' in some of the national parks?


We just travelled out & back to the Tetons with our 28krs and never had an issue. Made all the reservations ahead of time/on-line and, in fact, we were at the small end of most campground at the lower end of most campgrounds' size choices. Tell your wife that that's NOT a good excuse NOT to move up


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Well, we just hit a few as well. At several parks (especially Yellowstone) exceeding 30' can limit your reservation ability. We reported our 28RSDS as 30' even though it is 30'11" in towing mode and 35' in camping mode. We did hit one campsite that wasn't ideal and asked for a different one. It was very tight to get into and the really bad part was the door faced the street. They gave us a new site and all was well. It would have worked, but not ideally. Our only real tight spot was at Rafter-J-Bar near Mt Rushmore. We had to drive against the flow to get into the spot and then take a short drive across some grass to get back out. It didn't bother me since I considered it their fault for putting me there when I told them it was a 35'TT.









30' does limit you more than 25'. I suspect, soon I'll figure out how 35' limits me....


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## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

I've never actually made the trip, but I did some internet research before purchasing. My mom and stepdad have a 19-foot fiberglass uh "classic" trailer and are very anti-big-rig. So I got all kinds of warnings about all the campgrounds I wouldn't be able to go to blah blah blah.

What I found basically supported Wolfy's experience. If you want to just go by the seat of the pants and not make reservations or go to a no-reservation park on a Saturday afternoon you may very well have some problems. If those parks are anything like our state parks, they clear out during the week (with a few exceptions). So you may want to make weekend reservations and still keep the flexible schedule in between.


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## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

yes.


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

MaeJae said:


> yes.










single-handidly, bringing this nice place right in to the gutter.


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## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

Sayonara said:


> yes.










single-handidly, bringing this nice place right in to the gutter.








[/quote]

Hey, I don't know where your mind is but I was just agreeing
with his DW on staying with the smaller camper...
No sense in getting all big and 30 footin' and not being
able to fit in a tight place. That would just make for an 
uncomfortable experience!

MaeJae


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

MaeJae said:


> yes.










single-handidly, bringing this nice place right in to the gutter.








[/quote]

Hey, I don't know where your mind is but I was just agreeing
with his DW on staying with the smaller camper...
No sense in getting all big and 30 footin' and not being
able to fit in a tight place. That would just make for an 
uncomfortable experience!

MaeJae









[/quote]








ok, sure thing....

"all big and 30 footin" thats funny


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Mike,

Based on my - rather limited - experience, I think you will be okay in the National Parks. It's the National Forests that seem to be the problem. Around here at least, in the forests the sites are all about 25 feet, primitive (maybe water) and really not designed with trailers in mind. People do get them in, but you definitely want to be small in the forests.

The National Parks on the other hand are major tourist attractions, and their facilities reflect that in their ability to accommodate most anything.

But again, my experience is limited to the Northwestern corner of the country.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Mike,

Make as many reservations ahead of time and that way you'll know you have a good spot.

With the Quadrasteer...you can get a 28' into a lot of spaces others can't. I'm not just saying that to be funny...it is true. Worst case...you unhook...and attach the Outback to the front hitch. Not ideal for towing, but that front hitch will allow you to spin a 28' Outback on a dime!

Looking forward to meeting you and your family next summer. You tell me when...and I'll get us a nice "dry" camping location!


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## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

It's simple math. Of course, a larger rig will have fewer options than a smaller one. Is it untenable with the larger one? Probably not. As a 30-some year veteran of Yellowstone, I can tell you that they campground designs have not really changed since the thirties. If you are there in July or August, you really should make reservations in advance, and tell them your dimensions. That doesn't always get you a good spot, simply because some of the folks that work for Xanterra, the outfit that runs the reservable CG's, aren't RV'ers and frankly don't have a clue.

I have better luck finding places in the non-reservables, but that involves a willingness to be there early and the patience to wait until something opens up, and the park savvy to know which days are lightest (many arrive on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, many leave on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

If reservations within Yellowstone fail you, there are good CG's outside the park proper, especially in the West Yellowstone area.

Many, many national forest cg's are unchanged in many decades. Even in ones where sites could be bigger, they are often artificially made smaller with logs or rocks across the back end. It's unnecessary and maddening. Kindal like if you aren't tenting or in a popup, you are morally unfit to be there.

Yup, a rant...

Sluggo


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## mike (Dec 17, 2006)

Thanks for all the replies. Its just the first of many questions before we go on our trip next year


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## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

I think the forest vs. park is a good point. We have the same thing here with the state system. Parks are generally not a problem finding a spot, and the reservation system even lets you pick a trailer size and matches sites to it. The state forest campgrounds tend to be pretty primitive - i.e. designed a long time ago for tents and really small trailers.


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## Sweathog62 (Jul 28, 2005)

http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/camp...yellowstone.htm

Canyon said they will take large RV's on a first come first serve basis, but if you want a reservation, you need to be within the 30' total length.

We've never had trouble with the 23 foot and the suburban - Even with the slide out queen - Perfect!!


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

Around here 30' seems to be the cutoff. Yes they might have some bigger but not many.

John


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