# Thousand Trails One Park Memberships



## TitanFlyer (Feb 5, 2009)

I have been travelling on weekends (without the trailer) with the family to look at several campgrounds within a 1 to max 2 hour distance from charlotte that had the ability to do quick weekend jaunts out this season to get used to camping and get a routine down before venturing out of the comfort zone and hitting some farther away places next year. Our plan was to set it up somewhere seasonally or monthly for 5 months and then put it in storage for next year. We looked at the membership route because to be honest, there isn't a lot of nice CG's around Charlotte that don't look like trailer parks.

In doing this we ran across a park that seems to get reviews that are positive, so I went to see it last weekend. It was Forest Lake Preserve which is a thousand trails park. We really like its layout and size but I can't, and won't, plunk down lots of cash to do a lifetime uber membership... but they have a new product that interested me. They call it a One Park membership, and if you phone in you can get it for 395 dollars and 550 in membership dues a year. This gives you the ability to camp as much as you want for a year and can be terminated or upgraded at any time you want. They also have storage onsite for 40 a month. This means we could go hook up, pull it to a site, and put it back when we were done. I figured for a total of about 1500 this year including storage, we could have a place to go most weekends, and I would get to practice the hard stuff like backing in and setting up, but skip the towing. As a comparison, we would be paying 900 a year to store it where it is now.

Anyone have any experience doing this sort of thing, or this park in particular?


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

Actuall this is a new thing for Thousand trail. I have heard of it but it is too new to hear any reviews. The price sounds good and they do have a lot of nice campgrounds and not only am I a member im actually the president ( not really but this sounds like a commericial ). I have not been to that preserve but if you have and liked it, buy it. We actually have the coast to coast lifetime membership that includes outdoor world too. They recently stopped selling lifetime memberships and have gone to park only or years of membership. It is appealing to more people I suppose considering the price of the lifetime membership. I like the fact that its private and not open to the general public who is not always the courtious camper. Everyone thier has spent a lot of money and has a vested interest in the campground. I have been to a few preserves and they are clean and taken care of. I would not say its the Hilton but its not econolodge either, more like a holiday inn. Hope you buy in and enjoy yourself.


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## Lmbevard (Mar 18, 2006)

TitanFlyer said:


> I have been travelling on weekends (without the trailer) with the family to look at several campgrounds within a 1 to max 2 hour distance from charlotte that had the ability to do quick weekend jaunts out this season to get used to camping and get a routine down before venturing out of the comfort zone and hitting some farther away places next year. Our plan was to set it up somewhere seasonally or monthly for 5 months and then put it in storage for next year. We looked at the membership route because to be honest, there isn't a lot of nice CG's around Charlotte that don't look like trailer parks.
> 
> In doing this we ran across a park that seems to get reviews that are positive, so I went to see it last weekend. It was Forest Lake Preserve which is a thousand trails park. We really like its layout and size but I can't, and won't, plunk down lots of cash to do a lifetime uber membership... but they have a new product that interested me. They call it a One Park membership, and if you phone in you can get it for 395 dollars and 550 in membership dues a year. This gives you the ability to camp as much as you want for a year and can be terminated or upgraded at any time you want. They also have storage onsite for 40 a month. This means we could go hook up, pull it to a site, and put it back when we were done. I figured for a total of about 1500 this year including storage, we could have a place to go most weekends, and I would get to practice the hard stuff like backing in and setting up, but skip the towing. As a comparison, we would be paying 900 a year to store it where it is now.
> 
> Anyone have any experience doing this sort of thing, or this park in particular?


Sounds like a deal to me. For $600 extra you get the campground and not just a storage area. I would say if you like it and it's close enough to enjoy, go fur it. At $25 a night at most State parks anymore, that figures out to be only 4 or 5 nights camping per month for the same price as anytime you want or can.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

I'm not familiar with Thousand Trails...so this might sound like a silly question.

Once you pay the fee's...is the camping free? Or do you pay the fee to have the ability to camp there, but still have to pay a nightly rate?


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## TitanFlyer (Feb 5, 2009)

Oregon_Camper said:


> I'm not familiar with Thousand Trails...so this might sound like a silly question.
> 
> Once you pay the fee's...is the camping free? Or do you pay the fee to have the ability to camp there, but still have to pay a nightly rate?


As it was explained to me, its free, but there is some small print. You are allowed to camp for 14 nights straight, anytime, and as many times as you want, but after the 14 nights, you have to stay away for 7 nights. Also, you have to make reservations, and just like anywhere, its tight on weekends. This particular CG has 300 sites as well, so it shouldn't be to hard to find a spot ahead of time for most weekends.

My only question that they couldn't answer was how many memberships per site are sold by Thousand Trails, meaning how many people are all eligible for one site. Most numbers I found was 10 per site for Coast to Coast etc, which isn't bad when you think that a lot of people just don't use the membership.

I plan on taking the family there again tomorrow and sign up if we are all in agreement.

Edit : I wanted to add, its not free if you take into account the 550 a year in dues you have to pay. You have to use it or its pretty expensive camping actually. But next year its only dues and storage, which is just about what I pay for storage now. Cheap camping.

James


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

TitanFlyer said:


> .....you have to stay away for 7 nights.


That means you can't go back-to-back weekend, assuming you leave on Sunday and want to go back on Friday night.

In reality this allows you to camp every other weekend.


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## amyk (Feb 13, 2009)

if you stay only 4 days, you can stay the following weekend

from 5 to 14 days, you must remain out of the system for 7 days,

if you stay 4 days or less, you must remain out of the system for that number of days that you stayed

so if you stayed for three days on a weekend, you must stay out of that campground for three days (which shouldn't be a problem if you're only camping on weekends)

I am currently typing this response from a 1000trails campground in Texas lol, and in fact will be using the system for our road trip across the country.

I didn't think I wanted the whole membership from pacific to atlantic, but I find that I am actually upgrading so that I will have National access

The only parks I have had issue with is Orlando during the peak months, and some of the Northeast campgrounds during summer (again, high peak) months.

Seems like it would be a great investment for you---they also used to offer a three park option, as well as Eastern Zone (which I have calculated has/will pay for itself in the short time we've had it from our usage already)


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

We had the east coast and ourdoor world initally but upgraded to the coast to coast all park plan. Now that gave us 21 days in and no days out of the system at 1 park. So we can basically go park to park across the US. Now that membership is pricey and the dues are about 500 a year. We figured at the rate we camp now and an average of 50 a night it would take us 9 years to break even. At my age I plan to use it when I retire and it will be paid off a LONG time before that. Its all in what you want and want to pay. We love it and glad we bought it.


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