Thread 2843017

How is the camping culture in the USA ?

Here in the EU, we have many Belgian, Dutch, German, British and French people buying big caravans/campers and evading their shitty weather by spending 6 months on the Mediterranean or Atlantic coasts.
Sometime they also go in the Alps when summer is too hot.

There's also the occasional hikers/cyclers doing a multi weeks pilgrimage/hike and sleeping in tents but they're not common.

The campsites are either municipal or private, some of them only have electricity, pitches and showers. Some of them also have restaurants, bars and grocery stores. There is always someone at the front desk, these areas mostly aren't automated.

The people are usually retirees with enough money to afford such vehicles. How does it work in the USA ?

Its by no means the only "camping culture" but these same people do exist. In america many retirees rent or buy RVs to travel to all the national parks or things like that. There are many who follow the season, spending the winter in low desert at a long term camping area, and then the summer further north or higher up. America is built for big RVs. They also have big RVs that camp but more importantly haul toys like utvs, atvs, etc

They might be the most common camper in total numbers, but there are lots of others that are comparable; just as common are the dispersed car/truck and even RV campers outside of campgrounds just along roads and trails.

Backpacking camping is way bigger, and no hostels or pilgrim inns that people stay at. Hundreds of popular areas have trailhead quotas to keep the number of people manageable, some even have lotteries. The second part of this is that backcountry camping for hunting is also very big in-season (and an entirely different group of people than the pleasure backpackers) and that doesnt exist overseas.
The last bigger camping culture is probably river travel; unlike europe america has many undeveloped and free flowing rivers that people paddle and camp for weeks. Most also have quotas they are so popular, it could take a decade to win a lottery permit for the grand canyon.

>>2843017 (OP)
I've been camping all over the Midwest and it's like 60/40 slightly more people doing tent camping and the rest ether using pop up trailers or full sized RVs

I don't consider anything more advanced than a tent to be camping, that's just a vacation.

>>2843030
Regarding the people with RV/big tents, are the campgrounds "automated" or are there campsites with amenities and employees?
We have "camping-car areas" in Europe and they're automated with water/electricity, but the norm is still private/public campsites with employees and gardeners and an nightly fee

It's interesting to know about river camping. Here some people do it in the Verdon or Bendola rivers. Thankfully no quotas there so far

>>2843082
>are the campgrounds "automated" or are there campsites with amenities and employees?
really depends. you have private campgrounds (like KOA) with all sorts of ameneties: electric hook ups, waster water drains, pools, showers, staff etc....

...and you have more primitive campgrounds (like a Forest Service or NP campground) with designated spots with a fire pit and picnic table and a single, communal pit toilet.

...and then you have dispersed sites- site with no ameneties whatsoever just a killer spot that people have used for yrs if you can get your rig in there.

Im sure there are other examples im missing. People are also renting space on their land for Rv camping

>>2843082
Not sure what you mean automated unless you mean self serve.
Theres a few different kinds. There are rv parks, built for both long term living and temp camping usage with full hookups. These are found anywhere, even the smallest of small towns usually has one. These always have a person, they are private businesses.

Then there are various public (state county federal etc) campgrounds that vary widely between amenities and staff and cost. There are plenty that are full rv parks with hookups, and plenty that have nothing but pull through space and a picnic table and grill and a bathroom. Many are on dirt roads and many are not even RV accessible and people just camp out of cars and trucks.

Some have people in a booth charging at the entrance, some require online reservations, many are first come first serve and have a self-pay system, many are free. Many have differing prices for a site with hookups or just tent pad or a walk-in site.

Some have volunteer or paid camp hosts who basically take care of the place for the season in exhange for living there in an rv, many have no staff except for those from whatever land management office that come through as part of patrolling or working in that office's lands. The ones in big national parks and state parks and things often have dedicated campground ranger type workers running things. There are also often campfire evening programs put on for the campers by interp rangers at these parks.

Glamis Sand Dunes sees 1.3 million unique visitors a year.
Thats 1 camp site.
In 1 park.
In 1 state.

There are (some) porta-pottys.
No running water.
No asphalt, concrete or assigned spots.

>>2843430
>There are (some) porta-pottys.
>No running water.
>No asphalt, concrete or assigned spots.

Glamis is the northern part of Imperial Sand Dunes Recreational Area, and the most popular part. It’s the jumping off point for off-roading.

There are at least 4 campgrounds in ISDRA. Two (2) have paved roads, the other two have gravel roads and are accessible by 2WD vehicles. All of them have vault toilets. All of them have designated campsites (first come, first served).

The area sees a shit ton of people, but it can’t accommodate millions a year for overnight visits. It’s mostly day use.

>>2843468
>>2843430
Are these manned-up and have a nightly fee ? These are essentially private businesses right ?

>>2843086
this is a good summation