Start Park Camping

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I just got back from camping with my wife & kids, we meet up with my mother & father -N- Law & they had my nephews with them at the camp ground at Paintsville Lake State Park Cmpground (http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGD174-044)
My -N-Laws have a "Pop-Up Camper" & I had my tent. the First night I slept in the tent by myself, everyone else piled in the camper (it has A/C), the 2nd night one of my boys & one of my nephews stayed in the tent with me. We had a good time fishing & riding bicycles & playing basket & volley ball. Sad thing about this is the number of people camping in Pullalong campers ! My FatherNLaw got the last spot open for his camper (32 campsites for campers 10 for tents) the tent area only had 3 tents & when it started getting hot everyone went inside to the AC & TV or whatever they have inside those trailers...Even the kids ! I went to the shade or to the lake & sipped on a bottle of cold water & relaxed until the eve & then everyone else started crawling back out of there mobile homes. When I was a kid & when we went camping, a pull along was rare to see & tents filled all the spots & people were out playing horse shoes & swimming...etc
Sorry for the long Rant...camping today, what has it come to ?
 
It's a blessing in disguise for us. People who still enjoy doing it the right way have an easier time nowadays, since there's less competition for the good spots :)


I sure feel sorry for them, though... Stuck in a camper all day? Bleh.
 
I'm with ya bud! Seems like folks just wanna drag around their hotel-on-wheels and have a campfire in their "front room" anywhere they stop.

I guess it's their vacation, but it's nice *not* getting in/out of A/C (and i *hate* hot/humid temps!). In fact, summer in the Bluegrass was too hot for this 'ol polar-bear!!!
 
I'm leaving tomorrow for several days of motorcycle riding and camping. I will probably stay in at least a couple of state parks. My accommodations will be a Hennessy camping hammock. The biggest drag is how I have to listen to droning AC and generators from the campers, if I can't get a secluded enough spot. Getting my road and dirt time between the weekends ought to help.
 
I (32 campsites for campers 10 for tents)

That does not sound too bad, check out this map of where I camped a few weeks ago, http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/files/chain_electric_nonelectric_primitive.pdf We reserve ahead of time and study the map verses satelite images heavily to make sure we are in a good wooded area for our tent with as little campsites close as possible. We do try to get electric sites in the hot months to hang little fans in the tent to keep cool enough to sleep, plus state parks have bath houses, which I really appreciate.
 
That does not sound too bad, check out this map of where I camped a few weeks ago, http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/files/chain_electric_nonelectric_primitive.pdf We reserve ahead of time and study the map verses satelite images heavily to make sure we are in a good wooded area for our tent with as little campsites close as possible. We do try to get electric sites in the hot months to hang little fans in the tent to keep cool enough to sleep, plus state parks have bath houses, which I really appreciate.

Don't get me wrong...the campsite was great, very clean & well taken care of. Everyone was riding bicycles everywhere ! I put my tent up in the lot beside the Pop-up camper. We all had a great time...anytime spent in the outdoors is good ! I was just surprised at how few people were tent camping :(
 
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Sorry for the long Rant...camping today, what has it come to ?

Whatever you want it to be. Staying in an RV-accessible developed "campground" has never been the same as hiking 20 miles into a wilderness area.
It doesn't have to be all-or-nothing either; many areas have nice campgrounds that are remote and rugged enough to keep out RVs and trailers, but still have features like fire rings and latrines. Even some state parks have walk-in campsites so you can get away from the RVs and trailers but have easy access to developed park facilities, if that's your thing.

Campgrounds are like motels without walls; I avoid them at all cost.

I generally stay clear of state parks on weekends and holidays. Too developed and too many people. State parks often have nice geological/geographical or historic features worth visiting and sightseeing, and some larger parks even have worthwhile hiking trails. But consider the off-season (school days in the Autumn, for example).
 
More and more people are buying trailers and pop up campers (or renting them). I have no problem with folks that use a trailer or pop up camper. At least they are getting out. But to participate in the traditional camping experience you need to use a tent. I noticed when I hit the state parks (car camping), that I brought a lot of stuff with me in my pickup. Light camping it was not.

I used to hit the State Parks in Arkansas and Oklahoma a fair amount as I lived in Texas and this was the closest place I could enjoy the kind of terrain that I like. Most state park locations were selected for a reason. The ones located on lakes tend to have fewer geological or natural features inside the park to explore and enjoy. I keep wanting to get up to Natural Bridge SP which isn't so far from you. Used to hit Cumberland Falls, Pine Mountain, and Kingdom Come state parks and Cumberland Gap in KY a fair amount in the past. My last trip was early May.
 
More and more people are buying trailers and pop up campers (or renting them). I have no problem with folks that use a trailer or pop up camper. At least they are getting out. But to participate in the traditional camping experience you need to use a tent. I noticed when I hit the state parks (car camping), that I brought a lot of stuff with me in my pickup. Light camping it was not.

I used to hit the State Parks in Arkansas and Oklahoma a fair amount as I lived in Texas and this was the closest place I could enjoy the kind of terrain that I like. Most state park locations were selected for a reason. The ones located on lakes tend to have fewer geological or natural features inside the park to explore and enjoy. I keep wanting to get up to Natural Bridge SP which isn't so far from you. Used to hit Cumberland Falls, Pine Mountain, and Kingdom Come state parks and Cumberland Gap in KY a fair amount in the past. My last trip was early May.
No I don't mind them either, like you said "at least they are out" . I'm just use to going in to a campground & Tents ecerywhere & only a few pull alongs . I don't do alot of "Public" camping but this is the only way my wife will go & if will get her to camp with me & the boys then I'm more than happy to go to the Public Campgrounds. I've been to the Natural Bridge a few times but it's been years !
 
I doubt I could get my wife to go to a State Park campground even when they have hot showers. I used to camp at some of the Arkansas SP's in the winter months and the hot showers were really nice. Not many people around either. Go into the shower to warm up. :)

Eastern KY takes some getting used to and then you love it. I wasn't born there, so I did have to get used to the area. Still have family there.
 
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