Our national parks system is an absolute national treasure. Everybody should experience camping at at least one in their lifetime. Though, once you do, you are surely going to be doing it more than once!
Not everybody loves wild camping, however. With an RV you can have all the comforts of home and still take advantage of all that nature has to offer.
The problem lies in some of the limitations that an RV presents when you want to go RV camping in King’s Canyon, or any other national park. Some don’t allow RVs at all, and others have restrictions on size and other items.
This guide will help you by giving you some things to keep in mind before you drive out to your desired park.
Look for full hookup sites
Summertime without A/C can be unbearable in certain national parks. With a full hookup site, you can run your A/C in the summer, or heater in the winter. In fact, if you are able to go in the off-season, you will enjoy a less crowded park so having a hookup is essential.
Otherwise, you will need to run a generator to do this. Many campgrounds prohibit the use of generators for the noise and pollution factors, so you won’t be able to use them in many places.
If comfort is important, then I expect you will want to be able to use these features. Even aside from comfort, you may have medical devices that need electricity and will need a consistent power source.
Reserve in advance
If you are looking for a full hookup park, then there is going to be a lot of competition for those spaces since there aren’t many. You won’t be able to be spontaneous and just decide on a whim to go.
You’ll need to research and book your spot long in advance. Six months in advance is the absolute minimum timeframe you should be thinking about. A year might be better.
Even if you aren’t looking for a full hookup site, you will need to book in advance for the high season. If you are an off season camper then you have more leeway as far as advance bookings, but you still might need a reservation before you arrive.
Know your specs
There are limits in some parks with regard to the size of your RV and any towed vehicles. The space is limited in many of these parks so they need to be very strict about adhering to the size requirements.
When you are booking, make sure you check what the limits are and know how long your RV is. There may even be weight requirements, so it pays to know ahead of time.
If you don’t know these specs, head to an RV weigh scale where they can assess your length, width and weight of your RV.
Conclusion
Planning ahead will save you a lot of headaches and allow you more time to actually enjoy the National Park you have your heart set on. And an RV will give you access to many more parks on your bucket list.
