Finding a parking place

[mr3211948]

We are in the process of buying a new motor home keeping the length to a maximum of 30 ft. My question is "when traveling through towns around the country, how difficult is it to find parking if you want to stop and walk around the town"?

[Harvey51]

Our 20 footer is not too much of a problem but in a mall parking lot it goes over the regular parking place both lengthwise and widthwise. Often I can overcome the extra length by backing into an edge space so the overhang goes over the lawn next to the parking place. Parallel parking on a street works well. Often a park has unused street parking beside it.

[ReadyToGo]

As someone else wrote, it depends on how far you want to walk. Even with a car, we prefer not to pay for parking, so we always park where it's easier to find places.

[malexander]

I've never had a problem finding a parking place. I have a 38N Bounder DP and tow a Honda CRV on a Car Caddy. I'm guessing we're about 60-65' oal.
With that said, we do have to walk a little farther sometimes, because there may not be a parking place right next to where we're going. I don't think the walk hurts us at all, in fact, I've seen some rv'ers that should be parking a lot farther out.:)

[catkins]

It simply just varies. Central cities is basically no way. Smaller towns often you can find a place to park for a walking visit. Often one street off the main street allows for better chances. As long as I can see and in and OUT, I am game to try. Look for larger lots, parking along the roadside, and big stores. Just be careful and enjoy the adventure. Sometimes parking is possible, sometimes not....................

[mgirardo]

It would probably be wise to call the town info center or chamber of commerce before getting there. There are cities like St. Augustine, FL that offer free parking for Buses and RVs a few blocks from downtown and there are small cities like Savannah, GA where parking for RVs is almost non-existent. Charleston, SC has a parking garage with parking for Buses and RVs on the ground floor, parking is not free.

In large cities, you probably should go to a train/subway station outside the city with parking lots and take the train into the city. In a large city, even if I could find parking on the street, I wouldn't be comfortable leaving it on the street. If there was a parking lot/garage with parking, it would probably outrageously expensive. Charleston, SC's parking garage near the visitors center charges the same for cars and RVs (at least they did the last time we were there).

After contacting the town to find out about parking, I would confirm with Google Maps how much room there really is for parking. We live near St. Simon's Island, GA that actually has street signs directing Buses and RVs to parking in the downtown area. It is street parking and it is shared with everyone else. There aren't spaces specifically for RVs and buses. If it's crowded, there is little chance of finding room even if there aren't any RVs or buses parked.

-Michael

[tatest]

Small towns in rural areas of the middle of the country (Appalachians to Sierra Nevada) have been no problem. Cities and suburbs are more of a problem, I am mostly looking for relatively empty parking lots, street parking seldom works and urban parking places are sized for SUVs at the largest.

After a couple of tours this past year in the East (I-95 corridor from Maine to D.C.) I would say finding parking for a 30-foot anything anywhere could be a problem. I haven't been with the RV to the urbanized West Coast, but suspect that parking would be a challenge.

[KD4UPL]

I assumed he meant height. Obviously nothing is that short. 7' is a common height restriction for parking decks and what not.

OP, I am often able to back my 26'+ TC and crew cab truck into regular parking spots if you get one at the edge of the lot. I back in allowing the camper overhand and the truck bed behind the rear wheels to hang over the grass or landscaping around the parking lot. This effectively "lengthenes" the parking spot by a good 6 or 7 feet. It works great at fast food restaurants, shopping centers, grocery stores, etc.

[Jayco-noslide]

We have a 30 ft. Class C and tow a small car. Most of the time it's not a problem if you don't mind walking a bit. But, it can be a problem. As I recall downtown Hot Springs, Ark. was a big problem. Sometimes visitor centers are RV friendly, sometimes not.

[DrewE]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Typo? Perhaps 17 feet? I don't know of many cars as small as 7 feet.

kalynzoo wrote:
Depends on the town. Many towns along the Oregon coast have height limit signs, "no vehicle parking over 7ft". These towns usually offer bus/large vehicle parking at some end of town lot. Even with our 38ft motorhome towing a car we have always found parking in towns across America (west of the Mississippi, as we haven't been east with the MH). There is usually a city park, a central church, or just an empty lot available. Now cities are a whole different story.

Perhaps it's either height or width, rather than length. Even the Smart fortwo is over 7 feet long.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Typo? Perhaps 17 feet? I don't know of many cars as small as 7 feet.

kalynzoo wrote:
Depends on the town. Many towns along the Oregon coast have height limit signs, "no vehicle parking over 7ft". These towns usually offer bus/large vehicle parking at some end of town lot. Even with our 38ft motorhome towing a car we have always found parking in towns across America (west of the Mississippi, as we haven't been east with the MH). There is usually a city park, a central church, or just an empty lot available. Now cities are a whole different story.

[2gypsies1]

First, I'd recommend you tow a car if you like to do a lot of city look-sees. However, as we traveled secondary roads all the time even with our 40' motorhome we had no problem finding a place to park if we wanted to stop at a local diner for lunch. In small towns we find our space either just before entering Main St. or just after. There are usually better places on a side street or in a grocery parking lot, etc.

[kalynzoo]

Depends on the town. Many towns along the Oregon coast have height limit signs, "no vehicle parking over 7ft". These towns usually offer bus/large vehicle parking at some end of town lot. Even with our 38ft motorhome towing a car we have always found parking in towns across America (west of the Mississippi, as we haven't been east with the MH). There is usually a city park, a central church, or just an empty lot available. Now cities are a whole different story.

[Johno02]

If the towns are small and tight enough to have limited parking, you probably don't want to be there in a big RV anyway. Been there, done that, had to disconnect and back out. Several times.

[Crowe]

My question is "when traveling through towns around the country, how difficult is it to find parking if you want to stop and walk around the town"?

In many of the tourist/coastal towns in this area it's very difficult. Bar Harbor, ME, Gloucester, MA, Rockport, MA, Gettysburg, PA, Concord/Lexington, MA and many of the other key areas have limited parking in general.