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Best class A lengths for national parks?

huntdooly
Explorer
Explorer
We have been looking at class A's...our first RV of any sort, and are totally confused!! We love the livability of over 35', but I have heard that the shorter lengths are better. We are really torn!

We plan to be on the road for 6+ months at a time, so we will be practically living in it. The wife cooks a lot, mostly from scratch, so having a decent size kitchen with some counter space is important.

We would like to camp inside the national parks. But, if we can't, can we boondock inside the parks somewhat near the park campsite areas? I have no idea how all this works, as we have never camped in national parks.

Thanks in advance for your help!
41 REPLIES 41

tropical36
Explorer
Explorer
huntdooly wrote:
2gypsies wrote:
Get the size you'd be comfortable living in. You'll find spots to stay.

We full-timed 8 years in a 33' 5th wheel and 8 years in a 40' motorhome. We fit in the same public parks with each.... national parks, state parks, national forest campgrounds, Corp of Engineers, county and city parks.

We've stayed in Glacier at Apgar campground; Yellowstone at Mammoth, Madison and Bridge Bay; Grand Teton at Colter Bay and Gros Ventre; Zion at Watchman; Bryce at North campground; Grand Canyon at Trailer Village in the park; Grand Canyon North Rim in the campground... and the list goes on. We've stayed all along the Oregon coast in the state parks.

No... you won't fit in every park but neither will a 25' or 30'. However, you WILL find a spot nearby. I really believe that those saying you won't fit have never tried. Many like their full hookups. We're just the opposite. We love dry camping or boondocking on public lands.


Yesss! That is what we would like to do!! Dry camping or boondocking.

Do some testing in a Walmart, for a few days.
Least ways, you'll have a big camp store available, for what you might need.
"We are often so caught up in our destination that we forget to appreciate the journey."

07 Revolution LE 40E_Spartan MM_06 400HP C9 CAT_Allison 3000.

Dinghy_2010 Jeep Wrangler JKU ISLANDER.

1998 36ft. National Tropi-Cal Chevy Model 6350 (Sold)

huntdooly
Explorer
Explorer
2gypsies wrote:
Get the size you'd be comfortable living in. You'll find spots to stay.

We full-timed 8 years in a 33' 5th wheel and 8 years in a 40' motorhome. We fit in the same public parks with each.... national parks, state parks, national forest campgrounds, Corp of Engineers, county and city parks.

We've stayed in Glacier at Apgar campground; Yellowstone at Mammoth, Madison and Bridge Bay; Grand Teton at Colter Bay and Gros Ventre; Zion at Watchman; Bryce at North campground; Grand Canyon at Trailer Village in the park; Grand Canyon North Rim in the campground... and the list goes on. We've stayed all along the Oregon coast in the state parks.

No... you won't fit in every park but neither will a 25' or 30'. However, you WILL find a spot nearby. I really believe that those saying you won't fit have never tried. Many like their full hookups. We're just the opposite. We love dry camping or boondocking on public lands.


Yesss! That is what we would like to do!! Dry camping or boondocking.

huntdooly
Explorer
Explorer
Ivylog wrote:
Huntdooly, what is your budget???


For what? The rig or travel?

huntdooly
Explorer
Explorer
TechWriter wrote:
toedtoes wrote:
Since you are going to be living in it for extended periods of time, I would recommend you rent a couple first.

Best advice yet, especially when OP wants a good sized kitchen so his DW can cook from scratch. We full time in a 40-footer and that would be a stretch in our RV.

Anyway, I surveyed all the state and federal parks about 4 years ago and found that on average about half of state and federal campsites are at least 40 feet in length.

- Federal Park Data

- State Park Data

We camped in WI state parks in our first RV (a 34-footer) and then our 40-foot DP for several years. At times it was a challenge for both RVs depending on the campsite. For example, while you may fit into the site, the road getting to it may be atrocious.

Wow!! Thank you so much for those documents!! So very helpful!!! I printed them out.

Finally, prime campgrounds fill up fast so plan ahead.

huntdooly
Explorer
Explorer
rr2254545 wrote:
We too love National Parks but found out early on that not many had full hookups which we favor
There are 48 National Parks in the lower 48
8 Have full hookup sites in at least one campground
32 have no campground or no hookups at all
8 have some electric sites with few that also have water

You need to consider what your style of camping will be and pick a MH that fits


Wow!!! Good to know!! We want to do mostly dry camping....boondocking, so that will be no problem.

huntdooly
Explorer
Explorer
Gjac wrote:
Judging from your post you want to visit public CG's or dry camping spots rather than private RV parks with full hookups is that correct? If so I would look for something between 32-34 ft that has a fresh water capacity of at least 60 gals preferably 80 gals. Shorter ones 24-30 ft usually have smaller tanks. NP's usually have much smaller sites and are more crowded than the NFS CG's in the same area. There are usually some sites for larger MH's but they are fewer in number.


Yes, that is correct. Thank you for your help! And thanks to everyone else as well, for all of your helpful input!

Ivylog
Explorer III
Explorer III
Huntdooly, what is your budget???
This post is my opinion (free advice). It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
Sold 04 Dynasty to our son after 14 great years.
Upgraded with a 08 HR Navigator 45โ€™...

huntdooly
Explorer
Explorer
2gypsies wrote:
Get the size you'd be comfortable living in. You'll find spots to stay.

We full-timed 8 years in a 33' 5th wheel and 8 years in a 40' motorhome. We fit in the same public parks with each.... national parks, state parks, national forest campgrounds, Corp of Engineers, county and city parks.

We've stayed in Glacier at Apgar campground; Yellowstone at Mammoth, Madison and Bridge Bay; Grand Teton at Colter Bay and Gros Ventre; Zion at Watchman; Bryce at North campground; Grand Canyon at Trailer Village in the park; Grand Canyon North Rim in the campground... and the list goes on. We've stayed all along the Oregon coast in the state parks.

No... you won't fit in every park but neither will a 25' or 30'. However, you WILL find a spot nearby. I really believe that those saying you won't fit have never tried. Many like their full hookups. We're just the opposite. We love dry camping or boondocking on public lands.


Thank you! This is very helpful!

Ivylog
Explorer III
Explorer III
The OP said, โ€œThank you! 32'-33' sounds like a possibly workable length.โ€
40-42โ€™ is workable too but the โ€œbestโ€ length is 20โ€™ or less as you will fit almost everywhere. Without knowing your budget and what type of camping you are hoping to do... dry or FHU we are just guessing. As RV virgins whatever you buy will just be your first RV, not your last.
This post is my opinion (free advice). It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
Sold 04 Dynasty to our son after 14 great years.
Upgraded with a 08 HR Navigator 45โ€™...

2gypsies1
Explorer
Explorer
ItsyRV wrote:


Now, if talking disperse back-country boondocking, in that case, smaller is better as you have access to more places. But if the majority of the time your staying at a campground (with or without services), length is seldom an issue.


We've found many gorgeous boondocking spots for our 40' motorhome - national forest lands and BLM lands. There are also fish access spots.
Full-Timed for 16 Years
.... Back in S&B Again
Traveled 8 yr in a 40' 2004 Newmar Dutch Star Motorhome
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

ItsyRV
Explorer
Explorer
huntdooly wrote:
Thanks everyone, for all of your helpful answers! LOL...It almost sounds like one needs a popup in tow for those tiny campsites!

If you're talking about the designated "campgrounds" in the national forest/parks, these are just average standard campground configurations. We're not talking some deep woods trekking. The only issue with size within the campground would be availability of a spot that has the length you need. As with anything related to RV size, you just have to know where your going and determine if the places you plan on going and the type of camping you want to do, are accessible. A long RV is still able to access over 95% of the established national park/forest designated campgrounds.

Now, if talking disperse back-country boondocking, in that case, smaller is better as you have access to more places. But if the majority of the time your staying at a campground (with or without services), length is seldom an issue.
1994 Itasca SunDancer 21RB - Chevy G-30 chassis.

Dutch_12078
Explorer
Explorer
We'll be in 8 different state and national parks in GA, FL, and NC during the 4-month period from January to April 2019. In every case the sites are large enough for our 34' coach and toad with room to spare.
Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F53 chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
Bigfoot Automatic Leveling System
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/Blue Ox baseplate

msmith1199
Explorer
Explorer
Executive wrote:
I think that is one of the big myths. Perhaps in earlier years, but not in 2018. We've had no problems with most of the State and Federal campgrounds. An exception are some of the ones along the California coastline but we've not found one elsewhere that we couldn't fit into. One of the things we have found is that many State and Federal WEBSITES are way off as far as size is concerned. For instance, many California State Parks list 31' max size. This, despite the fact that they have 90' sites and wide wide roads. i.e. San Clemente SP lists 31' max RV/Trailer length. Their SMALLEST site is 45'! I can think of several others we've visited with similar results.....Dennis


But you can't even drive much of the California Coastline in a 45 footer can you?

2021 Nexus Viper 27V. Class B+


2019 Ford Ranger 4x4

tropical36
Explorer
Explorer
BarabooBob wrote:

I guess that raise the second issue of people's definition of "Boondocking".

Yep and some do their boondocking in a Walmart, which has one of the best camp stores in the world.
"We are often so caught up in our destination that we forget to appreciate the journey."

07 Revolution LE 40E_Spartan MM_06 400HP C9 CAT_Allison 3000.

Dinghy_2010 Jeep Wrangler JKU ISLANDER.

1998 36ft. National Tropi-Cal Chevy Model 6350 (Sold)