State Park Reservations

[Gulfcoast]

Every state park in NW Florida and south Alabama shows to be booked for the summer. I have not found even one spot open until October.

Are there any secrets to getting reservations, or did i wait too late for this year? Do I have to reserve a year in advance?

Thanks for your help.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Some parks, especially CCC built parks in my experience, the length limits are based on the tight roads to get to the side, through the forest.

I've seen several campgrounds with some 50-70 ft long sites/driveways, but without cutting down trees, you are not going to get your trailer into those sites.

I was at one last week. Nice open roads, big sites - and a 7ft 4 inch wide road in one section where the driver had to make a 90 degree turn backing up into the site. With rock, 18 inch deep ditches on both sides of the road. Obviously only small rigs were in this section.

[DrewE]

Gulfcoast wrote:
One more question.... my TT is 25'.

If a site says 25' - equipment length/driveway.

Does it mean a 25' trailer will fit?

What about my truck? Where do I park it?

Thanks

Generally that would be an appropriate site. Usually there would be room to put the truck somewhere, be it next to the trailer or crossways in front or possibly even lengthwise in front. At worst, you may have to part it in a separate parking area elsewhere.

Site length ratings are somewhat variable between states and parks. Sometimes the sites seem much larger than advertised. Sometimes there isn't more than an inch or two extra. Sometimes calling the actual park office (the one at the park, not just some central reservation office) and talking to a ranger will prove helpful in figuring the actual limitations and sizes and shapes of various sites. It can also be useful to look at photos online if they have them available for individual sites.

[Gulfcoast]

One more question.... my TT is 25'.

If a site says 25' - equipment length/driveway.

Does it mean a 25' trailer will fit?

What about my truck? Where do I park it?

Thanks

[charming]

ljr wrote:
Magnolia Branch Wildlife Reserve is pretty busy during the summer but it’s on tribal land and not that well known. You might get lucky. It’s a great place in SW Alabama.

Thanks for sharing. We usually stay at Gunter Hill, a COE park near Montgomery, but this looks like a great place to try.

In March we were trying to get a reservation at one of the state parks near us in SC, we wanted to do some work on our motorhome before our April trip. We could not get a three night reservation for a full service lot at any time during the month at either park.

[Big_Katuna]

Up to a day away but they charge $17 every time you do it.

[Gulfcoast]

If one makes reservations 11-months in advance at a state park (FL), then when do you have to cancel or make changes by?

[garmp]

It's those dang retired Baby Boomers clogging up the system. Oh wait, I'm one of them. Oh well, must be some one else fault.
We only make 3 or so trips a year for a couple of weeks (+/-) at a time.
We always do our research and planning and lately, pending the time of year, make reservations for the weekend (which we greatly disdain, especially in unfamiliar parks). The rest of the time is play it by ear and what ever appeals to us. Florida has become a real booger and over popular. Constantly looking for cancellations/openings and rearrange our plans from there. Of course COE parks are ALWAYS awesome!

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

My father had the same problem with Arkansas State Parks, in 1966. As a junior welder with the company, he couldn’t schedule his vacation far in advance. By the time he was able to schedule his vacation, Petit Jean was booked. He tried for several years before giving up.

There have always been people willing to schedule far in advance on the possibility they might go.

[doxiemom11]

Michigan State Parks have been that way for several years also. Always popular as many are along the shoreline.

[Retired_JSO]

Florida State Parks are so popular these days, we have most reservations 11 months out.

[johnhicks]

On the other hand the weekend warriors scream that they can't get into state parks "their tax dollars pay for" because snowbirds reserve all the sites months in advance.

[Big_Katuna]

Change the cancellation policy so that they can only cancel the entire reservation. Not just a few days.

Private parks don’t have the problem unless they don’t manage it.

I owned a small beachfront motel for ten years.

I didn’t book weekends until a week before. I could fill weekends without reservations.

[drsteve]

Big Katuna wrote:
It’s 11 months window in Florida starting at 8:00 AM. What ticks me off is that they let people books weekend 11 mos out leaving empty nights during the week.

I’d like to see weeklies to get 11 months and weekenders 3 mos.

Anything in Florida near water books up way out.

Nothing would change. The "weekenders" would still do exactly what they do now--book an entire week, then cancel the unwanted days later.

[Dutch_12078]

monkey44 wrote:

johnhicks wrote:
Big Katuna that ticks me off too. The park stays empty five days out of seven because of weekend warriors and eventually the state closes it or pawns it off on a municipality for lack of use.

There's probably no rational solution.

That's probably the biggest problem with state parks everywhere - full weekends take out many of the two week vacation bookings.

That's not just a state park problem. Private parks in popular destination areas have the same problem. There's no "fix" for it, it's just the nature of the business. In the northern part of the country, many parks sit completely unused for 6 months of the year...