Hike-In/Walk-in Only Campsite Trend? Why is this happening?

[ShenValleyCruiser]

I'm just about to cancel reservations at some State Park campgrounds that I've used before and loved because they converted all their primitive campsites to hike-in/walk in only. I made the reservation months before they did this and they actually didn't notify I just happened to see it online while confirming some trip details. I noticed almost every other State park in this area is doing the same thing and now no cars are allowed in the tent only areas, if you want your car with you you have to book the fairly expensive RV sites in another pretty less ideal location now (of course its too late for Easter weekend now).

Very annoying when you are set-up for car camping/overlanding (to the point we do all our cooking out of the drawers and what not), not feeling like parking 150 yards away and making several trips three kids under five. I don't get it, anyone who likes backpacking probably wont like this park (or any of these state parks) anyways. I'm guessing people here can relate, we have a ground tent but we live out of the truck, at night we lock up all our food and gear and keep it out of the elements and animals. I dont have a problem with backpacking style of camping, its just not what we're set up and not what my wife would agree to with 3 kids under 5. Is this hike-in/walk-in camping only a trend? It honestly just seems like anti-car move.

 

[Correus]

Have you asked the park why?

 

[ShenValleyCruiser]

Have you asked the park why?

They say they're "improving the park". I'd have to call the park rangers office to ask about the walk-in aspect specifically. You used to be able to see the ocean from your campsite, set up your tent on nice sandy grassy ground, walk the beach and look at the driftwood. Now they bulldozed all that to create a big dune, dredge the sand to make the beach super long (it basically looks like Daytona or anything other superficial beach), took out a punch of palm trees, and now put in gravel parking spots (though now you cant park or drive to your site, go figure) and poured concrete tent pads (which is 10x worse than having your tent on the ground). So now its less natural, more artificial, and you're walled off from the ocean...and yeah you gotta 300ft everytime you realize you forgot something in your car.

 

[Lil Bear]

I've seen sorta the same thing. Even though I need none of the hook ups or anything, the parks still charge me the same as they charge a RV to set up. I backpack also so I don't mind the hike for the hike in ones but I think its stupid to change them from being able to drive in to only hike in.

 

[ShenValleyCruiser]

It looks from what I can tell online and from my conversation on the phone that this is happening at all the South Carolina State Parks. What I find most bizarre about this, and the reason I cancelled our Easter weekend trip there, is that on the one hand its now a hike-in like backpacker style campsite and at the same time its basically a gravel pit now with a ginormous concrete pad and half as much shade and trees as there used to be. So it has all the drawbacks of non-rustic/non-natural campsites with no view and all the drawbacks of backpacking in one place. Building concrete pads seems more expensive than just having a bulldozer move some dirt and plant some grass. I imagine there will be some people who have used this park before not get notified and show not realizing its now backpack in and they'll look up at their rooftop tent real confused.

 

[Lil Bear]

it's always about money...

we do a good bit of camping in state and national parks and usually end up chatting to rangers and camp hosts and they are always telling us all the problems with there being a lack of funds for these areas. we talk to a lot of volunteers that spend weeks at a time cleaning and doing maintenance for free at the parks and how a lot of areas are getting shut down and closed off because of lack of funding. i have seen a lot of odd stuff happening in several different states where changes are being made that don't make sense to us folk, but apparently makes sense to politicians. in some cases, the state wants money allocated for parks, politicians will allow some money on the condition that certain changes are made. why? who knows. people in power like to exercise that power, so i can easily see a state politician saying to limit cars in an area in order to please someone and then giving money to the park on condition that the change be implemented. its usually not the park's idea, but they have to go along in order to get funding. just like how the federal government withholds money from states until the state does what the feds want.

we went to steel creek recreational area in arkansas and that area only allows tent camping and RV camping IF the RV campers have horses. we went in the off season and the website said the area was officially closed, but opened to people on first come first serve basis. we got there and the place was empty, so we set up our tear drop camper. later that evening, a volunteer came by and told us to leave since we didn't have any horses. if we had horses, we could camp there and be fine. somehow a political decision was made that camping was only allowed if you have horses with you. so yes, i am not surprised to see weird changes being made because all money and funding is political and political decisions really only ever make sense to those in power who get to benefit from those decisions.

if you read about state parks in a lot of states, you'll see that the parks are a burden to the state since they have to pay for the maintenance and upkeep and a lot of state government would actually like to see the parks done away with. for a lot of state governments, the parks are more problem than they are worth...politically

I very strongly dislike politicians.

 

[ShenValleyCruiser]

It also greatly bothers me when these State Parks spend oodles of money on raised wooden walkways instead of just natural hiking trails. Paved parking (and paved roadways in a campground in general) seems ridiculous. It's like they're trying to make nature less....natural. I'm not even what you would call a crunchy hippy or anything but these same places do these ridiculous and expensive trails conversions, tree removals, and then will block off a whole section of the park due to the impact of visitors. Anyways I'll bet this place gets loads of complaints from people that havent been there since pre-covid, its so different now.

 

[grubworm]

It also greatly bothers me when these State Parks spend oodles of money on raised wooden walkways instead of just natural hiking trails. Paved parking (and paved roadways in a campground in general) seems ridiculous.

yeah...and that is also another factor in the politics. i've asked that as well and when there is a lot of money spent on stupid things, it is usually that insurance has required it in order to issue a policy (attorneys looking at limiting liability) OR someone in the political arena will give funding to the park provided that they spend X amount doing specified "improvements" that just so happen to be under contract to that politician's brother-in-law.

i was a general contractor here in one of the most corrupt states in the union and i have been awarded jobs based solely on the fact that i agreed to give kickbacks. and i have also built stupid things that made no sense, but it was a requirement by insurance or part of someone higher up than me getting THEIR kickback.

people get upset and dumbfounded when government does things that are not in our best interest or makes the most sense when it comes to spending OUR money. just know that behind the scenes, it is never about "us" and always about people in power making decisions that make sense to them. once people understand that, the less frustrated they will be. the human body was designed to bend at the waist specifically so that when corrupt government makes decisions...we can easily bend over and take it.

 

[FishinCrzy]

Time for a Overlanding lobby?

 

[haaken675]

Why would anyone "hike" into what is essentially a parking lot with a gravel pit...That seems completely pointless.

 

[Correus]

Well... all y'all might lable me as a "conspiracy theorists".... how many of you have heard of Agenda 21? It has been around for a few years and I've had some dealings with it via my work with Municipal/County/State economic and planning commissions.

It's basically a UN initiative to control land use and water ways and limit its access.

The first steps I learned about was the isolation of small, rural communities via closing highway and turnpike exits. If you've noticed, this has been happening all over and it's killing small towns - mine is feeling the affects of it.

There are specific sections of America's version that address the US Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. National Park Service, and U.S. Forest Service and how they are to control and manage their territories and limit accessibility.

There is a YouTube video out there, at least it use to be out there, that shows how the National Parks started the process several years ago.

 

[MidOH]

Wrong.

They're awesome. Ditch the vehicle in the parking lot and carry my ground tent and gear to the primitive no car campsites. It's great. It started when we got multiple camp sites for a group overlanding trip. We parked every truck on just three lots, and randomly spaced our tents out around a group fireplace on the other lots.

You're missing out. When in Rome.......... Try something new, go back to your same old overlanding at your next stop. Every campground is different, embrace it, not fight it.

 

[Billiebob]

they converted all their primitive campsites to hike-in/walk in only

this is old school, 40 years ago this was how our family camped. The trend away happened as camping popularity fell off and campgrounds had empty sites. Well here we are today and camping is exploding so the walk in, hike in camp site is responding to families wanting to tent and not needing any services. "WE" are in the middle but the reason the hike in sites are returning is to meet demand. The number one driver of everything American. Private enterrprise and marketing.

 

[Billiebob]

They say they're "improving the park". I'd have to call the park rangers office to ask about the walk-in aspect specifically. You used to be able to see the ocean from your campsite, set up your tent on nice sandy grassy ground, walk the beach and look at the driftwood. Now they bulldozed all that to create a big dune, dredge the sand to make the beach super long (it basically looks like Daytona or anything other superficial beach), took out a punch of palm trees, and now put in gravel parking spots (though now you cant park or drive to your site, go figure) and poured concrete tent pads (which is 10x worse than having your tent on the ground). So now its less natural, more artificial, and you're walled off from the ocean...and yeah you gotta 300ft everytime you realize you forgot something in your car.

100% I agree but this is nothing new. 40 yearsago I loved Miette Hot Springs, fabulous old pool, real rustic camping, 30 years sgo they moved the pool out of the canyon and set up for Class A RVs, Norhing new, it is called meeting demand. BUT if you don't like these changes you need to engage in the process. Most of these decisions are made thru the people running the parks. And there are thousands of ways to volunteer and give input. Maybe some of it is professional lobbying but guaranteed talking to the parks rangers etc will only be frustrating for both of you. The guys running the park are doing it to the guidelines they are given. Respect that and find a way to get involved.

And I'm giving input from Canada, but I think the potential is similar to give input and be critical of stupid decisions in the States. But it takes a focused effort here or there. And it does not happen in less than a year.

You need to find out who has influence and connect with them. Are there local camping groups with respected connections to those making decisions, find them and buy a membership, run for a board position or support someone you like. That is where the decisions are made.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Could be because for the most part car campers tent to leave trash all over the place and hike in campers tend to take their mess with them .

 

[ThundahBeagle]

They say they're "improving the park". I'd have to call the park rangers office to ask about the walk-in aspect specifically. You used to be able to see the ocean from your campsite, set up your tent on nice sandy grassy ground, walk the beach and look at the driftwood. Now they bulldozed all that to create a big dune, dredge the sand to make the beach super long (it basically looks like Daytona or anything other superficial beach), took out a punch of palm trees, and now put in gravel parking spots (though now you cant park or drive to your site, go figure) and poured concrete tent pads (which is 10x worse than having your tent on the ground). So now its less natural, more artificial, and you're walled off from the ocean...and yeah you gotta 300ft everytime you realize you forgot something in your car.

Piping Plover

 

[ShenValleyCruiser]

Time for a Overlanding lobby?

It seems like an impossible task. Places on the east coast keep going in one of two directions: become overly developed (concrete, paved roads, building,etc) or become preserves where no can use for anything (certainly no cars)

Wrong.

They're awesome. Ditch the vehicle in the parking lot and carry my ground tent and gear to the primitive no car campsites. It's great. It started when we got multiple camp sites for a group overlanding trip. We parked every truck on just three lots, and randomly spaced our tents out around a group fireplace on the other lots.

You're missing out. When in Rome.......... Try something new, go back to your same old overlanding at your next stop. Every campground is different, embrace it, not fight it.

Who wants to hike in to a concrete pad and gravel? Besides its not our "same old overlanding" I get two weeks vacation for year, we dont get to go out much at all and we're entirely set up for car camping especially having 3 kids 5 and under. Sure its "doable" but I dont want "doable" I want to enjoy the tiny fraction of vacation I have with the set up we've worked on for the relatively few chances we get to use it. I'm spending my time taking 10 trips by myself to grab all our stuff while my wife keeps the kids occupied, because we're certainly not going to take 1 yo and the 3 yo through the parking lot 20 times. It would be one thing if this was actually a secluded natural pristine spot but we'll literally be walking through a parking lot and paved road to a cruddy campsite. Again, I'm not opposed to backpacking I personally enjoy, but why convert all state park tent sites to walk-in only? What's the point? What exactly is the benefit gained? Just that you don't have to see someone's minivan? like that would be so oppressive to your experience?

 

[ShenValleyCruiser]

this is old school, 40 years ago this was how our family camped. The trend away happened as camping popularity fell off and campgrounds had empty sites. Well here we are today and camping is exploding so the walk in, hike in camp site is responding to families wanting to tent and not needing any services. "WE" are in the middle but the reason the hike in sites are returning is to meet demand. The number one driver of everything American. Private enterprise and marketing.

Maybe but....these are state parks not a private enterprise. In fact I know very few private campgrounds that do much walk-in only, this seems exclusively a State Park/National Park thing. Second there is plenty, in fact much more, demand for car camping than there is for backpacking. Average campers love and need their suv/minivan especially if you have little kids. Also its precisely because of my car that I don't need water or electrical services. The disappointing thing is this isn't just one campsites decision, is across the state and all beach campgrounds. so any overlander/car camper that wants to be in this area will have to settles for staying in the RV park part of the state park, which has its obvious drawbacks. Part of this is probably an east coast issue. There's very little public land, only the state or national park have camping near or on beaches so if South Carolina decides all rustic tent sites are walk-in only...that's it now you have no choices in that state other a handful of private campgrounds which tend to be 20-30 minutes from the beach not right on it.

 

[BensonSTW]

A lot of these changes stem from a huge shift in the way people camp and the surge in the numbers of people camping. There’s a place here in Nevada that I used to love going. It was never hard to get to. It is steep narrow and lots of winding curves. Lower campground was established for camp trailers and rvs. Upper campground for car or tent camping. Now it seems everyone has to have a 30+ foot trailer. They are pulling them up and down sections of the road that the roads weren’t designed for. In places where you could set up camp for 3 families is now 1 giant camp trailer. And there will be five more just like them lined up trying to fit into spots designed for a car/truck. Campgrounds are becoming little cities. To make room for everyone trying to use limited space, large parking/staging areas are built with walk-in camping that requires less room. Campers not allowed in parking areas. Last year was the cause of most of it. Government calls for lockdown so everyone bought a rv and headed out. The line of camp trailers on the interstate here out numbered the semis.

 

[haaken675]

It seems like an impossible task. Places on the east coast keep going in one of two directions: become overly developed (concrete, paved roads, building,etc) or become preserves where no can use for anything (certainly no cars)

Your not wrong there...I keep wanting to plan a trip out west as everything on the east coast seems to be camp ground based and just not a fan...