Campground Rules? Or really just suggestions to be ignored?

[tombiasi]

I always understood the “no alcohol” rule is actually a “no obvious alcohol or drunken shenanigans” rule. Keep your beer in a cup, don’t act a fool, and clean
up after yourself and you won’t have any problems with Park Rangers.

I found that to be true except in one state. The rangers were actually looking in coolers.

 

[DJS12354]

I suppose the "no alcohol" rule is also a liability issue as well. But how can they possibly enforce it?

All depends on how much effort they want to expend. My experience has been that if you don't get stupid about it the rangers will leave you alone.

 

[Tonya Harding]

Waiting for someone to snap in the middle of the night & crank up some Jimmy Barnes

 

[Dave Moz]

Waiting for someone to snap in the middle of the night & crank up some Jimmy Barnes

Site next to us was playing music and loud talking after quiet time (which started at 11pm) until I finally went out and talked to them at 1am. Finally heard them turn in around 4am.
The next afternoon, they were sleeping in their tent with the music blaring again.
Was ssoooooooo close to pulling up that video and letting it run while we wandered off for a few hours.

 

[anda5678]

The biggest one that seems to get ignored is not keeping dogs on leashes within the campground. Nothing, not even loud and incessant generators, frustrates me so much. I have an elderly dog that enjoys slow walks around the campground in the evenings but that just doesn’t seem to be possible anymore without being run down by dog after dog and faint shouts from the humans of “oh don’t worry! She’s friendly” My dog stays on a nice 30ft training leash. She can roam our site wherever she wants, but she can’t reach the road. This year, the HOST of my favorite campground is the biggest problem.

 

[Sherronlee]

The biggest one that seems to get ignored is not keeping dogs on leashes within the campground. Nothing, not even loud and incessant generators, frustrates me so much. I have an elderly dog that enjoys slow walks around the campground in the evenings but that just doesn’t seem to be possible anymore without being run down by dog after dog and faint shouts from the humans of “oh don’t worry! She’s friendly” My dog stays on a nice 30ft training leash. She can roam our site wherever she wants, but she can’t reach the road. This year, the HOST of my favorite campground is the biggest problem.

It is so frustrating when people think their dog is the exception to the rule! I have a reactive dog. He is a 100 pound dog and is mostly just doing his job of protecting me. I am careful about having him around other dogs and he is always on a leash but the number of times some dog comes charging at us with someone off in the distance shouting "don't worry, he is friendly" and then the panic in their voices when I yell back "mine is not!" They have no recall over their dog and are too far away to actually get control over their dog, so I am forced to try to prevent mine from going after this dog that is charging us. No dog has gotten hurt yet, but the whole issue would not happen if people just stopped thinking their dogs are exempt from the leash rule.

 

[davido]

Gray water disposal.

If the CG provides no facility for dumping a gray water jug, aside from a bathroom sink or toilet, it's going to go behind some bushes after dark. I don't like taking a gray water tank into the restroom to dump. People don't like seeing that happen. I would probably get a complaint for doing it, even though it's not really unsanitary... well, except for the fact that it's pretty hard to dump 7 gallon jugs into a toilet without splashing. I wash dishes with biodegradable dish soap. Solids go into the trash. So the gray water isn't terrible stuff anyway.

It turns fewer heads and causes no harm to dispose of it somewhere "out of the way."

 

[tfischer]

Gray water disposal.

If the CG provides no facility for dumping a gray water jug, aside from a bathroom sink or toilet, it's going to go behind some bushes after dark. I don't like taking a gray water tank into the restroom to dump. People don't like seeing that happen. I would probably get a complaint for doing it, even though it's not really unsanitary... well, except for the fact that it's pretty hard to dump 7 gallon jugs into a toilet without splashing. I wash dishes with biodegradable dish soap. Solids go into the trash. So the gray water isn't terrible stuff anyway.

It turns fewer heads and causes no harm to dispose of it somewhere "out of the way."

I've dumped plenty of gray water and porte-potty black water into the toilet. I try to do it discretely and clean up any splashes. So far, no issues <knock on wood>

 

[Sjm9911]

Gray water disposal.

If the CG provides no facility for dumping a gray water jug, aside from a bathroom sink or toilet, it's going to go behind some bushes after dark. I don't like taking a gray water tank into the restroom to dump. People don't like seeing that happen. I would probably get a complaint for doing it, even though it's not really unsanitary... well, except for the fact that it's pretty hard to dump 7 gallon jugs into a toilet without splashing. I wash dishes with biodegradable dish soap. Solids go into the trash. So the gray water isn't terrible stuff anyway.

It turns fewer heads and causes no harm to dispose of it somewhere "out of the way."

I thought the same thing, but then I smelled the greay water tote ( bigger then 7 gallons) when disconnecting it. No exactly pleasant. And I can see why they want it in a sanitary sewer.

 

[anda5678]

It is so frustrating when people think their dog is the exception to the rule! I have a reactive dog. He is a 100 pound dog and is mostly just doing his job of protecting me. I am careful about having him around other dogs and he is always on a leash but the number of times some dog comes charging at us with someone off in the distance shouting "don't worry, he is friendly" and then the panic in their voices when I yell back "mine is not!" They have no recall over their dog and are too far away to actually get control over their dog, so I am forced to try to prevent mine from going after this dog that is charging us. No dog has gotten hurt yet, but the whole issue would not happen if people just stopped thinking their dogs are exempt from the leash rule.

100% this. I hate it so much. My absolute favorite response was from this host. After her dog had run up on us in our site and was literally leaping in the air as I held my dog over my shoulder… “we’re working on leash training.” Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm This gives me more questions than answers lady.

 

[vanjr]

Many years ago I was headed back to my campsite late. I was driving too fast (maybe 15 in a 5 mph zone) and two camp workers chased me back to my site in an electric golf cart. They yelled at me and I apologized (I just was not thinking-but I was clearly in the wrong). This was a private, but fairly large Texas hill country campground. After I apologized they got out of their cart and headed for me. I really wondered if they were going to literally beat me up-they both were quite rough looking. I said something like, "I apologized, what else exactly did you want me to do?" They did back off, but it was quite surreal. I think one had a stick or pole with him.

 

[poppy65]

I can't think of too many rules you just "ignore" or "ask forgiveness" on but I'm looking forward to what other's say.

I think the one time I've said something like this (and it's been a long time, because it is a controversial subject evidently) is with leaving dogs behind for a short time while being away from the site for an hour or two. Many campgrounds say "pets must be attended at all times". To me, clearly the reason for this rule is that nobody wants to camp near a dog that's barking non-stop while you're away. But if you have a dog like my old Golden who passed last year... he was very accustomed to being crated at home and had no issues sleeping quietly in his crate while we were away. He never made a peep... we would test this numerous times. So it was an easy way go on a short bike ride and such while he'd nap. And then when we returned he'd be happy to see us. That dog rarely barked, ever much less incessently. So technically we would "break the rule" but it was literally hurting no-one, including the dog.

Sorry about your dog but in a campground people see one person do then they thing it's rule not enforced. My wife and I did a lot of campground host after we retired and for the most people obeyed the rules but it every now then we get that one guy thought the rules didn't apply to him.

 

[gryph44]

was at one campground that was adamant about no pull thru on a row of sites, had signs and all, idiot pulled thru and got to pay about 5 grand for sewer line repairs, went right over the main line and cracked it, major mess

 

[Sherronlee]

I haven't been to a campground with a rule against that. I wonder if a rule like that would be just for diesel pickups or include gasoline ones, too.

Diesel is much louder ~ gas ones are usually quieter but there is always the exception. And diesel often stinks too!

 

[xxxapache]

Diesel was much louder. Late model diesel pickup trucks are very quiet and much more odor free.

 

[Sherronlee]

I'm camping this summer in Banff and there is a rule that we must be in a hard-sided camper... I'll be turtling in a hybrid, and I know why this rule is in place so I definitely won't be ignoring it by popping out a tent end!

It is all about the bears.... We live in northern BC and bears are definitely a thing but we still camp in a tent trailer. You just have to be bear smart. However, if that is their rule, you have to follow it or get kicked out.

 

[Sherronlee]

Anyone who says "We weren't bothering anyone, we were just having some fun" deserves everything that's coming to them.

Take them to the train station! lol

 

[Sherronlee]

I try to follow most rules in campgrounds because they do usually make it pleasant for everyone. The one I usually break though is the "leash no longer than 6 foot rule". I have a small dog that likes to roam so I use a stake with a 15 foot leash so he can cruise around the site.

Also not collecting firewood. I don't go into the forest and collect but if there is down wood in the site that joker is going the fire. Also everyone needs a good fire poker sourced locally.

We tie a rope between two trees and attach the six foot leash to it. Then the dog has lots of room to roam and also has shade from the trees.

 

[Sherronlee]

The not putting out fires, that could get ugly. The loud generator, ugh. I think most of us go for peace and quiet, but there's always the few. My sister used to go with a group of friends and they'd get told it was past hours, quiet time, and they'd make fun of the ranger. We've actually had very good luck with campground hosts. Some places we've been to don't have a host then you could be up crap creek.

Our favorite campground had a quiet section. No radios or generators allowed at those site. We loved the sounds of nature, of kids laughing and having fun. I wish all campgrounds had a quiet section.

 

[Sherronlee]

I like a string of solar string lights that are dim and i turn them off around 10 but there seems to be a huge increase in lit up like a Rave campsites.

When we were at Acadia National the rule was no lights and I hope this is a rule that gets enforced

I don't understand this new thing of having super bright lights ~ especially those that leave them on all night. But really, how do you star gaze when someone has the whole campground lit up like the middle of the day? And there are lots of people who cannot sleep with it is bright out....