To help encourage folks to get out and enjoy National Great Outdoors Month in June, a wide array of campgrounds across the country, many close to national parks, are offering a 20 percent discount on camping fees.
While none of the participating campgrounds are located inside national parks, many are on the doorsteps of parks, in such towns as West Yellowstone near Yellowstone National Park; Columbia, Montana, near Glacier National Park; Cherokee and Bryson City, North Carolina, near Great Smoky Mountains National Park; or Three Rivers, California, outside Sequoia National Park.
Participating in the discounts are private campgrounds, RV parks, and resorts that are affiliated with GoCampingAmerica.com . The discounts are good during the first three weeks of June.
“We think National Great Outdoors Month is a perfect opportunity for America’s campground industry to encourage everyone to get outdoors, explore nature and have fun with their friends and families,” said Paul Bambei, president and CEO of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds.
The Denver, Colo.-based association represents more than 3,300 private campgrounds, RV parks, and resorts.
In addition to providing discounts on camping, GoCampingAmerica.com will also provide e-coupons that consumers can use to obtain discounts at Camping World stores and RV rentals booked through El Monte RV, which has agreed to provide 500 free miles plus 50 free miles a day to GoCampingAmerica visitors who rent an RV for at least one week during the June 1st to 25th period.
GoCampingAmerica.com will feature e-coupons for use at campgrounds, Camping World stores and El Monte RV beginning May 15th. However, the discounts will be available from June 1st to 25th. Campground discounts will be available only at participating parks and on a space-available basis.
“We encourage campers to use GoCampingAmerica.com to locate the campgrounds, RV parks and resorts that are of interest to them and to call at least 24 hours ahead to book their reservations,” Mr. Bambei said.
Comments
The only negative here is trying to encourage a disconnected public to experience camping through the windows of your local RV dealer. Is seems to at least me that National Great Outdoors Month should have concentrated their efforts on the "outdoors" portion of their statement. True that getting some members of the human sloth population off the couch and into a vehicle qualifies as a slight improvement from their existence in couch potato heaven, one that might actually lead to a true out-of-doors adventure (not likely) at some point. But it does seem ironic that they're encouraging a near 5$ / gal camping excursion when we're all trying to get people to use park shuttle bus services. And at the current cost of fuel this is no way to try and convert and create new members into the "I Camped at......" society.
It never ceases to amaze me how many of those Big RVs and some fancy-dancy 90 foot long double deck trailers have windows that can't be opened. Air conditioners mandatory. Fresh air impossible. Then there are the satellite TV dishes.
Ah, well. Maybe this makes trails less crowded for the rest of us.
By the way, I just spent a bunch of dollars for a new pair of glasses and they don't help a bit when I'm trying to read Captcha. Would 3-D glasses help?
It's true that the trails are less crowded Lee. Unfortunately they also serve to make the entrance roads and parking areas quite the zoo during peak hours. Which is why I tend toward the "first off" method whenever I'm taking in those areas around the high traffic zone. Or better yet, frequent the backcountry, where the Bozos with Boats (i.e. extraordinarily large campers, not the marine-worthy vessels) simply can't access the trailheads.
And no, the glasses didn't help me either. Hallucinogenic are the only unexplored option. At least then everything will be approximately the same level of scrambled. Brains included.....
my goodness, such vitriol against those of us who RV. Many of us with medical conditions travel in RVs as the easiest way to travel and, yes, our windows DO open. Most RVers spend a great deal of time outdoors sightseeing, hiking, and enjoying the parks that belong to ALL of us, no matter how we get there or how we camp.
Easy Stormy, nobody is picking on you simply because you RV. But I've spent way too much time camping across the nation to fall for that "most campers spend a great deal of time outdoors" line. I've seen first hand that in many cases, save for the swimming, campfire and volleyball games, the amount of time pursuing the activities available at various national and state campgrounds is relatively limited compared to certain other factions that utilize the campgrounds as simply that, a place to bed down, possibly shower and prep for the next day.I'm not all that fond of "car camping" either for what it's worth, and that takes considerably less time to make and break than does anchoring the bus. But we all have our own nirvana when it comes to the out-of-doors. That's why I prefer the wilderness areas to the campgrounds in the first place. Less exhaust fumes and less noise. When the kids were little that was another story completely, as much time was spend swimming, horse-shoeing, whiffle ball, frisbee and the like. Personally I'm glad that stage is over. But most of us went through it for at lease some period of time. Now I can avail myself of those pursuits that pleasure me without having to worry about somebody complaining that it's too hot, too wet, too cold, too this and too that. And all I have to be concerned about are the summer-only travelers who for the most part don't stop anywhere long enough to really see where they've been.
Sorry, Stormy. I didn't mean to offend. (I actually switched from a tent to a small trailer last year. Old achy bones.)
I was just trying to point out the disconnect between what seems like a growing number of affluent Americans and the outdoors.
Those poor folks just don't know how much they are missing.
The "affluent" folks typically aren't campers in any form. They "do" hotels and organized tours.