Public vs. Private Campgrounds

Comparison of private and public campgrounds

There are definitely different opinions when it comes to campground preferences.  Some people like something that is a bit more like “Glamping”, with plenty of amenities on site and attractions nearby. For those folks, private campgrounds will probably be preferred. But for others (including me), having lots of nature around and a little more space is more important.  If this sounds better to you, then you will probably prefer public – national, state or county – campgrounds.

So which type of campground should you choose?  We have stayed a tons of campgrounds, and here are the main things to know about the differences between private and public campgrounds.

• Size of rig – Most state type campgrounds were built when camping was either a tent, popup camper or a truck bed camper, so some of the roads and sites can be narrow and short.  Some parks, especially national parks have size restrictions, usually 35 feet. Park campgrounds don’t usually have pull-thru sites. That doesn’t mean that private campgrounds don’t have those same issues, if they’ve been around for a while especially, but you have a better chance at bigger rigs and pull-thru sites at private campgrounds.  Do research if you have a big rig to make sure you’re going to fit, including if you are towing a vehicle or trailer.

• Age of RV – Sometimes private campgrounds say you can’t have a rig older than 10 years, or you have to send pictures and be approved.  However, there are times when places have said this, never asked for proof (and we have a rig older than that) and when we got there found that this rule is not enforced because there will be rigs there that look like they have never moved in years, including having green mildew on them, faded logos and so forth.
We have never heard of any restrictions that public campgrounds have on age of your camper/RV.

• Dogs – Both private and public campgrounds usually allow dogs, although the private ones sometimes have limitations on size or breed or number of dogs.  Do they check on that?  We see ‘rules’ violated all the time.  Private campgrounds can sometimes have a fenced in dog run area, which is good for our two dogs. Public campgrounds almost never have a dog park / run.

• Size of site – Most private campgrounds pack them in like sardines more often than not, and public campgrounds usually have a lot more space between sites.

• Surroundings / Nature – This is where public campgrounds almost always win out. They are usually located near some natural feature such as a lake or river, mountains, and even caverns. Private campgrounds seem to be more likely to be located in convenient areas, such as off of major highways or nearer to cities and shopping.

• Campfires – We were disappointed that when we first started full-time RVing, there were many times that we could not have a campfire. That’s because we started out staying mostly at private campgrounds. Now we have learned that public campgrounds are far more likely to allow campfires, and most even have fire pits or rings for you to use. A campfire is one of those things that really makes it feel like “real” camping!

• Cost – Public campgrounds are usually less expensive than private campgrounds and sometimes even offer a senior or other discount.  We have found state campgrounds that will honor the “America the Beautiful Pass”, which is meant for national parks. The lowest price I have seen at a public campground with hookups was $13 per night, and a 50% senior discount was offered on top of that. The highest price we have paid for a public campground was about $30 per night.

Private campgrounds charge more around $40 – $45 per night, with many charging much higher rates than that. They may offer discounts for memberships like Good Sam; however, discounts vary by campground. Some may only offer the discount for a day, or may exclude weekends.

• Ease of making a reservation – Public campgrounds are most likely to have a website to make an online reservation.  Recreation.gov not only has trip planning information and tools, but an online reservation system for camping on federal lands. States usually have online reservations systems as well.
Private campgrounds are hit or miss in that regard, at least half the time you have to make a call.  Sometimes private campgrounds don’t take a deposit and don’t send any kind of confirmation so it can be a little bit of worry that they wrote it all down!

• WiFi – It is rare that public campgrounds will have WiFi. We have had several that offered it, and it actually was pretty good.

Private campgrounds almost always have WiFi. The quality of it is another issue, although I think many campgrounds have upgraded their service as they realize that more people want it. If a campground doesn’t have good WiFi, you may have to use it during slower times when other campers aren’t using it; most folks tend to use it in the evenings for streaming movies, so that can cause a major slowdown. Being closer to the campground office or clubhouse can help, too.

• Hookups – This is one area where private campgrounds win out over public. You will almost always be able to find full hookups at a private campground. The availability of hookups at public campgrounds vary quite a bit, with some having no hookups at all and some that do offer full. In our travels we have found that most of the public campgrounds will have electric hookup available, and some offer water as well. A sewer hookup at a public campground is a little harder to find.

If you’ll be staying more than several days at a public campground, be prepared with a portable, towable dump tank so you can empty your tanks and tow it over to the dump station (and make sure the park has a dump station, most do but check!).  If the public campground does not have water hookups, be prepared with a full fresh water tank before you go there, and have portable containers so you can retrieve water from a common spout if they have one. 

• Length of Stay – Public campgrounds usually only allow up to a 2 week stay. We did stay at one county campground that allowed you to stay up to a year, with the exception being that you had to leave for one week at the end of the year.

Private campgrounds will allow as long of a stay as you need, provided they have availability, even up to ‘permanent’ / annual. Most of them offer discounts for longer stays. We usually get one day free when staying for a week. Monthly rates are even better.

• Mail – Most public campgrounds have an office, so if you need to receive mail or packages, check with them.  Private campgrounds usually have an office but sometimes they do not have one, or not one that is capable of receiving mail.  In either case, check with the campground to ensure that they can receive mail and packages.  Delivery services sometimes will go directly to your campsite, but we find it easier to have items sent to the campground office. We have not had an issue receiving packages at either public or private campgrounds.

Note that for our regular mail delivery we use a service that will accept and then scan and process our mail for us. We use Anytime Mailbox, which has been – after a rocky start which involved one of their locations closing down – very efficient and worked out really well.

See more about mail services here.

• Amenities 

Laundry Facilities – It’s rare that a public campground has laundry facilities, but some do, whereas private campgrounds most likely have them, though it’s better to check.  A few laundry facilities will take a credit or debit card on the machine, but plan on bringing your own quarters, because also the facilities might not have change machines—private campgrounds are more likely to have a change machine.

Dog Park – Private campgrounds are more likely to have fenced dog leash-free areas, in fact it’s really rare that public parks do.  Public campgrounds are more likely to allow dogs, however, while some private campgrounds don’t allow pets, or have size and number restrictions on dogs.

Pools – It’s not typical for public campgrounds to have a pool, but we have stayed at a few state parks that do have them.

Often private campgrounds will boast they have one, however, they won’t post on their website the season that they are open, and sometimes they are just closed because they haven’t done required maintenance to them. Always ask when making reservations!

SUMMARY – COMPARISON OF PRIVATE AND PUBLIC CAMPGROUNDS

In the chart, GREEN TEXT and a check mark are used for designating the best type of campground for each category/feature listed on the left.

FEATURE	PUBLIC	PRIVATE
Rig Size Restrictions	SOME	✓ NONE
Age of Rig Restrictions	✓ NONE	SOME
Pet Restrictions	✓ NONE	SOME
Large Sites	✓ YES	SOME
Natural Features	✓YES	SOME
Pull-through Sites	SOME	✓ YES
Campfires	✓ YES	SOME
Low Cost	✓ YES	SOMETIMES
Reservation System	✓ YES	SOMETIMES
WiFi	RARELY	✓ YES
Hookups	SOME	✓ YES
Limited Stay	YES	✓ NO
Laundry	RARELY	✓ COMMON
Swimming Pool	RARELY	✓ FAIRLY COMMON
Dog Park	RARELY	✓ SOMETIMES

Although we prefer public campgrounds, we know that some people like private campgrounds better. We hope this list helps you choose!
Let us know what your favorite campgrounds are below!