Reservation policy in general

With each and every MCG having a different policy or non policy on reservations it is difficult for a family to plan much of an extended trip that they can NOT make a definate plan for, however I have often thought that a simple one day reservation system would probably be a workable solution to a lot of that travelers.
Let me explain.
You leave your current camp in the morning heading for a destination for later that day. If you could call the MCG and find out that they do have an opening, you should be able to put in a "One Day Reservation". That way you would at least know you have a place to park for the night. If they do not have an opening then you could then start looking at nearby public CG's.
This type of reservation system would be a blessing to many a traveler and still allow the MCG a great deal of latitude to manage their CG.
This is just my nickles worth.
Anyone have any comments or suggestions?
If this sounds like a good idea, how would we go about trying to get it implemented?
Thanks
Frank

Frank,

You have been registered in this forum for almost two years and have more than 125 posts. So you must read most of the posts here. Each service runs their own version of MWR. The individual services can’t even uniform their own campgrounds so there is no chance for all of them to come to an agreement along those lines. The very best thing one can do when using military campgrounds is to do their homework. For the most part military campgrounds have been developed for the needs and wants of the command. Many commands have had the foresight to expand their campgrounds in the expectation of seasonal users from outside of the area. And other commands in large metropolitan areas have included a campground area within a recreation complex. The usage and individuality of such campgrounds demands that a reservation system be used along with a length of stay policy. Other commands have such a large turnover that they stick to a strict first come first serve system of site assignment. Military campground users expect to be able to at least get a dry camp site or into over flow. Name me a civilian campground that will do that? It’s called Wal-Mart. Our really well run campgrounds - and here I’ll have to name a few - should be our examples when pointing a finger. Places like Fort Bliss, TX (First Come First Serve), NAS Jacksonville, FL (Reservations with a clearly defined length of stay), Nellis, AFB ( a well run MCG with reservations and a long length of stay), Navy Recreational Center, San Diego, CA, (reservations into another well run MCG). These campgrounds are comfortable with their individual system and are not going to rock their boat for someone else, especially another service.

FastEagle

One thing that seems pretty consistent in all MCGs though is the fact that most have an overflow area, sometimes with partial hook-ups - sometimes not, but always a spot to park yourself and get organized or move on if necessary.

That single item to me is one of the most important aspects of the MCG system and seems to carry over to all services and bases. So, however the individual reservations systems operate, at least we are pretty sure a "one night, or couple nights' in overflow is available.

At times when I've used private CG (very infrequently) and pulled in, found it full -- the comment is always "We're full. Can't help you." Pretty much every time.

Some state parks allow you to stay in a parking area (for a smaller fee) and some don't ... I've never found a NF campground full, so that's never been an issue, although some "famous" National Parks have been full, but not unexpectedly. But then again, no such thing as "overflow" in NP.

FastEagle and Monkey,
I do not dissagree with your post, however Ft. Bliss is one that we stayed at a few months ago. We called them in the AM to see what it looked like for getting a spot later that evening, and he said he had two vacancies. We were fortunate enough to get there in time to get the last one. I did see that they turned away a couple more later that evening. They do NOT have an overflow, even though they said they did. I guess their overflow is the PX parking lot, didn't ask.
Also we have been turned down at other MCG's because they do not have an overflow, San Antonio TX, has three bases but when we tried for a spot all were full and noon had overflow.
Also Ft Stewart, GA says they have no overflow, but they can make an exception if you will be out by 0800.
I know a lot of the MCG's do have overflow, that in one of the questions I ask them when we call for accomodations, but not all want to admit it when they still have paying sites.
The jest my original post was just a comment that it would be nice to be able to secure a one night spot, if possible, when on the road.
We usually stay in one place for a couple of months at a time except when going from point A to point B. We have used Walmart and rest stops, however we do like the security and other ammenities of being able to stay at a MCG when possible.
Thanks for the reply
Frank

Frank:

You have made a good point. I believe that you should not be belittled by pointing out the obvious. In my most recent trip to Texas and back, I discovered that several campgrounds that do not take reservations were making informal day reservations if you called them the day you arrive.

I suspect that many campground managers recognize that this is the decent thing to do to keep people from traveling miles out of their way only to be turned away.

I like you wish we had more standardization with our MCG so that the campgrounds would meet the needs of travelers and not the needs of the campground employees.

Go ahead and flame me all you want, Fast Eagle. Just because something is difficult to accomplish does not mean we do not try.

Curt

One other comment on this issue -- and also, funny you mention these becaue I haven't been to anywhere near all the MCGs, but have never been turned away -- either with a site or an overflow -- so maybe I'm just lucky.

If, for example, you call MacDill for a reservation (during the winter particularly), they will tell you that they are full. In fact, they are only as full as they want to be. Many are "homesteaders" or make year ahead reservations. And when the 'reservable' sites are full, they tell you the MCG is full when in fact they may have first-come sites and always have overflow available -- because (my guess here) they don't care about the hassle of telling you the policy ...

MacDill has a group of sites in winter that rotate between FHU and "field overflow" ... and MacDill uses that policy to "meet the guidelines" of rotating sites -- however, the "regulars" don't rotate, only one section rotates with the overflow, same individuals in and out.

MacDill, in my opinion, is the single most abusive of the "equal sharing" rules of any MCG I've ever stayed. And if I actually cared enough about staying at MacDill, I'd file an official complaint about it. But, plenty of other MCGs are available elsewhere, and that is not a battle I want to spend my time fighting ...