by JudyJB » Sat Feb 24, 2024 3:39 pm
Feeling a little better today. Had an English muffin two scrambled eggs for breakfast/lunch.
And you are both right about campsites costing more. One thing is that some state parks are charging a separate electric fee, and that can add from $7 to $10 per night!!! Last night, I was plotting out my trip back to Ohio and there were no handy state parks available near I-75 in much of TN and KY. Found commercial campground, not even good ones, charging $60-$70 per night!!! Wow.
Luckily, I have not found any increased prices on COE campgrounds and have spent most of the late fall and winter paying only $15 per night. And in Ohio, I get 50% discount on weeknights and 10% off on weekends, so most W&E sites are still costing me only $18-$22 per night there. And there are still some bargains--Tennessee still gives seniors 25% off, so my upcoming stay in a couple of their parks is only costing me $27 per night, including reservation fees. (I adjusted my trip slightly to stay in state parks and avoid the $70 commercial campgrounds.)
Also, New Mexico still offers its annual camping pass for $225 for non-residents. NM campsites cost only $10 for non-electric and $14 for electric, but with the pass, you get non-electric sites for free and then only have to pay the $4 fee per night for electric, if it is available. That's a super deal, and I have several places in that state I love, including Rockhound, Elephant Butte, and Oliver Lee. Plus, there are some nice COE campground in northern NM--Abiquiu Lake costs only $8 per night, and Cochiti Lake costs only $10 per night, and those are both with electric hookups! (Warning: a lot of the state parks in NM have dirt roads, so I am careful which ones I stay at because I don't like to have to keep windows shut because of dust.)