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If you have a 45 ft toy hauler with four slides and a back patio, you need a campsite at least 55 feet long and 20 feet wide just to fit in the space! You’ll want to find a big rig rv park; however, many campgrounds don’t offer those types of sites.
So how do you find big rig RV parks? Use the tools and research of others to make your search easier and quicker.
There are plenty of RV parks for 40 ft RVs. You just have to know how to find them. Let’s dive in!
What Size RV is Considered a Big Rig?
Most places consider a big rig anything over 40 feet in length. Whether it’s a fifth wheel, travel trailer, or Class A motorhome doesn’t matter. If you own an RV over 40 feet long, you’ll want to find big-rig RV parks.
Key Terminology for People With Big RVs
You’ll see phrases like “big rig friendly” and “big rig access” on websites and apps. Big rig friendly refers more to individual campsites, while big rig access usually means the campground is easily accessible with a 40+ ft RV.
You might find a big rig friendly campsite, meaning it’s long and wide. But if the campground has low-hanging branches or tight turns leading to that campsite, you’ll have trouble getting to it.
RV parks for 40 ft RVs will use the term big rig access to communicate to owners that there are no narrow roads, low clearances, or large rocks in the way. However, it’s always important to read reviews on these campgrounds.
Even though their websites may state that they have big rig friendly campsites or the park has big rig access, other RV owners will be the better source. Pay attention to the comments of past visitors who have stayed in a rig about the same size as yours.
What Are the Advantages of Having A Big Rig?
If you have a big rig, you probably chose that size because of the interior space. You wanted a lot of living space, room for every family member to have a bed, and plenty of storage space.
Big rigs provide more privacy for RVers because couples or families can spread out instead of being on top of one another in the same room.
If you work from your RV, a big rig gives you the space to have an office. Many folks convert their dining area or garage to an office. This is a great way to separate your living space from your work space.
What Are the Disadvantages of Having A Big Rig?
However, when you decide to own an RV 40 ft or larger, there are serious disadvantages. Some campgrounds don’t have sites to accommodate the length. You can miss out on great camping locations because you just won’t fit.
You also have challenges on travel days that owners of smaller RVs don’t have to worry so much about. Merging onto the interstate, slowing down for oncoming traffic, navigating city streets, and making tight turns are all more difficult with a big rig.
Can All Campgrounds Accommodate Large RVs?
Unfortunately, many campgrounds can’t accommodate large RVs. Even if a city park has sites for rigs up to 50-60 feet in length, getting to that city park in the midst of construction, low clearances, and narrow city streets can be impossible.
Popular locations on beaches or near attractions may have several campgrounds available, but only one or two that offer big rig access and big rig friendly campsites.
How Do You Know If A Campground Is A Big Rig RV Park?
As mentioned earlier, look for “big rig access” or “big rig friendly” in the description. Most parks with big rig access will boldly post it on the homepage. You can also call and ask if campsites are available to fit your size. Make sure to also ask about navigating through the campground itself and getting to the campground from the main highway.
But your best bet is always to check reviews. Someone who stayed in a camper van isn’t going to be helpful. Pay attention to the RV size and site number.
If the general consensus of visitors who have stayed in RVs 40 ft or longer is to stay away, it’s best to find another option, even if the website claims to have big rig friendly sites. If you read that most people who stayed in a certain section were happy with the size of their sites, then attempt to get a campsite in that particular loop.
How Do You Find Big Rig RV Parks?
With today’s technology, finding big rig friendly RV parks is not difficult. From apps to websites, numerous tools help RVers make well-informed decisions about the best places to stay overnight.
Allstays
Allstays should be the first stop on your search for a big rig campground. It is available as a website or iPhone app called Allstays Camp and RV.
We have both because we use this app the most. It has a database of over 30,000 campgrounds across the US. The advanced filtering feature of Allstays allows you to display only the campgrounds that accept big rigs.
Additionally, you can add any of the other filters to narrow it down even further. For example, you can narrow your search down to big rig RV resorts with 50-amp full-hookup pull-throughs.
RV Trip Wizard
RV Trip Wizard offers similar search options as AllStays. You can also look at the terrain, elevation, and gradient, which are important to consider when driving or towing an RV.
Within this app, you can also read reviews of past visitors, which, again, is critical when you own a big rig.
Along with discovering big rig RV parks, you can also use the navigation tools to plan RV-safe routes. Input the dimensions of your RV and any other criteria like avoiding tolls or tunnels, and the Trip Wizard will provide a custom route for your big rig.
An RV LIFE PRO membership will grant you access to some amazing RV tools. The included features will help you research campgrounds, plan RV-safe routes, turn your phone into an RV GPS, access courses about RVing, and even track maintenance on your RV.
Use the code “GETAWAY25” to save 25% off your annual membership!
Big Rig Best Bets Guide
Since 2001, Adam and Alicia Miller have provided one of the industry’s most accurate and up-to-date campground directories. They’ve personally visited every location and provided detailed directions from an RVer’s point of view.
You can purchase the 500-page print edition or access the online version that also features a satellite view of every RV park.
You can browse the amenities, site lengths and widths, as well as other park details. If you have a big rig, this is a great resource that is continually updated.
Big Rig Resorts
Big Rig Resorts is a website that provides information about campgrounds and RV parks that can accommodate rigs over 40 ft long.
With three, four, and five slide-outs, these campgrounds can accommodate larger widths of big rigs. Plus, larger RVs need at least 50amp service.
Big Rig Resorts has done the research for you. You simply click on a state to view the resorts that are truly big rig friendly with big rig access.
The website also has roadside stops that are accessible with a large RV from fuel stations to Walmart locations.
Google Maps
We don’t have outlandish requirements for an RV resort, but sometimes when we add our normal filters, there are no options in the location we are searching.
If removing filters doesn’t reveal any campgrounds that we want to stay at, we move on to our next tool for uncovering big rig RV resorts; Google Maps.
Google has an enormous database of businesses across the world.
We will normally just search “RV parks near [town name]” on Google Maps. It can sometimes return RV campgrounds that weren’t displayed on Allstays.
The main issue with this method is that you must check each website and ensure they have the space for a big rig. If they don’t clearly specify the site dimensions on their website, then you will need to call them to see if they have a site that can fit your RV.
This is a time-consuming way to find campgrounds that will accommodate big rigs, however, we have found unique parks with space and availability this way.
Do National Parks Have RV Parks For 40 ft RVs?
National and State parks have some of the best campgrounds in the USA. The downside is that most of these campgrounds were built before RVs started getting so big.
In 2016, CamperReport.com calculated that only 7% of national parks have space for big rigs 41+ feet long.
The popularity of these fantastic destinations also
You may have better luck finding sites big rig friendly state parks. We have stayed in a few state parks across the US, and the sites always have had plenty of room for our big RV.
Additionally, many campgrounds with big rig sites are available just outside of most national parks. You may or may not have the beauty right outside your door, but a quick drive to see the most beautiful places in the USA is not bad.
Don’t Stress Out, Find Big Rig RV Parks All Over the Country
If you’ve decided that a big rig is what you need to accommodate your travel lifestyle, then you’ll enjoy a larger living space than most RVers. But you’re also going to face some challenges. Let apps like AllStays and
Use the research of others to make your campground search quicker and easier. You have fewer options with a large RV, but your choices aren’t so few that you can’t enjoy traveling the country.
So hit the road this camping season with your big rig. Use the Big Rig Best Bets Guide and Big Rig Resorts help you find those RV parks for 40 ft RVs. Have you ever encountered problems finding a campground and campsite big enough for your RV?
