campsite reservation system

[chris63]

Free???????????????????The NPS (National Park Service)FY 2013 Budget was Just south of 3 BILLION clams.............not free.I'm not complaining about the "new" system being implemented just going to have some bugs to work through I'm sure!Happy fishing!!!c63

[duckster]

Those using the sites should pay for their upkeep. Seems like a no brainer. Name someplace this nice that you can camp for free.

[Xplorer]

Agree, but then why no houseboat fee's????????? By my count there are 93 houseboat sites in the park. They require much less upkeep, but I think a $5 per night fee would be appropriate. If someone is renting a houseboat for a week up there, i think they could afford $35 for the week. Granted it is a drop in the bucket, but after all, those using the sites shold pay for their upkeep, right? And dont get me started on how many times I have seen houeboats camped overnight at day-use sites.

Oh, and one other place....the beaches on the Oregon coast are free too

[Minnow Slinger]

Don't worry, they didn't leave the houseboats out, they are phasing them in too along with more sites after next year.

[Minnow Slinger]

Press Release on reservatoin system

[duckster]

Slinger is right, houseboat sites will be happening next. My understanding is that they will be included once the system is in place.

[Xplorer]

I like the gradual phase-in of the system. 30 main lake sites is a good starting point. I have zero issues with paying for the sites there. I have spent @350 nights in the park since 1996 and always knew this day would come. I will still spend my 20 nights each summer there for the next 350! Now for the list of reservable sites. My family and I already have 18 nights booked for next summer : )

[Dock Boy]

Reservations for houseboat sites will not work period. The fee is fine ,but asking a houseboat to move spots with a 20-35 mpg wind because the reservation says so is ridiculous.

[h8go4s]

Reservations for houseboat sites will not work period. The fee is fine ,but asking a houseboat to move spots with a 20-35 mpg wind because the reservation says so is ridiculous.

It's also ridiculous to ask a tent camper with a 16 foot tiller boat or canoe or kayak to "move spots with a 20-35 mpg wind because the reservation says so". If reservations will be required for tent sites, they also should be required for houseboat sites.

[Dock Boy]

Id take a 16ft tiller over a 50 ft houseboat any day.

[h8go4s]

Id take a 16ft tiller over a 50 ft houseboat any day.

Really? How about a canoe? In 25-30 mph winds, NOBODY is moving.

[echotrail]

If your houseboat is due back by mid morning and it's blowing 25 to 30 mph are you expected to return it on time?

Perhaps if there is a "Minimum wind alert policy" houseboats will be notified by radio they are expected to stay where they are. If the houseboat rental companies agree not to send out new rentals under those conditions that may force the family who has a beginning reservation to spend their first night at the company dock.

Lots of "If's"

[Dock Boy]

On the Crane side. Most folks knowing that the houseboat is due back the following day park in Sand Point/grassy bay or on Crane. Vary few park on Namakan and leave at 4 in the morning to get back to Voyagaire. Sand Point and Crane are not affected as much as Namakan is when the wind kicks up. Making travel easier. Narrower body of water

I would say this chain does not get as much canoe traffic as one would think. Trust me I rent canoes. Kab is a large body of water and one needs ideal conditions to travel long distances. Larger bodies of water are more suitable for a motorized boats.

[duckster]

Lots of ifs, I guess some of them people will have to work out on their own. Imagine that!

[Drail1313]

For the past 9 years I have either tent camped in VNP each year-(spring or early summer) AND in the fall done a houseboat trip 6 out of the 9 (rented a cabin the other 3.)<Think I have a VNP addiction problem when I see this written down!!>

What I think dockboy is saying that in a houseboat you move from one site to another each day or so to explore the park and for me and most other that houseboat moving from site to site does depending greatly on the weather report that is given each morning to where the next spot is that you might go too...

As for tenting I just set-up my spot and stay there for the length of the trip. WAY TOO MUCH WORK to pull up all my tenting gear to move around for me.

So My ??? is how many of you tenters move each day to new locations????

(I would gladly pay a genric users fee for houseboating in the park.)

[Xplorer]

I have never moved tenting the past 17 years.

I was more thinking of a standard daily rate, payable at time of rental. $5 per day for the length of the trip, not a site specific system.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Pulling up your tent and gear to move around? You've got to be kidding. Your lucky to get any spot up there in the first place so I would never take the chance. Besides, we bring way to much stuff!

Now I agree that it would be great to explore more if a guy geared his trip accordingly. It would need to be more like a bwca trip, but with the boat. Less and lighter gear.

[shooter_mcgavin]

I'm on the fence with the reservation system. We like to take Friday off and camp Friday & Saturday nights. This year it got interesting as the sun was setting Friday night and we still hadn't found an empty site after motoring around the lake. Our last option happened to be empty so we got lucky. A reservation system would take the stress out for us, as we commit the rest of our vacation days elsewhere and can't come up there mid-week to choose from all the empty sites.

On the other hand, we aren't very experienced on that lake and have no idea which sites are the "best" for us without driving by them. If we reserved we would be just choosing blindly.