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John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints |
It is illegal in most American states and Canadian provinces to camp with a tent, RV (recreational vehicle, i.e. a motorhome) or any other means anywhere other than in officially designated campsites.
Campsites in the USA and Canada mostly fall into two categories, namely public and private.
Public campsites tend to be simple, with only limited facilities. Some but not all have a small camp shop. Some only cater for tent campers, some also take RV's (recreational vehicles, i.e. motorhomes).
There are about 310,000 public campsites in the USA according to the 1995 edition of Encarta, not counting backcountry campsites.
Backcountry campsites in National Parks (etc) are located well away from roads and usually have no facilities at all and only cater for backpackers pitching tents, who carry in all they need and carry out all their rubbish, in accordance with the "take only pictures, leave only footprints" ethos.
Public campsites tend to become full during the summer holiday period.
Some private campsites are located near towns, while many are out in the country, sometimes near National Parks and other similar scenic areas. There are about 800,000 private campsites in the USA according to the 1995 edition of Encarta.
Private campsites tend to offer far more facilities than public campsites. These facilities include electrical, water and sewage hookups for RV's (recreational vehicles, i.e. motorhomes), small restaurants, etc.
Some private campsites also offer camping cabins.
Two of the best known chains of private campsites in the USA and Canada are KOA (Kampgrounds of America) and Good Samparks.
KOA's UK fax number for campsite reservations is 0800-895024 (toll-free).
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Most recently modified 1-Nov-98