Gates Locked!!

[lhlindy]

We will be staying in a campground in Apex, NC in October and understand

that the gate will be locked at 8 PM, and if we return from an outing after

that time, we should park our car outside the gate and walk to our site.

I understand the campground is very large and I am wondering if anyone else

has encounted this format. We have stayed at campgrounds with locked

gates, but we were always given a code. Suggestions??

[thomashand02]

east bank campground in florida :mad: is that way but lock their gates at 10pm i was told all the core parks was that way and will lock you out

[lindah]

I don't understand how any RV park can LOCK their gates allowing no access either in or out. What if you were to have a medical emergency in the middle of the night? How would EMS get in? How would you get out? Seems like it would open the RV park up to a huge lawsuit should someone die because either they couldn't get out to seek help or emergency personnel couldn't get in.

[murffdog]

I don't understand how any RV park can LOCK their gates allowing no access either in or out. What if you were to have a medical emergency in the middle of the night? How would EMS get in? How would you get out? Seems like it would open the RV park up to a huge lawsuit should someone die because either they couldn't get out to seek help or emergency personnel couldn't get in.

As here, one closes at 9pm. Seasonals have a code card as well as the local police, fire dept. and EMS.

[lindah]

Seasonals have a code card
What about people who aren't seasonal, who are staying for a day or two...or at least less than the season. In the OP's case, it sounds like they will not have access to any kind of card or code so that they can actually drive to their site, but have to leave their vehicle outside the gates and walk to their site. In a large RV park, as the OP says the one they're going to stay in is, how far of a walk would it be? What would happen if someone was disabled and couldn't walk the distance it would take to get back to their rig?

It's nice to hear that emergency personal have a code card, but it still means a delay while they swipe the card and wait for the gate to open. Seconds can be precious in the case of a heart attack or other medical emergency. Personally, I wouldn't stay at an RV park that locked their gates, particularly one where I had to leave my vehicle out side the gate and walk back to my RV.

[betsytom]

I really like the locked gate policy; though I will say that the places we stayed at with this practice were auto gates and you could get out but not back in after a certain time unless you had a code or the card.

We like Sebago Lake State Park in Maine and I believe that the gates are locked at 10:00 pm and at midnight or so the are re opened for 15 minutes then locked again.

But they do have rangers staying on the property and you do get the emergency number.

[lindah]

I really like the locked gate policy;
Why? If you think it's safer, think again. Unless the park has 10' high fences around the entire perimeter with razor wire on top, a locked gate isn't going to keep anyone intent on doing mischief out...if people who are staying in the park have to leave their vehicles outside the gate and walk back to their spot after a certain time, what's to keep the bad guys from walking in, too? Not to mention the vehicle that is now parked outside the gate far from anyone and open to vandalism or outright theft.

[jimbo]

Our cg is gated and all campers are given cards to swipe to enter. If there is a emergency call to 911 the cg owners are notified by 911 operators, because most of the first responders wouldn't find their way back to the right area anyhow. The owners or employees lead the emergency service to the right site. Some would say emergency personel should know the area and where their going but in this township alone there are 4 campgrounds, Ours with 250 sites, one down the road with 150 sites,one across the lake from our with I don't know how many site but sits on 80 acres, and a state park with 4 different campground inside. With all the other training they must forgo they have no time to memorize the layout of cg's. You don't have to swipe a card to exit the gate opens automatically when a car comes to it. Also it doesn't give you a great deal of security bvecause if people wanted to they could enter the cg by foot anyhow but does in some ways provide a sense of security and keeps some of the unwanted people out. Our cg is kinda in the boonies so most people wouldn't be here unless they were coming anyhow and would know how to get in.

[betsytom]

lindah, so your position is that a locked gate is NOT a deterrent to crime?, relative to the discussion at hand of course.

[jim01]

I think you are talking about Jordan Lake near Apex. We usually stay there 2 times a year to visit our son, and yes, they do lock the gates, and no, you can't park outside of the gate and walk in. There are No Parking signs, and there is not a parking area.

The park is very large, and you would have to walk a long ways anyway, in complete darkness.

If you have an emergency, the campground host will unlock the gate so you can get out, and the police and fire have a way to get in. The CG hose WILL NOT open the gate for you to get in once the Rangers lock it for the night.

It's inconvenient at times to get back there by the time they lock the gate, but it is a very nice park, and if you're lucky, you can get a site overlooking the lake.

Jim

[murffdog]

Where we usually go, we now don't have to worry about any gates, the gate house and gates were completely leveled by a huge pine tree in Tuesdays storm. Luck nobody was in the gate house.

[k0129rwv]

We stayed at a campground in Myrtle Beach a lot of years ago...It was the 4th of July weekend...they closed the gates and everybody was told when they checked in and there was a sign on the way out of the park....It was a very large park and a lot of folks went into town to imbibe....thus they came back from the board walk quite drunk and mad about the gate being locked....there was a lot of horn blowing and cussing and as we were right near the gate there was no sleeping that night....:eek:

[fixit]

I stayed at a private RV park in Tucson,Az. ,once, and it was such a plesant expierance that I will never stay at a gated park again, Would rather be a walley world camper( have never done that either)
They closed the gate at 8 pm and had given us a punch number to use if we came back after that time and , who ever it was who answered the call box, was very unplesant and refused to open the gate. first time --shame on me-- 2nd time we departed.
like I said never again and at those prices who needs it.
safe travels
fixit