PAY Showers

[Billy Bob]

Since we don't have a shower in our rig I thought nothing about using the campground showers to hose down. But I think it was in the Yellowstone site we will be visiting that noted pay showers at $3. Is this normal for most campgrounds now. I haven't camp in many moons but then the showers were FREE (my favorite word). And $3 sounds a little steep considering it is only costing $18 to camp a day.

[fritz_monroe]

Showers in the MD State Parks are free.  I haven't camped in private campgrounds before, so can't say about them.

[Shelbs]

I've seen metered showers in private campgrounds before. But you're talkin' 25-50 cents for a shower of reasonable length. SP's in MA are free. But it doesn't surprise me that Yellowstone is that much.

[abbear]

Most (if not all) of the Yellowstone campgrounds are run by a private company for the NPS.  Most NPS campgrounds don't have showers.  While $3 may seem high you have to remember that they are the only game in town.

FWIW CA State parks don't have showers (except for some by the beach), and OR state parks do for a cost of $1 (quarters only).

Of course you can always wet down, soap up, rinse off in your bathing suit using biodegradeable soap.  Or not.

[wavery]

I've seen metered showers in private campgrounds before. But you're talkin' 25-50 cents for a shower of reasonable length. SP's in MA are free. But it doesn't surprise me that Yellowstone is that much.

California is also $.25-.50.

That sounds pretty steep.......Does it include a massage :confused:  :p

[Recumbentman]

sounds like now would be a good time to get a solar shower or a coleman hot shower system.

[tlhdoc]

This one of the reasons why I looked for 3 years for a PU I could tow with a mini-van, that had a shower in it.  PA state parks have free showers, if there are showers, and the only NP I have stayed in that had hot showers charged 50 cents for 4 minutes.

[kwatson51]

Since we don't have a shower in our rig I thought nothing about using the campground showers to hose down. But I think it was in the Yellowstone site we will be visiting that noted pay showers at $3. Is this normal for most campgrounds now. I haven't camp in many moons but then the showers were FREE (my favorite word). And $3 sounds a little steep considering it is only costing $18 to camp a day.

Texas State Parks are free (a least they were when I lived there before 2003).
Colorado State Parks ar .25/minute, minimum of 3 minutes. Not all CSPs have showers.

[cyclone]

Showers are free in TN state parks; and I haven't camped in any that don't have showers.  All of the state parks I have visited also have water/electric hook-ups at most sites (the exception being tent/rustic cg's).  I don't know if we have any parks without showers or hook-ups - I'm still working my way through a list of parks I want to camp in.  We camped at Mammoth Cave (in the national park) and paid for showers.  I think it was $1.50 at the time, and that was probably at least 10 years ago, so allowing for inflation it's probably $3 by now.  I have also camped in a private cg near Gatlinburg that had pay showers and if you wanted to plug into the outlets in the bath house, you had to pay for that, too.  We thought that was ridiculous, as we were already paying extra for a site with electricity.  I haven't returned to that cg.

[SpeakEasy]

When we camped in Yellowstone (Norris campground) several years ago, we showered at our site using solar shower bags, a shower curtain, and a rubbermaid bin to catch the water for disposal. We've done the same at several different national parks over the years. I'm a bit concerned, however, because this year I'm noticing that for the first time they are listing a restriction: "no portable showers." Now, I'm not sure what "portable" showers are, but I'm willing to bet that they would call our solar shower a portable shower. I also have an outside shower as part of my popup. Would they also call that a "portable" shower? How about if I use that outside shower inside (which I can do with a long hand-held shower nozzle)? Is that a "portable" shower? How about the travel trailers and motorhomes with built-in showers? Are those "portable" showers? I don't like the trend here. I know how to dispose of my shower "gray" water properly, and I think I should be allowed to shower the way I always have in the national parks. I think I'm going to do it too, and see if they try to stop me. Three dollars a pop for their showers is a bit outrageous.

[Camping Coxes]

I don't like the trend here. I know how to dispose of my shower "gray" water properly, and I think I should be allowed to shower the way I always have in the national parks. I think I'm going to do it too, and see if they try to stop me.

The problem isn't YOU, who knows how to dispose of your gray water and does things the right way, it's the "other guy" who uses half a bottle of shampoo and liquid soap and lets it run all over, making soapy mud that will contaminate the nearby stream and kill the animals who venture into it.  
 
So while we're on kind of the same idea -- campers who use regular dish soap and have bubbles overflowing out of their gray water tank drive me nuts!  This is camping people -- CampSoap is biodegradable and doesn't suds, yet gets your dishes clean.  I'm not a tree hugger per se, but common sense in our environment is sometimes lacking.
 
Mini M&M Tubes -- the regular size holds one roll of quarters and the bigger one holds two.  Every shower kit should have one.  I don't have a shower in my PU so I use the CG shower.  We are looking into a new trailer because the cleanliness of some of these showers are scary.  But in the meantime, what're you gonna do?  You pays yer 3 bucks and you don't have flies hovering around your head!  :p

[vjm1639]

Shenandoah National Park campgrounds have pay showers..it's $1.00 for something like 5 minutes.... it always takes at least $2 for me.

[flyfisherman]

I've run across some pay showers in my travels. There's a county park that comes to mind where they would issue you two tokens per day for those in your party, up to four people (do believe there was a surcharge for groups over four, if I remember correctly). Now, the rates were reasonable, something like $14.00 or $15.00 for a regular site (electric and water, no sewer connections), and most folks did not object to the shower arragements. The idea was to cut down on the use of water, especially the heated water; and those who wanted to use a lot of heated water, paid for it.  Was sort of like taking a fresh water shower aboard one of the Navy's ships ... you wet yourself throughly, then with no water, lathered yourself all over real good, and finished with a good rinse.  At that C/G you could buy extra tokens should you like to bask in the warm water for long periods of time and if you were camping there the extra tokens would be a buck apiece.

What I liked about this county park is that I would camp down by the river in the National Forest, maybe 15 miles  away where there were zero amenites (but no costs); and after I began to ripen in a few days, could go over to that county park and buy the tokens for something like $2.00 apiece, even though I was not staying at their C/G. It meant a good, refreshing shower for the sum of four bucks! Always tried to time it with a trip to the grocery store for needed supplies.


Fly

[Calstate361]

Several years ago when we camped in Yellowstone we were willing to pay for the shower (can't remember how much they wanted) but every time we went they were cleaning it.  It seems rather strange that every time we went to take our showers it was closed for cleaning and we went at various times during the day.  Our luck was not very good and we didn't get a shower for 3 days.  Needless to say, we left early and stopped at a Truck stop to fill up with gas.  Most Truck stops will let you take a shower in their facility if you fill up with gas.

Joan

[AustinBoston]

I've camped in a lot of campgrounds in at least 28 states; That includes National Parks, state parks, and commercial campgrounds.  I've seen it all.

The most expensive I've ever seen was in Jacob Lake, AZ (north of the Grand Canyon), where their well could not keep up and they had to truck in water on a regular basis.  I don't remember what they were charging, but it cost me over $5 to take a shower.

The cheapest, of course, was free.  About 2/3 of the places we've camped had free hot showers.

I don't let the cost of a shower interfere with camping!

We have to have our priorities straight...camping is more important than money...at least more important than a few dollars for a shower.

Austin