The Likelihood of Public Campers to Use Nearby Private Campgrounds

Abstract

Campers at four federally operated campgrounds were surveyed to determine the likelihood that they would use nearby private campgrounds. The survey revealed that 39% of them would. Other findings indicated that 43% of the campers would use a localized directory of private campgrounds, that one-half to one-third would be willing to pay at least $4.50 to $5.50, respectively, per campsite, and that 57% would be willing to travel at least 5 milesfrom thefederal areas to reach the privatefacilities. Use of specialized directories to distribute portions of public campers to nearby private campgrounds is suggested as a possible alternative to the prohibitively expensive construction of future campgrounds by public agencies.