If this is your first time to our blog, you may not know that in July 2020 we bought a 2004 Lance 1030 truck camper. We spent the summer preoccupied with renovating it and didn’t even think about the need to plan ahead and book some trips. Around mid-September, we decided we wanted to venture a little bit north to see some fall leaves on one of our few open weekends—only to discover that most places were already booked. So, we looked around on a few of our trip planning apps and booked a place just a few hours away.
This was our third trip and our first one booked through Hipcamp. We had heard about Hipcamp through some online research and were intrigued because the description reminded us a little bit of Harvest Hosts. The app connects campers with private landowners. If you’re looking for something different—perhaps a ranch, blueberry farm, vineyard, etc.—or need to find a last-minute booking, give it a try.
The campsite we booked was on private property at the top of a mountain which featured residential property the whole way up. The landowner had carved out six spots, each with full electric, water and waste hookups. We had not yet stayed at a site with waste hookup right on your campsite and it was most certainly a luxury given our tiny tanks.
Something that interested us when we read about the campground was the onsite garden and all the reviews about privacy from previous campers. We can’t mention the garden without also saying that we figured it was a longshot that anything would be in season during a mid-October visit and we were right. While nothing was growing or blooming, it was charming, nonetheless. The campsite host told us we were welcome to take something we found in the garden if anything was still on the vine, and also pointed us in the direction of some apple trees that were game for the picking if any apples remained.
The site was less private than we imagined it would be after looking at the photos in the reviews, but we think that was mainly because the photos were from spring and summer, when trees were in full bloom. With the trees shedding their leaves in the fall, there was a little less privacy than we expected, but we still didn’t feel like we were on top of other campers. We were satisfied with the amount of privacy we had, especially since we had our 12-year-old with us. We were able to give him slightly more freedom than we would have somewhere else.
The booking process was very easy. Before making our reservation, we had a question for the host, which we submitted through the messenger feature within the app. Then, we went to the Request to Book button, typed in our dates to see what was available, and booked with just a few clicks. The host sent us some directions and arrival instructions through the app, which made finding the campground a breeze.
All in all, I’m sure we’ll use Hipcamp again in the future. The idea of homegrown veggies, apple picking and scenic views is most certainly appealing. We like the idea of finding cool or unusual places to stay. There were additional fees that amounted to about $10 added on to our booking fee, which we had not expected but it also didn’t bother us. The cost to use Hipcamp is free, and here is where I’ll insert a shameless plug of our referral link. If you sign up for an account using our referral link, we’ll earn Hipcamp credit after your first completed trip. We can use Hipcamp credit toward a future booking. Search campsites online or download the app for iOS and Android.
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