Wondering how to determine if an RV can fit in a campsite? This trick for measuring distance was provided by RV Miles community member Jerry Ellis and was discussed on episode 228 of the RV Miles Podcast. To share your tip RV life tips with the community email us at [email protected].
“Will I fit in this campsite?”
It’s a common question RV’ers have and it isn’t limited to folks with big rigs. Not all campgrounds publish site measurements and campground staff may not be able to provide definitive answers. Do we have to roll the dice? The answer is no. There are some free tools on the internet to help take out some of the guesswork and with some added benefits – like Google Maps.
How to Determine if an RV Can Fit in a Campsite
Most people are familiar with Google Maps for driving directions but it has a tool that will measure
the distance between two points.
Using the campground at Kershaw-Ryan State Park in Nevada and a Microsoft Windows computer as an example, we can locate it using the search on Google Maps.
We can then switch to the satellite view by clicking on the Layers button in the lower-left corner of the
map.
Once the satellite layer has been applied, we can zoom in and look at the sites we’re interested in.
Comparing the campground’s site map to the Google satellite view will help to make sure we’re looking
at the right one.
How to Measure the Distance
To measure between two points, left click at one end of the site which will drop a pin. Right-clicking on
that pin will pop up a menu that includes “measure distance.”
After selecting “measure distance”, move the mouse pointer to the opposite end of the site and left-click again. This will draw a line with the length displayed. A left-click on each pin will remove it and allow you to measure another site.
As an added benefit, you can use the measuring tool to determine things such as distances from the site
to a swimming pool, bathhouse, or other recognizable locations as well as get a sense of how wide the
streets and turns are.
The satellite view might provide some other interesting information about the area as well. As great as all this is, we do need to keep in mind that the satellite views might be several years old and any recent changes wouldn’t be displayed.
Limited Only to Google Maps?
Learning how to determine if an RV can fit in a campsite isn’t limited to Google Maps on Microsoft Windows computers so check your favorite map app for a measuring tool and add it to your campsite selection toolkit to ensure a great stay.
For more great RV life resources check out this collection.
References:
Google help page on measuring tool:
https://support.google.com/maps/answer/1628031?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&fbclid=IwA
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