CITY OF GREEN BAY, Wisconsin – Marian and Craig Hancock have spent the last 40 years spending weekends in the woods.
Nowadays they get a lot of practice.
what you need to know
- Camping has gained popularity due to the pandemic
- Occupancy at a Green Bay campground has increased from 32% in 2015 to 57% last year
- With the planning – and reservations – made, one camping couple said they have no trouble finding pitches
“Our planned camping trips will be 52 nights this summer,” Marian Hancock said while knitting at the couple’s campsite.
Nearby, Craig was at work making a pair of egg sandwiches on a camp stove.
The couple were among those who packed the Bay Shore Campground near Green Bay over Memorial Day weekend.
Marian Hancock said that with a little planning, foresight – and caveats – the Burlington couple have no problem finding available campsites.
“This one was done two weeks ago, so it was kind of a last minute thing,” she said. “You just hunt the internet looking for campsites, what area to go to and things to do and see and make reservations from there.”
Campgrounds across the state are seeing more visitors since 2020.
Brown County Parks director Matt Kriese said the occupancy rate at Bay Shore Campground has increased from 32% in 2015 to about 57% last year.
“Before Memorial weekend, we were already full on Wednesday morning. This is unprecedented. We are usually full on Thursdays, maybe Friday mornings. Being full three days before the bank holiday weekend, that’s great,” he said. “It means people understand that if they want to camp, they need to plan ahead and reserve or get their spot early.”
Brown County will open a new 51-site campground at Reforestation Camp in Suamico on Friday.
It comes at a time when Kriese said there are signs this wave of camping interest isn’t flagging.
“RV sales are up 10 to 15 percent compared to the same time last year,” he said. “This shows that our trends will continue to increase for some time.”
Marian Hancock said they have no plans to stop camping anytime soon.
“We camp until we can’t anymore,” she said.
