Fort Wilderness camping spots

SetterFan

New Member
Original Poster
Are there any staff members who help with backing in fifth wheel trailers since there don’t appear to be any pull-through spots? How would I reserve that service if it even exists?! We’re new to the “towed” world and had motor coaches to last two times we stayed at Fort Wilderness - easier to back up!
 

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
Are there any staff members who help with backing in fifth wheel trailers since there don’t appear to be any pull-through spots? How would I reserve that service if it even exists?! We’re new to the “towed” world and had motor coaches to last two times we stayed at Fort Wilderness - easier to back up!
Oh I am curious about this myself! I was at a campground last month and after trying for 15 mins and tying up traffic had to circle around, did it again...another 20 mins had to circle again..this time was able to park it lol, was so hard due to trees and not a lot of room in front. I say practice practice , I doubt due to liability Disney will offer a backup driving service, but there is a good chance that if you are seriously struggling some other campers will lend you a hand, and maybe even drive it in for you.
 

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Oh I am curious about this myself! I was at a campground last month and after trying for 15 mins and tying up traffic had to circle around, did it again...another 20 mins had to circle again..this time was able to park it lol, was so hard due to trees and not a lot of room in front. I say practice practice , I doubt due to liability Disney will offer a backup driving service, but there is a good chance that if you are seriously struggling some other campers will lend you a hand, and maybe even drive it in for you.

Yes, fellow campers will help and are usually happy to do so. I have witnessed this a couple of times.
 

Commander Buzzy

New Member
If you call the front desk, they can call security to come aasist. Not aure how much they will actually assist though due to liability. But worth a shot to call.
 

allidog1

Active Member
There are no pull through spots. I would start practicing, but everyone is nice and if they can willing to help guide you.
 

bugsbunny

Well-Known Member
As a a fellow 5th wheel owner, I understand your worries. However, also as a fellow 5th wheel owner, you NEED to be able to handle things like this....period. Not to preach, but you need to go practice somewhere and feel confident in your abilities to handle the trailer forward and backward. It is inevitable you will end up in a situation you did not expect and backing out might be the only way to exit it. So nevermind a campsite, what happens if you need to backup somewhere else? A closed road, down tree, etc?

And ALWAYS backup with a spotter you can see in your mirrors! Rearview cameras help, but are no substitute for a spotter. I see in a lot of trailer forums/groups where people think getting a "backup" camera turns parking a trailer into a 1 person job. It might see things directly behind the trailer, but doesn't let you know if you about to catch an overhead wire, your trailer wheels are going off the pavement, an unsupervised kid zipping by on their bikes, etc. It is an absolute team effort and the driver is only as good as the spotter ;)

So hitch up, go find a big shopping center parking lot on an early Sunday morning, and practice. You can do it! Just get some practice in and the confidence will come with it! 👍
 

Hakunamatata

Le Meh
Premium Member
As a a fellow 5th wheel owner, I understand your worries. However, also as a fellow 5th wheel owner, you NEED to be able to handle things like this....period. Not to preach, but you need to go practice somewhere and feel confident in your abilities to handle the trailer forward and backward. It is inevitable you will end up in a situation you did not expect and backing out might be the only way to exit it. So nevermind a campsite, what happens if you need to backup somewhere else? A closed road, down tree, etc?

And ALWAYS backup with a spotter you can see in your mirrors! Rearview cameras help, but are no substitute for a spotter. I see in a lot of trailer forums/groups where people think getting a "backup" camera turns parking a trailer into a 1 person job. It might see things directly behind the trailer, but doesn't let you know if you about to catch an overhead wire, your trailer wheels are going off the pavement, an unsupervised kid zipping by on their bikes, etc. It is an absolute team effort and the driver is only as good as the spotter ;)

So hitch up, go find a big shopping center parking lot on an early Sunday morning, and practice. You can do it! Just get some practice in and the confidence will come with it! 👍
This. We took a wrong turn headed to the fort and ended up down an access road to the employee parking at Wilderness Lodge. (GPS took us on a road it thought was still there). After about ten minutes of no answer at the un- manned security entrance I was about ready to have to back my rig out and down about 500 yards and onto a main road to get turned around. Luckily someone finally answered the intercom and opened the gate and I was able to turn around in the parking lot.
 

stratman50th

Well-Known Member
They can't help for liability reasons. As others have said, you really need to practice. Unless you are solo, have your spotter with you and learn how to communicate before you get someplace. We use walkie talkies. Very inexpensive now days and I have been to places where there was no cell service so the phones were useless. Other people at the campground will be glad to help but just use caution if you start getting three of four people giving you different directions. Alcohol can affect the quality of instruction as well so be aware. Which would bring us back to having your own spotter. A lot of parks send someone out with you to "help" you out. Disney isn't one of them. Of the places we have been I've only had one person help me that was as good as my wife at backing me into a spot.
 
Last edited:

hbnwa

New Member
When you check in they do have a book that rates each site as to difficulty level for backing in. If you tell the Cast Member at check in your request for an easy site they will definitely try to accommodate you.
 

FaithMartin

New Member
Yeah, I can understand about how difficult can be to park your trailer. We spent a lot of years in different campings. We moved around in my jeep with all our tents and we were happy. But last summer we noticed that we were tired from lousy sleeping conditions, unpredictable weather, or the lack of a kitchen to cook a proper meal on and we bought a trailer. Trailer offers an array of comfortable sleeping arrangements, it comes with a full-size kitchen. Now we have our small bathroom and we haven't to set up our tents. We don't need many equipment like sleeping bags, stove or camping lantern. All this we have in our trailer. There was only one difficult things, I had to get used to driving this huge car and parking it.
 
Last edited:

NelleBelle

Well-Known Member
We bought an airstream last year and have had to learn to back into all kinds of sites (and situations)! In Tahoe we had a pull-thru site but it was a really tight right turn out of the site (from a left turn in the site); to make matters worse, there was a large tree and the end of our site, 2 huge 5th wheelers with their awnings out and all kinds of outdoor kitchens, chairs, decor, etc set up. Of course there wasn’t enough room to swing wide when we were leaving so we got stuck with an inch between our new trailer and and the tree. Despite all the backing we tried, nothing worked. Everyone was watching but all jumped in to help when they realized we truly were stuck! Long story short—it took several tire jacks to Jack our rig up and swing it enough away from the tree (and gracious neighbors to break camp and move their 5th wheelers for more room). The RV community is very friendly and helpful.

The best advice I got when learning to back was if you feel like you are blocking traffic, make contact with the car behind and wave. Take a deep breath and take your time! Mistakes are made when you rush. Get out and look at where you are backing into yourself along with your spotter so you are aware of obstacles. We have a back-up camera and rarely use it for backing into a site. I like to use my mirrors and DH tells me which way to turn. We have a system that really works for us. Still takes us a few times but we get it parked eventually. But do yourself a favor and learn to back! You ne we know when you’ll have to!
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom