Difference between Campground and Campsite

English translation: area (of land) designated for camping or parking RVs vs pitch/site to camp/park

03:02 Apr 29, 2023

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Tourism & Travel

English term or phrase: Difference between Campground and Campsite

Hello, I have the following text and I don't understand the definitions I found online.

"Yellowstone National Park has many campgrounds with a variety of established campsites."
Can anyone tell me what would be the difference between Campground and Campsite according to this sentence?

German Gonzalez KudoZ activity Questions: 51 (4 open) (4 closed without grading) Answers: 166 Argentina
Local time: 09:45

Selected answer:area (of land) designated for camping or parking RVs vs pitch/site to camp/park

Explanation:
see here where it is fully explained that in Yellowstone the CAMPGROUND is each entire (serviced) area set aside/designated for parking RVs etc or setting up tewnts whereas CAMPSITES are the INDIVIDUAL pitches within these campgrounds where an individual or family group can set up their tent or park their RV

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

"Yellowstone National Park offers 12 campgrounds with over 2,000 established campsites".

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Note added at 10 hrs (2023-04-29 13:07:34 GMT)
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So, quite simply, a "campground" in US English is the entire area set aside
and each of these campgrounds contains individual pitches or campsites

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Note added at 10 hrs (2023-04-29 13:11:37 GMT)
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Hence 12 campgrounds but 2,000 pitches or sites

Selected response from:

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 13:45

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +2

area (of land) designated for camping or parking RVs vs pitch/site to camp/park

Yvonne Gallagher

campground (site of a camp) vs campsite (place for camping)

Silvia Pellacani

Campground = Area de camping, Campsite = Acampamento

Victor Pirani

3 -2

Campground is the place where people go camping(outdoors, green areas) Campsites are the campings.

Nara Costa

Summary of reference entries provided

Campground = campsite

Susana E. Cano Méndez

What Wikipedia says

AllegroTrans

US National Park Service Glossary from 1960

Alison MacG

Discussion entries: 3

Answers

10 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

difference between campground and campsite

area (of land) designated for camping or parking RVs vs pitch/site to camp/park

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 13:45
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 12

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

neutral

philgoddard: But Darius explained this ten hours ago!

50 mins

-> Don't know how you can say that? He didn't.

neutral

AllegroTrans: I don't really see this as different to Darius's answer

1 day 7 hrs

-> Mine is CLEAR and based on FACT. His is all over the place

agree

Daryo: I do see a big and significant difference: I would've also checked FIRST how these terms are used **by people managing the Yellowstone National Park** // Point of method: THAT is what is relevant for this ST, more than any glossary or dictionary.

1 day 16 hrs

-> Thanks! I think mine is significantly clearer

agree

Audrey Kidwell: Yvonne's answer is correct for U.S. English. It's the clearest answer so far: usage of these words in Great Britain is not the same as in the U.S. GB usage should not factor into this discussion, as OP's source text is from a U.S. national park.

26 days

-> Many thanks:-) exactly, not just US but a specific Nat. Park

5 hrs confidence:

difference between campground and campsite campground (site of a camp) vs campsite (place for camping)

Explanation:
campground, camp ground, camping ground (US) (campsite: site of a camp) > campamento, área de camping
https://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=ca...
campsite, camp site (place for camping) > campamento, (voz inglesa) camping
https://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=ca...

campground: the area or place (such as a field or grove) used for a camp, for camping, or for a camp meeting https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/campground
campsite: a place suitable for or used as the site of a camp https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/campsite

campground: 1. (general) (United States) > el camping, el campamento
campsite: 2. (place to put up an individual tent) (United States) > el lugar de acampada
https://www.spanishdict.com/compare/campground/campsite

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Note added at 5 Stunden (2023-04-29 08:37:40 GMT)
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campground: An area in which people can camp, typically comprised of multiple campsites. [...] (A campground might be part of a larger park that contains other campgrounds.)
https://campnab.com/camping-glossary/campground

campsite: A place where people can camp. https://campnab.com/camping-glossary/campsite

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Note added at 11 Stunden (2023-04-29 14:54:06 GMT)
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"In American English, the term **campsite** generally means an area where an individual, family, group, or military unit can pitch a tent or park a camper; a **campground** may contain many campsites."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campsite

"A **campsite** is where you camp. The place where you pitch your tent or park your vehicle. In a more developed area, it's likely to have a picnic table and fire ring and be fairly well defined.
A **campground**, on the other hand, is a group of such sites. A single campground may have a few campsites or it may have hundreds. It could also be used to refer to a group of campsites within a single park or area."
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/389601/how-are-c...

Silvia Pellacani
Italy
Local time: 14:45
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Italian

2 days 19 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): -2

difference between campground and campsite Campground is the place where people go camping(outdoors, green areas) Campsites are the campings.

Explanation:
Campground is the place where people go camping(outdoors, green areas)
Campsites are the campings.

Nara Costa
Brazil
Local time: 09:45
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Portuguese

26 days confidence:

difference between campground and campsite Campground = Area de camping, Campsite = Acampamento

Explanation:
Campground is the place where you can set many tents. Is the area where a campsite is set.

Victor Pirani
Brazil
Local time: 09:45
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Portuguese

Reference comments

8 hrs peer agreement (net): -2

Reference: Campground = campsite

Reference information:
It seems they are synonyms.
I have searched differences in UK and US, but no, they mean the same, apparently.

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/campground

Susana E. Cano Méndez
Spain
Native speaker of: Spanish

1 day 17 hrs

Reference: What Wikipedia says

Reference information:
A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a campsite is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using tents, campervans or caravans; this British English use of the word is synonymous with the US English expression campground. In American English, the term campsite generally means an area where an individual, family, group, or military unit can pitch a tent or park a camper; a campground may contain many campsites.

There are two types of campsites: an impromptu area (as one might decide to stop while backpacking or hiking, or simply adjacent to a road through the wilderness), and a designated area with various facilities.
Campgrounds
Semi-permanent tents on wooden platforms at a scout camp
A campsite on Ölüdeniz beach
Undeveloped tent camping area
A lean-to camping in Finland

The term camp comes from the Latin word campus, meaning "field". Therefore, a campground consists typically of open pieces of ground where a camper can pitch a tent or park a camper. More specifically a campsite is a dedicated area set aside for camping and for which often a user fee is charged. Campsites typically feature a few (but sometimes no) improvements.

Dedicated campsites, known as campgrounds, usually have some amenities.

AllegroTrans
United Kingdom
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English

2 days 9 hrs peer agreement (net): +2

Reference: US National Park Service Glossary from 1960

Reference information:
Although this glossary is very old, the basic concept is there.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE GLOSSARY OF COMMONLY USED TERMS

Campground. (The facility formerly referred to as a "developed campground"). An area with an organized layout, having well defined roads, parking spaces, and campsites. Drinking water, and sanitary facilities including toilets and refuse containers are furnished on a community basis. Each campground has a designed capacity based on the number of campsites therein.

Campsite. A clearly marked plot or location within a campground which provides accommodations for camping by an individual, family, or party. A typical campsite would include a parking spur or parking space, fireplace, table and bench combination, and a tent space; however, in the case of a walk-in campground or walk-in section of a campground, the parking space is provided but not as an integral part of each campsite.
http://npshistory.com/publications/nps-glossary.pdf

Alison MacG
United Kingdom
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

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Difference between Campground and Campsite

English translation: area (of land) designated for camping or parking RVs vs pitch/site to camp/park

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