A big rig friendly RV park gives a long motorhome or fifth wheel room to pull in, park and plug in without a fight: long sites, roads with space to swing wide, and 50-amp power at the pedestal. Fireside RV Resort, an hour up the road from New Orleans in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, has premium pull-through sites that measure 20 by 65 feet and 30- and 50-amp service at every site.
So, will your rig fit, and what should you look for before you book anywhere? We’ll walk you through it, along with the Louisiana rules, fuel stops and site picks that matter when you’re driving something long.
Quick facts for big rig owners:
- Fireside RV Resort has premium pull-through and premium back-in sites built for longer rigs, plus standard sites for shorter ones.
- Fireside has 165 RV sites, and every one offers 50-amp power (and 30-amp), plus water and sewer connections.
- Fireside’s roads are paved, and its RV pads are crushed limestone.
- Fireside’s rules allow up to two vehicles per RV site, so the tow car stays with you.
- Fireside sits just off Exit 47 of I-12, and the I-55 interchange is a short hop west in Hammond.
What is considered a big rig RV?
There’s no official size cutoff for a big rig RV. The RV Geeks, longtime RV educators, put it bluntly: “big rig friendly” is “a rather subjective term (there’s no defined ‘standard’ or testing body),” according to their big rig RV parks guide. In practice, the big rig label goes to the long end of the RV world.
Go RVing, the RV Industry Association’s consumer site, lists Class A motorhomes at 21 to 43 feet. Go RVing’s fifth wheel page lists fifth wheel trailers at 21 to 40 feet. Add a tow car or a pickup to a Class A or fifth wheel near the top of its size range, and you’re shopping for a big rig site.
How big can an RV be in Louisiana?
Louisiana’s size limits leave plenty of room for most RVs. Here’s what state law says, straight from the Louisiana Revised Statutes:
Pulling a fifth wheel or travel trailer? Louisiana law requires brakes on every trailer with a gross weight of 3,000 pounds or more, under RS 32:341.
What should RV parks for big rigs have?
RV parks for big rigs need sites long enough for the rig and its tow vehicle, roads with room to turn, and 50-amp power. A short, simple run from the interstate also matters for big rigs, because the last mile is where a long rig gets into trouble.
Road width is the piece most people skip. Good Sam’s 2024 campground rating guidelines give top marks to interior roads at least 12 feet wide for one-way traffic or 18 feet wide for two-way traffic, with 14 feet of overhead clearance across the full width of the road.
Power is the other big requirement for a big rig site. The National RV Training Academy explains that a 30-amp pedestal supplies “about 3,600 watts,” while a 50-amp hookup makes 12,000 watts available, and it warns that running multiple air conditioners and other large loads at once may exceed a 30-amp source (NRVTA).
Before you book any big rig park, run down this list:
- Site length that covers your whole setup, or a pull-through so you’re not unhooking in the road.
- 50-amp service at your actual site, not just at a handful of sites.
- Hard roads and solid pads, so a rainy week doesn’t turn into a muddy one.
- Clear overhead room and gentle corners, so low limbs and tight turns don’t scrape the roof or the sidewalls.
- Short, simple access from a major highway.
Are there big rig friendly campgrounds near New Orleans?
Yes, and Fireside RV Resort is one of the big rig friendly campgrounds close to New Orleans, in Ponchatoula off I-12. Fireside’s full-hookup RV sites come in standard and premium sizes, each one carries 30-amp and 50-amp hookups plus water and sewer, and the resort’s roads are paved.
Fireside’s RV page asks guests booking premium sites to “make sure your larger RV will fit before booking these sites,” which is good advice for any park. Every Fireside site comes with its own picnic table, its fire ring is also the BBQ pit, and the resort doesn’t charge a site lock fee, a policy its RV page sums up as “camp anywhere you want!”
Long pull-throughs, 50-amp at every pedestal and hard roads are why we think Fireside is one of the best big rig stops on the I-12 corridor between Baton Rouge and Slidell. You also get real shade from tall Louisiana pines instead of a gravel lot in full sun.
How do you pick your Fireside site?
Grab a tape measure before you grab a site at Fireside RV Resort. Five minutes of measuring saves a lot of backing and filling on arrival day, and the number tells you right away whether a standard site works or your rig belongs on a premium pull-through or back-in.
- Measure bumper to bumper, including the ladder, bike rack and hitch. If the tow car stays hooked up, measure the whole train.
- If your total runs past 50 feet, skip the standard sites and book a premium pull-through or premium back-in from the table above.
- Driving a Class A or Class C? Fireside’s rules list sites 31 through 37 and site 120 as pull-in sites made only for those motorhomes.
- Pull up the Fireside resort map to see where each site type sits before you choose.
- Still on the fence? Ring Fireside at (985) 277-1059. Fireside’s office keeps 9 to 5 hours Sunday through Thursday and stays open 8 to 6 on Fridays and Saturdays.
You’ll talk to people who know the loops. Owner Scott Sandage says on Fireside’s home page, “We’re hands-on, ALWAYS listening, and we stay connected to what’s happening here at Fireside.” Standard check-in at Fireside is 3 pm, and early check-in costs nothing when your site is already open, which is handy if you’d rather park a big rig in daylight.
How do you get a big rig to Fireside?
Take I-12 to Exit 47 and follow LA 445 to the front gate at 42053 Hwy 445 in Ponchatoula. Fireside sits right off I-12, so the drive from the interstate to your site is a short one.
- Coming from Baton Rouge or Texas: eastbound I-12 takes you straight to Exit 47.
- Coming from Mississippi on I-10: switch to westbound I-12 at Slidell and ride it until Exit 47.
- Coming down I-55 from Jackson or Memphis: Exit 29A puts you on eastbound I-12, and Exit 47 comes up roughly 9 miles later.
- Leaving New Orleans: ride I-10 West to the I-55 split, go north to I-12, then turn east for Exit 47.
Check 511LA, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s traveler information site, for lane closures before you roll.
Need fuel or service on the way in? Southwest Railroad Avenue at I-12 Exit 40 in Hammond, just west of Fireside, has a cluster of big rig stops:
- Pilot Travel Center, 2111 SW Railroad Ave. Pilot’s location page lists 7 diesel lanes, 60 truck parking spaces and cylinder propane (Pilot Hammond).
- Love’s Speedco, 2205 SW Railroad Ave. The Love’s Speedco page for this shop lists RV oil changes and RV motorhome mechanical and tire service (Love’s Hammond).
- Blue Beacon Truck Wash, 2102 SW Railroad Ave. Blue Beacon’s RV and recreational page says, “We wash RVs, motorhomes, boats, sprinter vans, travel trailers.” The Hammond listing includes RV washing. Blue Beacon is a handy stop, since Fireside’s rules don’t allow washing RVs on the grounds.
Once the rig is parked and leveled, most folks start eyeing the city.
Can you drive a big rig into New Orleans?
You can run a big rig on the interstates around New Orleans, but the French Quarter is no place for one. The City of New Orleans’ oversized-load page sets the maximum legal length of a single vehicle at 40 feet and a combination at 65 feet, and cuts both to 36 feet in the Vieux Carré.
Our advice: leave the rig set up at Fireside and take the tow car. Fireside’s RV page puts the resort about one hour north of New Orleans, and our French Quarter parking guide covers where to leave the car once you’re downtown.
Prefer the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway? The Causeway’s posted size limits are 45 feet for a single vehicle and 65 feet for combination vehicles. The Causeway only takes tolls at its North Shore end, near Mandeville, and the Causeway toll schedule bills your tow car (2 axles, under 7 feet) $3.40 by toll tag or $6.00 in cash.
Saints fans, take note: the New Orleans Saints’ 2026 schedule brings Cleveland to town on November 8, Carolina on November 15, Green Bay on December 6 and Arizona on December 27. Each Saints home game is a good day to leave the rig parked at Fireside and drive the tow car into New Orleans.
What’s happening near Fireside this winter?
Plenty, and most of it is close to Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula. LSU football in Baton Rouge, Renaissance Festival weekends up in Hammond and Fireside’s own holiday weekends all land between early November and New Year’s Eve, so a winter trip with the big rig comes with a full calendar. Here’s what we’d circle.
LSU football: LSU hosts Alabama at Tiger Stadium on Saturday, November 7, 2026, and Texas on November 14, per LSU’s 2026 schedule. LSU’s motor home policy sends single-game motor homes to Lot 413 on River Road behind Tiger Park, with permits sold through LSUtix.net, and LSU wants motor homes off campus by noon on the day following each game.
Rather skip the campus lot? The Fireside events calendar has a November 7 entry that reads “Veterans Day Weekend LSU vs Alabama with fireworks at half time, live music from Na Na Sha.”
Louisiana Renaissance Festival: the festival fills six weekends between November 7 and December 13, 2026. The festival grounds sit at 46468 River Rd in Hammond (renfest.net), roughly a 12-minute drive from Fireside.
Holidays at Fireside: the resort’s calendar lists a Thanksgiving Weekend on November 28 and a Christmas Weekend on December 26. Fireside’s New Year’s Eve Bash on December 31 brings bingo, a band and fireworks. Fireside’s home page warns that popular holidays and events book up early (cabins especially), so book holiday weekends ahead.
How much is a big rig site at Fireside?
Fireside’s premium RV sites, which include the pull-throughs and the longer back-ins, cost $65 a night from November through March under Fireside’s 2026 rates. Fireside’s nightly rates cover four guests per site, and the weekly, weekday and discount deals below can bring the price down further.
- At Fireside, the seventh night of a week-long stay is on the house.
- Fireside’s weekday special charges $35 for standard RV sites and $45 for premium RV sites from Sunday through Wednesday during September, November and December, with holidays left out.
- Good Sam or AARP members, active-duty military and veterans, and guests 65 or older get 10% off at Fireside, one discount per stay.
- Holiday nights at Fireside cost $10 more per site.
- Monthly winter stays on Fireside’s standard RV sites run $650 between November 1 and March 31, and Fireside throws in the electricity and Wi-Fi. You book a monthly stay by phone.
Fireside skips the resort fee, and there’s no site lock fee either. Full details sit on the Fireside 2026 RV rates page.
Frequently asked questions
There’s no official definition of a big rig RV. Go RVing lists Class A motorhomes at 21 to 43 feet, and its fifth wheel range runs 21 to 40 feet. RVers usually save the big rig label for the long end of those ranges.
Usually, yes. At 20 by 65 feet, Fireside’s premium pull-throughs hold most big rigs, but measure your full setup first. Every site at Fireside RV Resort offers water and sewer along with a 30-amp and a 50-amp outlet.
Most big rigs run best on 50-amp, because a 30-amp pedestal supplies only about 3,600 watts, according to the National RV Training Academy. Each Fireside site has both a 50-amp and a 30-amp outlet, so you won’t need an adapter.
You can. Fireside’s rules allow up to two vehicles at each RV site, and each vehicle needs a parking permit displayed in the front windshield.
No, Fireside doesn’t allow washing RVs, campers, fifth wheels, trailers or vehicles on the grounds. Blue Beacon Truck Wash has a location at 2102 SW Railroad Ave in Hammond. Blue Beacon says it washes RVs and motorhomes.
Fireside RV Resort is about an hour’s drive from New Orleans. Fireside sits in Ponchatoula by Exit 47 of I-12, so the trip into the city is interstate nearly the whole way.
Bring the big rig. Anyone shopping for a big rig RV park within reach of the French Quarter will find Fireside RV Resort waiting in Ponchatoula, minutes from Exit 47 on I-12 and an easy hour from New Orleans. See which pull-throughs are open, or phone (985) 277-1059 to talk through which site fits your rig.
