Never got the point of campsites. If I need to shower and do laundry, I pay for a room. If I'm camping, I find a hidden location or ask permission to camp on someone's property. I've also camped next to gas stations or convenient stores plenty of times.
What's the point of paying >$50 to camp when a room costs the same or less?
I think it depends on where you're camping or getting a room. I have never paid more than $30 for a campsite, and I have never paid less than $50 for a room, so if I'm looking to sleep cheap and legal in the US, a campsite does the job.
Also, I like sleeping outside in my hammock. I'd do more but I think it would offend my wife and annoy the other people in my apartment complex. I look at bike trips as an excuse for some hammock camping, but that doesn't mean I don't want a shower at the end of the day. Sometimes a fire is nice, too, but I would never do that if I wasn't at an actual campground.