We stay at KOA's and find that they vary from campground to campground. Some are gorgeous and well worth the price, others offer VERY cramped quarters and/or less than 'desirable' campsites. Halifax, NS - Sault Ste. Marie ONT. - Wisconsin Dells were pretty nice ones. Saco/Portland ME and Watkins Glen, NY could have used improvement.
I like the 'McCampground' name - it fits.
__________________ Steve&Susan 2005 28' CCD, 2002 Silverado-C1500, Equal-I-Zer Empty Nesters - spending our money on OURSELVES for a change!
I'm with Terry on this one, I like the McCampground comparison...it's right on.
__________________
Computers manufactured by companies such as IBM, Compaq and millions of others are by far the most popular with about 70 million machines in use worldwide. Macintosh fans note that cockroaches are far more numerous than humans and that numbers alone do not denote a higher life form. -NY Times 11/91
It looks to me like a lot of campground reviews could be filled out by the folks posting on this thread. Why not swing over to the reviews forum (third tab from the right) and submit a review for campground you are familar with? Someone will be glad you did.
__________________ "If a man does not have an ideal and try to live up to it, then he becomes a mean, base and sordid creature, no matter how successful." Letter to his son Kermit, quoted in Theodore Roosevelt by Joseph Bucklin Bishop, 1915
We travel quite a bit and KOA's are at the very bottom of our list of places to stay. Corps of Engineers campgrounds, National Parks, State Parks and boondocking sites are plentiful enough that we never have to use KOA's. KOA's are usually next to a busy/noisy highway and we like our peace and quiet, plus the few times we've stayed at KOA's, the sites were so close together that there was no sense of "camping", just being stacked together. With a little planning and research, there are always good alternatives.
__________________
2002 Toyota Tundra Not that Bob Thompson, the other Bob Thompson!
All of the KOA's I've stayed at fit a mold of right next to a busy interstate (re: Noisey) and stack the camper very close together. Neither fit my idea of a campground, more like a place to spend a night. The upkeep has varied as widely as the posted comments.
__________________ Hi Ho Silver RV!
Vernon, Sarah, Mac the Border Collie - 'Epiphany' the 29' Airstream and a honkin' long 34' named AlumaTherapy
KOA Flagstaff AZ had nothing wrong with it, nice layout, seemed clean enough.
KOA Lubbock TZ was not bad at all.
KOA Fort Stockton TX had uneven sites, but otherwise seemed fine to me.
All those KOAs were more pleasant than a Tucson RV resort where I stayed at for a night. That one was nothing but a huge parking lot, no trees at all but by the grandiose entrance. I can't say much about the facilities, since i rather use the trailer's bathroom and shower.
On a trip 12 years ago from NJ to Montana we stayed exclusively at KOA's. Enjoyed them very much. Montana's were spacious and uncrowed. Another trip to CA and back the same -- especially enjoyed Albuequerque and Durango. Florida Keys KOA had sites packed one on top of the other. Tight campsites are my general problem with campgrounds to begin with. Once camped in the Williamsburg VA area (not a KOA) and neighbors awning was inches from road side of my trailer. Heading out west this summer NJ to Arizona and Utah doing KOA's all the way. Will let everyone know what i think.
One of the nicest looking but, Airstream unfriendly, is called Front Royal-Skyline Drive KOA. I pulled into this one with my 29' Airstream and, discovered that all the spaces were just too tightly spaced and small. (for what I could see) The road was single lane with no turning or backing up space.
The space assigned to me was such, that, in order to even park the unit I would had to pull forward in such a way that: The Suburban would have ended up pointing downward on a steep slope~!
I just drove back around to the check-out office and, got my money back.
Shame, it was a nice place and, the location to the local attractions was perfect.
__________________ WBCCI 5292 AIR 807 NEU #64 New England Unit
Last edited by 53flyingcloud; 06-14-2007 at 09:36 AM.
Unfortunately, the only koa I have visited was a bad one. I visited it as a deputy sheriff if that tells you anything.
I guess the following could apply to any campground, but its been my experience that there is sometimes a fine line between campground/resort and stereo-typical 'trailer park'. I've seen some that have full time residents, not the retired or family fun loving kind, but the redneck, out of work, walkin that fine line between 'yeee haaa' and 'I heard dat', kind. That just bothers me. Some will have a beautiful manicured entrance advertising fun and tranquility and once your inside....war zone. I'm talking "We put the fun in fundamental extremism" bumper sticker and all. I hope none of you have to experience that. I have seen many dishearted campers have to pack up and leave because of this behavior.
I don't agree with singling out koa. I agree with a previous poster in that they are hit or miss. I think that would apply to all campgrounds. Thats one of many reasons I like the forum, we take care of each other by reporting bad campgrounds.
If you are ever headed to the White County, Helen, Georgia area send me a pm and I'll make sure you steer clear of the bad places.
__________________
Rusty
Some days you're the windshield,
Some days you're the bug!
I was thinking this on my first post but didn't say it, "KOA is the Motel 6 of Kampgrounds". We definitely prefer state parks, but first come, first serve doesn't meet the tight schedules of most of our road trips. Those are the destination spots. Also if you have a KOA card you get a few bucks off the price. Anybody been to the Las Vegas NM or Colorado Springs franchises?
-KL
__________________ 4CU Charter Member
2004 Silverado 2500 HD D/A
Honda EU2000i
Hensley Arrow
KE7DUI
It varies by owner, most have been good. There is one in Santa Margarita, CA that is all dirt but near the lake and gets the top rating but I wouldn't stay in it. The rating system usually gives you a clue avout how nice they are but this one isn't up to snuff.
A couple of nice ones that we've returned to, are the one in Teton Villiage and the one in Nephi, Ut. The one in Nephi is about 5 miles off the highway and looks very unimpressive from the road, but once in the park, it is a beautiful little park and well run.
Dave
After reading all the posts on this string, I am almost afaid to admit that Lucy camps at KOA's quite often. We are even KOA Gold Campers!
We have found most of the KOA's that we have stayed at to be very nice and well laid out. There were some that were just not as nice as others. This is what we have also found with other campgrounds. Some places are just nicer than others.
On our recent visit to Yellowstone National Park, we started off at Fishing Bridge Campground inside the park. It was pricey and really junky. After two days, we moved to the KOA in West Yellowstone, Montana. For a few buck more, it was really nice, and we stayed for four nights. Plus, we would rather give our money to the small businessman (the local KOA owner) than the giant corporation (Xanterra) that the Park Service has seen fit to franchise Park camping to.
__________________ SuEllyn & Brian McCabe WBCCI #3628 --- AIR #14872 2005 25' Safari FB (Lucy) with HAHA 2005 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Olivia) & 2004 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Daisy)
I was thinking this on my first post but didn't say it, "KOA is the Motel 6 of Kampgrounds". We definitely prefer state parks, but first come, first serve doesn't meet the tight schedules of most of our road trips. Those are the destination spots. Also if you have a KOA card you get a few bucks off the price. Anybody been to the Las Vegas NM or Colorado Springs franchises?
-KL
The one in Vegas switched from KOA to private. We stayed in it both KOA and private, it's a nice park.
Dave
Quick Links
No way... 
Linear Mode
