Looking for good app to locate campgrounds

[sawyerpoint]

We are looking for a good Android app to locate campgrounds when we head west in March. Any suggestions?
Sawyerpoint

[barrettjl]

Hi,
I've been looking for the same thing for an iPhone. The ones I've found (I think there were Android versions of most/all) were free that include and rate campgrounds:
- Woodall's
- Trailer Life
- AAA TripTik
I also have a bookmark for rvparkreviews.com on my home screen.

Note that the AAA TripTik online (also free) shows scenic drives, as does myscenicdrives.com (free).

[Flying Gypsies]

Don't know if it is available for Droid, but I have Camp & RV for my iphone. It allows for filters for different types of campgrounds(Army corp, County/City, Nat Forest, KOA, etc. Even has filter for Walmart overnites,Rv dealers, dump stations. Pretty powerful app-- looking forward to getting more time on the road to give it a better test.

[Jimz]

We used All-Stays Camp and RV app last summer on an android phone...worked well, even gave turn by turn directions once we picked a campground. We have recently downloaded it to I-Phone but haven't used it yet. I think it costs $3.99 for Droid and $4.99 for I-Phone...gotta love the Apple folks.

[murreywalker]

Allstays is an absolute must.

You'll be amazed at the stuff you can find with the user defined options.

Even the location of the nearest WalMart!

[Jammer]

I have an Android phone and also use Allstays.

Most of our trips are planned in advance so I don't use it that much. My experience has been that reservations are necessary from Memorial Day to Labor Day in Minnesota and the surrounding area unless arriving on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday night.

[idroba]

All Stays Camp and RV app is excellent, and about $5. Best money you can spend, especially if you are looking for rural Forest Service and other public campgrounds in the West.

[eubank]

I think I'd go with either Woodalls or Trailer Life. Allstays is ok, but, at least in this area, both too complete (listing campgrounds that no longer exist) and incomplete (not listing campgrounds that do exist).

Lynn

[barrettjl]

Thanks for the recommendation for the Allstays "Camp & RV" app!

I just bought it for $5 for the iPhone. In addition to campgrounds (with links to reviews such as rvparkreviews.com), it has rest areas, overnight parking areas, a list of some of relevant state laws (e.g. overnight parking in rest areas), low clearance areas, rest areas, dump stations, truck stops, and more.

That, plus Woodall's (free), TrailerLife RV Park Finder (free), AAA TripTik (free), and we should be able to find places to stay, and double (or triple or quadruple) check that an RV park exists, and check the various reviews.

[doug&maggie]

Is there anything to be concerned about with the "permissions" required with some of these apps?

They seem invasive to me, and potentially dangerous----but, then, what do i know, really.

I looked at this app, was also concerned about entering my credit card number on my cell phone.

Do you look at the "permissions" and is there cause for concern?


Maggie

[barrettjl]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

Is there anything to be concerned about with the "permissions" required with some of these apps?

They seem invasive to me, and potentially dangerous----but, then, what do i know, really.

I looked at this app, was also concerned about entering my credit card number on my cell phone.

Do you look at the "permissions" and is there cause for concern?


Maggie

When I installed it on my iPhone, the only permission it asked for was to use my location. I didn't enter any credit card info in the app (I agree, with you, I wouldn't do that).

[Kamiak]

I'm not a smart phone user, so I can't help you there; but if you have a GPS device, you can go to the POI Factory (POI Factory | new & interesting places for your GPS) and download dozens of "points of interest" files on various public and private camping options all over the US, as well as POI's for other useful or interesting places, such as Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives; Wal-Marts; Costco's; banks; supermarkets; etc.

[Road Geezer]

I have Woodall's apps on both my iPhone and iPad. I'm not particularly impressed. The app's displays are essentially scans of the hardcopy Woodall directory pages. I don't see a lot of intelligence built that could provide useful functions such as parametric searches for campground according to criteria such as within a distance from my current location. Also some of the key pages are in landscape mode whereas the rest are in portrait orientation. Anyone with an iPad knows how quickly the iPad can rotate the display; the result is that unless I manually lock a display parameter on the iPad--a pain--the landscape maps always display sideways.

I'd recommend against purchasing the app.

On another note my TomTom 4CT50 gps has a ton of POIs, about 65 categories in all. We've used it this past year and have been VERY satisfied with the breadth and depth of its POI files. We haven't tried to find dump stations, but it does include truck stops, all manner of stores--including WalMarts, gas stations, RV, campgrounds/parks, etc. It's not cheap, but if you're in the market for a GPS, check out the vendor's POI files. It could be a useful alternative. A nice side benefit ... since it's a GPS, directions to where you end up wanting to go are easy.

[doug&maggie]

Originally Posted by barrettjl

When I installed it on my iPhone, the only permission it asked for was to use my location. I didn't enter any credit card info in the app (I agree, with you, I wouldn't do that).

Well, we have a Droid phone, and it asked for lots of permissions which seem unrelated and unnecessarily intrusive.

Going to opt out and continue to use our manual books and the laptop.


Maggie