Campground amenities

[McDave]

MontyV, as has been mentioned, you have two different groups of people: those that want views, quiet and space, and those that want amenities. It is hard to imagine one park that would appeal to both. However, even among the group who want amenities, there is only a very small subset who want anything more than utilities, Internet, and perhaps washing machines. Unless you particularly want to appeal to the group with kids, pools and games are a waste of your time and money.

Edit: internet almost never works very well at the parks I have stayed in. Either figure out something that works, or just tell people that if they want internet, they should come to the office.

[AtomicNo13]

Yup, nothing will kill you or your dog quicker than no ground or a hot neutral swap!
It worked for the last guy because he didn't know to check before plugging in!

[drew05]

We’ve been on the road for over 95 days, and have stayed at 45 different campgrounds. Of these, only 9 were commercial full service camp grounds. The rest were either National Park, State, Provincial, or City campgrounds.

We look at costs and park and surrounding beauty. While we like the full service campgrounds, the public camp grounds have been a great experience, and for us offer a better value.

[Len n Jeanne]

I think you could skip the pricier-- and higher maintenance-- amenities. Maybe add an enclosed dog park if there is no good dog-walking in the neighbourhood. A lot of RVers travel with dogs. Then maybe just make available a list of what there is to do in the nearby area.

If you're super handy when things inevitably break down in the campground, that would be a big help. (Washer, drier, sprinklers, Wi-Fi, water hook-ups, you name it.) Otherwise you've probably figured in the cost of hiring a handyman (handyperson?) type of manager.

[Acheron2010]

I recently stayed at a site that had just about everything for everybody. Close sites with full hookups for overnighters, both back-in and pull through. Fantastic pool, dog park, big laundry, tile bathrooms for those who need the services. Separate wooded areas for "premium" camping with spacious sites with grass, and another huge area for the tenters. Off the main roads, quiet, peaceful. For being close to a big city, it was a big surprise.

[redhat200]

Beautiful destination, with lots to do in the area Hiking, enclosed dog play area -as Vizslas need 10 minutes of running time morning and evening off leash., And dump station when we leave.

[urnmor]

For us I guess the best Answer: it depends. If only staying a few nights and in a national or state park water and electric would be nice but not necessary as we can survive on the water tank and we also have generators to operate our AC and Refrig.

If we are staying longer we would prefer a full hook up to include water, sewer and electric. Cable is not necessary

pull through or back in site works for us however back in sites are IMO usually nicer

Definitely prefer level site when ever possible.

[PKI]

A dog washing station is sometimes available. If you have bigger pets, that may be of value. To date, we have had no need. Some are free and others are coin operated.

The really big dog park areas are appreciated by folks with big dogs that need exercise. We appreciate them, because folks who must experience their pet off leash can do so with no impact to owners and pets who exercise on leash.

We have found several parks that had food available either as part of the facility or directly next door. It's a convenience that we use less and less as we organize our travel better each year, but it is certainly a nice service for parks to provide.

We are also finding that the more familiar we become with a park, the better we like it. Not so unreasonable, since we don't go back to parks we do not like.

Good luck with your travels. Pat

[VAtom]

We're in this for the travel and stay two nights at most

If it's over 85 and humid, I definitely need electrical.

Shade is nice
Level is nice
No more than 15 miles off route is usually my requirement if it's not my destination.
Well maintained roads are nice, even if gravel grass or dirt.
Larger, or more secluded spaces are a real plus.

I'm sorry, I do not like being crammed between fulltimers. I feel like an intruder instead of a comrade and their upkeep nearly always gets away from them.

Since I switched to Verizon, I'm 90% on having internet access which is important to me.

My cleaner, better half likes a nice washroom. I'm happy with the one in my van and water from the freshwater tank.

I have never been disappointed with a COE site.

I do like having reservations and having the option to select what I think will be a better space. Sometimes that limits my ability to change my itinerary on the fly. Unlike hotels, few of these places let you cancel without paying something.

If there's a beach, mountain or lake on the agenda, then I would like to be able to see it from my campsite.

[Sparkle]

I go out for 4-5 days every 3-4 weeks. By choice I stay mostly in state and national parks without hookups. My basic requirement is access to potable water and a dump station is a plus. I use solar panels for the batteries. Space between campsites is great for privacy. I wish campgrounds would ban generators or have them clustered in one area. That noise is almost intolerable to me. I long for the peace and quiet and scenes and sounds of nature. Have fun, enjoy your trailer.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Dog park = somebody available to "clean it up" at least once a day. That may or may not be the sort of work load you want to add to the mix.

Spend some time with a contractor or architect on the costs of putting this or that in. If this is fully DIY, get some quotes on all the materials and make a guess at time. Next check if there are any local codes / restrictions on doing this sort of thing. Generally if you will be dealing with sewage (even at a dump station) there will be some sort of rules.

Work through all that and it becomes pretty clear why sites get packed in tight. It's cheaper to develop it that way. Nice and spread out is wonderful to look at, it means lots of pipe / wire / and paving. That's not in any way saying pack things in, just understand how much it costs before you get committed. Some things like sewer calculations can be "interesting", you may want a pro there, even if the rest of it is DIY.

Targeting "folks like us" always sounds good to "us" When I drive around, the "pack them in tight around a pool with a big waterslide" RV parks seem to be doing pretty well. The places I stop at with no pool and a lot of quiet ... maybe not quite so well ... hmmmm .....

One thing to toss into the mix: Trees / shade. It's a great way to give people a bit more feeling of separation. It cuts the noise. It makes things less like a giant parking lot. It also takes some planning in order to fit them in as they grow ....

Lots of variables.

Bob

[banderabob]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

It depends.
If it's one night, I like power and water. But it's not a deal breaker. Easy in/out.
I won't even unhook or put the stabilizers down. A reasonable price.

If it's a long time stay, then power, water, sewer. A level spot. A reasonable price.
Laundry room is a plus. I never use a pool, volleyball courts, or rental bicycles.
I think of the campground as the home base from which to explore, not a place to spend all day.
I don't tend to stay in state or National parks, maybe I should.

You must have had better luck than I.
All the PA parks I tried had one of two problems, 1. They were run down and desperate for paying customers. or 2. They had so many exclusions I could never use it. (maybe one day out of a month)

Ditto the above with the following adds....if a long stay, proximity to what I want to see or do, noise level, cleanliness, friendliness, and we DO stay in both State and National parks.....wouldn't miss the exposure to nature.

[Adam Geuss]

Originally Posted by MontyV

other than location, when you are looking for in a campground. what amenities are important enough to you that they influence where you stay? pull through spots, wifi, paved or gravel sights, what about grass or trees or even cable TV. what about fuel, propane or even a pool etc. What makes a good campground that you want to return to?

All we ever need is a nice spot meaning easy to back in and find some sob,acne of level. A decent facility for bathing and such. Nearby water source to refill our tank or bottles. Shade when it’s summer. We are used to camping at state parks where there are never any electrical/water hookups. Just two of us and the dog so we are easy to satisfy.

[Piggy Bank]

This is the best place we have stayed that is the type of park you envision.
https://cottonwoodsrvpark.com

They are in Columbia, MO. A college town. A town on I-70. We have stayed there for music festival weekends and found the place to be pretty packed together as compared to a COE or state park, but as far as commercial parks, it is flat, has some trees, is easy to get to off of a major hi way, is wide enough to navigate easily, but feels more "mom and pop" than a KOA.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Sitting and watching things move through a number of campgrounds, different folks are after different things:

For some, a fast pull through for the night is what they are looking for. Dead level site with power and the ability to set up / tear down fast. It's not real clear that they are in the site long enough for shade / view / pool / dog park to matter.

For others, being right by a playground (or run around space) for the kids is the top feature needed. After a few hours in the truck, the kids very much need to burn off some energy. Being able to do that *and* be in sight from the RV .... pretty important.

Some people are really into bath houses. The best I've seen are the "you get your space" variety. There's a door to the outside, once you are in, the whole space is yours. It takes up a bit more of a footprint. They seem to be the way the newer campgrounds are putting things in.

One thing that does happen are rallies. A major bunch of nutty AS owners (or other groups of crazies) all descend on a single campground at one time. Some sort of shelter to get together is a big plus. A basic level field to park in is also a big plus.

Sometimes "stuff happens", when it does, people need to park a trailer. Having someplace this can be done safely is a plus. It may be a breakdown, it could be a family emergency, there are lots of ways things go sideways.

Lots of variables.

Bob

[Bgibbs]

We always stay in commercial parks and have 2 Yorkies that need a place to potty. Tall weeds, grass burrs and stickers are a big problem for small dogs and their owners. We find less than half the parks have a decent place for us to walk our dogs. Also, parks that do not enforce that all dogs must be on a leash will not be on our return list. A 4 1/2# Yorkie looks like a “snack” to some larger dogs!

[kendrick.l.j]

Your idea to build an new RV Park on your property is wonderful but make sure your zoneing code allow. Will be you able to connect to city water or will you need a well, how many gallons per minute can the well produce? City sewer lines or septic tanks? If only septic tanks are used how many will you need? Will the power grid in that area support the RV Park when fully booked? Once you have all the necessary zoneing permits you’ll need lots of capital to get going. How much capital depends on many factors like how many sites, how much space between sites, advising costs, unless your just incredibly handy and have all the heavy equipment you’ll need to hire all that out. It gets very complicated and very expensive quickly.
I wish you tons of good luck and if you build it, they will come.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If you sit around campsites long enough, you will notice that at some of them - up pulls the septic tank pumper-outer on a regular basis. More or less, they went for a septic permit and got told "nope, not going to happen". The next option on the list is a holding tank and a really good relationship with your pumping service. Yes, it's probably more expensive when your hike-in lodge is up in the mountains and a helicopter is involved in the removal process ....

Bob

[gypsydad]

Clean park; no "long term run down" trailers...away from major highway noise, and reasonable price. We try to stay at state or federal parks or ACoE (Army Core of Engineers) type places when we can...getting a spot means being alert to what time your arriving on the first come first served parks...paved, pull thru's while traveling are also on the preferred list. Electric, water, and sewer are nice, but not a requirement typically...we carry solar and a generator. If there is a shower, I will use theirs if it is clean. Bathrooms same; pit toilets are fine if clean...we try to use the amenities offered where we stay if everything looks clean. if not, as long as the place looks safe, is away from noise, and reasonably priced, we can make due. For longer term stays, we do spend some time researching and try to make reservations.

Longer stays also we try for nice location next to streams or on the lake...this picture is were we are currently in Placid lake, MT....

[mayco]

I think electric hookup is the highest priority, then water, then sewer. Most if not all have fresh water and waste tanks on our rigs. Of course a dump station and handy community water spigots would be a must if not at your site. Quiet and privacy space are important to us. Most other amenities such as a pool, game room, playgrounds, etc are places we actually avoid. (Though I love kids)

Ive always thought that it would be very nice and doable for a campground to host a small "farmers market" on the weekends. Work with a few local produce truck farmers in the area to pull it off. Hold it in a parking area or other open space and let the farmers use their own tables, tents, whatever. Cost to the campground should be nil and what an awesome service to provide to campers on longer trips. We always run out of fresh produce before anything else while on the road.