KOA campgrounds…...

[docj]

Originally Posted by t55watson

First rule when building a KOA...cut down the trees and plant some twigs.

The problem with generalizations is that they often are wrong. The KOA we are at in New Orleans has enormous live oaks on at least part of the property.

And BTW, trees at RV parks aren't always what they're cracked up to be since they block satellite reception. Frankly, unless I'm in a park that I went to because of its beauty, I'm content to not have trees so I can have TV. JMO.

[mc4fun]

We too will be at the west Yellowstone KOA from June 2-6.
As a matter of fact all stops on this trip will be at KOA locations.
If your there during this time stop by and say "HI"

[ArmandV]

Originally Posted by mc4fun

We too will be at the west Yellowstone KOA from June 2-6.
As a matter of fact all stops on this trip will be at KOA locations.
If your there during this time stop by and say "HI"

Thanks, but unless you plan to stay through to the end of June, we'll miss each other. We are heading there around June 23.

[DebnDan]

Which one is the WalMart?


Dan Callahan, North Jersey
2008 Fleetwood Excursion 40E
Freightliner, Cummins, Allison
It's not the Destination or the Journey
It's the Excursion

[gbburgess]

We have been using KOA since 2000. We have seen the good, bad, and ugly. However, we have seen the change in the last few years. There are still some basic KOA (Lyman CO - but clean) and some super nice (expensive) locations. We also extensively use Good Same but with the same issues. I think expectations are the key. We have also pulled into and ba k out of a few mom and pop campgrounds so those also have problems.

[oldsmasma]

We have stayed at various KOA's while travelling in the USA some good and some not so good. Their value card helps. I do like their online reservation system. I really like their ubiquitous signs! Often good for a smile after a long day.


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[Krafty52k]

We tend to stay at the KOA's that show that they consistently win Founder's and President's Rewards! They are top quality. As with any campground, dealing with seasonal , long term residents , to me, (jmo) brings down the quality of some campgrounds. We recently encountered a few " jewels" down south..


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[drczap]

Originally Posted by Krafty52k

We tend to stay at the KOA's that show that they consistently win Founder's and President's Rewards! They are top quality. ...

We ignore KOA's Founder's and President's awards.

Just take a look at reviews for the Lakeside KOA in Fort Collins, CO.
Every year, they receive Founder's and President's awards. However, they have an "F" rating by the local Better Business Bureau. They have numerous bad reviews on TripAdvisor, Yelp and Google.

[Goat Man]

When we bought our TT a couple of years ago, we took a trip out west. We stayed at KOA's pretty much exclusively on that trip. Some were good and some weren't as good. We had two grandsons with us who wanted a swimming pool. Now we are traveling by ourselves, so that is not a big deal anymore. We now stay at GS and Pass port America to save some money. There was one KOA that we tried to check into last summer, but I guess we didn't fit their customer profile. That was OK they were over priced anyway.

[Spk64]

Growing up traveling with my parents as a kid we stayed at many KOA's. We always looked forward to a KOA as most had heated pools which we loved.
Now that we are traveling we will look for KOA's for the quick overnights on the road. I am not one to stay at a Walmart or rest area. And after breaking down and spending a night at a rest area I can say that I will never do that again unless forced to.

So far our stays at KOA have been good. Many of the places are older and most have some full time residence but staff has been friendly and we enjoyed each of the stays.


Steve

[RandyKathyM]

We used KOA on a number of trips east before retiring and as most have said good and bad. We tried to use our free night we earned and they won't let us so that was the last time we stayed at a KOA if there are other choices.

[ezdays]

My stays at KOA's have been very good. You not only get the 10% discount you also get the rewards points that can be used. You can save quite a bit using the points and the 10%. Just my thoughts.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by Spk64

Growing up traveling with my parents as a kid we stayed at many KOA's.
Now that we are traveling we will look for KOA's for the quick overnights on the road. I am not one to stay at a Walmart or rest area.

I guess financially that's your decision but we always wonder why folks will pay those high prices for just a night or two stay. There are plenty of less expensive alternative RV parks along the way. If you're only spending a night all you could possibly need is electric. You don't need all those extra frills and the name.

Yes, years ago KOA was about the only thing you saw along the highways. It got associated with the only place to stay. Nowadays, it's completely different. There are some wonderful RV parks out there without the high price.

Ourselves - we avoided interstates as much as possible. Therefore we found wonderful city or county parks or state parks. There's a web site called Free Camping. We used that also or found spots on our own. We didn't need electric or other frills. Much, much cheaper. We could have never full-timed for 16 years if we used KOAs.

[docj]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

If you're only spending a night all you could possibly need is electric.

To each his own. Many of us have washing machines and ice-makers and don't care to limit our water usage while we're traveling. Occasionally I won't connect a sewer line for a night but most of the time I do.

With the discount card I don't find most KOAs all that high priced. We won't spend the night "just anywhere" (surely not a Walmart) so I look for parks with ratings of "7" or better on RVRarkReviews. Most of those cost ~$35-45 these days with higher prices near big cities and on both coasts.