KOA Seeing 'Explosion' of New-Construction campgrounds

JamieGeek · 01-30-2021, 09:50 PM

Hey maybe all the people buying RVs will have a place to go:

https://rvbusiness.com/koa-seeing-ex...n-campgrounds/

Ok yeah an 'explosion' is a dozen or so LOL

Pete'sMH · 01-30-2021, 10:30 PM

I used to avoid KOAs like the plague so hadn’t visited one in many years. Stopped at one a couple of years back and was pleasantly surprised. I find them now to be entirely acceptable for overnight travel stops and occasionally even for longer stays at certain destinations.

Bob Denman · 01-30-2021, 10:34 PM

We'll take any that they give us!

How about if we rake over some golf courses?

atreis · 01-30-2021, 10:37 PM

Sounds like good news to me. KOAs have improved a lot in the last 10 years or so.

Bob Denman · 01-30-2021, 11:18 PM

I haven't been in one yet: that,didn't exceed my expectations...

droregon · 01-30-2021, 11:24 PM

Like any franchise, there are good ones and not so good...

Campnjoe · 01-31-2021, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by droregon

Like any franchise, there are good ones and not so good...

So very true.

jdurnwald · 01-31-2021, 01:16 AM

I actually appreciate the consistency of KOAs when on the road and looking for a stopover. They are not all the same but the booking, checkin, bathrooms, etc tend to have similar processes which are one less thing to worry about.

Elite Washington · 01-31-2021, 01:23 AM

I always swore I wouldn’t stay at a KOA. Well I was wrong I have little kids and they are great for family’s. They have different levels so some are better then others. Some you want to stay at and some are just a stop over passing through. I like how easy they are to check in and they have always done right by me when on a pass through. Anytime anyone is willing to build more campgrounds I am all for it.

Lt Keefer · 01-31-2021, 01:44 AM

I stayed at a KOA off of I-81 in Maryland and after the experience said it would be a cold day in hell before I stayed at one again. Well, I messed up a reservation for a stopover in Abilene last summer and the only thing available besides Wal Mart or Cracker Barrel was a KOA. The DW convinced me to give KOA another chance and they made up for the nightmare in Maryland. I know they are all different and the KOA people don't enforce any 'standards' on the individual franchisees, so it can be hit or miss. The only thing I know for sure is that I seem to over pay for the 'amenities' when staying at a KOA.

Pete'sMH · 01-31-2021, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

I stayed at a KOA off of I-81 in Maryland and after the experience said it would be a cold day in hell before I stayed at one again. Well, I messed up a reservation for a stopover in Abilene last summer and the only thing available besides Wal Mart or Cracker Barrel was a KOA. The DW convinced me to give KOA another chance and they made up for the nightmare in Maryland. I know they are all different and the KOA people don't enforce any 'standards' on the individual franchisees, so it can be hit or miss. The only thing I know for sure is that I seem to over pay for the 'amenities' when staying at a KOA.

That certainly was my experience long ago - no standards or consistency and generally older and somewhat depleted looking. But having more recently stayed at 5 or 6 of them I think there are standards and (more) consistency nowadays. Obviously there will be exceptions and occasional screwups but they’ve won me over for what they are. Sort of the “Cracker Barrel” of campgrounds!

Terry and Jo · 01-31-2021, 03:49 AM

The wife and I tend to RV a lot different than most folks. I'm a prolific photo taker, and when we go to an "area," I want to stay months so that I have time to see most everything of interest in that area before moving on. Also, on two occasions, we have served as volunteers for our site and some utilities.

When we do travel, we tend to go to KOA campgrounds on the few occasions when they are needed. I can speak well for the KOA's in Laramie, WY, Rock Springs, WY, Buena Vista, CO and Green River, UT. I wasn't too impressed with the KOA in Provo, UT. For our size rig (2008 Ford F450 and 38 1/2-foot fifth wheel), the spacing of RV sites was horrible. To get pulled out forward, I would have had to have neighboring campers move their vehicles. It was actually easier to back out of the site and get on my way. I won't be back to that one.

jgwmjw2 · 02-06-2021, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Hey maybe all the people buying RVs will have a place to go:

https://rvbusiness.com/koa-seeing-ex...n-campgrounds/

Ok yeah an 'explosion' is a dozen or so LOL

My guess is there will be a LOT of used RVs for sale in a year or two when all the people who bought one because of Covid travel discover what a money pit an RV is.

Bob Denman · 02-06-2021, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgwmjw2

My guess is there will be a LOT of used RVs for sale in a year or two when all the people who bought one because of Covid travel discover what a money pit an RV is.

Think of all the great bargains you'll be able to find!

lwmcguire · 02-06-2021, 10:03 PM

We have stayed in the old and new KOA's and the newer ones have very nice sized sites and all are 50 amp

Several times we have stayed the last few days of their open season at Alamosa CO and then head over the pass towards home

Last year at the KOA across from Devils Tower was very pleasant

Across the lake from our lake home the Thunderbird Resort will open as a New KOA this spring on Milford Lake. Largest lake in KS for those wondering where it is and located just North of Junction City, KS

I think it is a great thing and they are very well run as an organization based on our visits the past few years

Regarding the RV's that many think will be for sale that may be a good thing. Lot of units need to go to the salvage or junk yard and the newer units will be grabbed up by folks wanted a newer rig.

A lot of folks are waiting for the price to drop and it just might not given the cost of new units sure isn't going to

Bottom line for us is we have camped for over 60 years and don't plan on stopping until we have to

zogman · 02-06-2021, 10:49 PM

When we started camping in 2016, KOAs were the best places for newbies. Now with experience, we avoid them for a couple of reasons (1) expensive. Their prices are almost double a night’s stay at other campsites. (2) Children are very noisy throughout the day and even up to quiet time. Not necessarily the getaway we want now. But if you have children, it’s great. KOAs are children oriented, so there’s plenty for them to do. Once they grow up and move out of your home, other camp sites that are not KOA are a better fit.

jjoster56 · 02-06-2021, 11:17 PM

We recently used KOA for our cross country trip (Maryland to Southern California). I liked their travel planner where I could find campgrounds within a few miles of the interstates; I70 and I40. We selected pull-through sites with full hook-ups as it made for easy in and out. All of the owners(managers) were very nice. Depending on the stop, some campgrounds were pretty simple and others quite nice (KOA Journey I think). Check out the different grading of the KOA's. They also show their awards. Many of the owners are working hard to get to the higher levels, those are definitely the nicer campgrounds. You also get a slight discount if your get their membership card - it pays for itself in a few overnights!

Newf026 · 02-07-2021, 10:35 AM

Our early camping days were with backpacks and tents and we too swore that we would never stay in a KOA. Fast forward 40 years and we use them quite often.

I think the biggest thing for me is their on-line system that allows me to search for a campsite, actually see the spot with one or more pictures, and reserve it right on the spot. However, you can't make changes or cancel on line which doesn't make sense.

I really don't like the cancelation fee of $10 "no matter what". We don't cancel much but it seems excessive. But I now find out that after you make the next level of membership based on stays they will waive it.

We also use RV Trip Wizard which gathers pretty accurate reviews by other campers and they have been pretty good about rating the bad KOA's.

JamieGeek · 02-07-2021, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Newf026

Our early camping days were with backpacks and tents and we too swore that we would never stay in a KOA. Fast forward 40 years and we use them quite often.

I think the biggest thing for me is their on-line system that allows me to search for a campsite, actually see the spot with one or more pictures, and reserve it right on the spot. However, you can't make changes or cancel on line which doesn't make sense.

I really don't like the cancelation fee of $10 "no matter what". We don't cancel much but it seems excessive. But I now find out that after you make the next level of membership based on stays they will waive it.

We also use RV Trip Wizard which gathers pretty accurate reviews by other campers and they have been pretty good about rating the bad KOA's.

We use https://www.campgroundreviews.com/ for campground reviews (KOA or otherwise).

We're not affiliated with them (and have been using them since way back when they were called rvparkreviews). They are, however, affiliated with the owners of Thor forums here (hence all the ads you see for them from time to time). Make of that what you will...

I've used them to check out parks we've never been to for years.

lwmcguire · 02-07-2021, 02:46 PM

Any way you look at this deal, more camp grounds is a very positive thing and being part of a chain in this case helps avoid the slum camp grounds that are still thriving

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