RV Parks, The Good and The Bad

[Oakman]

When we travel the country we always stay at commercial RV parks. Here are the good and the bad we experienced on our trip to Colorado Springs, Grand Teton NP, and Yellowstone NP.

Our favorite RV park during this trip was Mountaindale Cabins & RV Resort. We like this RV park because it gives you the feel of a campground but it has the amenities (cable TV, WiFi, etc.) of a commercial RV park. They also keep the trees trimmed for the tall rigs. Mule Deer frequent the park on a very regular basis.

MOUNTAINDALE CABINS AND RV RESORT


One of the nicer and cleaner RV parks we stayed at was Deer Creek Valley RV Resort in Topeka, KS. We overnighted here on our way out west. This was an excellent park with concrete roads and concrete sites and all the amenities you would look for in a commercial park. The park had easy access to I-70 but we weren’t bothered by highway noise. It was also fenced and gated. The only knock I have against this park is our site didn’t have a picnic table. Compared to other commercial parks this was a bargain at $37 a night.

DEER CREEK VALLEY RV RESORT


A close second to Deer Creek was Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone, MT. Grizzly is very clean and a great place to stay when visiting Yellowstone NP. It is a bit pricey though and the sites are gravel.

YELLOWSTONE GRIZZLY RV PARK


The worst of the RV parks we stayed during our trip was a KOA in Gothenburg, KS. The roads had chuck holes, the trees needed trimming, and the sites were dirt and gravel. I was glad it didn’t rain the night we stayed here because it would have been a muddy mess in the morning. The playground was old and looked like it would be splinter city for any kids that played on it. At $36 a night it was way overpriced. On a positive note they did have a clean coin-op laundry and the cost to refill a 30 pound propane bottle was just $18.75.

GOTHENBURG KOA


A close second to the worst was the KOA in Rawlins, WY. The cable TV didn’t work at our site when we arrived but the owners did get it fixed. I also don’t like seeing wires running across campsites or having a site short enough that I have to park my truck perpendicular to our RV.

RAWLINS KOA

[5er_tom]

On our recent 76 day trip we had a good and a bad. Actually two goods and one bad. First the goods.

Twin Fountains RV Resort in Oklahoma City.
Very nice, large concrete pads, lots of grass between RV sites. Clean, great folks and the pool was refreshing as it was 104 degrees.

Welcome

Boardman RV park in Boardman, OR was also very nice. Large open sites with lots of grass, and a great view of the Columbia River.

RV Campground, Tent Camping, Columbia River | Boardman Marina Park

The worst was the KOA in Amarillo, TX. Basically a dirt lot that appeared to have been a farmers field. Lots of dirt and dust, but it was level. It was okay for a one night stand, but no more.

[Patches]

The good will out number the few when it comes to brand names. We tend to stay away from RV Parks where the neighbor is so close you have to keep your windows, and blinds closed for privacy. It's seems to be human nature for most folks to take a look when ever they can. When arrive at new park, we always take a walk and look the place over before purchasing a space for the night. If it looks good we stay, if not we move on, regardless of the price. We find the independently owned "Mom & Pop" stops to be the better decisions for our needs.

[Dovetail]

Originally Posted by Patches

The good will out number the few when it comes to brand names. We tend to stay away from RV Parks where the neighbor is so close you have to keep your windows, and blinds closed for privacy. It's seems to be human nature for most folks to take a look when ever they can. When arrive at new park, we always take a walk and look the place over before purchasing a space for the night. If it looks good we stay, if not we move on, regardless of the price. We find the independently owned "Mom & Pop" stops to be the better decisions for our needs.

I like that "walk and take alook" idea. We have never really done that.

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Nice posting Oakman!

[torben]

I agree with you Bob on the on the Rawlings KOA, the only thing I can say the owners were very nice and told me they had just taken it over and were trying to fix things. We stayed there on our way to the FROG rally in Colorado Springs. On our trip to the rally we stay at the Ely KOA and that was worse, they advertised Cable TV, WIFI and they didn't have either one and to top it off they weren't very nice in the office.

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by torben

I agree with you Bob on the on the Rawlings KOA, the only thing I can say the owners were very nice and told me they had just taken it over and were trying to fix things. We stayed there on our way to the FROG rally in Colorado Springs. On our trip to the rally we stay at the Ely KOA and that was worse, they advertised Cable TV, WIFI and they didn't have either one and to top it off they weren't very nice in the office.

I can put up with just about anything for an overnight stop, but I hate it when the staff isn't friendly to their customers. Giving an RV'er a welcoming smile is basic to customer service.

I always check rvparkreviews so I have an idea of what to expect, good or bad.

[Terier]

Thanks for sharing the pictures. Some of the places were really nice looking.

I stayed at the KOA in Pomona during the RV show last year. The sites were so close together that the picnic table had to be moved just a few inches away from the neighbor's RV if you have slide outs. The only appeal this place has for me is that you can walk to the RV show. The rate is pretty high - something like $70 per night if I remember correctly.

[fbconsults]

There are exceptions, but I stay away from KOAs if possible.

Happy Trails, Forrest

[schrederman]

We stayed at Hide-a-Way RV Park on Beaver Lake in Arkansas. The park is old and run down, but the website made it look like a paradise. No cable TV, no WiFi. We stayed from Sunday until Friday. The swimming pool was green, and the playground equipment was unsafe looking. My son negotiated a large discount due to the "falsety of their advertising", so we stayed, and just used it for sleeping. We will never pull in there again.

Another place that could use some improvement is Hochatown RV Park north of Broken Bow, Oklahoma. My sons and I stay there often because it has full hookups and is close to the river we like to fish. It does have cable TV and WiFi, but the sites are not very level and they're just dirt and rock. The owners have it for sale and I hope someone buys it and improves it. It is adequate for three guys out fishing, and it's very reasonable. At least I feel like I get what I'm paying for.

As to paying $70- per night... That's almost a hotel rate... One reason I steer clear of most KOAs is that they are way too proud of those parks. I usually don't like to pay more than $30- per night. The cheapest KOA I've ever stayed in was $42-. It was not really any better than the first park I mentioned.

[Rugged Brown]

Just recently stayed at Eastern Slope CG in North Conway, NH. It cost over $70 per night. This included an extra charge for each additional adult (2) and each dog (2). The CG was just OK but had good access to the Saco river. Not sure of the reasoning for additional charges other than gouging.

[Oakman]

Maybe I've never really paid any attention (we don't have pets) but I've never heard of a campground charging extra for dogs. Ridiculous.

[Rugged Brown]

Originally Posted by Oakman

Maybe I've never really paid any attention (we don't have pets) but I've never heard of a campground charging extra for dogs. Ridiculous.

I've run across a couple with extra charges for dogs. Eastern Slope CG rates were $45.99 plus $2.00 per dog and $5.00 for each additional adult over 18. It's not like they have to feed them. Not sure why the extra charges either.

[Filthy Beast]

There are a few KOAs that we would stay at. It seems they are mostly the "parking lot" types. And we usually use these for their convenience to our needs. As stated in an earlier post, the "mom and pop" are normal your choice, they may not be as updated but if the place is clean and the staff friendly, that counts for a lot.

[chiefly1]

Earlier this year we stayed in the Billings MT KOA and it was exceptional. Paved level sites with full hook ups, fire pit, swing, covered table and grass. Not cheap by any means but at least you could see where your money was going. That happens to be the very first KOA. That seems to be an exception as the other KOA's I've stayed in are pail in comparison.

[torben]

We stayed at the KOA in Fort Collins, Co. this summer and it was excellent. I would highly recommend staying there.

[MikeRP]

There are lots of nice KOA's. But there are some that need investment. I just make sure I read the reviews. There is one right when you go into Colorado on i70 I stayed at this summer. The campsites were just dirt and a little rock.

But the staff was very friendly and I had a great breakfast there. I would stay again on the way out west for sure.