Who has best RV campground Directory?

[Danijoh69]

New RV couple here. I have been trying to do research on .... everything RV! Easy to be overwhelmed by what I don’t know- but I’m trying. I know that lots of clubs offer discounts on campgrounds for members but it would be cost-prohibitive to join them all. Which clubs have the best/most useful campground directories? We live in Florida but we are planning to head west soon, so any/every discount will be appreciated. Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Jim34RL]

I use KOA and GoodSam's for campground discounts. I know KOA's get a bad rap about the site size and for the most part this is true. But what I like KOA's for are pull thru sites when traveling, they are long and level. We just pull in and do not un-hook the 5er from the truck. I will drop the front legs slightly to touch the ground and than extend the slides.

Another placed to check for campgrounds is "CAMPGROUND REVIEWS" I use this to see what is the average price and what other campers have had to say about the campground. I use this all of the time plus GOOGLE EARTH to see what the campground looks.

Good luck!

[SailorSam20500]

We only have AAA. Since we insure our cars with them, price was free. Seems to be accepted in many of the same places Good Sam is. We haven't used enough KOA's to make buying their plan worth the money. We use a lot of state parks where no plans are accepted and try to hit Army Corp of Engineer parks when possible. For the COE campgrounds, we have a America the Beautiful Senior card. We have paid for that one several times over. And the card includes free entry into national parks.

[WVrich]

I really like the app (and website) Allstays...

[cboss]

Originally Posted by WVrich

I really like the app (and website) Allstays...

X2 and Ultimate Campgrounds Public (UC Public) is also good.

http://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com/index.php

[nomad297]

You may find www.campgroundreviews.com useful.

Bruce

[Tradclimber]

For the 12 years we had our tear drop trailer we stayed in KOA's the majority of stays. They worked best for us as we only needed showers and bathrooms. We like them because the majority are more like "outdoor" camping - usually dirt or gravel and grass sites, and we always cooked and sat outside - no TV for us. The "RV Parks" seem to be more geared to what we refer to as "glamping" - concrete pads and patios. We easily pay for the KOA membership with the number of stays each year. That said, NOW we have a 26 foot trailer and have been staying in a few "RV Parks" lately (mainly to get comfortable with the new "toy"), along with some of our favorite local KOA's. The Parks we have stayed in are nice and, since we now have a "glamper" as our granddaughter calls it, we are "glamping" more. We use the KOA book and Good Sam -both memberships. We are able to find what works for us using these mostly. Everyone has their own idea of camping/RVing, I believe. As they say, your mileage may vary.....

[johntaylor]

Campendium has an enormous listing, and the most detailed reviews. It's free to use, but if you join for $20/year, you get various map overlays and other information.
https://www.campendium.com/

[camaraderie]

As others have said...Good Sam and KOA offer 10% off sites and a bunch of other stuff including ratings. We use them both BUT we always start with campgroundreviews.com by the same folks who run this site as it is the most inclusive site for all campgrounds and has thousands of reviews by folks like us on thousands of campgrounds as well as amenities and features and prices for each campground.
Since you are new to camping...you might consider investing $35 a year in RVTripWizard.com which lets you plan the roads & stops for your trips and includes links to all the campground information from campgroundreviews right within the app and much more. I free trial and tutorial is on line at the wizard site. Oh yeah...and when you're done you can load the whole thing to your GPS...Voila! Welcome aboard!

[Mag99]

Look at escapees club they 15 to 50 % off at different campground throughout the us.

[Dhall404]

We use RV Parky app when traveling to and from our destination. We stay in a lot of KOA's. Look up best parks on internet for our destination.

[nomad297]

Something you may want to consider if you are thinking about joining one of the clubs that will give you discounts at certain campgrounds, from what I have seen at my campground and heard about with some others is, the more popular/busy the campground is, they tend to assign the people with club discounts the less desirable sites. I don’t know if this is a common thing everywhere, but I have heard many people complain about this in the areas I travel. Many of these people, though, have been able to complain loud enough to get their sites changed after they discover where they were put.

Bruce

[Tundra 2014]

We use Campsite Review. It is now integrated w/ RV Trip Wizard which is a paid app that allows you to put all your discount club/National Park and preference in. It is $35 a year and builds a spread sheet of stops, milage between points of interest or stops. We do 6-8 week trips at a time w/ multiple stops. It just makes it a lot easier. You also put in the height of your rig, miles you want to travel in a day, choices of roads etc. I like having all my stops phone #'s and addresses on the phone app and all on 1 sheet of paper. It has a free example on their site you can see. Interesting tool w/ a lot of features.

[Dirt Sifter]

Another believer in free campgroundreviews.com and I pay for RV Trip Wizard for the features that make it so handy whether towing the RV or traveling without it. The RV Life app that comes with the trip wizard is great. We use Good Sam and KOA camping memberships, but shy away from KOA's if we have a viable choice in the area. Have fun!

[jrlepin]

We have used KOA's throughout Utah, Idaho and Colorado. The only one we would go back to is at Grand Junction Colorado. Many of the parks were in disrepair and even had sewer pipes up hill behind the RV parking location. That stuff doesn't flow up hill. Prices for KOA in many other western states are unreasonably high, so we never use them due to too many better options available.

[BuffaloBob]

We are AAA, KOA, Good Sam and Passport America. PA is $44 per year but gets you 1/2 off on participating campgrounds. Use our referral #R-0266104 and you get a discount on membership and so do we. We saved more than the $44 on one stay at Sky Valley Resort in Calif. Have fun camping...we are having so much fun with our 5th wheel!

[Rgk850]

Are you retired Military? Some nice campgrounds on Military installations.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by Danijoh69

I know that lots of clubs offer discounts on campgrounds for members but it would be cost-prohibitive to join them all.

As you've probably learned by now, there is no 'best'.
We belong to KOA because their discount pays for our membership each year and you accumulate 'points' which can be used for free camping days. They are great for traveling because many of the campgrounds are near interstates and have pull thru sites. Plus their layouts are more standardized than other sites.
Good Sam has probably the most extensive number of campgrounds that accept their discount. The quality of the campgrounds varies widely.
If you're going to National Parks and Historical sites, invest in the senior pass. That gives you 1/2 off on most campsites and free admission to most parks and historical sites. (purchase at the admission gate)
You're probably going to want to invest in a roadside assistance service too.

[Btm]

I am a member of Good Sam because many R V parks gives discounts.

I have R V directories, but usually don't use them. I estimate how long or far I want to drive in a day and see what town is close by. Then Google "what R V parks are close to ?? ". You will be amazed at how many are listed. Most all will have websites, reviews, cost, addresses, etc. To me it is much easier than trying to use directories.


Btm

[iom]

Originally Posted by Danijoh69

New RV couple here. I have been trying to do research on .... everything RV! Easy to be overwhelmed by what I don’t know- but I’m trying. I know that lots of clubs offer discounts on campgrounds for members but it would be cost-prohibitive to join them all. Which clubs have the best/most useful campground directories? We live in Florida but we are planning to head west soon, so any/every discount will be appreciated. Thanks in advance for any advice!

My wife and I use Passport-America it is first class