Do you avoid KOA??

Just curious from another post I was reading about KOA it sounds that most people try to avoid them in general.  Are most of them not well run?
We stayed in one in Yemassee, SC on the way down to Fort Wilderness last year and it wasn't bad at all.  The people there were nice.  Were we just lucky to find a good one?  ???
Just curious if I should avoid them.  Thanks guys.

Steph,

I wouldn't suggest you avoid them, although we usually do. Most we've visited were not well run, were overpriced and had unhelpful staff. But we've found exceptions that I've noted in a few messages.

steph said:

Just curious if I should avoid them.  Thanks guys.

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There have been some negative postings here about KOA. I have stayed at several over the years and some were very good and some not. But that is the way it goes with RVing. I have also stayed at non KOAs that were horror stories.

One KOA we have stayed at for weeks at a time near our relatives could not be better. Very fine people who are most helpful and nice facilities.

Beware of reading message groups like this because a  general subject like 'how are KOAs?' is broad and some negative postings can be far from reality.

One good place to check out campgrounds before you plan to stay or reserve is http://www.rvparkreviews.com/  They are getting a pretty big data base but even people who stay at specific park and take time to write reviews can have a far different view!!!!

Remember the old saying 'different strokes for different folks!'

Bob

Bob Zambenini said:

I have also stayed at non KOAs that were horror stories.

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Hi Bob, same is true for us.

Beware of reading message groups like this because a  general subject like 'how are KOAs?' is broad and some negative postings can be far from reality.

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Interesting comment Bob. While there's some truth to that, I know I've personally gone out of my way to post positive comments about KOA parks where I had a good experience, although I don't have a high opinion of KOA overall. I've also posted positives about non-KOA parks where they deserved it. Disregarding negative comments would, in my case, not present a balanced picture. OTOH I understand how a subject can becoming a lightning rod for extremes.

.... 'different strokes for different folks!'

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So true.

I don't go out of my way to avoid KOAs but if I was ready to stop for the night and there was a KOA and another park across the street, and one didn't obviously look like a dump, I'd pull into the non-KOA first. Now, having said that, the KOA in Cortez is probably as nice as any of the other RV parks in town.

Wendy,

We've stayed at several nice KOAs that were well run. IIRC in each case they were owned by the managers rather than managed by employees of a corporation. I wondered in a recent (positive) review if that might a contributing factor to the difference we see in the attitude of campground staff and the pride they take in their respective park.

Thanks guys.  Yeah, I guess it can be really hit or miss with anywhere.  The one we stayed at in SC was nice. 

I realize that a lot of people prefer other parks, but I can't honestly say we've ever had a bad experience at any KOA.  A couple of years ago we used them a lot because they were the nearest campgrounds to family we wanted to visit for extended stays.  Yes, they may be overpriced for some folks, but there are a lot of places that are worse or better.  In Indiana the nearest place we could get to Chicago was a Jellystone park.  Although well enough maintained, the sites were NOT designed for larger rigs (very hard to get into) and when Jerry walked around the other guests looked to be on the rough side.  He did not feel comfortable walking around there.  It served its purpose for 2 nights but we wouldn't go back to that specific park.  So there are pros and cons to most places.  We usually stop at places that have amenities we want, for example if it says wi-fi, or places we don't want, for example if it says most sites shaded. Can't live without our satellite TV, can we.  ;D  Sometimes the Good Sam discount makes the decision if two equally good parks are near one another.  I always recommend using your own judgment - forget about what other people think - because we all have different needs and comfort levels.  There are a lot of Forumites who swear by their membership-style campgrounds, but we wouldn't design our routes based on where these campgrounds are located so a membership would be wasted on us.  So use your campground directories and make up your own mind about where to stay.

ArdraF

We seldom use them and they are on the bottom of our list when selecting, but we don't actually avoid them.  We find that KOA's tend to be older parks (their hey day as a franchise was in the 70's and 80's) and spaces may be narrow, 30A service and sometimes not all that well maintained, while still charging top dollar. That said, we have found a few nice ones too.

Hi Steph,

I think one reason many on the forum avoid KOA' s is the cost. KOA is sometimes referred to as Keep On Adding. They charge more than some other campgrounds because of their ammenities. Many of us are only staying a night and don't use any of the ammenties. I have been at some KOA's that were very good and some that were just OK.

On our first trip out west several years ago we stopped at the KOA in Van Horn, TX. It was a time when most of us were trying to get online with laptops and modems. The owner couldn't have been more considerate and allowed me to use a phone jack anytime I needed. I mentioned that I would write about my experience here on the forum, which I did. When we stopped on our return trip she had a room set up just for people with a computer so they could have a little privacy. She has since sold the campground so I don't know what it's like today but it was a good experience.

Today we use Passport America as much as possible. It's more than worth it to join as you get your membership fee back within 3 nights of camping. Really great for those that are traveling and need a place for a night.

steph said:

Just curious from another post I was reading about KOA it sounds that most people try to avoid them in general.  Are most of them not well run?
We stayed in one in Yemassee, SC on the way down to Fort Wilderness last year and it wasn't bad at all.  The people there were nice.  Were we just lucky to find a good one?  ???
Just curious if I should avoid them.  Thanks guys.

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I don't thnk they are any different from any other campground if looked at individually. They are an easier target to shoot because their are a lot of them and all under one brand name making them easier to generalize. I do research on every campground I am goiing to think about using whether KOA and any other. I look at reviews of parks on several sites and find the information on http://rvparkreviews.com/ to be very helpful as well as other specialty sites containing comments.  I have found a number of really good  KOA's in my travels. 

Do you avoid KOA??  Yep,  as a whole, not to say we won't use them, but tend to shy from them as well.  After having 50 years of traveling behind us and some of that as a home base useage for business over a period of a week at a time, We found KOAs in the past to be overpriced and dirty, as well as snobbish, for the office personel and maintenence people.  However, I'm sure that many of the individually owned CG are decent and probably cater to the whims of the customer.  This is not always true with the corperate run establishments, cuz the personel are just looking for the nexxt paycheck as in the majority of all businesses.  These attitudes have caused us to use very few CGs that have not been recommedned by friends or that we've used before. We are very hesitent to try new places that haven't been recommended.  The fact that few KOAs are recommended is proably as good a reason as any to us.  Yet, if available, I tend to use as mentioned by Steph.  Pricing with KOA has always been a sore spot with me.  Higher rates for equal or less Quality.  JMHO

Like Shayne we generally avoid KOA unless there isn't anything else available.  Never have been favorably impressed with KOA.  Now like anthing else there may be a few that don't fit the mold and are really nice such as the one Tom mentioned in another thread.  For us we will avoid KOA whenever possible.

I'm not a full timer, so my experience is somewhat limited.  However, we recently went to Las Vegas to meet friends there and we all stayed at the Circus Circus RV park run by KOA.  If you've been there you know that it is really a very big parking lot with hookups, so it isn't a peaceful rural setting.

I had never stayed at a KOA before but I was VERY impressed with the friendly helpful staff.  Also the infrastructure in the park was well maintained - Water, electricity, sewer etc - everything in good condition.  They also were very good about keeping the area neat and clean.  Yes the KOA is kinda pricey in Vegas, but remember it is Vegas and the KOA has a great location.

After arriving DW discovered water in one of our upper cabinets and I was worried about a roof leak and was figuring out how I'd locate it.  My friend mentioned it to a KOA employee while in the store and we had a knock on the door, when I opened it up there was a KOA employee there with a ladder.  He said  he had heard about our problem and thought we might need the ladder.  He left it there and said he'd swing by later to see if I was finished.  This particular event impressed me, but all of my encounters with their employees during our four day stay were pleasant.

Staying in a parking lot isn't my idea of "camping", but it made good sense in Las Vegas.  Circus Circus is right on the strip so you don't need to worry about driving, you can walk most places, or take the monorail, taxi, or shuttles to further destinations.

Honest John said:

.... we had a knock on the door, when I opened it up there was a KOA employee there with a ladder.  He said  he had heard about our problem and thought we might need the ladder.  He left it there and said he'd swing by later to see if I was finished.  This particular event impressed me...

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It would sure impress me too John. Thanks for the report.

Hi Honest John,

Sounds like the takeover by KOA of the Circus Circus campground is a definite improvement. The last time we were out there we stopped by to visit friends at a rally. Everyone was asked to arrive with empty tanks because their sewer system couldn't take it. Glad to hear it's better as there aren't as many places to stay there anymore.

During our New England vacation last summer, we stayed in both the Boston/Cape Cod KOA and the Newburgh KOA.  I have to admit that we didn't have a great deal of need to interact with the staff, but we were happy with both campgrounds.  I think Bob has it right when he said that there are good and bad CGs regardless of whether they are KOA run or not.

-Dave

I have to agree with most posts here. Some good, some bad. I don't avoid KOA, but as a rule they are more expensive than most private campgrounds, and so I look for others first. My PassportAmerica catalog is my first search. I'm also retired military, so use Famcamps when possible. All that said, are you aware that once each year KOA gives a free night to explore their campgrounds. This year it is May 11 and 12. Pay for one night, get one free. Many participating campgrounds. I'm going to Dallas this year. Went to Kerrville last year. It's a good way to check them out for future reference.

No.

When we were new to RVing, we were on our maiden voyage across the US, via Canada.  While there we stopped at the closest CG since it was getting dark and we wanted to be able to see while hooking up.  It happened to be a KOA.  Since we've always seen lots of advertising about this entity, we stopped.  It was not a good first impression.  It was weeded, full of pot holes and we were checked in and shown our site by the owners' son, approximately 11 years old.  Never did see an adult around the place until morning.  We paid an exorbitant price even by Canadian standards, and we were not impressed.

Through subsequent travels and 18 trips coast to coast, we have stopped at very few KOAs, and I can't remember any one of them being worth the price they charged.  Mainly they were built 30 years ago, rutted, tight corners to maneuver around, no way to level,  with no sign of improvements for the newer larger rigs nor not many of them making an effort at improving them.  We skirt them when we can.  If nothing else we'll stay, but so far, we've always been disappointed. 

Just my 2cents worth.....    Daisy