New RV Park Construction recommendations

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Space between sites is the best.  We stayed at a campground in Taos that did an exceptional job with landscaping and small fences so you didn't stare at the dump station for the site next to you.

In SE TX you need to make sure the sites drain well.  Standing water will cause vacancies.  Spray for mosquitos.  A campground I recently stayed at in Limon had vicious mosquitos that reminded me of being near untreated areas in SW Florida.
 
If possible, your campground should be in a location that has good cell signals.  We mostly gave up using campground wifi years ago because it usually doesn't work very well.  Instead, we use our own cell phones with a router for internet and it works well most of the time.  The problems are when we're not in a good area for cell service.  We sometimes stay at a western Pennsylvania campground where we have to drive down the road a mile to use our phones or computer because it's a "dead" cell signal zone..  Not ideal but we go there for other reasons and live with it.  Life isn't perfect and that's okay.  I do think you should have wifi in the campground though because not everyone has their own router etc. and their needs should be accommodated.

Of course, we like clear skies for out satellite TV so small trees are nice but not big ones that block satellite signals!  It's all a matter of perspective.  Oh yes, some treed or mountainous areas need to have CATV if through-the-air TV isn't very good either.  We use all three depending on our location and what's available or not available.

ArdraF
 
Everyone above has pretty much hit the nail on the head.  Clean, good space between spaces, are most important to me.  I've seen some that have amusement parks as part of it.  Not for us.  Guess it's fine if you have young kids.  Regarding WIFI, bought an AT&T hot spot couple of years ago, very happy with it, can stream pretty much whatever I want.  My phones have built in hot spot, but that is more expensive.
 
I appreciate all of you taking the time out to reply to my post - tons of good insight - thank you all  :))

I will be sure to read reviews of parks for both pros & cons - thanks again!

Hopefully we can get this project off the ground and be a host to each and every one of you in the near future - I'll keep you updated on our progress.
 
Thanks for posting back, so often on these type of threads the original poster never posts back any update.
 
Have you considered investing some money in a data gathering, or market research company that can draft a survey for you that you could then distribute and gain solid numbers for facts? Depending on if you're financing through a lender they would like to see some numbers to assure them their money is in the right place. I could see where you could issue surveys at sporting conventions, fairs, festivals, or even an online issued one. Just a thought.
 
I think you really have to decide which campers you want to pitch to. The one who want to stay plugged in or the ones who want to un plug. I would be willing to pay a higher price for private sites, trees, wildlife, no generators, electric, water and sewer. The sewer I could take or leave depending on the shower and bath facilities. This type of private park is almost non existent. And maybe separate sites for pet owners so all the barking and waste will be contained in their space.

Just food for thought, Tom
 
Oldgator73 said:
We don?t care if WiFi is offered or not. Wide level sites. Concrete pads. Fire rings not too close to the RV. Wood for sale that doesn?t cost the same as a whole cord. Current information on the local area. Good security. A little store stocked with the essentials. Clean, serviceable bathrooms and showers. Friendly staff. If your roads are paved do not install curbs. Curbs can make it difficult to back your RV into sites. Wide roads. Nice, functional playgrounds for the kids. Enforce speed limits in the park. Enforce quiet hours. If I think of more I?ll post them later.
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Agreed with OldGator, although WiFi would be nice, usually we don?t have it offered at campgrounds we have stayed at.
Adding, some with emphasis...

1. Foliage between sites. This allows privacy as well as guaranteed space between units.

2. CLEAN swimming and beach area

3. Definately.... level sites are fabulous

4. Don?t charge extra for more than two people on the site, especially a family. We are a family of four and it?s an immediate turn-away when we see website post a campsite price (for two) and then want to charge additional for our children. We have yet to stay at a campground that does this, I keep looking. Do one price for the max amount of persons allowed by law per site.

5. Have a pet friendly site area and another site area for those who don?t bring along their pets.

It?s great you?re asking for ideas and opinions of fellow rvers!
 
If you want to see an ideal site, go to Acadia National Park, Schoodic Woods Camp, it is fantastic!  50 amp and water with a dump station.  Long, wide sites with trees in between.  Can hardly see or hear the neighbor.
 
1PlasticMan1 said:
If you want to see an ideal site, go to Acadia National Park, Schoodic Woods Camp, it is fantastic!  50 amp and water with a dump station.  Long, wide sites with trees in between.  Can hardly see or hear the neighbor.
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Another would be Fool Hollow Lake Park in Show Low, AZ. Really nice, older state park. The only complaint is the older section 30A electric voltage is low in the summer, and some sites are slightly short. A very relaxing campground that gives one the feel of "camping" yet has full hookups. (No wifi but good cell signal.) Have returned several times.
 
I think it is unfair to compare state and national parks to commercial campgrounds. There is no cost for land acquisition, and they usually get a deal on utility connections too. That being said, I just want sites I can fit in! That means wide interior roads without boulders or trees along the turns. It also means long enough sites for the coach and the toad. They need to be wide enough so I can open my slides and put my awning out without touching the awning next door. Motorhomes are getting bigger, not smaller, so think of the future when you lay your sites out. And not all sites need to be the same size. Having some shorter sites is fine, but the full hookup 50 amp sites should be wide, long, and level. Leveling with rock instead of concrete is fine, but grass doesn?t work since it compresses too much.
 
UTTransplant said:
I think it is unfair to compare state and national parks to commercial campgrounds. There is no cost for land acquisition, and they usually get a deal on utility connections too.
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Agree. This park was offered up as an example of feel. The sites are not that far apart, but they ensure that their is some foliage between each, giving a sense of some privacy. And I have been in several state and county parks where sites were just as crowded as some commercial ones.
 
There is a brand new park in Lake George NY with what many would consider to be "ideal sites". They are large, level, and private. We have not been there but friends have and loved it. We might try it but at $86 - $96 per night, even if we loved the sites it would not be a regular thing for us. $66 per night for the off season isn't too bad. There is a nice Satellite view on their website - http://newyork.moosehillock.com/map-rules/ - it's not on Google satellite images but it does show up on Bing's aerial view.


 
Thanks again, all.

I was speaking with the building inspector for our project area and he told me he would not rely on the public sewage facilities and recommended going with a septic system.


Is this common at some of the parks you visit? Is it problematic?  I would love your thoughts on this.
 
HappyWanderer said:
WiFi? Meh, no big deal either way.

Important items would be level sites with good drainage, properly installed electric and water systems, nice shade trees and privacy between sites. I could live with that.
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This ^^^
 
fbohn1 said:
he would not rely on the public sewage facilities and recommended going with a septic system.
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I can't imagine not utilizing a public sewer if it was available
 
I'll suggest you buy or rent an RV and do a three week trip hitting a new RV park every day or so.

You'll soon learn what is good and what is bad. 

 
fbohn1 said:
Thanks again, all.

I was speaking with the building inspector for our project area and he told me he would not rely on the public sewage facilities and recommended going with a septic system.


Is this common at some of the parks you visit? Is it problematic?  I would love your thoughts on this.
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We have stayed in one park that has a septic system.  It was a small older park.  We were not supposed to run our washing machine due to a lack of capacity in the septic system.  Also, the system had to be pumped frequently, increasing the park's operating cost.
 
We were in a campground that got hit by a major power outage during a storm and none of their pumps worked so they were happy to give us our money back when we said we wanted to go elsewhere.  Apparently it included not only the pool and fresh water lines but also pumping waste into the  septic system.

I suspect septic systems are the bane of existence for campground owners because people don't think about what should go into one.  Like "flushable" products that are not.  Most campgrounds prohibit the "blue stuff" we used to use for black tanks and it's because it kills the "good" bacteria that help keep the septic system healthy.  I'd be inclined to ask someone else.  I'd also want to find out what problems the public sewage system is having that would make him suggest such a thing.  It seems odd to me.

ArdraF
 
The percentage of campgrounds we frequent that are on public sewers is very small. Most are in the middle of nowhere, well beyond the reach of public sewer and water.
 
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