Recommendations for Campgrounds/Chains for a Beginner

After much thought and deliberation... we still can't decide if it's going to be a TT or a Class A.  ;D  We're visiting five (!) RV dealers the first week in March and planning to purchase (ideally from one of the five) by May, so I wanted to start getting an education in campgrounds.

But we do know we have to start learning about campgrounds. I searched online for a bit - but I saw so many websites that gave no indication if the place was really any good or not. And I really don't know anything about the chains, like KOA. Are there any chains that you experienced folks would recommend as reputable? Any campgrounds in the Northeast that are simply must-sees? Favorite places in the Northeast? Our home base is near Lake Placid in the Adirondacks (we bought a small piece of property so we can sit-down for long stints).

It depends on what you want from a campground and you really find that out by experiment.    There is a good website, rvparkreviews.com, which gives good descriptions of campgrounds and I've found the reviews generally pretty accurate.  We traveled in New England earlier this year for three months and I used that website to determine where we might stay. 
Some folks like KOA's and all their amenities.  I certainly enjoy having a decent swimming pool in the summer.  My personal preference though is for US Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds.  They are very well priced, very well designed, generally level and are usually in very scenic areas with a dam and lake.  We stayed in one about a month ago near Tuscaloosa and it seemed as though someone had been given an unlimited budget to design a pretty campground with ideal camping conditions (i.e., sewer, water and electric hookups in the right place!).  We even had our own private deck leading to the lake.  For anyone interested, it was Burchfield Branch Park on Holt Lake.
Unfortunately I think there are not many Army Corps of Engineers sites in the northeast.  My personal favorite this summer was the Moorings RV resort just outside of Belfast, Maine.  All good sites with wonderful ocean views.  Seafood restaurant by the entrance.  Very pleasant owners.

Chains are not a big factor in the RV campground market.  KOA is about it, and folks opinions on them is decidedly mixed.  Some I have found excellent, others a major pain.    There are websites that publish CG reviews.  That said most folks depend on either the Trailer Life or Woodalls campground directories.  They seem quite reliable and most folks here regard them as essential to RVing.  Both rate facilities, sanitation, and ambience and the site sizes and utilities.

If you are curious about a specific locale, we have a lot of topies here that may prove handy and you can always post a message asking about a spot.

When traveling we use the Passport America then trailer life campground guides.  We generally avoid KOA unless there is no other choice.

Many of us use Passport America and Good Sam for discounts but if by chains you are referring to membership parks like Thousand Trails I would recommend waiting until you have RVed enough to know where you will be camping. The upfront costs and annual dues make membership parks pretty expensive unless you have specific destinations in mind that would let you utilize them far more than we have ever been able to do.

Thanks all for the advice!

Looking around a bit, and from what you're mentioned, I've found that the chains are probably not my thing - don't really require the extra things like pools and such. The  rvparkreviews.com website has been very helpful, because I was able to search by area and state and look at the reviews. Awesome. Thanks again!

Campground chains are not an important criteria, though there are a growing number of campgrounds owned by corporations that may or may not have uniform standards for the  places they own.  Use the major campground guides (Trailer Life & Woodall's) for ratings and information, and use the discount programs (Passport America, Family Campers, Camp Club or Good Sam) for get price breaks.

We aren't fond of KOA, but you may have different criteria.

Regarding chains...

The plus side of a Chain like KOA or Yogi Bear is that there seems to be some level of consistancy (Standards?) across the chain. Thus you do not see a big huge variation from one park to the next as a rule.. That said. I've been in a couple of KOA's that are clearly on my "Go back there" list and a few where... Well "nothing special" applies.

Never parked in a Yogi

In addition there are membership campground chains..Like Thousand Trails (To name one) Some folks like those (I do) some don't (many here don't)  I will discuss them briefly.

The downside of chains like KOA and Yogi is.. Well. the joke is KOA stands for Keep, On, Adding

That is they give you a rate, say 30/night, then they add a dollar for this, and 5 dollars for that, and a few more dollars for the other thing

These chains do tend to be on the high side price wise... Of course, like the one hotel chain said "No Surprises"

Membership camping there are basically 2 times several deals

"Standard" usually gives you 2 weeks in system (The membership park system) Then you must exit the system for a week, then you can come back, Reservations suggested or required depending on time and park.. They sell 10-30 memberships for every site they have so there is no guarantee you can find parking.

"Plus" or whatever they call it, is 3 weeks in one week out

There is an up front cost, usually thousands of dollars, and annual "Dues" often around 500-1,000 dollars, but NO CHARGE when you park your rig.. So they advertise "Free Camping"

My thousand trails membership.. When I visit my daughter that's 2 2week stays in a TT park (not one of the nicer parks but clearly the nicest location ) $0.00  28 nights $0.00    Parking in that town for an RV averages around 40-50 dollars

Figure 30 dollars times 28 nights = 840.00  Dues are less than that.  And that is just ONE of their parks I use.

The other CG I park in dues are lower but if I'm here in Detroit area I use them more  Spent six weeks there last year  Saved about 50 dollars a week by being in the campground (Over what I'd have spent on Gas and Electric if I'd been home)

AND enjoyed the park.. A very good deal... For me.

For you.. Might not be

NOTE: both these memberships qualify me for membership in RPI and Coast 2 Coast,  that's parking in even more cities, sometimes with a 1 week limit, $8.00/night  Again, a very good deal

We've never found it necessary to have any campground memberships and you do have to read the really really fine print of any that you buy into because some are true ripoffs.  With some, once you sign that contract, there's no way out including serious illness.

We've belonged to Good Sam for many years.  Some complain about their junk mail (bad for folks who fulltime and have to pay extra for junk mail forwarding) but we don't find it excessive.  We often use their discount rate at campgrounds.  You determine which campgrounds are Good Sam affiliates by checking in the Trailer Life Campground Directory.  KOAs generally are more expensive but many are in nice rustic locations and they cater to families.  For a couple of years we used them so often visiting family that we were gold members and got a discount which was nice.  Other than that, we've not liked the idea of membership campgrounds because we like to choose where we want to go based on what we want to see, but some folks go from membership campground to membership campground and see what is in those areas.  It's very much a matter of personal choice and how you like to travel.

In any case, I recommend traveling for a while before making any campground membership decisions, except for Good Sam.  Get a feel for what you like first and that includes how you like to travel and the types of places you like to visit.

If you have a Camping World nearby you may want to join the President's Club until you get the rig outfitted.  A couple of years ago we were in a Camping World and I started talking with a woman who said they no longer have an RV but they still make an annual visit to CW to see the neat stuff and she always finds something she "can't live without." 

ArdraF