Tucson/KOA/Lazy Days now $52/night! Alternatives you like?

we too stayed at Lazy in 2015 the rates were much lower - this winter I moved to Butterfield in Benson AZ for a week it is $240

If a park is staying full or near full at the current rates, expect those rates to increase periodically until the occupancy starts to fall off. That's the way it works...

A legitimate question quickly turned to a bash KOA. You have to camp the entire country to compare rates. KOA usually is in line with the area if looking at similar amenities. I just completed a trip from Louisiana to Arizona. KOA West of Ft Worth for around $25. I stayed at the Picacho/Tucson KOA for $39.37 with my discount. $43.75 without. It was my cheapest option West of Tucson for an overnight stop. Winter in AZ. Rates go up. Yes, I pay for the KOA membership. See the price on the app no hassle. Book on the app at a fuel stop when I decide where I'm stopping for the night.

For the record, I paid $80/night for crappy hotels with uncomfortable beds and trying to avoid bedbugs on the drive over to pick up the fifth wheel.

Yeah, you campers out west are spoiled. Spend a few nights on the east coast.

Our personal cutoff price is $75 a night. If we pay more that that, someone is coming in the morning to change the sheets.

We averaged $38 a night over the 6 month winter trip all around the southeast.

The going rate at a KOA near Washington, DC that I stayed at earlier this year was $78. I stayed there during VKR appreciation day and got a BOGO rate of $39 a night.

At this point in time there are many RV's being sold but few new campgrounds being built. So I see crowding and higher prices for the foreseeable future. The only way to get around this is to boondock, camp during the week or utilize PA, GS, Escapees or some other discount program.

$52 a night sounds reasonable. Gone are the days of $25 a night campgrounds. On our Yellowstone trip the average rate was $45, some nicer places were a bit more, some so-so places were cheaper. I’ve paid as much as $90 a night for a campground that is close to attractions with nice amenities.

$52 per night for FHU actually sounds reasonable for A KOA if you like such places. The one 4 miles from our home in PA is more than that I think (they don't put their rates up so you can check them on the websites without a lot of BS), and IMO it's a sort of dumpy, crowded place filled with about 75% seasonals. I'm certain it was more than $52 a few years back. I just played with the Tucson KOA site and it shot me back $100 per night.


Heck, for full hook ups here at any of the PA state parks that have them, you'll be set back $44-$46 per night and no pool, goofy golf, etc.

I think if $52 is too much for a FHU at such a place, you may want to re think the RV thing? I don't see rates going down.......anywhere.

I wish we had the millions of acres of BLM facilities and all the dispersed camping available like out west. If you want cheap AZ has what? 12 million acres? From what I can tell the BLM developed campgrounds are cheap. But if you absolutely need hook ups and pools, bring the checkbook I guess.

bigorange wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
Catalina State Park up in Oro Valley.

+1

Never stayed there but there’s also Cactus Country near the fairgrounds and have heard good things. https://www.cactuscountryrvpark.com

X1!!!

I would shy away from the Prince of Tucson. When we stayed there, there were a lot of work campers staying there working on the highway projects. Because of the crews start very early in the morning due to the mid day heat, the workers would go roaring out of there before 6:00AM on their Harley's waking everyone up.

And certain sections of the park are too tight for RV next to each other for both to put their slides out.

Bill

We have stayed at Catalina State Park. I agree that it's a nice spot! But very small and often no availability.