Good Sam Campground Ratings

GeoBoy wrote:
As a member I understand that the Good Sam site shows avaliable campgrounds but they shouldn't be rated by Good Sam unless they are a Good Sam affiliated campground.
I am also a KOA member and KOA does not rate campgrounds that are not affiliated with KOA.

The Good Sam Rating System is deeply flawed and skewed to favor the "Resort" type park with a lot of so-called amenities. (Pickle ball anyone?)

This is on top of the fact that the Raters often miss many parks that have been in existence for some time.

I tend to view anything in that book with suspicion. I NEVER pick out a park solely because it is A GS Park or because it has a high rating.

If written well, edited properly and professionally, arranged in a more easily accessible way and the very dubious rating system corrected this book could be the Gold Standard of it's type...unfortunately it is better used in my trailer bathroom to block the heater vent.

TinyoneRV wrote:

AllegroD wrote:

GeoBoy wrote:
As a member I understand that the Good Sam site shows avaliable campgrounds but they shouldn't be rated by Good Sam unless they are a Good Sam affiliated campground.
I am also a KOA member and KOA does not rate campgrounds that are not affiliated with KOA.

Agreed. Zero endorsement, including rating.

We travel with the GS directory. Often there's not a GS park where we are or where we're heading. Very convenient to be able to find parks that have just paid for a rating and an ad. Have been in areas where the parks do not have and ad and find them difficult to find and when you do find them don't know what amenities are available. I know I can use the internet; however, I like the book. Most importantly, my copilot likes the book.

Good Sam does not charge to rate a park and does not require an Ad be purchased to have a park rated and be listed in the guidebook. That free listing will always include basic information about that park. If you actually look at the book you will see the vast majority of the listed parks are not Good Sam Parks and have not purchased an ad.

Absolutely keep rating all the campgrounds in the area. Why wouldn't you want as much information as possible? Seems to me this is a benefit of the app.

AllegroD wrote:

GeoBoy wrote:
As a member I understand that the Good Sam site shows avaliable campgrounds but they shouldn't be rated by Good Sam unless they are a Good Sam affiliated campground.
I am also a KOA member and KOA does not rate campgrounds that are not affiliated with KOA.

Agreed. Zero endorsement, including rating.

We travel with the GS directory. Often there's not a GS park where we are or where we're heading. Very convenient to be able to find parks that have just paid for a rating and an ad. Have been in areas where the parks do not have and ad and find them difficult to find and when you do find them don't know what amenities are available. I know I can use the internet; however, I like the book. Most importantly, my copilot likes the book.

GeoBoy wrote:
As a member I understand that the Good Sam site shows avaliable campgrounds but they shouldn't be rated by Good Sam unless they are a Good Sam affiliated campground.
I am also a KOA member and KOA does not rate campgrounds that are not affiliated with KOA.

Agreed. Zero endorsement, including rating.

As a member I understand that the Good Sam site shows avaliable campgrounds but they shouldn't be rated by Good Sam unless they are a Good Sam affiliated campground.
I am also a KOA member and KOA does not rate campgrounds that are not affiliated with KOA.

What GoodSam is saying: A RV park can advertise in the GoodSam travel/campgrounds and RV parks directory and not be part of the GoodSam Parks network. The inspection team comes around each year, checking all GoodSam, as well as non GoodSam parks.
If the non-GoodSam park has paid for an ad, they will be listed and rated in the GoodSam Directory along with the regular GoodSam parks. Only difference is they do not give GoodSam discounts.

Hello GeoBoy,

Thank you for your post. Here's a link of the Good Sam Campgrounds to choose from, just make sure it has the Good Sam logo next to the resort to get the Good Sam discount, the one that you mentioned above unfortunately does not have the discount because it doesn't have the logo. Good Sam customers are still able to stay and review other campgrounds that aren't Good Sam campgrounds which is what happened in this case.

http://www.goodsamclub.com/travel/campgroundsandrvparks/Default.aspx

Take care,
David