Help on campground directories

[luvmydogs]

I was somewhat sold by a few saying Good Sams was the best directory for campgrounds to get but then read that the new 2015 does not give ratings on campgrounds that do not pay for ads with Good Sams. That's why this year it is called a guide and not a diretory anymore. That makes me think its NOT the best directory to get, leaves to many possible campgrounds out. Any other ideas?

[doughere]

Good Sam Directory is the best (albeit not great) print listing of campgrounds that I've found. I've found its ratings more or less correct.

I would guess that Good Sam probably lists more than half the campgrounds around, but there are still plenty not listed.

There are many online sites listed in postings above and we use them all regularly.

We travel with these guides:
Good Sam
RV camping in State Parks
RV's guide to Corps of Engineers Campgrounds
National Park Services Camping Guide
Coleman National Forest Campground & Recreation Directory (out of print)
The Next Exit

We also go on-line to Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureaus of places we are planning to visit; they will often list camping sites not in GS.

Doug

[luvmydogs]

Thank you all so much for all the suggestions. I have written them all down. Your help is much appreciated.

[TinyoneRV]

We get the GS directory every year and use it for planning and while on the road. If GS rates "their" campgrounds better than others, how come many KOA's get high ratings while some GS campgrounds rate lower. We have occasionally seen campgrounds we might not rate the same as GS did, but when using their objective criteria we come out withing one or two points of their ratings. While some don't like the size of the book, we immediately tape the binding with duct tape so it won't tear and put up with the size. I like the articles in front of each state.

I looked at the online site; selected a state at random and then three cities and then a campground. In each case I found no reviews. Not nearly as comprehensive as the directory.

For $9.95 you can't go too far wrong..

[2gypsies1]

ETyson wrote:


As well as listings you'll find a whole host of useful information, color maps, destination and trip ideas as well as money saving coupons.

Sr Marketing & Product Manager
Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide

Eliminate all the 'travel' information and the book could be a usable size. We can all now get any city attraction information on the internet or by stopping at a Welcome Center. Why does the directory need to have all this stuff? It's supposed to be a campground directory, not a 'what to do' directory. I'm wondering how many people really use all those pages?

The last directory we purchased was much too large to handle. I've always wondered why it couldn't be broken down in two books - one for east of the Mississippi and one for west. Unless folks are taking a cross-country trip they typically just travel within a few state distances.

[tsetsaf]

The best http://www.campgroundviews.com/

[westernrvparkow]

ETyson wrote:
Hello everyone,

Please be assured the 2015 Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide is still a vital cmapground directory, with over 13,000 listings for RV parks and campgrounds, including 2,100+ Good Sam Parks.

As well as listings you'll find a whole host of useful information, color maps, destination and trip ideas as well as money saving coupons.

It continues to provide the trusted 10/10*/20 Good Sam ratings for campgrounds and RV parks. The ratings are not in any way determined, or connected to, the advertising RV parks and campgrounds choose to place in the guide.

Regards,

Ellen Tyson

Sr Marketing & Product Manager
Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide

So the guide continues as always, ratings for all the listed private parks (there has never been ratings for public parks, state parks etc.).
To expand upon another remark, it is impossible to list all potential parks, since many are not known to publisher. New parks appear and disappear. Certain parks do not fall under the criteria to be listed, such as being totally private, not allowing any public access, not offering overnight accommodations, being of a size smaller than the minimum to be listed in the book. Then parks can choose to not be listed. They can just plain run the reviewer out of the park on a rail or request that the park not be included in the directory.
Though you will never convince some people of the truth, the ads make no difference in the ratings. There are plenty of parks with high ratings that have no ads whatsoever. What you will seldom see is a low scoring park with a big ad. The reason for that is not some great conspiracy, but common logic. Why would you pay to advertise in a publication that says your product is junk? It would be a waste of money. You really don't need aliens, secret societies, under the table payoffs, crooked reviewers and the like to create an environment where the parks that advertise tend to have high scores. Common sense suffices.

[ETyson]

Hello everyone,

Please be assured the 2015 Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide is still a vital campground directory, with over 13,000 listings for RV parks and campgrounds, including 2,100+ Good Sam Parks.

As well as listings you'll find a whole host of useful information, color maps, destination and trip ideas as well as money saving coupons.

It continues to provide the trusted 10/10*/10 Good Sam ratings for campgrounds and RV parks. The ratings are not in any way determined, or connected to, the advertising RV parks and campgrounds choose to place in the guide.

Regards,

Ellen Tyson

Sr Marketing & Product Manager
Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide

[rr2254545]

luvmydogs wrote:
I was somewhat sold by a few saying Good Sams was the best directory for campgrounds to get but then read that the new 2015 does not give ratings on campgrounds that do not pay for ads with Good Sams. That's why this year it is called a guide and not a diretory anymore. That makes me think its NOT the best directory to get, leaves to many possible campgrounds out. Any other ideas?

Who told you this ?

[wxtoad]

We prefer public campgrounds and boondocking, and have found The Ultimate US Public Campground Project to have the most complete listing of those types of locations. In addition to their web site Android, iOS and Mac apps are available.

WxToad

[magnusfide]

trailertraveler wrote:
Many printed campground directories are out of date by the time they are published. If you travel the interstates, you may find The Next Exit useful. They also have an online version you can buy.

In my experience no single directory or website has a complete listing of campgrounds and RV parks. I use the following websites to find campgrounds along our route:
RV Park Reviews
Passport America
Allstays
RV Parky
Woodalls
Free Campgrounds
Free campsites
U.S. Campgrounds
National Forest Campground guide
Ultimate Public Campground Project
Corps of Engineers Campgrounds

I prefer the ones that are map based so you can easily find places along your route without knowing the name of a town. Some of them have data sets that you can download to a mapping program or GPS. The POI Factory and Discovery Owners Forum also have a lot of campground data sets and other Points of interest that can be downloaded to mapping programs or GPS.

Double ditto on sites mentioned and I'll add one TripAdvisor.com which gives ideas and reviews of campgrounds, local eateries and sightseeing.
Allstays.com, Woodalls and TripAdvisor are our most frequently used sources. Having a smart phone lets us access them while on the road.

We also prefer to stay at state parks as much as possible when they are available. State parks have better rates for the most part plus many have their own law enforcement for the protection of campers.

[luvmydogs]

I know books are more outdated than maybe the internet, but when your traveling and on the road and need to find a place to stop right then, a book is all I'll have. I do not have a smart phone to pull things up while on the road, nor do I have any desire to look at a teeny tiny screen trying to find a place to stay. Looking in an old fashiioned book is the only option for those times. It's just a question of which book is best for those times. I'd like to think I could plan ahead each day, but logically it wont happen that way all the time.

I too was really disapointed to hear how Good Sams lists the campground in its books, but then I guess AAA does the same thing with hotels in there tourbooks too. 😞

[amandasgramma]

Google search, RVparkreviews.com, Google Earth.....best sources for opinions on parks and finding parks. Books are outdated and have slanted opinions. Worst parks we've ever camped in have been ones we found in Trailer Life park book.

[NCWriter]

Bought the book when we started RVing and found it way too bulky and cumbersome to use when planning a trip - difficult searching for a campground in a general area without knowing the exact towns' names. I also did not agree with some of the glowing ratings.

Never used it again, since we bought an iPad with 3G around the same time and found it to be a perfect info source for the co-pilot while riding on the highway. (GasBuddy app probably has paid for the iPad in fuel savings.)

I use the Allstays app to find a campground on the map and then read RV Park Reviews to get an idea of what I'll find there, along with other options nearby.

[trailertraveler]

Many printed campground directories are out of date by the time they are published. If you travel the interstates, you may find The Next Exit useful. They also have an online version you can buy.

In my experience no single directory or website has a complete listing of campgrounds and RV parks. I use the following websites to find campgrounds along our route:
RV Park Reviews
Passport America
Allstays
RV Parky
Woodalls
Free Campgrounds
Free campsites
U.S. Campgrounds
National Forest Campground guide
Ultimate Public Campground Project
Corps of Engineers Campgrounds

I prefer the ones that are map based so you can easily find places along your route without knowing the name of a town. Some of them have data sets that you can download to a mapping program or GPS. The POI Factory and Discovery Owners Forum also have a lot of campground data sets and other Points of interest that can be downloaded to mapping programs or GPS.