KOA Membership

[2edgesword]

My wife and I are doing some retirement planning (18 months) and hope to spend a good portion of our time traveling. While exploring trip planning it seems KOA has a pretty good network of campgrounds. Does anyone have a KOA membership? How useful has it been to you? Would you give the KOA campgrounds you have stayed at four out of five stars or have you found some of their campgrounds places you would want to avoid?

Any information would be helpful.

[trailertraveler]

haddy1 wrote:
In my experience (over 40 years with RVs) their prices continue to go up but most of their parks are going down. Of course, there are exceptions. They like to charge extra for everything. I avoid them if I can.

KOA= Keep on Adding.

This is a very old and common slur on KOAs. Many campgrounds/RV parks charge different rates for different services and amenities. A dry site (if available) will almost always be the cheapest. Water/electric sites are usually less than full hookups. Sites with 50 amp service are often more than sites with 30 amp service. Many parks charge extra for sites that have cable or charge for access to Wifi. A pull through may be more than a backin. KOA is no different in this regard and their website is very good at showing the types of sites available, the amenities available and the cost. There is of course no guarantee that the cheapest site is available or that your RV will fit in it. Like most RV Parks/campgrounds, KOAs generally charge for what is available at the site not what you say you want to or will not use.

[jplante4]

The benefit of KOA and a membership is consistency. They are all pretty much ok. Some are tighter than others, some are away from it all while others are right downtown. But, at least for us, none have been "we need to leave" terrible. I cannot say the same of non-affiliated private parks.

They have recently started a re-branding of the Kampgrounds. Journey, Holiday and Resort in the name indicates the level of service you can expect. The KOA in Hatteras is considered a Resort; having stayed there I'm not sure I agree. The one in Newburgh NY is a Holiday and that seems right.

So, if you need a decent place with 50 amp, water and sewer every once in a while, the membership is worth it. I'm sure the KOA haters will be along shortly to say otherwise, but just keep in mind that most of them have never stayed at a KOA because it's beneath them.

[haddy1]

In my experience (over 40 years with RVs) their prices continue to go up but most of their parks are going down. Of course, there are exceptions. They like to charge extra for everything. I avoid them if I can.

KOA= Keep on Adding.

[trailertraveler]

In my opinion any membership is only worth it if you use it. In addition to the camping discounts, some of the discounts offered to members by other companies like Allstate RV Help roadside assistance can make the membership worth while. As mentioned KOA campgrounds generally tend to be at the high end of the price point for their local area. However, they are generally decent campgrounds. Also as mentioned, points are accumulated based on each stay and can add up to an additional discount. What they call "hot deals" can be system wide or park specific and often include stay one night get one free or at a big discount.


Both the Passport America and Good Sam systems have more participating campgrounds than KOA, but they run the gambit from terrible to excellent. Passport America parks often have time of year and length of stay conditions for the steepest discount. But, it pnly takes a few nights to break even. Good Sam membership includes a discount at Camping World, Gander Mountain and Overtons. The Good Sam Action Line's intervention in two warranty disputes on my behalf saved me over $1000. That's more than I will spend in membership fees for a long time.


The America the Beautiful Senior Pass is one of the best deals going. It provides free entry and camping discounts at many federal facilities. Many states also have camping passes and entrance passes that can be worth it if you will use it enough.

[wildtoad]

Been a member for a long time. Some CG’s are great some should be removed as they give KOA a bad name. I’ve used their reward system to pay for many a stay. I will continue to use KOAs but read the reviews of each potential CG.

[stickdog]

Our first campground after we picked up our first RV was at a KOA in Branson MO. They signed us up with a membership and we spent three nights there. We did not stay in another KOA for a 8 months. We never renewed the club membership but we do stay at KOA's when convenient to our plans.
We much prefer state and other govt campgrounds USFS, USACE, NP's, BLM.

[BB_TX]

We have often stayed at KOAs. Have never stayed one that I would try to avoid for future stays. But some are much nicer than others. They actually have 3 levels of parks, Journey (fewest amenities and geared more toward short stays), Holiday (more amenities), Resort (most amenities), and price according to type and location.

At 10% off, 6-8 nights will pay for the card depending on rate for each night. Plus you accumulate points toward future stays. And can get a free night at a certain of year.

[lhenry8113]

We have been KOA members for years. When we camp-we generally go on trips as versus weekends and typically stay at Good Sam campgrounds or KOA. As was mentioned KOA tends to be a bit more $$'s but they generally offer more. Usually they have stores for camping supplies-pool areas-dog walks, and informative and friendly staff, clean restrooms and showers. For us-we definitely get our Bang for the Buck. Like their Camp Ground Directories as well

[Lwiddis]

I didn’t find the KOA membership cost effective nor their locations sufficiently scenic. I very much prefer finding new places. Some are disappointing but other new places...wow.

[Campfire_Time]

We considered a membership back when we still had a pop-up camper and our daughter was a pre-teen. Our experience with KOAs is that they are like staying at Super 8 motels. Some are fantastic while others are nothing more 50's styled CGs are really just dumps. Most are some level in-between. In the end it felt too restrictive to lock ourselves into something like that.

rvparkreviews.com is your friend. Look them up before you go.

[ependydad]

I find KOAs to be generally expensive. Even with the 10% off, I'd rather stay elsewhere at less cost.

As fulltimers, we've stayed at a handful over the years and usually just barely break even when we pay for the membership.

The quality of the parks we've stayed at is usually decent but rarely wows me.

[Dick_B]

All of the above. We have been KOA members for several years and the cost pays for itself every year. The hook, of course, is that they encourage you to stay at their parks to get the discount instead of others so it's a win-win for both parties.
We have found the KOA campgrounds to be a cut above the ordinary but some are better/worse than others. You just have to try them and make a list of the ones that are good/bad for you.
We (two 80 year olds) typically stay at the same CG's as in the past and don't normally go to areas we have never been. Our adventurous spirit has flown!