Turned off by campgrounds

[Dream_Chaser_]

Each year, I start looking for new campgrounds either short trips or extended stays and I turn immediately to the internet.

First, I do a search for campgrounds in the area I want to visit. Click on their website for basic info, check for reviews of the park, do a Google earth look at the park and finally try to visit the park.

If the site says last updated in 2013 it is useless. When I visit the website, if I do not see prices posted, I am out of there. Or if their rates are a year or two old, I'm gone. Do their prices indicate taxes in or extra and what are they?

I like to see photos of the campground. Not a bunch of pictures of last year's Christmas party or a bunch of people playing shuffleboard -- I want to see the sites.

Wifi and cable are not priorities since I have my own services. But it would be nice to know if they are available either free or paid.

If they have activities and post a calendar of events it should be current. Showing January's events in the first week of February is a turn-off.

If I am still interested, I start checking for reviews. I don't expect to see raving reviews but helpful info is a must. I like to see pros and cons about the park. The overall condition of the park, the attitude of park workers, condition of the washrooms and laundromat are main concerns. I don't trust the "exceptional" reviews because there is something wrong in every park.

I don't know who does the Good Sam ratings but I don't put a lot of faith in them. One park I stayed in had a 10-10-10 rating by Good Sam but in reality it was more 2-2-2.

A look at the park using Google Earth always gives a good indication of the park. I have no interest in going to a so-called campground that is 90% park model permanent units and 5-6 transient sites scattered all over.

Finally, I drive to the campground for a final inspection and evaluation. I like to be able to drive around the park and if possible, chat with 1 or 2 residents.

Sorry for the long rant. I don't think my expectations are extremely high but if campgrounds want my business, the first thing they better do is make sure their website is current and has the information I need.

[Lantley]

DutchmenSport wrote:
" I don't think my expectations are extremely high"... um ... yes they are.

If you are expecting a long-term spot to park with these amenities, then yes, you may need some of the answers to your questions to make a decision if you can or cannot live with an available amenities.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a simple campground, then your reaching too high.

I've never gone to a campground previous to scope it out. It's a surprise when we get there. That's part of the adventure. We mostly State Park camp. As long as we have access to water, electric and a dump station somewhere, we're happy.

X2-Well said

[Dream_Chaser_]

This is from a nearby park on Feb 10/16:

[magnusfide]

DeanRIowa wrote:
I agree with many of your points, but like most things in life, good campgrounds are subjective. Like you, I especially hate when you are looking for pictures of their sites and all you get are party pictures.

I want:

• Clean bathrooms
• Trees
• Reasonable prices
• space
• Peace and quiet(to a point)

This is similar to our list of priorities and is why we do a lot of camping in state parks.

Note to RV Park/Campground Owners:
The OPs desire for an up to date website with current prices and with pictures of the sites instead of parties is a valid one in my book. It's a small effort to keep it current.

[lizzie]

Significant case of Different Strokes for Different Folks here. Glad your strategy suits you. We handle it a little differently. About 3 o'clock in the afternoon I consult our various campground guides. We pick a park and spend the night. Works for us. lizzie

[2gypsies1]

Dream_Chaser! wrote:

I like to see photos of the campground. Not a bunch of pictures of last year's Christmas party or a bunch of people playing shuffleboard -- I want to see the sites.

This is the only one I'll agree with.

Why not skip all this planning and just take off for a public park where you know you'll be in nice surroundings, have a large site, don't have to worry about WiFi or pools or planned activities?

We rarely make reservations and our top choice is always a public park.

[Dream_Chaser_]

Wow -- I did not expect so many replies in such a short period of time -- but I appreciate all of them.

Maybe some of the reasons that I have a higher than normal search criteria is that I am 70+ years of age and have a mid-size motor home towing a car.

I do not stay in Provincial or State Parks. They do not offer what I want.

When we travel to and from Canada to Florida for the winter, my overnight stops are not quite as critical. Pull through sites, easy on and off the interstate, and within my daily driving plans are what I look for.

Once in Florida, we expect to be in one spot for 3-4 months with no plans of moving during that time frame. But when I search for a site, I really expect to find most of the information on their site. I don't need a pull-thru site but full hookups are a must. Big rig friendly is another must. I don't want to lose the toad in potholes, take the AC off the roof from low hanging branches or not be able to put out my awning because the unit beside me has huge slides protruding over my site.

When we see a park advertised as an "RV Park" that is what I expect. Not full of park model trailers that have been there for eons and very few RV's. These places are nothing but mobile home parks but keep "RV" or "campground" in their name to be taxed at a lower rate.

Being an ex-IT tech and website designer, I hate outdated sites with a vengeance. Web hosting and design are another subject altogether and not related to this thread. If a park can't keep their site updated, I wonder about how they keep their park.

I am not on a beer can budget but expect to get what I pay for. I don't mind paying $700-$800 a month for a good site but $1500 is not in my budget. $40-$50 a nite is fine with me -- cheaper than a motel.

Have I had any problems finding parks or making reservations using my search criteria? Not once in the last 5 years and I don't expect any problems in the future.

[LarryJM]

paulcardoza wrote:
You must have a tough time making ANY reservations! 😉

Yep, and I also think the OP's expectations are somewhat out of line ... for heavens sake it's a CG and not a 5 star SPA/RESORT. Also, many times folks are looking for champagne offerings on a beer budget or even a water budget. While cheaper than MOTELS/HOTELS, CGs are generally not priced at the rock bottom level most seem to think they should be.

I often get a kick out of the post where someone complains that they are looking for a cheap place since they think paying $40 for just an overnight to be too high to park their $50K truck pulling their $50K 5er into after traveling 400 miles at 8 to 10mpg for fuel.

Larry

[phillyg]

Perhaps you're being a bit hyper-critical but you obviously have your standards and want to stick with them. Nothing wrong with that. I get irritated at poor or old info on websites, and it could result in my by-passing one CG for another. I generally trust ratings from GS and I wouldn't hesitate to report a CG that didn't meet expectations.

[Jim_Shoe]

I require at least electric for medical reasons. I prefer FHUs plus WIFI and Cable. Pull thrus are a bonus because I pull a Jeep Wrangler 4 down. If I have all of that, I'll pay the price. For those reasons I generally hunt for KOAs, and since there are so many KOA haters, I rarely get turned down for a site.

[garmp]

rvparkreviews.com is great and I use it all the time, but, being a "B Camper", I have to remind myself that many/most of these reviews are written by "RV" people. Many of which only come outside to adjust the satellite dish. Like the OP I don't care for, and try to avoid the field parking type park as well as the concrete slab parking, slide to slide sites. We like to be outdoors, thus the "camping" trips. Trees and space to enjoy nature is for us.

[amandasgramma]

We do what you do, but we don't check them out in person first. Going to Google Earth has helped devide more thsn any book out there...especially Good Sam's book. Sorry folks, but on one trip 3 out of 5 rv parks, all highly recommended in Good Sam were LOUSY!!! And we've never had a problem finding a park.

[scrubjaysnest]

mockturtle wrote:
It sounds to me as if you are discussing RV Parks rather than campgrounds.

+1

[Drbolasky]

Cdash wrote:
When it comes to campground reviews, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

How true. Once I have roughed out our itinerary and the route, then I start looking for campgrounds. I post queries here on the Forum and also look at reviews on rvparkreviews.com. We're less fussy if we are staying only a night or two, and more particular if the CG in question is "the destination" (which is rare) or plan to stay three or more nights. I look for general consensus in the written reviews and give them a bit more weight over numerical ratings by GS, Woodalls, etc. Visiting parks? Only possible if they are close, and I can recall only one case in which an otherwise nice CG was stricken from our list due to poor attitude on the part of an office staffer.

[imgoin4it]

Lots of emphasis here on facilities and "condition". Probably the very nicest park I have every seen was the worst place I ever stayed. Their grounds keeping contract damaged my motor home and when i trid to get insurance info from them they tossed me out of the oark. Long story. I like friendly responsible places and people and can forgive some lesser things.

[2oldman]

More reasons to get batteries, solar and an inverter and boondock. I don't care for RV parks either.