How do campgrounds really get their ratings?

I'm not talking about interests or desires, just basic descriptions like, "clean bathrooms", when there is nothing more than a hole dug in the ground. Or, "spectacular lake", and it's a non swimming green puddle of swampy water. Another one, "large wooded sites", this one kills me and is used often when the site resembles nothing about woods or large.

Maybe its possible that you have a resort expectation on a small budget. I mean if you spend the money, the site is going to be there.
Also I posted a review on a site and I got reamed because my idea of quaint was not the other persons. I saw quaint, they saw shabby.
The best thing to do is to decide where you would like to go and then post on this board asking for ideas of places. Then you will know what your getting.

The Woodalls/TrailerLife/GoodSams guides each explain how their (different) ratings systems work. what is rated might not have much to do with what interests you.

Customer reviews and ratings may also be a mismatch to your interests and desires, but even worse, they will not be at all consistent. People can give five stars to everything because there were one or two things they really liked, or totally pan the place for something that was not the responsibility of the CG or park, like behavior of another client, or train passing through the town the night they are there.

It is entirely possible that you will never find a RV park or CG that YOU like, althoough everybody else is satisfied. People are different from each other, have different expectations, different needs.

rockhillmanor wrote:

threecamprs wrote:
...How do you choose the places you stay? Is there a really reliable source? Are we doing something wrong?

Ratings of a CG on ANY site is a joke, don't waste your time utilizing them to choose a CG. Even a 5 start resort might net you a 'clean' CG but you are parked in like sardines and a restrictions list so long you'd think you are staying at Rikers Island.

Google the address of the CG go to maps/direction and click on street view, and then zoom from above. Tells you everything you need to know about what it looks like. Seeing what is 'around' the CG is pretty important also. This is the ONLY way I use before heading out to any CG.

"Rikers Island"! LOL! Actually, I think Rikers has less rules than Jersey campgrounds!

dahkota wrote:
I have never experienced any of the things you complain about but I stay in state, national and COE parks. The worst I've had with regard to garbage was a cigarette butt on the driveway once, maybe a couple in the firepit. The smallest site I ever stayed in was at a private park once, where the sites were like a parking lot. I have never stayed at a private park again as that is not the camping experience for which I am looking.

Not sure where in New Jersey you are but PA, MD, and NY have some great state parks (New Jersey has very few that allow pets so I haven't visited yet).

I notice often that many reviewers on rvparkreviews knock off points for not have sewer, cable, or wifi so I typically disregard their point system altogether and just read the comments.

We are done with camping in Jersey. Overrated, overpriced. We have been to State/Federal Parks in Maryland, Delaware and New York. NY has some fantastic places. We have trips planned to Upstate NY into mid-November. After that it's unfortunately time to winterize and wait until March for the first trip of the spring season for us.

We both believe rvparkreviews is the biggest culprit for phony/fake reviews. We don't even look there anymore.

And don't throw out campgrounds because they have lower ratings, some are good.

You are so right. Some of the ones we've been to have low ratings. What they don't have are the crowds, traffic, etc.

We are finding a lot of the places in Jersey are just bad. They are nothing as described in the reviews, and as some here have said, the reviews are probably written by their brother, uncles, nieces, etc.

jmtandem wrote:
We never really know until we get there.

That hits the nail on the head. As an extended business traveler, I had a lot of experience traveling from Florida to Maine and reservations were incompatible with my travel. While I had time constraints, it was unlike those of the weekend warrior. However, I learned early on that while offering less amenities, government parks offered two things I've always enjoyed about the camping experience... natural ambiance and room. Not everyone's cup of tea and that's understandable. Granted, my travel times have been conducive to there being a spot available upon my arrival as a walk-up. Although, I have had to dry-camp nearby waiting for a site to become available. An extreme rarity, but it has happened. I've had only a few rowdy neighbors over the years at a government park. Recognizing more campers generate more trash and unkempt restrooms, I've not seen the degree to which the OP describes and I've been in some rustic campgrounds.

Now, as a full timer, my travel represents about 1/3 per/yr of the miles once logged. I'm also fortunate to domicile in a State that offers 1/2 price camping in excellent SPs to it's senior residents year 'round. The bulk of my travel is in the Spring, Fall and about half the winter months using government parks, especially those honoring the federal or state "geezer" pass. It's far less crowded during those times. A small mom and pop park with a reasonable monthly rate serves me well during the Christmas holidays and summer, affording me lots of time with the grandkids. Either way, without constraints on time and distance, if there's a vacancy, I get a drive-thru without a reservation before making a commitment. Old habits die hard.:)

I use rvparksreview.com and others to do my research. I look at both the bad and the good reviewers and see if they have been to camgrounds I have used. I check there thoughts to mine and go from there...Youtube has videos of some and that makes everything very clear, as pictures on websites don't always tell the show the actual condition.

I also use rvparkreviews.com when deciding where to stay on a trip. Like others have said, the numbers mean nothing, but consistency in the numbering can be taken into consideration. A multitude of 7s and 8s vs a slew of 3s and 4s generally gives a fair presentation of the CG. When most "scores" are good and then a 1 or 2 pop up I make certain I read them to find out why. Also as has been said, I check on the reviewers other contributions to see if his approach to determining the quality of a CG is the same as mine. It is a "crap shoot" but I have never been really disappointed when using rvparkreviews.com as a tool. BTW, I would NEVER reserve a site at any CG that had a "NO REFUNDS EVER" policy. That's a very bright RED FLAG for me!

We've been to many campgrounds. My wife researches them before we book. We always make reservations prior to leaving. She checks different sources and reads reviews from those sources.

I can't begin to tell you how many times we have been burned going to campgrounds that are just real bad but have great standings and reviews.

I don't think there is any way of guaranteeing you will have a good time at any RV park or camp site. It is about the neighbors, previous tenents, and what expectations you have and your definition of a good camping time. Even places you have frequented prior can now this time have totally different folks as neighbors that might make the camping not enjoyable. Some of us like kids and understand they play and make noise. It can be music to the ears of parents to hear kids playing nicely. Some of us like dogs and friendly dogs often visit their surroundings, including neighbors. If you are a dog lover that isn't a bother. And some of us like solitude, and that is OK as well. I have gone to campgrounds and RV parks that I have consistently had good experiences and then had a bad experience. It goes with the terrority. We are all different and have different expectations. I go to a new campground with my eyes wide open, sometimes I am impressed, sometimes disappointed. It is part of the experience. If we are not into an adventure with our RV's we might as well stay home. Like many others I read the reviews and usually get good advice on here as we tend to help each other but what one poster likes another might not. With an RV we can just keep moving on if we don't like our surroundings and that is one wonderful benefit of having that mobility. Camping is not what it was in the 1960's where quiet and peaceful was the norm. It is just the way of life for us today unless you want adult parks only and they rarely are about the wonderful scenery and stunning natural features of our country. If you are finding that you are often disappointed you might re-evaluate your expectations or look harder for the parks that you think you will like based on your parameters of a nice camping experience. Then provide a review of the place that includes the good and the bad for others to make an informed decision. My worst camping experience in the last five years was in a park that I liked the best, go figure. It just did not work out one time and it was due to a combination of things. We never really know until we get there.