Koa

[velvetwolf5]

Hello, I'm new to myrvspace .com,hope to learn alot from everyone,and enjoy my stay.First off I have a question ?Does anyone out there know what is going on with KOA? I'v been rving for 2 yrs.an have some really bad experiences at KOA Campgrounds.My mind is boggled,I thought KOA was a family experience,traveling as a single female I've always looked for family parks for many reasons,have been very disappointed in the KOAs I've stayed at,(all in Fl.)am I expecting too?Have a Great Day,and safe travels.

[stampgirl]

We have only been to KOA's in Michigan, but have NEVER had any problems. We have always enjoyed staying at them. Oh yes, we did stay at one in Canada, near Niagara Falls, last year...that one was very nice and the staff was very pleasant too. Sorry to hear you've had bad experiences w/KOA, we have always recommended them. Maybe it is just the one's you've been at...what kind of disappointments have you had with them?

[velvetwolf5]

Gosh, I'm not sure it's a good thing to put on here.I've been a business person (now retired)an policy is to not bad mouth others.Lets just say they were very serious conditions in my opinion.I'm glad you had good experiences with KOA,maybe it's just Fl. I do know about 3 of them have sold out,or closed completely in Fl. I'm going to Tn. with hopes of staying in a KOA there,I haven't completely given up on them.

[stampgirl]

Well good luck in TN, hopefully the one(s) you stay at then will restore your faith in using KOA again. Safe Travel!

[afchap]

We generally avoid KOA campgrounds. In our experiences in campgrounds from Virginia down the East Coast, and from New Mexico to Illinois and all states between, we have found that KOA's tend to be run down and poorly maintained, campground roads very narrow, and trees in need of trimming to avoid scratching RVs ...on top of that, they tend to charge premium prices for their much less than premium facilities. We feel like we get better service and much better prices at other places. We're even a little cautious about former KOAs that are privately owned because of the very narrow roads, but we will sometimes stay in them as the prices are normally more reasonable. We just left a former KOA this morning where it was extremely tight getting out of a pull-through spot and then down the rows to the exit. Fortunately we only had to take on one tree and its low branches to get out of the park.

[velvetwolf5]

With all the competition out there KOA must be suffering,I find as you said the sites are small,roads hard to move on. I think that is due to RV's have gotten bigger an the owners/KOA aren't putting the money into improvements.The last two I stayed in were awful,they take their "we can remove you policy a little to serious"I know it's important to pick up dog poop",but, throw someone out at the drop of a hat/poop?I saw this done to someone.Although I don't like doing this it may be important to someone with kids.One campground had two registered child molesters living in the park with kids living there also,and a school bus arriving everyday,an the police coming once a month..Another ,had an elderly man who was stalking women on a regular basis.Nothing was done about either.Being single I have learned to ask to walk the park before I decide to stay,if I feel that female intuition kicking in I move on.I don't have a problem marching up to the office an telling them I'm uncomfortable about something either.I exercise my rights.Maybe ,KOA is passing on ,not changing an growing with the times.If anyone knows of a nice park around the Nashville area,please inform me of it,it will be greatfully appreciated.

[bobvaughn]

I was enticed to stay at a KOA in Texas by a sign on the Interstate that stated $8.95 per night...Now this was the 80's and that was a reasonable price. When I got into the office the price escalated to $26.00, that was the price just for the spot...Not the passengers, no water,no electric, they even charged for our A/C even though it was in the low 70's at 3 in the afternoon. They even charged for our dogs. I decided to stay because I did not feel like looking for another campground. We put our rig on the spot and went sightseeing. When we returned we could not open the trunk in the back of our RV because they had backed a unit up against my bumper. The had actually parked rigs between the spots. They were getting double fees out of every spot. This was not my worse experience with KOA but the most vulgar.

[kalynzoo]

KOA's are for the most part independently owned, and operated under a KOA franchise. In the 20 plus years we've been RVing, KOA's have been for the most part acceptable, often excellent, and occassionally marginal. Williams KOA in Arizona is lovely, as is Petaluma near San Francisco. Just like any other campground, you must do some homework before camping. Check the rating in Trailer Life or the W one (I forgot the publication). There is an internet site RVPARKREVIEWS.com, that is a peer to peer site, and gives some honest comments. If a KOA is not satisfactory, call KOA and complain. I bet it will be better for the next person. Some KOA's have left the network because they cannot or will not maintain standards...or the franchise costs too much. Happy Trails, and better luck camping.

[vulcanmomma]

I have to agree with many of the comments. We find that the KOA's are way overpriced for the size of the sites. Most of them are tight turns, narrow width, and have a hard time accomodating todays larger rigs. Especially with many slides. This not only includes Motorhomes, but Fifth wheels, and the newer travel trailers.

[artandcaroline]

try st augustine KOA, you wont be dissapointed

[sunny]

I've read the comments about KOA and wanted to add mine. First let me say that I spend 7 years traveling across and around the county in an RV. We usually stayed in one place for only a few days, so I've been to LOTS of different campgrounds. The last three years I have done camping mostly in Florida. I did a lot of camping in Washington and Oregon for many years prior to the cross country treks. Over the years, I saw and downhill slide with the KOAs, some changed to other campgrounds, some closed down. I do find that KOAs, generally, are not well-maintained, campsites are close and tight, and the prices are definately higher. Years ago, they seemed to be much nicer though still a bit higher in cost. Anyway, for me the bottom line is: Why pay $46 for a crowded, shabby campsite, when you can get the same thing for $30????? I did stay in a few that were very nice, clean and with sites not too close, however, they were expensive. The RV resort down the road was no more $$$ and had way more amenities (but it was full for the night). One thing I can say generally about KOAs is that the folks who work there are very nice and try their best to accommodate visitors.

[jwillie44]

Just like everyone says... KOAs are independently owned and their quality varies widely. The only constant is that they are usually full of kids and tend to be more expensive than the guy down the street.
We stay in them when we like their location in relation to the other RV Parks in the area.
We never stay in Wal-Mart parking lots because we don't like to boondock, but I have heard that KOA is a leader in trying to get that practice outlawed. I don't like that.

[velvetwolf5]

My experience again with KOA has been not what I expected.The last one I stayed in was beautiful,big spaces,clean etc.I'd recommend it for short term,though it's pricey.There are very few children in the park.This is what I expected of KOA,a campground ,children,people camping not all retired people living there all the time. I'd guess they need the residents to pay the bills when tourist season is over.With a few exceptions they have become mobilehome parks.To me they need to drop the ""Campground"" adds so people are not misguided.

[kroving]

DiTo We are full-timers and have found KOA to be very over priced and designed for 20 foot rv's. Trying to get a 36 footer around and into a site can be horrable!

Dave

[mdock2]

Just stayed at Ft. Summit and was not the least bit impressed, the cost - 54.00 per night. roads tight, so called pull thru sites tight, had to watch for trees on both sides of both ends of the site ended up rubing picnic table (didn't notice) because i was watching back of unit around trees. not one i'll be going back to.. but picked cg because it was a KOA

[jackde]

I stayed at a KOA for the first time in Maine that would be Freeport Me. It was also a bad experience for me. I will think twice before going there or other KOA. There are a lot of nice campgrounds in Maine to choose from. Maybe this will help others.

[oljoiner]

We have only stayed in the Sweetwater Tn KOA. It was a pretty good experience. We got there late and had a pull through reserved. It was a good site and I think the price was $36 a night. That was in Oct 06. It was a bit tight in places I think but luckily I paid the extra for the pull through since I had little experience in backing. It rained hard friday night, and most of the day saturday. The place was muddy but still passable. It had rained so hard there was no way it could not have been muddy. I have ridden through some other KOA's and noticed that many are real tight for the larger rigs. Looks like they are trying to make every dollar they can per square inch. One that I do remember is the KOA in Lake Park Ga at exit 5 on I 75. ALot of the sites were pull through but still tight. I cant say I will or wont use KOA again. Kinda depends on what the trip is involving. I hope everyone keeps posting about the different KOA's to give us notice on the good and the bad.

[ibtallwalt]

Made reservations at KOA Olando 3 months in advance and when we arrived (during a storm) we were told that they forgot we were coming and that the only space that they had available was very narrow, muddy VERY difficult to access spot in the rear of the park. Next day, when the sun came out, they were better than 60% empty...and would not listen to our request to be moved to a space more akin to the one that we reserved (on the lake, pull thru) rather than the one in the rear with no space to even open our awning to protect us from the rain showers... but NO, they had a commitment on all the spaces that I mentioned....Yeah right!... one that I asked about, was used one nite the 7 days we were there...

Next was Layfaette LA, and there we were stuck in another space that required the neighbor to move his unit in order to allow us access to the site, and the other nieghbor, couldn't even open one of his slides due to the size of the site.

WE have written KOA and have destroyed our KOA discount card and will NEVER stay in another KOA. I'd rather camp in Wal Mart or a truck stop, theyre nicer and roomier and without question CHEAPER...

KOA is WAAAAAAY overpriced, shabby, mis managed, outdated, and RUDE at least in the two occasions I've had with them, and there won't be another.:mad:

[mdock2]

Had stayed there a number of times over the last 30 years and it was always nice, this time was no different. HOWEVER, my site was a 50 amp service, well guess what, it was but because the campground was so old, and i was at the end of the service line, I was only able to operate 1 A/C and the hot water heater or both A/C's and no hot water. it took most of the night and next morning to track down what was going on, and only when i was at the rear of the unit and looked down the row and saw all the other big rigs sucking up power to. When i asked management about it, they responded at first with you can't run both A/C's and the hot water to!! Wait a minute, i just did that the night before in another campground and earlier in the day before the other rigs got checked in. Then he backed down and placed blame on the power company as there were not providing the proper amount of current to the campground to meet the demand.. He then also admitted that the campground was old and he was slowly replacing the wiring.He then offered to move us to another site that was closer to the feed line, but after looking at the site, I could put up with only 1 A/C. Other than that, we enjoyed our weekend there.

[creekin]

Try KOA in Billing, Mt. Very nice, sometimes seem to have to many kids that are supposed to be working. Overall very nice.
KOA in Concrete, Washington was great. Wonderful place for the kids.
Only poor experience we've had with KOA was in Tacoma, Wa.

[springwater]

we do use KOA's in our trek to Arizona. They are not a destination for us, just an overnight stop. Auburn Indiana is very nice and convenient to I-69. Another one we like is Joplin Missouri, I think its exit 4 of I-44. Very nice family run business, good long pullthru's. We also like the KOA in Van Horn Texas, they even have a cafe, and the food is good with hearty servings. They also deliver to your campsite. The owners are wonderful people. We stop at these going south and coming back home to Ontario. They are always neat and clean. Have never stayed in the Toronto North KOA, but I do hear folks rave about it. Lots to do for the kids..large campground.
So I guess I'm saying, we have never had a problem and will continue to stay at the KOA's on our travel south(and yes they are a little over priced).
Dona

[sueglassart]

I haven't had much luck with KOA's. They are a last resort only stopping place for us. Some are too crowded to easily get a 35" motorhome in. I usually find them not as helpful and friendly as other places. Usually more expensive and not always kept up. I think many are still surviving on the KOA name. In the distant passed they were the place to go with families for camping.

[dajeepman9]

Hello, I'm new to myrvspace .com,hope to learn alot from everyone,and enjoy my stay.First off I have a question ?Does anyone out there know what is going on with KOA? I'v been rving for 2 yrs.an have some really bad experiences at KOA Campgrounds.My mind is boggled,I thought KOA was a family experience,traveling as a single female I've always looked for family parks for many reasons,have been very disappointed in the KOAs I've stayed at,(all in Fl.)am I expecting too?Have a Great Day,and safe travels.

Personally every KOA that I've ever stayed at has usually been great. There have been some that I've stayed at just for the night or so that I've felt that I wouldn't wanna actually be there for awhile, but that's my own choice. If you actually read the KOA Directory the descriptions of the individual campgrounds are usually quite accurate.
I do know that some of the campgrounds do have their own rules regarding pets (usually breed of dogs) which is understandable, and ages of camping vehicles etc. Actually the age rules most of them have dropped due to the backlash that the main KOA office in Billings Montana got from campers with "Vintage" vehicles that they've spent a fortune restoring them etc.
Larry

[afchap]

Try KOA in Billing, Mt.
No way I would ever go to that one. The owner has been extremely active in trying to block ALL parking of RVs other than in licensed campgrounds. ...lot's of anti-RVer history there...

[tcwal]

Over the past three years and about 49,000 miles of travel from New Jersey to Utah and points in between, we have stayed at approximately 20 KOAs. Like several others, we view KOAs as our last or nearly last choice. Mainly because of cost. Only one campground we've stayed at was more expensive than the KOAs which for what we need seem to run $30-35. Non-KOA parks seem to be $20-25. Public campgrounds (City, County, State & federal) range from free to $25 with a wide range of services from nothing to full hookups and often little correlation between the services provided and the cost (many of the nicest campgrounds we have stayed at were in this category).

I guess we have been lucky in that I would not say any of the KOAs we stayed at were run down or poorly managed. Our rig is 52' long and I don't remember having difficulty in manuevering in any of the KOAs. I do not think the spaces are any smaller than those at most commercial RV parks, but we have not stayed in any of what I guess would be considered luxury resorts. We have not found a commercial park yet that has spaces as large as the State or Federal agency campgrounds. However, few of the public campgrounds have all the ammenties provided by the commercial parks. On the plus side for KOAs, all that we have stayed at had free WiFi that actually worked at the campsite and many had cable TV.

The worst parks we have encountered were not affiliated with any system and were no longer listed in Woodall's or Trailer Life. All were located off the beaten path in small towns left high and dry by the construction of the Interstate highways and the loss of traffic on the two lane highways. These parks were poorly maintained and seemed to be surviving on long term residents, many living in rigs that didn't look like they could move if they wanted to.

The most expensive RV Park we have stayed at ($49.50/night) was well maintained, but otherwise unremarkable (no pool, no outdoor recreation facilities) other than it was the only park within 60+ miles in any direction.

Based on our experiences, we will likely continue to stay at KOAs when convenient or the need arises but they will not be our first choice.

[lghopps]

I've had both, and there was no middle of the road.
In Maine they tried to squeeze my 23 TT into a 20' space 3' from the washrooms. In PA it was fantastic, lots of room between sights.

[teacherspet]

Sorry, as fulltime Rvers KOA is our last resort. We find them very cramped, old, neglected for the most part. We have TV and internet satellite systems on our 40' class A, we prefer no trees. We have 4 slides, so we prefer sites without encroaching trees and bushes on the site and at it's entrance and exit. Most KOAs seem to be overgrown and overpriced. Jellystone RV parks are just as bad whenever we've visited them. We don't stay at Walmart or Truckstops but they are beginning to look much better than most KOAs.

However the KOA in Ft Stockton Texas has tight short sites, but worth the stop and inconvience just to get the BBQ plate at their restaurant. Plus the price of the sites is well under most KOAs we've seen.

[katzmam]

Yes, most of the KOA's we have stayed in across the USA are lacking many of the things we all like with the larger rigs of today. I have found you do have to do your homework ahead of time in order to be happy with the campgrounds or RV parks. I still think the state parks are the best in most states and still a bargin. We are planning a trip across the nothrwest this summer and plan to stay in as many State and National campgrounds as possible. Happy Trails!

[maanpa]

Like all CG, they go from great to why are we staying here. We always check on "rvparkreviews.com" for CG in area we are planning on staying. Plus a great source on CG are you fellow RV"s at campsites or on the FORUMS. :rolleyes: Good luck and enjoy. :rolleyes: