Let me preface my remarks by saying that there are many campgrounds that I will not stay at.  We will never recommend that you stay, or do not stay, at a particular campground or campground chain.  Like most people if I have a bad experience more than once at a business I just won’t return.  I recommend that you always make up your own mind about a particular campground through direct experience; not from an online blog.  Sadly, there seems to be an amazing transformation taking place in the campground industry.

My remarks will be aimed at the KOA campground industry, but there are other major players for which I could make the same arguments.

Not too many years ago we were really pro KOA campers. The KOA’s provided you with a nice site, clean accommodations, and friendly people at a reasonable rate. KOA’s were a place where you knew what to expect, like a McDonalds Fast Food Restaurant, or Pringles Potato Chips.  KOA’s were pretty much all the same and that was a good thing!  Over the last few years we have seen some of the KOA’s that we really enjoyed, take a turn for the worse.  We can’t say that all KOA’s are declining in quality because we haven’t visited each one.  However, it’s enough of a change that we have taken notice.

While our experience has been that the KOA owners and employees are still friendly, it takes more than that for a good camping experience.  We have seen a transition where some of these campgrounds are becoming more of a trailer park for long term folks. Now we understand that a somewhat stable income from full timers (or seasonal campers) is essential to being profitable; but the change has really come without any sort of standards. According to a letter I received from KOA headquarters, they do not get involved in how the campground manages its long term camping arrangements.  We think that’s a huge mistake.

KOA HQ suggests you complain to the franchise owner if you think their campground looks trashy.  I think you can imagine how well that is going to be received.  Once back in 2010 I actually tied to have a civil conversation with a KOA franchisee about the poor condition of their campground.  That conversation went south very quickly.  One must ask themselves then,  what is the purpose of being the KOA corporation if there are no enforceable standards?

Just to be clear, we have nothing against long term campers.  We just dislike the lack of standards around how long term camping is managed.

Some of these campgrounds have changed from being a really decent campground to a really sad experience.  Some going downhill in less than a year. For example: Travel Trailers and Fifth Wheels parked with loads of junk around them (Tables, refrigerators, tarps, and other unsightly objects).  This includes many having large dog pens with many dogs outside unsupervised and raising a ruckus. The last KOA we stayed at looked like a zoo of cages.  One camper had about a fifty potted plants all over his site along with other miscellaneous stuff (crap).  To make matters worse these sites were not large. If this were an exception in the KOA network I wouldn’t even write about it, but it seems to rapidly becoming the rule.

It seems that the KOA organization needs to do one of a number of things:
1) Send independent teams as anonymous campers to critically review their individual campgrounds. If they are substandard, then give them 60 days to clean up their act or pull their franchise license
2) Set a standard for how long term campers are to maintain their sites and behavior. For example, any long term site must look as if they just pulled in for the night. Nothing can be stacked up outside and all residents must abide by the same rules that night campers have.
3) Determine a percentage for long term vs short term sites and enforce it.
4) Move all the long term tenants to their own section in the campground, preferably somewhat out of site.

I understand that KOA is getting roughly 10% off all the camping revenue at these campgrounds and so they may be reluctant to do anything but watch the revenue drop as people decide it just isn’t worth the stay. In addition they have come up with a new designation for their campgrounds: Journey, Holiday, and Resorts. We stay primarily at the Journey because we are usually on the way to somewhere else and only need a one night stay. The journey would be the least expensive of the KOAs and believe me even with a KOA discount it’s not what I would call cheap camping – certainly not for what we have experienced.

Despite the KOA’s that have faltered there are still good ones out there;.  You will see from our blog that when we find a good KOA we not only write about it, we also link you to their site.  We always approach the owners of the KOAs we have been happy at and tell them to “stay the way they are”.  I think those owners appreciate the feedback, and we are happy to give it.

I hope KOA does an about face in the near future and becomes its old reliable self – they are still a great option for getting from point A to point B without driving hours out of the way.   For those owners that have maintained a high standard at your KOA – We thank you!  Please don’t change.