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Old 06-03-2019, 07:13 AM   #1
racetech
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How to find a great camp ground?

Im not new to camping but I am new to campgrounds. How does everyone find good campgrounds that they can feel safe and have some peace and quiet at? I picture camp grounds being like some of the local ones I use to go to as a teen, with wild parties late into the night and constant noise and disrespect. Now that Im older and have a family I wish to avoid this at all costs! I have been looking at campgrounds and reading google reviews, but what are some other apps or techniques you all use to find the best of the best for any given area? Thank you!
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Old 06-03-2019, 07:41 AM   #2
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I use KOA campgrounds fairly regularly and I have always been happy with them. In my experience, KOAs are clean, relatively well maintained, and quiet hours are observed/enforced.
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Old 06-03-2019, 07:55 AM   #3
racetech
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I have heard good things about KOA. Seems to be one of the leaders in consistency
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Old 06-03-2019, 07:58 AM   #4
Logan X
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Yep. I’ve been to about 10 different KOAs and they have all been consistent. They are usually not super fancy but they are good.
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Old 06-03-2019, 08:47 AM   #5
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KOAs are fairly consistent as has been said. Some are pretty nice and some are pretty bare but you can generally be sure the kinds of things you're worried about won't happen. Beyond that, look at the Good Sam rating, online reviews and websites. Sometimes it's the luck of the draw even after you do your due diligence. I've not had the kinds of issues you describe while in a private park with either a manager or owner onsite. While there might be a very brief instance, those that run the place have always put a lid on it right away. In our experience state parks and places like that are where you run into the issues you describe; especially on a weekend so we just don't do it. Only place we ever had trouble - whether the guy next door sitting on the table playing his guitar through an amp, the folks on the other side building a bon fire and tippling away into the night while you have to close all the doors and windows to keep from suffocating or the incessant yelling and screaming of kids throughout the day and into the night. I know that is contrary to what many like, and we do miss staying in a lot of "pretty places", but, I prefer to stay at a quiet, private park and go "visit" the state park and I can then retreat to our "quiet" place when we are ready. JMO and I know YMMV.
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Old 06-03-2019, 08:57 AM   #6
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We don't plan any stops. When I'm tired of driving or the wife is sick of sitting I ask google for campgrounds near me and look at the ratings.

We also have the Woodall's Camp Guides from the AAA.
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Old 06-03-2019, 11:06 AM   #7
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In addition to what already has been recommended, I suggest the reviews on the phone/computer app RVPARKY as well as GOOGLE maps.
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Old 06-03-2019, 11:55 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by racetech View Post
I have heard good things about KOA. Seems to be one of the leaders in consistency
They're also consistently higher priced per night than than most private campgrounds.
Totally agree about the weekend warriors at most state/national parks. If going to them try to do so during the week & miss the circus.
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Old 06-03-2019, 12:42 PM   #9
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We have actually had good luck with Minnesota state parks. Most have had hosts on site in addition to rangers at the office. We have also had good luck with the Corps of Engineers (CoE) sites. Private and county campgrounds have been kind of hit and miss depending who is running the place but even then we haven't run across any troublemakers. Some places we have been at have actually been "too" quiet.
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Old 06-03-2019, 12:49 PM   #10
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I like a slightly more rustic campground. I can dump on way out and fill with fresh water on way in. I like trees and a river, lake, or ocean close by. I like my trash pandas fat and sassy as they eyeball you walking through your site in the middle of the day, makes me chuckle. I am looking forward to a couple of COE campgrounds this summer. I like the National parks in the maritimes, and provincial parks at home in ontario.
I look to see where the better sites are and take note if I feel like I would go back.
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Old 06-04-2019, 07:35 AM   #11
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We're in our 4th season with our Bullet. We've camped all over the state of Michigan, and in about 12 other states in our travels. We have yet to experience a "problematic element" in any of our stays. There have been a few nights when neighbors are up later than expected sitting around a campfire. Turning on our coach's central AC fan eliminates that noise. But overall, everywhere we go (this includes a wide variety of state, local, national, and private parks), folks are usually quiet after 9/10 pm and most are respectful of others.

Don't know how much camping the OP has done as an adult but any formal RV campground will usually have quiet hours. Campgrounds inherently have a diverse customer base which changes daily. A poor mannered, disrespectful group can show up to just about any campground. In all honesty in my 4 years of RV travel, haven't seen it much. Even on the western shores of Lake Michigan where the dunes attract large groups of campers and ATVs from all over the midwest, the ill-advised behavior that one would expect to see isn't all that common. We go there frequently.
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Old 06-04-2019, 07:49 AM   #12
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We have yet to experience a "problematic element" in any of our stays.
The only time we had a "problem" was from a farm about a mile away where they were having a party most of the night and the music sounded like it was coming from next door. Ma and pa must have been out of town.
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Old 06-04-2019, 08:53 AM   #13
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We enjoy staying at KOA and state parks. I look at reviews in the Trailer Life campground directory, the campgrounds website reviews, and Trip Advisor also. Sometimes I'll look at the campground from the air using Google Earth. Sometimes it's interesting to see what is nearby. I've usually had good experiences. I tend to avoid private campgrounds with a preponderence of seasonal campers. They tend to make the campground feel more like a trailer park. Hope this helps.
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Old 06-04-2019, 04:30 PM   #14
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Look at the ParkAdvisor app. We've had good luck finding good to great campgrounds with it.
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Old 06-05-2019, 05:27 PM   #15
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Go visit some that have the good reviews and see if they are acceptable to you. What you are asking is kind of open to interpretation to individual preferences. What I like you may not. Any time we go camping in an area we look to see what other CG's are near by and go visit them to see if we would like to go there some time.


I think your concerns of partying into the wee hours is more likely to happen in a dispersed camping setting like on BLM lands or National Forest service back woods places. Most all CG's have quiet hours that start at like 10pm until 6 or 7am or so. I think you may be concerned over nothing really. Get the grand kids and go camping and don't worry. It has wheels if you don't like the place.
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Old 06-06-2019, 03:47 AM   #16
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We were in a KY state park on a weekend and turns out they were having a yard sale that weekend. All the regulars had their junk out for sale. Really!


I use KOA and Good Sam, look at the reviews, and hope for the best.
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Old 06-06-2019, 06:06 AM   #17
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Trip Advisor works well to find good places to stay.

Maybe I’m backwards, but I’ll look for the highest rated, then read all the negative reviews. I like to see if the review is legit or are the people that wrote the review are just negative people who write bad reviews for everything,, which happens a lot
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Old 06-06-2019, 01:05 PM   #18
Mroe67
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We use an app called Park Adviser, most sites are reviewed by fellow campers and pretty accurate. Also go by if it’s Good Sam rated. Haven’t stayed at a bad campground yet
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Old 06-09-2019, 08:17 AM   #19
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Great campground RV resource

https://www.allstays.com/apps/camprv.htm
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Old 06-09-2019, 12:07 PM   #20
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I purchase the app allstays and use it all the time. Allstays use the Good Sam rating system, has reviews from other campers, usually has pictures and write up of camp grounds. Has not be wrong yet. Well worth the $4:99
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