By Mike Gast
So, I’m just going to throw this question out there. Is the demise of “mom-and-pop” campgrounds really such a bad thing?
Now, before you bring out the tar and feathers, hear me out. I’m not sure yet myself if the loss of small, family-owned parks should be decried or celebrated. I’m just bringing the issue out of the dusty topic closet for a little discussion. I’d really like to hear what you think on the subject.
What got me thinking along these lines was the column last Sunday by Andy Zipser, the former owner of the Walnut Hills RV Park in Staunton, Virginia. Andy recently sold his park to an up-and-coming corporate group that owns or operates more than a dozen parks.
I’ve known Andy for all eight of his campground-owning years since, for most of them, his park was a KOA and I was the vice president of Communications for Kampgrounds of America Inc. We didn’t cross paths often (mostly I heard from Andy when he rightfully pointed out a typo in some of my content). Even though we didn’t always agree, I have always respected Andy. He’s a smart fellow – smart enough to purchase a great campground that he undoubtedly left better than he found it and was able to reap the rewards of his efforts.
Andy’s story of campground ownership actually reflects the outcome most park owners seek. First, you buy a campground. Then you pour in your sweat equity and the improvements you can afford for a few years. In the end, you successfully cash out … sometimes to another family, but now it’s more likely – like Andy – you sell to a group or corporation.
So, back to my original statement. How can the demise of small, family-owned (“mom-and-pop”) campgrounds be a good thing?
Small mom-and-pop parks tend to grow slowly
Over the past two decades, I’ve watched hundreds of eager couples purchase “mom-and-pop”-type campgrounds. Most were mortgaged to the hilt to make it happen, although they were required to have at least a minimal amount of available operating capital to start their ownership experience.
Campgrounds – even small ones – do make money. But typically, the financial demands of debt service and other family expenses don’t leave a lot of cash to pour back into these smaller campground businesses (try as they might). Small, family-owned campgrounds certainly do add improvements and amenities where they can. It’s just a slower process.
That’s when corporate buyers can actually be a plus. They usually finance most or all of a campground purchase on their own and they have the cash needed for the quick improvements, added amenities, and campground expansions campers are now demanding.
Who’s to blame for fewer mom-and-pop campgrounds?
You can point that finger at yourself. Well, that might be a bit harsh. But in general, it’s the demands of the market that dictate what happens in any industry.
Campers today want more. More food services, more amenities, more sites and more space. The list is long. A small 30/50-site park, as my friend Andy pointed out, can’t afford to keep up with all of the current trends. Take a look at most campground reviews and you’ll see many complaints about poor WiFi, unpaved roads, and sites build in the 1970s that don’t fit current RVs sporting five slide outs. It all adds up and these are all issues that only cash can fix.
Like I said earlier, there is a lot of money to be made in camping, but it has to be done on a larger scale to really turn top dollar. Corporate buyers can afford to take a small park that comes with unused land and quickly ramp it up by adding hundreds of new sites and amenities to give campers just what they say they really want. Industries always react to market demands.
The downside
What’s happening now in camping isn’t new. Every industry evolves. The mom-and-pop 12-unit roadside motels that sprouted along the nation’s two-lane highways in the 1960s and ’70s gave way to the Motel 6’s and Super 8’s. They, in turn, had to share space with even larger motel chains as the interstate highway system bloomed.
The same goes for retail. Not many small-town hardware stores survived the arrival of a Home Depot. And you boondockers out there who are worried about the declining number of Walmarts that allow overnight camping probably won’t get much sympathy from the thousands of small local businesses driven out by Sam Walton’s behemoth creation.
The real downside of this evolution in camping, at least for us long-timers who remember it as it was, is that bigger parks with more investments in expansions and amenities will undoubtedly charge higher rates. Not only that, but more sophisticated operations will bring in “dynamic pricing,” just as Andy predicted last week. That means campsite prices will be handled just as seat ticket rates are managed in the airline industry. The price you pay will be determined by the day of the week, the camp’s available inventory, the demand for a certain type of site, even the time of day you try to reserve. It’s all driven by algorithms, and the factors are endless and automated. But it all leads to you possibly paying a lot more for the same site (or at least a very different rate) than your neighbor.
It doesn’t matter if we are talking about the future of national and state park campgrounds or private parks – be careful what you ask for. Endless surveys and reviews of post-stay comments clearly show that campers want more and bigger sites, more amenities, better WiFi, and sophisticated online reservation systems. And they want it all now. That takes capital, and that requires owners with more resources.
But don’t feel too bad for those remaining mom-and-pop park owners. They are well positioned for a big payday, just as they dreamed when they first purchased their campgrounds.
What comes next?
Expect to see more big-money players flow into the campground business in the next few years. You’ll also see a boom in new campground construction (that’s already started). Ultimately, the demands from the camper market will dictate how many campsites are added to the national inventory, the amenities that are offered, and what a night of camping will cost.
Is the end of the six-decade era of mom-and-pop campgrounds to be mourned or celebrated? I’m still not sure. Family ownership has been the bedrock of the camping business for 60 years. The vast majority of owners I dealt with in my career were wonderful folks. I’m sad to see them leaving the business.
I can remember early in my corporate KOA life when we called campgrounds “the last small towns in America.” I suspect corporate-owned parks might not be able to maintain that “Mayberry” feeling as campgrounds surpass the 500-site mark.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see if camping as we know it (or knew it) becomes just a fond memory.
Now it’s your turn. Tell me what you think in the comments below.
##RVT1004
I am on both sides of the fence. On one side I have met MANY amazing owners of smaller RV parks that worked 20 hours a day/7-days a week. I am happy that one day their investment will pay off in the form of a large payday from (insert name of corporation)
On the other side I am happy that well funded corporations are moving in to meet the consumer demand of more RV parking spots. Also those well funded corporations tend to hire more people and utilize more services which is a win win for everyone.
As consumers we demand lower prices for services, which in turn drives corporate greed. Only the mighty will survive.
I believe that the number of “post stay” comments are only a small percentage of what the “actual market trend” really is. The demographic of today’s RV’er is certainly changing but charging exorbitant prices to cover the cost of amenities, that I have seen not too many folks actually using, appears to be more of an ownership/management style of “keeping up with the Jones”. I believe RVIA and other associations in the industry should cast a wider net and canvass what today’s RV’er really wants and is willing to pay for. The local “mom and pop” campgrounds have been providing families with affordable family fun and holiday time for years and could continue to do so without the “big box” paving them over. I believe corporate owned campgrounds are cornering the market and leaving folks with no choice but to pay what they want them to. Pretty soon the average family won’t be able to go camping because it maybe cheaper to go somewhere else for a holiday. Another example of industry greed.
My wife and I have been traveling for about 7 years and our preference is a more modern campground with clean bathrooms and good wifi. Personally we don’t care about putting greens, pools, horse shoes etc. In our experience many, many older parks are tired, worn out, dirty and sites so tight you sit outside by your neighbors sewer hookup. We book well in advance and search out the highest rated campgrounds in the area of our next destination. Our last campground (Westview in Cortez, Co) is a good example of a wonderful campground. It was new (3 yrs) had all the amenities and was very well maintained. They did not have a pool but they did had a beautiful large covered pavilion with three gas firepits and did Happy Hours and pot luck dinners several times a week. We met several other couples and enjoyed their company many days. To us, maybe not for all, this is the type of campground we look for. So, I agree that new big company owners may be a good thing.
I have mourned the loss of small businesses over my lifetime. Small restaurants got swallowed up by chains. Local stationers disappeared with the arrival of Staples, Office Depot, and Office Max. Home Depot devoured local stores along with Walmart, Payless Shoes Stores and more.
Heck it started long before we were born. In the early part of the 20th century, there were hundreds of car manufacturers. How many survived GM, Ford, and Chrysler? Heck in my childhood we still had Packard and Studebaker. Remember American Motors? Even Chryslers and Jeeps are Fiats.
Heck, in a few decades or centuries there will be only a handful of companies that sell us anything. Maybe only one! Why would RV Parks be immune from this? Go big or go home!
We’ve been camping/RV’ing for many years and have witnessed the evolution of the campground industry firsthand. I predict a business model that features, low cost electric only sites, with automated check-in for overnight parking, will emerge to service the traveling public. In the past 12-years of RV’ing we’ve only encountered one park that was set up that way and it suited us just fine as we were traveling through to our final destination park.
I confess that I try to book far from the “corporate” parks. If the description says “ pool,” I look elsewhere. It is nice but not absolutely necessary to have a 30 amp hookup. We prefer more space and amenities like trees or privacy. Concrete pads, WiFi, dog parks, cable tv— who cares? I do take a look at reviews of older parks but find that some things others complain about are what we are looking for. Of course, we are not full-timers and never will be. We don’t want to carry everything with us— we like to “camp.” We have conceded to age and now have a small trailer with a real bed and a space to get out of the rain or get warm; but the unit is still small enough we can go where most of the big boys can’t, and that’s the way we like it. That means, of course, we don’t look forward to the demise of the small mom and pop campgrounds and really don’t care for all the “ upgrades” being done on public lands. I guess we are not part of the “main stream.”
Big business ultimately destroys everything it touches. That is why America is today a cesspool of greed, corruption and incompetence. Humans are oblivious to their wasteful destructive lifestyle. Just look at how agribusiness has done away withe the romance, charm and satisfaction of struggling to survive and succeeding on a small personal scale as a farmer.
The only benefit to me of this never ending rush to conspicuous consumption is that these
new glued and stapled together behemoths lurching down the interstates will only be able to wander from one jam packed luxury rv park to another and I, who recently traded my class A diesel pusher for a personally modified converted ambulance, can now begin to experience the few remaining unspoiled, uninhabited beautiful places left to visit without another “rv” in sight!
Right on!
You nailed it!
Amen. Hope your new rig is high clearance! I got a small nimble rig but wish it was higher off the ground, so many of the unspoiled places have bad roads!
Still room for Chuck’s idea of “just the night” stops. We are going out for two rallies at different locations and need two stops that are “just the night.” Get in, get out. Water and power, nothing else is needed.
Everything Mike says is true. We all know nothing stays the same. Those good ole days are in the past. So, we must change with the times. Most of the challenges can be overcome with advanced planning, as mentioned often in this newsletter. But the most difficult of these challenges to deal with are the price increases. For the most popular destinations, the pricing is becoming downright outrageous! Not many people can afford $75-$100/night, especially if you want to stay for a while. We have resorted to following every piece of advice we have found in this newsletter. This includes craigslist ads, local ad boards, considering workcamping, using our friends network, etc. So far, our hard work is paying off. We follow the old adage; where there is a will, there is a way. So, you don’t need to give up, but you might have to work much harder for what you want. And support the mom & pop parks, so they last as long as possible.
Sorry not me, i never support the big rv parks, yes NEVER, i seek out the mom and pop, yep sometimes going out of my way quite a few miles to get to them.
Same for local hardware stores and restaurants.
Guess the phrase ‘ok boomer’ fits, some call that a derogatory term but am not offended.
Joe, when someone says to me “Ok Boomer” (usually online somewhere) I thank them for the compliment and recognizing my ‘status’. 🙂
On the “pros” side, I would imagine large corporations will have better luck with local government getting approval to build and expand parks. On the “cons” side, it is the trend of everything. Many dystopian books and movies have depicted a world where large corporations are in charge. From Robocop to Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake series. After living through the pandemic, the world started to feel a bit dystopian. As you said, “be careful what you wish for.”
The incorporation of campgrounds IS NOT, I think, a good thing. Just as most industries these days have become much too “big for their britches”, campgrounds will become too remote from the customers. The fact is that most of us today have bent our desires and habits away from our personal feelings and interests to those we know can be satisfied by the large corporate entities. That is NOT a good thing; everything is becoming “homogenized”. Without getting into any of the cultural and racial issues which are ravaging the country today, that homogenization is going to become more and more wide-spread. If we are to remain individuals, we must find a way to slow incorporation of EVERYTHING. Fat chance! 🙁
Oh, just keep giving the corporations bigger tax breaks, it will trickle down as so amply proven before.
My favorite campground is a Ma & Pa place on a creek. Not near anything particularly interesting but not far either. It has few amenities. Water, electric, sewer. About half of the sites are seasonal. Many are working nearby. There are horseshoe pits and a very small playground for kids. And you can have as many pets as you want. They are never a problem. People clean up and keep them quiet mostly. The owner has 8 dogs himself. It’s peaceful and lovely. The most exciting thing to happen is a new camper comes in or leaves. I will be very sad when it is gone. But it might be safe. There is no room to expand from the 37 sites it has.
AS for us we see the loss of the mom and pop or family owned campgrounds the demise of camping. We realize this is a personal preference but we avoid the circus like nature of the big chain parks. To us they are not camping they are an open air version of motel travel. We stay in small private owned or government operated parks. When those are not available we avoid the KOA’s of the world and boondock. My guess would be when the mom and pops disappear from the camping scene so will we.
When we’re traveling we just need a place to park and maybe only electricity. When we park for several days we want hookups and a fairly clean quiet park. Don’t need amenities so don’t stay at big expensive commercial parks. We go to someplace that we want to see and tour then leave. Don’t want to hear kids all night or dogs barking, done all that. We’re not against this but some people don’t supervise their kids or have left leaving the dog out or inside barking all day. Close neighbors left 4 dogs inside and before long all the blinds and shades were torn down and the backs of seats chewed off. (Karma)
Our RV is our Motel, we only use Campgrounds for visiting the areas that provides us close proximity the the things we want to experience. Mostly Nature & Museums. We don’t like crowds. We have never used a pool at an RV Park, nor most of the other extras that some of the fancy parks provide. Since retiring 8 years ago we have cris-crossed the USA several times and are doing it now. I like the Mom & Pop friendly environment. Early this year I called an RV Park which we stayed at several years ago to discover that their rates have doubled to $80 a night after a 50% expansion in RV sites. I asked the unconcerned clerk who answered the phone if they now provide concierge services? she said “NO” Do you have free continental breakfast? again “NO” Well, do make my bed in the morning? She was now irritated and smirked “of course NOT” With that I told her, I guess for those rates, I might as well stay in a Motel and hung up.
And what did that accomplish other than making somebody feel harassed?
These places do have managers, maybe that would be the person to vent on.
Given choice of comparably priced RV park and a motel I’d most likely stick with the RV park where I know what level of cleanliness is maintained and am much less likely to be bothered by noise.
Let’s not blame pools, they are becoming hard to find! I love to have access to a pool sometimes as a treat, but they are often best when maintained by a mom-and-pop. The last time I was forced to use a chain ‘resort’, there was a pool, but it was a ‘brochure pool’. Looks great in pictures, ticks an ‘amenity’ off the list, but in return for $60 a night rent, small, shallow, and unheated. The 3 concierges standing nearby apparently also do not know how to clean leaves off the bottom of a pool.
So are you proud of yourself? Bullying a darn teenager working a summer job….frigging amazing…
One of the positive factors in this is that for the same size campground, one run by a corporation will most likely employ more people.
More employees means much higher payroll, thus much higher rates.
I don’t need park staff to entertain me or hold my hand. I need one person to check me in and out, that or another person to manage park maintenance. Period.
I have NEVER gotten better service or a better site with a corporate chain park. The author is describing a nice sensible rehab of parks which sounds great in theory. In reality, no. The sites remain small, crowded, poorly maintained, run by a skeleton staff, but you pay more. The difference is you interact with a host who may choose to do a great job, or far more frequently, is just an employee who could not care less if you have a problem. Then you get pesky phone sales calls.
And no, no, no. The fact that I see half empty KOAs all the time attests to the fact most of us do NOT want onsite pizza, amusement parks, or ‘premium sites’.
If luxury campers want to pay more and more every year for these grand new parks, great. The rest of us would cheerfully appreciate leaving camping in the hands of mom and pops with a good succession plan.
I have found corporate parks to be totally about making money and empty promises. RV park we used to stay at in Yuma raised the rent 5% every year and services just kept going down. That used to be a mom and pop park and some of the long term residents who put in park models say it just get worse every year but it is hard to move a park model and a number of residents have just walked away from the corporate greed.
We just took a 2600 mile trip from Montana Arizona and back. We chose our RV parks en route to fit into a +/-300 driving miles/day & allowing dogs. We chose our destination parks for proximity to why we were there. We stayed in a small owner-operated park with lots of grass. We stayed in a concrete pad and gravel landscaping park. We stayed in an older place with trees and a bit of grass. We stayed in those same parks on the way home. At the Grand Canyon we stayed in the concession-run trailer village so we didn’t have to commute in & out, allowing us more time to explore the park. We scored an end site with trees. At Lake Havasu we stayed in the state park because it was close to the relative we were visiting. We prefer smaller parks, with space to feel we don’t have to whisper. Big parking lots with hookups are a necessary “evil” for us sometimes.
Corporate ownership of campgrounds will certainly add improvements to those campgrounds. However, this is likely to be achieved through debt. This new debt has to be serviced and will likely result in increased fees coupled with a reduction in staff in an effort to improve efficiency.
in contrast, a sole proprietor may also have debt but is more likely to fund improvements from cash flow. This slower approach often means that there will be a lack of availability to more modern amenities like high speed internet.
There is room for both approaches. In the end, customer service will trump a newer facility. Excellent customer service in NOT the strength of corporate businesses. In summary, the sole proprietor can compete using service as the differentiation between the two approaches.
I personally have no use for the food, pool or hot tub…. And don’t really know what pickle ball is so I don’t need that either. Even if I am staying for a week or two, I will cook meals in my RV or on the grill. I much prefer a state park to a private campground but on the occasion that I can’t find a state/county park and have to use a private campground I don’t enjoy paying for all the amenities that I don’t use and don’t want.
But I do want to run like a lunatic across the place and jump on the bounce pad, just don’t want to pay extra for that or the ensuing medical bills.
I believe there will always be room for both. My wife does enjoy glamping with friends at those big mega RV resorts. However, we mostly like to get away from it all which we ‘ll generally find near national and state forest areas either dry camping on BLM land or at state and county parks. When those areas are full we’ll stay a few days off the beaten path at some mom and pop down a lonesome road near these areas.
This is a well-written and objective letter. I’m glad the VA campground owner made money on his sale. We know another family campground owner that bought a run-down park, totally restored it, and sold it to KOA, I’m sure for a well-deserved profit. It’s HARD work. Every small business owner works long hours.
Most of us RVers have no idea how hard or expensive it is to run and maintain a campground. Family owners and corporate owners of anything cannot operate as non-profits. I welcome more campgrounds, be it corporate or private. I enjoy talking to campground owners and managers (even farmers and small business owners).
We demand more and we’re going to pay the price. We arrive in our $100,000 – $500,000 rigs and complain. We’re part of the problem too. We complain about shortage of campgrounds and expect 1990s rates.
It would be educational to hear from more campground owners. Maybe if we understood what it costs to run a campground, we would be better RVers.
Comments today is like watching Blazing Saddles.
We like to “camp”, cook over an open fire and enjoy the great outdoors. We are not looking for a live band on the weekend and concierge service, just want a safe place to relax. It gets harder each year as campgrounds become resorts with high priced amenities and the new rvs with all electric appliances now needing 100amp to power them. Over the years we have had everything except a motorhome and stayed in all kinds of campgrounds across the US and Canada. In the winter, we stay in Florida near Disney and for the last 17 years we have seen a continuing decline in the resort. They hire socalled managers who last a year or less and haven’t got a clue about snowbirds. One at a meeting to introduce herself actually said she really did’t like old people. Hedge funds only want a good bottom line for their moneyed friends.
Maybe it shouldn’t always be about the almighty dollar. Sometimes it really is about unplugging and getting away from the trappings of modern technology. Sitting by the river early in the morning drinking your coffee, listening to the birds sing, the breeze thru the trees and the river flow. No wifi, cell phone, sat TV, or thoughts of finishing that report for work. Sometimes camping is about getting away from all the hustle and bustle of your every day toil to succeed and just …. breathe, relax and unwind. Mom and pop campgrounds provided that.
Ditto!
Yes! You pretty much nailed our thoughts on this.
Soon all RV parks will be run by big corporate entities and prices will sky rocket, already getting too high. But campgrounds beware – higher rates and too high gas prices may turn a lot of people away from camping (at least Motor Homes) and then they will have plenty of spaces available. I am in California and you can’t afford gas here.
Different perspectives and many good comments. A campground or RV park is never our destination. It’s just a convenient place to park while we do other things in the area. If we’re not boondocking, we look for water, power and a dump station, if necessary, and we love the mom-n-pop parks. We stopped at a small one in Florida and, after getting set up, the owner invited us down to his dock on the lake. He had a cooler full of beverages (no charge) and we sat and talked as we watched the fish jumping. Great experience!
People who enjoy camping, not glamping, are the victims of the large corporations. When my wife and I camp, the last thing we want is to be around 300 big rigs with outside theaters, booming stereos, and listening to kids screaming from the pool/waterpark/gameroom. I can get all that at Disneyland.
Everyone has an opinion, even me. Nicely written article. For the most part, nicely written comments. Without knowing a thing about corporate campground owners and their agendas, I think they should do more to educate new RV owners, lobby the RV industry harder to force manufacturers and dealers to include quality education in every sale, and do all in their power to bring quality technical repairs and service to every campground.
I don’t think family owned parks will die….but going back to covered wagons isn’t the answer…..you stay at a location that will fit your needs…..the small locations must adapt to their clients. We have found many small parks to be nice but have found some to be run down trailer parks…..Also, there is nothing wrong with KOA….as they are family owned and we have found every one we have stayed at to be nice…..
Family owned parks are very personal and usually have a great atmosphere. I grew up RVing (since 1962) and most of my fondest memories camping were at family owned campgrounds. I love meeting the owners and hearing the history of their park and the area. We need to have mom & pop campgrounds.
Interesting question where, in my opinion, there isn’t one correct answer. People use their RV’s differently – some for vacations, some for work, and some of us who are retired are full-time RVers. People may debate economics but supply and demand will impact (control) it in some way. People with ample money will go where they want. People who must watch their money carefully will have more of a challenge.
We have no desire for resort parks with all the frills and the high prices to match. Quiet, state park style campgrounds with comfortably sized sites and beautiful views are much more our thing. The corporate parks are more like hot, cramped parking lots!
I get a little irked when I hear that campers “demand” amenities, and therefore all campground owners must put them in or die – and then raise prices, of course. Most of the comments below say “No, I don’t need those things, and I certainly don’t demand them.” Yes, a few campers do demand them, and there is no reason they can’t have them if they are willing to pay for them. But that should not mean that every campground has to have them. A little mix-and-match would be nice. By the way, KOA tried to do this very thing a few years ago – make 3 kinds or levels of campgrounds. I’m not sure what happened to that effort, though their choice of names for the three levels wasn’t particularly helpful or intuitive. Maybe they need to invent three icons or images to clarify what they are offering. I hope this issue didn’t kill off the effort, which I thought was laudable.
Almost none of us need “amenities.”
That’s why we have tanks and batteries.
Hopefully for those of us that enjoy camping in the places such as state parks, COE or county parks will be still able to enjoy nature without a swimming pool, tennis courts, golf courses, tennis courts, etc. without the extreme pricing. Maybe rv’ing will calm down as covid dissapears.
I have a feeling that when this all settles down and Covid-19 is in the rearview mirror we may end up with annual shots like the flu. A large number of workers will be back in the office, admittedly estimates vary, and most kids will be back in school in person. There is little question that they are the ones suffering the most from confinement…their mental health issues and suicide rates are alarming. At some point there will be a lot of barely used RVs for sale and the RV scene will return to some degree of normalcy. The questions are when and how close to normal?
You are dead on.
Our system of public parks is in disarray. Extremely overcrowded on weekends, shutting out many of the people who pay to maintain them, never mind travelers. We are limping thru the 2000s with park facilities built for the much smaller population of the 1950s. And while there is always funds for bribing stadium owners to move teams, always funds for 8 lane highways, somehow parks are made to do with shoestring budgets and depend on volunteers.
What I need is a reasonably level site big enough for my RV. 40ft with slides currently. A little space between sites so I don’t bump my head on my neighbors slide when I come out the door. Power, water and sewer. Don’t need a store, pool or restaurant. Peace and quiet would be nice. I’m usually out exploring from early morning until late afternoon so don’t need much. All the extra stuff just adds to the chaos.
I’ve been camping and RVing for nearly 50 years. As I age, my needs have changed at campsites and parks. Pit toilets and hauling buckets of water used to be part of the camping experience. Now, I need electric for my breathing machine, water and a level site. As others have said, the RV park is not usually where I plan to hang out. Often, now, when I find a mom and pop park, they have rented out at least half the sites to permanent residents. Many times the RVs are in tatters. This makes my stay less desirable and uncomfortable. It’s hard to know what you will find when you book online without pouring over many reviews.
I have been camping and RVing for nearly 65 years.
As with most of civilization, problems in finding pleasant campsites are caused by the population explosion.
Marsha, you are right about permanent residents. I have been seeing this more and more, and it is not really pleasant to stay in a place with dirty RVs, with stuff all over the place outside, most of which looks broken.
I stayed in a park in Washington state where a girl, about 7 or 8 kept coming to talk to me every time I was outside. Her mother was working and she and her brother were home alone.
Part of the problem is that RVers have very different needs and desires
• Some want campgrounds close to cities or attractions
• Some want to be away from civilization
• Some want full hookups
• Some don’t mind not having any hookups
• Some want amenities that keep the kids entertained
• Some want resorts for adults
• Some want a community experience for months-long stays
• Some want a quick and easy pull-through, full-hookup site, that’s level for an overnight stop while traveling
• Some don’t mind being within ten feet of the neighbors
• Some want 50+ feet such as in many state parks
• Some want to stay on a friends property while visiting them
Most of us vary in our desires depending on the trip.
Great topic. We have used Walmart, stopped at grungy trailer parks overnight, boondocked in the desert, stayed at KOA and finally found a forever home for our fifth wheel in a small (30sites) campground in the desert in Southern California.
Electricity, sewer, water and a small pool and whirlpool. There is a town 12 miles away where we can use the library’s wifi. The park fits our needs and is quiet at night. Staying at a resort campground seems over the top for camping. We generally love Mom and Pop parks.
Here’s the only problem we live in Ontario Canada. Its no longer healthy for us to live in the cold winter. This past winter was no fun.
We naively thought our only restriction going forward was the price of gas. We have a Transit van that is perfect to take us down to the desert. It’s part of the fun seeking out small parks to stay in on our journey.
But now we are at the mercy of the government to let us cross the border. Seems like just a line in the sand.
Closing the border during a pandemic is about keeping people from spreading a deadly virus…it’s not about being at the mercy if the government.
Jeanne, my crossing the border as a fully vaccinated individual who complies with all the required precautions (masks,distancing,hand cleanser) will not result in spreading the virus.
I can fly and have been able to throughout the past winter. But then I wouldn’t have land transport.
The time for border closures between Canada and the US were initially imperative until we had a vaccine.
Now it is indeed the decision of our government whether it opens and when.
My wife and I have not been RVing for very long. I would just say that staying in the big corporate camps is not my cup of tea. I don’t like paying for a host of pleasures like pools, hot tubs etc. I want to park for a day or 2 of rest and move on. I like some shade some room and if I want to take a dip in the pool I will pay to enter. WiFi is ok and proper electrical hookups is a must. Noise is not acceptable and pets are not high on my list.
just my opinion
thanks for listening
Hmmm, RV parks owned by “mom and Pop” are what is considered small business. Sixty percent of all employed people are employed by small business’s. So when small business is gobbled up by corporate America, there are no guarantees that those same employees are to be retained, most likely but no guarantees. What disturbs me more, and it’s happening at the M&P’s as well, is the hotel/airline pricing model. The campsite might be $20 one day, and $50 tomorrow. Called an RV Park to make a 5 day reservation, they quoted me $318.26, but the person said, this seems way more than the weekly rate I just collected, so let me check with owners on Monday and call you back. RV parks, unless it’s a Motorhome Resort Type, is not worth that kind of money, if that continues, they will price themselves out of the market, because most folks won’t pay that amount, I know I sure will not. Between diesel prices going up, and RV parks gouging you for fees, RV’ing might be dead.
Andy, your article is spot on about what is happening in the campground industry as you correctly point out is the direct result of the demands of less seasoned campers. That being said, I do believe that camping is losing something as the days of the family owned campground wanes.
We have been camping for over 40 years with a camping group. In the beginning, our campers were small and placed little demand on the water or electrical system in a campground. We provided our own entertainment and included our children in our activities.
Fast forward to 2021 and we must make our own individual reservations for our larger RV’s and we are little recognized as a group by the corporate employees. We still supply our own entertainment and have little use for the corporate activities but we pay a much larger…and yes dynamic fee. Recently, our earliest reserving member paid $140 for the weekend and the last $268. The nice roads and trimmed grass are nice, but I miss mom and pop.
Another issues is permitting and zoning. Many many people do not want RV parks anywhere near them, and county’s, et-al regulation bodies are not approving many because of the push back. Getting a new park built is almost an act of god nowadays. It’s only going to get worse. The RV manufacturers should build and permit parks across the land to further expand the use and ownership of these vehicles. Truck stops should also get into the act as well. If Corporate America wants my dollar, they need to “attract me to them” or I will find another way to spend money .
RV manufacturers aren’t going to build RV parks, nor should they. Do you see Ford, GM, and Chrysler building roads? Boeing building airports? No. It doesn’t make sense for RV manufacturers to get involved in building campgrounds all over the country.
KOA seems to know somethings. They have 3 types of campgrounds, “ journey, holiday & resort. Having and traveling with a truck camper we are already ( usually) in the minority at most parks. We are traveling /camping thru an area not need any more the full hookups, water, electric bath and sewer( dump station facilities). Traveling the “ less traveled” path the smaller sites work for us. So, the smaller “mom& pop” sites still have value.
Personally I love the mom and pop campgrounds. I find the mom and pops hospitable. I’m not into resorts.
Seems to me that no one is recognizing the need for just a park and sleep site similar to a rest stop, now that some RV units are becoming more self contained with solar. There are a number of places where free overnight parking is difficult and not very safe. Additionally adding more charging stations would also expand the service for hybrid/electric vehicles.
Yes, building a no frills overnight waystation park with decent slabs, full hookups and a decent shower facility for folks just passing through while charging reasonable rates for the overnighters that would typically arrive after say 6:00PM and be on the road again by say 9:00AM the following morning would be wonderful. Seems it would be a good investment along the interstates and bigger highways. I would much prefer to do a quick overnight stop in one of these places as opposed to a truck stop or store parking lot.
YES !!!!
we dont always want to pay more for the pool and laundry etc.. just a safe place to rest
Yes, I agree. If traveling across the country, we really only need or desire the extras every every few days or even once a week.
YES! We pay for a lot of services that we don’t want or need.
Just as how you drive down the interstates from town to town, and each one you pass is pretty much Everytown USA” with the same big box stores and the same chain restraunts and total lack of any individualism defining them, I fear campgrounds (or as they are all called these days regardless of the state of repair or disrepair, RV Resorts) will soon become “EveryRV_Park USA.
Don’t get me wrong, I stay at lots of KOA’s because of the pretty much standard services and amenities they offer, and I often stay at huge corporate owned facilities such as are found in Palm Springs, CA.
That said, I also frequently stay at smaller private parks because of their individualism related to services and themes.
But alas, time and so called progress marches on and sooner or later all RV parks will become same ole same ole corporate owned bemouths with no stopping it. That diverse set of parks will be missed by me
Of course, we should be concerned about the disappearance of Mom & Pop operations in America. Family owned businesses tend to be focused on simply earning a livable income, and the proprietors tend to be sensitive to customer satisfaction and retention. Corporate owners are focused on profit maximization, and customer satisfaction just gets relegated to a statistical consideration where it is dealt with in aggregate rather than individually. Corporate and investor ownership of RV facilities is just an offshoot of the larger pattern of the general real estate market in which individual houses, as well as entire housing developments, are being scooped up for the rental market, often at 50% premiums to going market prices, thus forcing housing prices beyond the reach of retail buyers. Only if we are fine with being at the mercy of large, impersonal, profit-seeking entities should we be indifferent to their ownership of RV facilities.
Why would you want to lose your family owned camp grounds to big corporate owned camp grounds?? Think how well it worked for all of us when we gave up our small town business for the big box store!!!! So WHY WOULD THIS WORK ANY BETTER ??????
This in many ways is repetition of Thor buying up a very large proportion of the RV manufacturing business (remember Fleetwood owned more than 20% of the manufacturing capacity and went out of business). Further Camping World is buying up dealerships nationwide – is this good?
Sadly, many of the mom & pop campgrounds that we have stayed at over the years have simply been let go, maintenance-wise. And I’m not referring to WiFi or Cable TV amenities, by the way. No, I’m referring to keeping the grass mowed to a reasonable height, gravel filled into potholes within the campground roads, electrical boxes in usable condition, clean showers / restrooms, etc. Because of this, we have begun to stay more at both state parks and Corp of Engineers campgrounds.
We search out “mom and pops” as well travel in our 45′ motorhome. I prefer to support them instead of corporate facilities. I also shop local when I can and will buy at the local Ace hardware (or True Value) rather than HD or Lowe’s – why? because most of the local/small businesses provide better service
Pony express went out of business because of trains. Trains out of business because of Interstates. Sears catalog because of Amazon. Diners because of McDonalds. Downtowns because of Malls. Malls because of Walmart. Small farmers because of MONSTER Ag corps. Land lines because of cell phones. People fighting in the streets because we no longer meet face to face. Once life is found on Mars, Amazon will go to Mars, leaving us with nothing and we will have to start all over again with Mom & Pop stores. Thank God that I will not live to Methuselah’s 969 years. Oh, I do not like seeing Mom & Pop campgrounds going under.
Campgrounds are changing dramatically and for the basic camper wanting to get away and enjoy the great outdoors, the changes are and have ruined the camping experience. Beyond the increasing costs, crowded conditions, swimming pools, fancy showers and restrooms, non-outdoor related activities and forced reserving months ahead of time, they have ruined the actual outdoor experience. Many of the folks driving these changes need to go stay in a hotel, eat at restaurants and go to the theme parks or quit whining that the campground doesn’t feel like city living. I might as well put up a tent in the backyard vs going to the new and improved campgrounds.
It’s just sad what we are doing to our kids, they are growing up with very little actual outdoor experience and appreciation for the great outdoors.
The RV park industry is going to boom? Where? When? Blackrock is now buying single family homes at absurd prices forcing many to rent as they can’t afford the prices. Is that the future for RV parks. $100/night going to become the norm?
We all know corporate RV parks. You know – the ones with the tiny pool, postage stamp sites and minimal space. The formula for the investment banker/private equity owner is antithetical to the entire outdoor experience. Yet in today’s world with so few choices of where to stay – we can expect this corporate version of outdoor nirvana to proliferate.
When do taxpayers start pressuring congress and state legislators to build new campgrounds. It isn’t as if they don’t spend trillions on garbage! It is time we gain a voice. After all, even though they don’t believe it – it really is our money.
As more and more campgrounds get gobbled up by the corporate big guys, it’s only a matter of time before $100/night will seem like a bargain. In my neck-of-the-woods, it’s almost at that price now!
I will answer your questions by asking questions, Camping World, Good Sam Club, Gander Mountain were very friendly companies, very customer oriented, very RV friendly towards their customers. Now that Marcus Lemonis owns all that have they gotten better? IMHO NO! When big business takes over it’s no longer about building lifetime customers, it’s about how much they can make today and we’ll worry about how much we will make tomorrow when tomorrow comes.
Marcus Lemonis. Oh, I recognize that name but who is he? Anyone here were Trailer Life and Motorhome magazines readers that now read RV magazine? Or is this the wrong place to ask?
Yes, they do charge higher rates. In San Diego, SunRv just opened a park and charges$3500 per month! Exorbitantly high. Looked at the site spaces online and I have to say they are so-so at best. Basically reaming the customers.
Lets first distinguish between “Campgrounds” and RV parks. A campground is about being in nature, as a guest, blending in, and leaving the site relatively unchanged when you leave. RV parks are for people who want to travel and bring their home with them. We need to separate the two. I believe there is a market for both but would like to see more “Campgrounds pop up that allow only tents and small vehicles such as pickups,suvs’, and minivans. Tents and RVs, are rarely compatible.
I am making a documentary about the end of a 50-year reign of a mom and pop campground in Chincoteague, VA. (https://www.happycampers.film/) Yes, it was run down. Yes, it needed improvements. But having lived there for 3 years, I can safely say that the new campground (a Bluewater property) will never, ever be the same. Just the mention of a “fire experience” on the website illustrates the sanitizing that happens when corporations take over an activity that is the antithesis of “corporate.” Most of this is about real estate. Displacement is displacement, even if you soothe the wounds with the idea that the owners cash out (as ours did and we were genuinely happy for them.) If a “camper” wants to pull in a trailer with 5 slide-outs, they are not camping. That’s a house. The kids in our film went fishing and road bikes on unpaved roads – who cares about wifi? Hopefully our film will broaden this discussion to include the value the experience and what that experience encompasses.
I agree 100%
My heart aches because of the loss of inlet view 48 years of having a place to go just to relax and leave the hustle and BS Behind! And now WHAT???
Let’s for a moment take a step back and say what about families that have young children that they want to have a permanent site a place to say let’s escape for the weekend/week and head down to the camper. Those children love riding their bikes and going crabbing off the docks, fishing with dad, taking a golf cart ride through the park. A place they can just get away from everyday life, can’t afford to go on big trips. But having a mom and pop campground they can just get a break to. What about folks like us. We pay our yearly rent for our permanent spot so we can indulge in a mini vacation. One that we can afford. Everything expensive isn’t affordable for everyone. But everyone deserves a place to get away For those just cruising around the country we are on a completely different level, why take the little pleasures we need away from us so we can’t have anywhere to get away and make memories with our children. Big money is out of hand. Ppl need to slow down save a place for the kids
Yes, I think it’s concerning about Mom -n- Pop campgrounds disappearing. The corporate big guys only care about how much money they can make and with the boom in RVing that we’re seeing nowadays, they’re gonna make us pay. I think the time is fast approaching, if not already here, where $100/night is going to seem like a bargain. That’s going to make it difficult for people like me, who can’t afford $100 or more per night.
Mike. Your pride of working for KOA is surprising. They are grossly overpriced. Many are dumps. Always jammed in far to close to each other. I have stayed at 3 that I can remember and looked closely at others. No thank you. KOA is awful!
We always look for locally owned groomed camp grounds or state city county and COE campgrounds. Corporations are ALL about making a dollar with little to no concern for customers. Customer service is exempt in corporate America. Get over yourself Mike. You have helped to strengthen the monster. Those of you with the $400,000 motorhomes are not campers. Go stay in your concrete maze. Leave our nature experiences alone.
I own a small “mom and pop” KOA in northwest TN and customer service is our middle name. It has to be, and boy oh boy do we deliver. Without it, we’d be broke and out of biz. It’s not exempt in corp or small biz America, its just a lot harder to find sadly.
Hi, Mep. Here’s a link to your website: https://koa.com/campgrounds/paris-landing/ in case anyone is interested. Keep delivering the good customer service and you’ll continue to get those Campground Awards. Have a great day! 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I enjoyed the article and think it was well written. I think we all agree about mom and pops, but many don’t want to admit that it takes SERIOUS money to build, run, and maintain a campground. Well-financed mom and pops can still own campgrounds. Throw into the mix government red tape. I hope more moms and pops will jump into campground ownership. Are we going to complain if mom and pop need to charge $100 per night to provide services we demand?
I love talking to farmers, small business owners, and campground owners/ managers. Wonderful people. It is amazing what they do and the stories they tell. Yet, we campers are talking from one perspective and they live in reality. This isn’t about mom and pop, but reality.
I have a suggestion. Let US “mom and pop” campers form a co-op and build non-profit campgrounds. Raise your hand to start the ball rolling, and I’m sure lots of readers here will jump in and offer money and labor to help. (My fingers crossed.)
By the way, please don’t get into KOA bashing. That’s not helpful here. Take your suggestions to KOA. I have no personal relationship to KOA. I have used KOAs many times and many are owned by mom and pops we love. For what it’s worth, I generally enjoy staying at KOAs. Stay where you want.
The days of $35 per night camping full service campgrounds are essentially over. Try Florida in peak season. Mom and pop campground rates around Yellowstone and Grand Tetons are already over $100.
And on what forum are we allowed to criticize KOA, if not here? My favorite mom and pop just bailed out of the KOA system, which, after much costly renovation to their park, insisted they press on to add more costly child-centered features that did not correspond to their own vision for their park. KOAs with amusement park features are fine for those that want them. But between the franchise fees and the pushing for extra features, they have pushed rents higher and higher. This ripples through the whole system.
There are plenty of rural areas where the cost of camping is still kept under $35, by mom and pops, and millions of us are desperate to keep it that way. I deeply resent as an American knowing I will never see Yellowstone because camping rates have been pushed up to whatever the wealthy will pay. Because some chains want to make every buck they can possibly make.