Every year Kampgrounds of America (KOA) gathers guest surveys from more than a quarter million of its campers. That feedback, paired with results of an annual inspection process, qualifies the company’s more than 500 campgrounds across the United States and Canada for a set of awards – the Founder’s Award and the President’s Award.
WHAT IS THE KOA PRESIDENT’S AWARD?
The KOA President’s Award is presented to KOA campgrounds that provide outstanding camping facilities and consistently high levels of guest service. Chosen by KOA’s camping guests through satisfaction surveys and KOA’s own quality inspection.
WHAT IS THE KOA FOUNDER’S AWARD?
The recipients of KOA’s premier achievement, the KOA Founder’s Award, share KOA founder Dave Drum’s dream of providing the highest quality camping facilities while exceeding KOA guests’ expectations. As leaders in outdoor hospitality, KOA Founder’s Award recipients embody Dave’s vision of a KOA Nation providing excellence for generations of campers.
This year KOA awarded the campgrounds below with awards for the upcoming year. Campgrounds that qualify for the Founder’s Award also receive the President’s Award for their outstanding service and commitment to their customers.
For RVers, this list may prove helpful in selecting a KOA for an overnight or extended stay. Some KOA’s are better than others.
2023 KOA CAMPGROUND AWARD WINNERS
ALABAMA
President’s Award
Gulf Shores / Pensacola West KOA Holiday
Ozark / Fort Rucker KOA Journey
ALASKA
President’s Award
Fairbanks / Chena River KOA Journey
Homer / Baycrest KOA Holiday
Seward KOA Journey
Valdez KOA Journey
ARIZONA
Founder’s Award
Grand Canyon / Williams KOA Journey
Holbrook / Petrified Forest KOA Journey
Kingman KOA Journey
Mesa / Apache Junction KOA Journey
Picacho / Tucson NW KOA Journey
Tucson / Lazydays KOA Resort
Salome KOA Journey
Seligman / Route 66 KOA Journey
Willcox /Cochise KOA Holiday
Williams / Exit 167 / Circle Pines KOA Holiday
President’s Award
Flagstaff KOA Holiday
ARKANSAS
Founder’s Award
Eureka Springs KOA Journey
Harrison KOA Holiday
Hot Springs National Park KOA Holiday
Little Rock North / Jct. I-40 KOA Journey
Memphis KOA Journey
CALIFORNIA
Founder’s Award
Bakersfield KOA Journey
Benbow KOA Holiday
Boulevard / Cleveland National Forest KOA Holiday
Burney Falls / Hat Creek KOA Holiday
Coleville / Walker KOA Holiday
Crescent City / Redwoods KOA Holiday
Manchester Beach / Mendocino Coast KOA Journey
Moss Landing KOA Express
Mt. Lassen / Shingletown KOA Holiday
Oroville / Feather Falls Casino KOA Journey
Palm Springs / Joshua Tree KOA Holiday
Red Bluff KOA Journey
Santa Cruz / Monterey Bay KOA Holiday
Santa Cruz North / Costanoa KOA Holiday
Santa Margarita KOA Holiday
Temecula KOA at Vail Lake
President’s Award
Avila / Pismo Beach KOA Holiday
Banning Stagecoach KOA Journey
Lake Isabella / Kern River KOA Journey
Mount Shasta City KOA Holiday
Needles KOA Journey
Salinas / Monterey KOA Holiday
San Diego Metro KOA Resort
San Francisco North / Petaluma KOA
Trinity Lake KOA Holiday
Ventura Ranch KOA Holiday
COLORADO
Founder’s Award
Alamosa KOA Journey
Carbondale / Crystal River KOA Holiday
Craig KOA Journey
Cripple Creek KOA Holiday
Denver East / Strasburg KOA Holiday
Denver West / Central City KOA Holiday
Estes Park KOA Holiday
Falcon / Colorado Springs NE KOA Holiday
Fort Collins / Lakeside KOA Holiday
Glenwood Springs West / Colorado River KOA Holiday
Grand Junction KOA Holiday
Grand Lake / Rocky Mtn National Park KOA Journey
Gunnison KOA Journey
La Junta KOA Journey
Montrose / Black Canyon Nat’l Park KOA Journey
Ouray KOA Holiday
Pueblo KOA Journey
Pueblo South / Colorado City KOA Holiday
Royal Gorge / Canon City KOA Holiday
Salida / Mt. Shavano KOA Journey
Steamboat Springs KOA Holiday
CONNECTICUT
President’s Award
Mystic KOA Holiday
Niantic / I-95 Exit 72 KOA Holiday
FLORIDA
Founder’s Award
Fort Pierce Downtown KOA Journey
Naples / Marco Island KOA Holiday
Okeechobee KOA Resort
Orlando / Kissimmee KOA Holiday
Orlando Southwest KOA Holiday
Perry KOA Holiday
St Augustine Beach KOA Holiday
St Petersburg / Madeira Beach KOA Holiday
Starke / Gainesville NE KOA Holiday
Sugarloaf Key / Key West KOA Holiday
West Palm Beach / Lion Country Safari KOA Journey
President’s Award
Bradenton / Hunsader Farms KOA Holiday
Clearwater / Lake Tarpon KOA Holiday
Fort Pierce West KOA Holiday
Jennings KOA Holiday
Milton / Gulf Pines KOA Holiday
Orlando NW / Orange Blossom KOA Journey
GEORGIA
Founder’s Award
Americus KOA Journey
Blue Ridge / Toccoa River KOA Holiday
Commerce / Athens KOA Journey
Lake Oconee / Greensboro KOA Holiday
Tifton KOA Journey
President’s Award
Cordele KOA Journey
Forsyth KOA Journey
Hiawassee KOA Holiday
Jacksonville N / St. Marys KOA Holiday
Lookout Mountain / Chattanooga West KOA Holiday
Savannah South KOA Holiday
IDAHO
President’s Award
Boise / Meridian KOA Journey
Craters of the Moon / Arco KOA Journey
Kamiah / Clearwater River KOA Journey
Lava Hot Springs East KOA Holiday
Lava Hot Springs West KOA Holiday
Montpelier Creek KOA Journey
Pocatello KOA Journey
Twin Falls / Jerome KOA Holiday
ILLINOIS
Founder’s Award
Springfield KOA Journey
President’s Award
Benton KOA Journey
Casey KOA Journey
Chicago Northwest KOA Holiday
Galesburg East / Knoxville KOA Journey
Grayville / I-64 KOA Holiday
Kankakee South KOA Holiday
Lena KOA Journey
INDIANA
Founder’s Award
Angola / Hogback Lake KOA Holiday
Batesville KOA Journey
Bluffton / Fort Wayne South KOA Journey
Crawfordsville KOA Journey
Elkhart Co. / Middlebury KOA Holiday
Brown County / Nashville KOA Holiday
Indianapolis KOA Holiday
Richmond KOA Holiday
Scottsburg / Raintree KOA Holiday
IOWA
Founder’s Award
Des Moines West KOA Holiday
Newton / Des Moines East KOA Journey
Onawa / Blue Lake KOA Holiday
Waterloo / Lost Island KOA Resort
KANSAS
Founder’s Award
Dodge City KOA Journey
Goodland KOA Journey
Kansas City West / Lawrence KOA Holiday
Salina KOA Holiday
Topeka / Capital City KOA Journey
WaKeeney KOA Journey
Wellington KOA Holiday
KENTUCKY
Founder’s Award
Bowling Green KOA Holiday
Horse Cave KOA Holiday
Kentucky Lakes / Prizer Point KOA Holiday
Louisville South KOA Holiday
Paducah / I-24 / Kentucky Lake KOA Journey
Renfro Valley KOA Holiday
Russell Springs / Lake Cumberland KOA Journey
LOUISIANA
Founder’s Award
Baton Rouge KOA Holiday
Lafayette KOA Holiday
New Orleans West KOA Holiday
Shreveport / Bossier City KOA Journey
MAINE
Founder’s Award
Augusta / Gardiner KOA Journey
Bangor / Holden KOA Journey
Bar Harbor / Oceanside KOA Holiday
Bucksport / Fort Knox KOA Holiday
Freeport / Durham KOA Holiday
Houlton / Canadian Border KOA Journey
Naples KOA Holiday
Skowhegan / Kennebec Valley KOA Journey
MARYLAND
President’s Award
Hagerstown / Antietam Battlefield KOA Holiday
Washington DC / Capitol KOA Holiday
MASSACHUSETTS
Founder’s Award
Boston / Cape Cod KOA Holiday
Northampton / Springfield KOA Holiday
MICHIGAN
Founder’s Award
Allendale/West Grand Rapids KOA Holiday
Coloma / St Joseph KOA Holiday
Covert / South Haven KOA Holiday
Emmett KOA Holiday
Gaylord KOA Holiday
Ludington East / Pere Marquette River KOA Holiday
Mackinaw City / Mackinac Island KOA Journey
Munising / Pictured Rocks KOA Journey
Oscoda / Tawas KOA Holiday
Port Huron KOA Resort
St Ignace / Mackinac Island KOA Holiday
Traverse City KOA Holiday
Weidman KOA Holiday
MINNESOTA
Founder’s Award
Albert Lea / Austin KOA Journey
Bemidji KOA Journey
Cloquet / Duluth KOA Journey
Jackson KOA Journey
Minneapolis Northwest KOA Journey
Minneapolis Southwest KOA Holiday
Rochester / Marion KOA Journey
Soo Line Trail / Onamia KOA Journey
MISSISSIPPI
Founder’s Award
Hattiesburg / Okatoma KOA
President’s Award
Meridian East / Toomsuba KOA Journey
MISSOURI
President’s Award
Branson KOA Holiday
Joplin KOA Journey
Lake of the Ozarks / Linn Creek KOA Holiday
Lebanon / Bennett Spring KOA Holiday
Sam A. Baker / Otahki Lake KOA Holiday
Springfield / Route 66 KOA Holiday
St. Louis West / Historic Route 66 KOA Holiday
MONTANA
Founder’s Award
Miles City KOA Journey
Missoula KOA Holiday
Polson / Flathead Lake KOA Holiday
Red Lodge KOA Journey
St. Mary / East Glacier KOA Holiday
Three Forks KOA Journey
West Glacier KOA Resort
President’s Award
Billings KOA Holiday
Butte KOA Journey
Great Falls KOA Holiday
Hardin KOA Journey
Helena North KOA Journey
Livingston / Paradise Valley KOA Holiday
Townsend / Canyon Ferry Lake KOA Journey
Yellowstone Park / West Gate KOA Holiday
Yellowstone Park / Mountainside KOA Journey
NEBRASKA
Founder’s Award
Grand Island KOA Journey
Ogallala / I-80 KOA Journey
Ogallala / Tri Trails KOA Journey
West Omaha / NE Lincoln KOA Holiday
NEVADA
Founder’s Award
Ely KOA Journey
Las Vegas KOA Journey at Sam’s Town
Wendover KOA Journey
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Founder’s Award
Chocorua KOA Holiday
Lincoln / Woodstock KOA Holiday
Littleton / Franconia Notch KOA Holiday
Strafford / Lake Winnipesaukee South KOA Holiday
Twin Mountain / Mt. Washington KOA Holiday
NEW JERSEY
Founder’s Award
Philadelphia South / Clarksboro KOA Holiday
NEW MEXICO
Founder’s Award
Alamogordo / White Sands KOA Journey
Albuquerque KOA Journey
Grants KOA Journey
Las Cruces KOA Journey
Raton KOA Journey
Santa Fe KOA Journey
Silver City KOA Holiday
Tucumcari / Route 66 KOA Journey
NEW YORK
Founder’s Award
Canandaigua / Rochester KOA Holiday
Chautauqua Lake KOA Holiday
Cooperstown KOA Journey
Herkimer Diamond KOA Resort
Houghton / Letchworth KOA Holiday
Lake George / Saratoga KOA Journey
Lake Placid / Whiteface Mountain KOA Holiday
Medina / Wildwood Lake KOA Holiday
Natural Bridge / Watertown KOA Journey
New York City N / Newburgh KOA Holiday
Watkins Glen / Corning KOA Resort
President’s Award
Niagara Falls / Grand Island KOA Holiday
Unadilla / I-88 / Oneonta KOA Journey
Waterloo / Finger Lakes KOA Holiday
Westfield / Lake Erie KOA Journey
NORTH CAROLINA
Founder’s Award
Boone KOA Holiday
Cape Hatteras / Outer Banks KOA Resort
Cherokee / Great Smokies KOA Holiday
Lumberton / I-95 KOA Journey
Murphy / Peace Valley KOA Holiday
New Bern KOA Holiday
Outer Banks West / Currituck Sound KOA Holiday
Statesville / I-77 KOA Journey
Wilmington KOA Holiday
President’s Award
Asheville East KOA Holiday
Asheville West KOA Holiday
Enfield / Rocky Mount KOA Journey
Greensboro KOA Journey
NORTH DAKOTA
Founder’s Award
Bismarck KOA Journey
OHIO
Founder’s Award
Andover / Pymatuning Lake KOA Holiday
Canton / East Sparta KOA Holiday
Carrollton KOA Holiday
Coshocton KOA Holiday
Dayton KOA Resort
Lake Milton / Berlin Lake KOA Holiday
Lebanon / Cincinnati NE KOA Holiday
Logan / Hocking Hills KOA Holiday
Mt. Gilead KOA Journey
Salem / Lisbon KOA Holiday
Sandusky / Bayshore KOA Holiday
Shelby / Mansfield KOA Resort
Streetsboro / Cleveland SE KOA Holiday
Sunbury / Columbus North KOA Holiday
Toledo East / Stony Ridge KOA Journey
Wapakoneta KOA Holiday
OKLAHOMA
Founder’s Award
Checotah / Lake Eufaula West KOA Holiday
El Reno West KOA Journey
Elk City / Clinton KOA Journey
Sallisaw / Fort Smith West KOA Holiday
Tulsa NE / Will Rogers Downs KOA Journey
OREGON
Founder’s Award
Lincoln City KOA Journey
Medford / Gold Hill KOA Journey
Oregon Dunes KOA Holiday
Pendleton KOA Journey
Sutherlin / Umpqua Valley KOA Holiday
Waldport / Newport KOA Journey
President’s Award
Albany / Corvallis KOA Journey
Astoria / Warrenton / Seaside KOA Resort
Bandon / Port Orford KOA Journey
Cascade Locks / Portland East KOA Holiday
Grants Pass KOA Journey
Klamath Falls KOA Journey
Lemolo Lake / Crater Lake North KOA Holiday
PENNSYLVANIA
Founder’s Award
Allentown KOA Journey
Bellefonte / State College KOA Holiday
Delaware Water Gap / Pocono Mountain KOA Holiday
DuBois / Treasure Lake KOA Holiday
Elizabethtown / Hershey KOA Holiday
Erie KOA Holiday
Gettysburg / Battlefield KOA Holiday
Honesdale / Poconos KOA Holiday
Jonestown / Hershey NE KOA Journey
Madison / Pittsburgh SE KOA Journey
Mercer / Grove City KOA Holiday
Philadelphia / West Chester KOA Holiday
Raystown Lake / Saxton KOA Holiday
Uniontown KOA Holiday
Williamsport South / Nittany Mountain KOA Holiday
SOUTH CAROLINA
Founder’s Award
Anderson / Lake Hartwell KOA Holiday
Mount Pleasant / Charleston KOA Holiday
Myrtle Beach KOA Resort
Newberry / I-26 / Sumter NF KOA Journey
Point South / I-95 / Yemassee KOA Journey
Santee / Santee Lakes KOA Journey
Travelers Rest / N Greenville KOA Holiday
SOUTH DAKOTA
Founder’s Award
Badlands / White River KOA Holiday
Belvidere East / Exit 170 KOA Journey
Custer / Mt Rushmore / Black Hills KOA Holiday
Deadwood / Black Hills KOA Holiday
Hot Springs / Black Hills KOA Holiday
Kennebec KOA Journey
Mitchell KOA Journey
Mount Rushmore KOA Resort at Palmer Gulch
Rapid City / Black Hills KOA Holiday
Sioux City North KOA Holiday
Sioux Falls KOA Journey
Spearfish / Black Hills KOA Holiday
Yankton / Missouri River KOA Journey
TENNESSEE
Founder’s Award
Baileyton KOA Holiday
Bristol / Kingsport KOA Holiday
Buffalo / I-40 / Exit 143 KOA Journey
Chattanooga North / Cleveland KOA Journey
Crossville I-40 KOA Holiday
Gatlinburg East / Smoky Mountain KOA Holiday
Jonesborough / Cherokee NF KOA Journey
President’s Award
Nashville KOA Resort
Nashville East / Lebanon KOA Journey
Paris Landing / Kentucky Lake KOA Holiday
Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg KOA Holiday
Sweetwater / I-75 / Exit 62 KOA Holiday
Townsend / Great Smokies KOA Holiday
TEXAS
Founder’s Award
Amarillo KOA Journey
San Angelo KOA Holiday
San Antonio / Alamo KOA Holiday
Sanger / Denton North KOA Journey
South Padre Island KOA Holiday
President’s Award
Abilene KOA Journey
Austin East KOA Holiday
Brookeland / Lake Sam Rayburn KOA Holiday
Canton KOA Holiday
Cotulla / Nueces River KOA Journey
Corpus Christi KOA Journey
Dallas / Arlington KOA Holiday
Galveston Island KOA Holiday
Kerrville KOA Journey
Lake Conroe / Houston North KOA Holiday
Leander / Northwest Austin KOA Holiday
Lubbock KOA Journey
Lufkin KOA Journey
Mount Pleasant KOA Journey
Port Lavaca / Matagorda Bay KOA Holiday
Rockport KOA Holiday
Rusk KOA Holiday
Texarkana KOA Journey
UTAH
Founder’s Award
Beaver KOA Journey
Brigham City / Perry South KOA Journey
Fillmore KOA Journey
Flaming Gorge / Manila KOA Journey
Green River KOA Journey
Moab KOA Holiday
Monument Valley KOA Journey
Richfield KOA Holiday
Salt Lake City KOA Holiday
Vernal / Dinosaurland KOA Holiday
VERMONT
Founder’s Award
Brattleboro North KOA Journey
Quechee / Pine Valley KOA Holiday
VIRGINIA
Founder’s Award
Cape Charles / Chesapeake Bay KOA Resort
Charlottesville KOA Holiday
Emporia / I-95 KOA Holiday
Fancy Gap / Blue Ridge Parkway KOA Journey
Fredericksburg / Washington DC S KOA Holiday
Harrisonburg / Shenandoah Valley KOA Holiday
Lynchburg NW / Blue Ridge Parkway KOA Holiday
Natural Bridge / Lexington KOA Holiday
Richmond North / Kings Dominion KOA Holiday
Virginia Beach KOA Holiday
Wytheville KOA Holiday
WASHINGTON
Founder’s Award
Bay Center / Willapa Bay KOA Journey
Burlington / Anacortes KOA Holiday
Concrete / Grandy Creek KOA Holiday
Leavenworth / Pine Village KOA Holiday
Lynden / Bellingham KOA Holiday
Newport / Little Diamond Lake KOA Holiday
Olympic Peninsula / Port Angeles KOA Journey
Pasco / Tri-Cities KOA Journey
WEST VIRGINIA
Founder’s Award
Flatwoods KOA Journey
Harpers Ferry / Civil War Battlefields KOA Holiday
Huntington / Fox Fire KOA Holiday
WISCONSIN
Founder’s Award
Door Country KOA Holiday
Hayward KOA Holiday
Hixton / Alma Center KOA Holiday
Milton KOA Holiday
Oakdale KOA Journey
Wisconsin Dells KOA Holiday
WYOMING
Founder’s Award
Buffalo KOA Journey
Casper KOA Journey
Cody KOA Holiday
Devils Tower / Black Hills KOA Journey
Dubois / Wind River KOA Holiday
Greybull KOA Holiday
Lyman KOA Journey
Sheridan / Big Horn Mountains KOA Journey
CANADA
ALBERTA
President’s Award
Lethbridge KOA Journey
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Founder’s Award
Cranbrook / St. Eugene KOA Journey
NEW BRUNSWICK
Founder’s Award
Sussex KOA Journey
NEWFOUNDLAND
Founder’s Award
Gros Morne / Norris Point KOA Holiday
NOVA SCOTIA
President’s Award
Halifax West KOA Holiday
North Sydney / Cabot Trail KOA Journey
ONTARIO
Founder’s Award
Barrie KOA Holiday
Brighton / 401 KOA Holiday
Cardinal / Ottawa South KOA Holiday
Niagara Falls KOA Holiday
Owen Sound KOA Journey
Renfrew / Ottawa West KOA Journey
1000 Islands / Kingston KOA Holiday
1000 Islands / Mallorytown KOA Holiday
President’s Award
Parry Sound KOA Holiday
Sault Ste. Marie KOA Holiday
Sturgeon Falls KOA Holiday
Thunder Bay KOA Holiday
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Founder’s Award
Borden / Summerside KOA Journey
Cavendish KOA Holiday
Cornwall / Charlottetown KOA Holiday
QUEBEC
Founder’s Award
Bas Saint-Laurent KOA Resort
Montreal South KOA
Quebec City KOA Holiday
##RVT1131b
A better list would have been which locations didnt win an award…
I looked over the list and found we have stayed at many of the locations from time to time. I don’t know who inspected the locations but from our point of view some award winners should not have been. Several were run down and not welcoming to stay at. I think KOA gave an award to every KOA in their system. I guess they have joined the thinking that everyone has to get an award!
Agreed!
When over 300 of the 500 locations get an award, it appears to be more a participation award than a real valuation of the quality of their locations. There are several on the list where we’ve stayed that I wouldn’t go back to. Get real, KOA.