Kampgrounds of America, most commonly known as KOA, is the largest campground chain in the United States and Canada—the franchise has more than 500 locations! It was founded in 1962 in Billings, Montana, and has been a staple for campers for decades.
When you travel, how often do you stay at KOA campgrounds? Do you have any favorite KOA locations you can recommend to others? If so, please leave a comment when you’re done voting.
Check out Nanci Dixon’s experience at the very nice West Glacier KOA Resort. You might want to stay here… but you’ll pay the price!
We normally do not pick KOA camp grounds for our trips, but we have done so on occasion for our teenage son. Teens need a pool once in a while.
The koa in Flagstaff AZ is amazing.
It is one that we use on a regular basis, on our way to/from both Rims of Grand Canyon (at least once a year) and if we head to Utah. It can get busy on weekends, but for us, it’s great because it’s handy to the routes we use, we know where to go to get food, gas, and the occasional other shopping needs.
I put rarely, but the last 3 years the KOA’s that I wanted to stay at were totally booked 6 months in advance. so I have not been able to get in at any
On getting to a place for long term, KOAs are nice, usually right on major highway. I also visit my wife brother in Tuscon, and stay at a KOA (had her sister stay in a KOA cottage with her grand kids too). I find I like State parks and COE, but KOA have the place for us to stay.
Our preference is state park campgrounds and COE campgrounds, but we end up at lots of KOA campgrounds to get near where we want.
We find KOAs are consistently nicer then your average RV parks when traveling to our destination. Our favorite KOA is in Toosumba, MS. It’s a gem of a KOA.
Never, they are too expensive for our travel budget.
I wasn’t a big fan of koa but they really were reliable during the heart of the pandemic when we had to make a cross country trip. Now I count them in the mix like any other park. I still want to shout out a big thank you
I guess you folks haven’t kept up much. There are now 3 levels of KOA campgrounds. Journey, Holiday, and Resort.
Journeys aren’t big on amenities and are therefore competitively priced with other RV parks and are great for overnights or a few days and aren’t set up to entertain kids.
Holiday and Resort levels cost more and have the family entertainment stuff like putt putt golf, etc.
We stay at the Journey’s a lot.
Been a member for more than 40 years but I am still very selective about which campground I stay at on my travels as not all are worth the money.
for many years it was annually at the KOA near Dayton, OH when we attended the Dayton HamVention amateur radio show. we haven’t been to HamVention in many years.
We had a KOA we used to go to every fall in Ohio close to Mohican State Forest. Over the years it was bought out several times and each time the price jumped and they had less qualified staff. They kept adding cabins, taking away campsites, and seemed to cater more to “Glampers” than RVers so we stopped staying there. The place is still there but no longer a KOA. Not sure if they dumped KOA or KOA dumped them.
KOA is too pricey compared to other RV parks. We only stay as a last resort.
Same. And they often seem to offer less than an RV Park for people not just looking for a weekend vacation. My most recent experience with a KOA they forgot to mention, or post on their website, that they had winterized the water not just at the full hook up sites, but the entire campground. They had nowhere to even fill up. Ended up having to connect to a spigot in a utility room in the office they use for filling mop buckets, and that was only after they realized they hadn’t told me ahead of time and there was nowhere around I could go to get water. 
Hahaha…last resort. That’s funny đŸ˜€
Stayed in one 15 yrs ago because it was only CG for 50 miles. Never since. Too expensive. HORRIBLE arrogant attitudes. Have looked at some since and found SAME attitude. Not again.
We took a 7 week 6000 mile trip this past summer by vehicle and stayed almost exclusively at the KOA basic or deluxe cabins. Was much cheaper than a hotel and a lot quieter. Would definitely travel this way again.
Only stay when there are no other options, too expensive for what we want. We are a 40 foot 5th wheel with a bathroom, washer and dryer and everything else we need. So never use the campground facility. Why pay extra for things we don’t need.
As little as possible, KOA have to be the most expensive place to stay. Granted we only stay a night on way to one gig (volunteer or paid). We stayed in one coming from Wyoming to Ohio. It was nice, wooded, two rows in the shade and one row (pull thrus) not. I like KOA but not the cost. We go to NH and was looking for a place in NY beginning of May 2023. I couldn’t find anything except for KOA open. The KOA wanted $105 + taxes/fees!!! It took three days of searching but found a park open and reasonable.
The KOA in Klamath Falls to visit friends is pretty decent, been to a few that will never stop at again. They were ok for rv’s 50 years ago, but they need updating badly if they want more than the small rv’s. We have a 35 foot fifth wheel.
We used to stay at the KOA in Butte, MT but it has become overpriced and an ugly “pit” (pun intended if you know Butte).
There is an even uglier fhu campground 2 miles west (also just off I-90) but it has clean, more modern showers and a huge truck stop within yards for really nutritious meals. Try it!
Our destinations are usually national parks and USFS CGs. KOAs are often transition night stops, handy for dumping tanks, taking on water, and getting showers. There are some we wouldn’t use again, as with other private CGs, but we have a couple that are routine stops.The Tucson KOA is our destination to visit friends in the area; in fact, a friend and I stay in a “kabins” on occasion, when I don’t want to take my trailer.
We’ve stayed at other non-public CGs too, but usually end up at a KOA. We’d had the membership for 15 years or more, staying in cabins, tents, popups, and our small TT, across the country.They can vary widely, from dismal to gorgeous.