By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, Jason Epperson of RV Miles, one of the winners of our 2024 RV Video Awards, leads a discussion about KOA campgrounds.
With the astronomical prices of campgrounds these days, many are saying that KOA campgrounds are just no longer worth it. Jason discusses the pros and cons and, as always, gives us a lot to think about that we may or may not have considered before.
KOA is the largest campground chain in North America and, not surprisingly, a lot of people have a lot of strong opinions about them. Some of the major complaints include:
- They are too expensive.
- They are always charging extra fees.
- Campsites are too crowded and too close together.
Jason says that a lot of the general opinions about KOA campgrounds, both positive and negative, are just plain wrong. That’s because KOA is, in Jason’s words, a fairly loose franchise organization. KOA corporate operates only about 20 of their 500-plus locations. That means that each campground is independently owned and managed and, therefore, there is no one opinion that fits all KOAs. Jason says that he and Abby have stayed at great KOAs and terrible KOAs.
The video covers a short history of the company, founded in the 1960s, along with fun archival photos.
While KOAs can be vastly different from campground to campground, they do have to meet some standards in order to remain a franchise. For instance, new KOA campgrounds must have:
- At least 75 RV campsites
- At least 90 total campsites; the remaining campsites might be tent sites or cabins.
- The average cost to build a KOA campground is between $3.9 million and $6.8 million, not including the cost of the land.
- Franchisees pay a $40K fee, plus a $1,700 annual fee to become and stay a franchise. Ten percent of their annual revenue goes back to the company, too. Yowza, no wonder campsites are so expensive!
Types of KOA campgrounds
A few years ago, KOA divided its campgrounds into three categories:
- Journey: Designed to be a quick overnight stop. These may or may not have a lot of amenities, but usually they are more minimal.
- Holiday: These campgrounds also add cabins, RV patio sites, and group facilities into the mix.
- Resort: Expect additional amenities like pools, stores, dog parks, etc., at KOA resorts.
Jason says these categories do not matter to the customer as much as KOA thinks they do, and you can have a good or bad experience at any of them.
The bottom line is that KOAs are just like any other campground. You should always check the online reviews before booking and not assume that just because it says KOA that is all you need to know.
What are your thoughts on KOAs? Drop them in the comments below.
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ln general, I’ve found KOA campgrounds much like other campgrounds, either from personal experience or online research. There are those that are really nice and I’ve stayed at multiple times. And, just like many KOA’s and many non-KOA’s, there are those that I would just drive by. Most of our RV’ing is done driving back and forth from NJ and FL where we have a home in each state. We typically stay one night in each campground during those travels. So, campgrounds are never a vacation destination for us,
Too pricey and too kid friendly for a couple of boomers like my wife and I. We like the 55+ resorts/RV Parks/State and Provincial campgrounds.
Pretty much anything but a KOA!
I’m kind or with you now that I have aged, but did you like them when you were younger, like they suited me at the time?
Being a rewards member for 8 years and being FT for 5 we’ve stayed at a lot of KOA’s. One year we had in the range of 100k points.
Prices have gone up but we always stay in Journey’s.
You pretty much know what you are getting and there aren’t a whole lot of surprises.
They are clean, friendly and have rules that need to be followed. If you don’t follow rules don’t stay at a KOA.
Obviously we like them.
Don’t stay in one if you don’t like KOA’s, we do
We have had many good stays in KOA campgrounds. However, most of our stays are 1 to 4 nights at a time with many one nighters while traveling. We find them to be very convenient and consistent in quality.
Thank you, Cheri! DW has a KOA membership and we usually stay at a few each year. We prefer the “Journey” KOAs because we usually are only in the RV in the evening and night. Some are expensive, but we stay there anyway because the location works for us. We have stayed at expensive ones, but have yet to stay at a “bad” one. Typically the sites are acceptably removed from one another. Thanks again, have a great weekend, and safe travels! 🙂
I too agree with another poster. Way too pricey and too many kids for us older people. If I see a KOA, it means Keep On Accelerating.
I think it depends upon what you want/desire in a campground. There is one KOA we use as an overnight stop since it is convenient and no other choices in the area. For longer stays our preference is COE or state parks since we really don’t use/need/want most of the amenities. When we camped with kids, a KOA with a pool was nice, but those days are long gone.
I’ve been traveling since the early 60’s with family growing up then on my own and with my family for many years.
I’ve stayed at KOA’s that weren’t much more than a parking lot with everyone VERY close together, but still charged very high rates.
I’ve also stayed at KOA’s that were destination parks with large sites, tons of amenities and entertainment for kids. These, I think are worth the higher rates.
On my last trip a month ago, we stayed at a couple of KOA’s that quite honestly were not worth the price charged. In addition we were crammed in like sardines. We stayed at one KOA that was really nice. Large sites and the price was the same as the parking lot KOA.
they are expensive but so what? i camp at resorts because the kids love them and its one of the three to four times we go camping per year. of course you wouldnt camp at one each night if you were full timers, but i have never felt that i didnt get my moneys worth from a KOA…even when i stayed in the cabins
While most of our destinations are USFS, state and national park campgrounds, we use KOAs on a regular basis on the road, and occasionally for several night stays. We’ve done that for a good 2 decades, if not longer, with tents, popups, our small TT, their cabins and deluxe cabins.
They do vary a lot, and can change over the years Some of the worst we used were no longer a KOA by the time we looked the next year or so. Yes, there are some we would not return to, but the same can be said of other private or public campgrounds.
There is a group that just loves to hate KOAs, for whatever reason. If they work for you great, if not, great.
Crowded, expensive, and noisy. What’s to like? Nothing!
KOA is last on my list, even after “resorts”. My experience with KOA’s is that they are over priced and under maintained.