What’s most important to you in choosing an RV park based on the choices below? Do you prefer reliable WiFi over a swimming pool? Is the space between your RV and your neighbor’s critical? Or is not having a good selection of TV stations on the cable TV a deal breaker?
Make one, two or three choices below. Let’s see what matters to the readers of RV Travel readers. This should be interesting!
The survey may take a minute to load, so stand by.
The FREE RVtravel.com newsletter is filled with great RV information, advice, and news written by RV experts, delivered right to your inbox. Never any SPAM and we will NEVER sell your information! When you subscribe, you'll get three checklists that every RVer should have as a thank you!
A Permanent Address for RV Freedom — Full-time RVers trust America’s Mailbox for mail forwarding, residency help, and reliable support from the road.
Our most popular articles this week:
Amazon Prime Day is coming soon but…
The deals are already on! Click here and see if what you’ve been wanting or needing is on sale. And if it’s not now, it might be soon!
THE BEST WAY TO SUPPORT US?
Tell other RVers about us! If you love us and our newsletters, chances are other RVers will too! You could tell your campsite neighbors how great we are, you could post a newsletter or story you enjoyed on your Facebook, you could write us a love letter on the campground bulletin board… You get the picture. Spread the word—help us out! THANK YOU!
Please follow our rules for commenting.
Level Sites
Larger sites, most of todays campgrounds are packed in like a refugee camp in Bangladesh
Dog runs. My dogs poop as soon as they get in one.
We ALWAYS scoop our dogs waste even in a run … we”ll even pick up “forgotten” waste by others’ pets so as to help dog ownw\ers image.
We scoop also ,even for those who think it’s beneath them.
Location. Full hookups. Good reviews.
Adequate electricity. We have stayed at a lot of RV parks with a low voltage problem.
I agree. Low voltage can damage electrical ‘stuff’ in our trailer. Sometimes we don’t even hook UP the electrical cord and just use our ability to boondock. It’s a shame to pay for that kind of sub-par power, but we DO use the dump and water.
And leave.
Clean, safe places to walk my dog; an off-leash area is especially nice for exercise and play after a day’s drive.
I agree , we like to excersize our dog so she is quiet when in the rv. A tired pet is a great pet.
No railroad or interstate nearby.
It’s not on the list but tranquility, peace and quiet (NO barking dogs or loud, obnoxious generators running, loud parties or out of control kids) would be nice for a change.
I’ll second that. Wholeheartedly!
Although the recurring “good neighbors” request is probably not the amenity Chuck was asking about, it does seem the most consistent complaint.
In this control-your-neighbor political atmosphere, it seems there’s no such thing as “reasonable” anymore, and I keep encountering the psycho-grandma more often than (there are some!) out of control pets and kids.
I’ve been harassed by control-freaks IN THE PET LOOP for walking my dog TO THE DOG AREA. Said person insisted “dog loop means the dogs are allowed INSIDE your camper, not in your site or on the road.” Um, don’t think so!
Although I agree about loud mobs of kids screaming / cutting sites / generally terrorizing the campground, mine have been scolded for playing frisbee — almost silently — by people who I assume just HATE KIDS. Whiskey Tango…?
People have complained that my campfire was too bright and keeping them up at 9PM… They could “smell marshmallows”… What…?
I’ve been yelled at for flying silent 4” scenic drones vertically over my site. “I can still see it up there…” Huh?
My new “favorite” last year was having an actual ranger yell at me for using my battery inverter. Yep, you read that right. I had my AC on outside generator hours, so clearly I “had a secret generator running somewhere…” even if he couldn’t hear/see/find it. As you might guess, I can’t do that for long anyway! Harassment, plain and simple…
If I were somehow intruding on someone else’s enjoyment, I’d apologize, but it’s really about only them intruding on others the way they like to. Ultimately, people are just too darn intolerant of anyone doing anything not exactly like them, or too much like them, or really, just daring to breathe too loud.
The amenity I want? A “sanity monitor” who will be in charge of slapping whoever is being an officious idiot… Who’s in?
Third it. And add: cut through on sites…usually adults , whizzing through on bikes too. Our first night here, in less than 24 hours— 33 people cut through our site, 3 on fast bikes that didn’t even slow down from 30-40mph despite inability to see what was potentially in path on our site and being right up at our steps. Finally noted sites & descriptions that several returned to, handed it to security and said pls enforce your rules. Still have a few– and always with attitude. Well, the guy with the alleged bad knee? News flash buddy —it’s a lie …you crossed a block over 3 people’s sites, on uneven & unstable ground — instead of walking on the even, stable paved road that would have only added an extra 25 feet to your trip. The one who said he stayed on the perimeter while walking through? Hey buddy, all the walkways are clearly marked and our site, including the side perimeter is not one of them. No one get the clue from the blockade the ranger set up on our site to stop these day-and-night rule breakers ( who surprised, scared , threatened, bullied our occupants ???? THAT is what is important to us, too, safety and security by enforcing the rules and having ALL employees who zip around on golf carts to a destination become the eyes and ears if security by sliding down and utilizing the trip to observe and report
Oh…And TRIMMED Trees! There’s nothing like having your expensive rigs roof or paint damaged by careless land owners neglect.
Woods like setting
Security
Level sites. There’s nothing more frustrating and, at times, unsafe, to find really un-level sites at an RV park.
Location, location, location. Either where we want to / need to stop for the night or more importantly, where we want to spend time.
Iocation is the most important! If there is nothing near the campground I want; why would I want to leave my beautiful home in Miami?
Level sites that are big rig friendly
Being escorted to your site, and help backing in.
Level long sites so we do not have to unhook
Wide pull through paved sites, no overhanging trees, and hookups in the correct location.
We are 45’ and tall so tree clearance large site a must. Also location while enroute like to stay close to our route. Price another consideration
If the park has “permanent” residents their sites should be well kept and uncluttered.
Agreed. I stopped at a park once that you could get high walking the dog,. rigs held up with bottle jacks, lumber etc, broken window with cardboard, most had not been on the road in years, broken electrical hookups, sewage on the ground, place was total a disaster. But the owner had a very nice well polished big Mercedes. Needless to say we were out-of-there in short order. Wonder where the local inspectors were?
A nice dog park
Lake or big pond for fishing, with sites right on the water.
Dog friendly and lots of room to manuever into the (level) site.
We have a satellite dish for TV. We have our own internet. We need streets without cars and trucks parked in them because of inadequate RV parking spaces. We need trees trimmed so our rig doesn’t get damaged for just an overnight stay. More thought should be put into new parks. Take into consideration that you will have both motorhome AND 5-th wheels trying to look at the same view. Have hookups on both sides and keep sewer hookups out of the neighbors site.
Level Sites, Reliable Power. Clear view of southwest sky a plus. Don’t generally care about bathrooms as we’re self contained. I generally don’t trust campground wifi security, so we use our own.
Either concrete or asphalt or gravel, enough of it so that in rain the site isn’t muddy!
The other campers I am near. I have learned the hard way to steer clear of sketchy people.
Clean, private, handicap showers and bath, clean laundromat with folding area and of course pet friendly. Cable TV is nice and I do like to fish, for dinner.
I agree that level sites are probably the most important. That and clean bathrooms. We can usually deal with the other issues, but we don’t like sleeping on our heads (and neither does our refrigerator).
Need to have level sites and an enforced good pet policy.
PULL Thourgh site. I’m a newbie and don’t have the hang of backing up yet.
Spacious sites and NO permanent residents!
If we could weight responses, I’d say 90% MORE SPACE, and barely care about the other full-timer-only stuff..I take AWAY points if there is WiFi or a pool or other “attractions” that interfere with enjoying “RVing with my family.”
My desired “others” would include:
– No busy bodies complaining about my respectful kids, friendly/quiet dog, or occasional generator usage. More space would help these…
– a basic separation of RV “lifestyles”… I’m “comfortably camping,” not building a town from non-moving RVs, and not trying to bring my party-house into the woods.
I don’t want to be yelled for keeping you up by playing board games at 9PM. I don’t want to be yelled at having a campfire, or for roasting marshmallows with my kids.
I don’t want to watch your football game on your 7 foot outside TV, thanks. No, I don’t want to see you do a keg-stand or smoke yourself into a stupor.
I’m friendly and say hi to my neighbors. I know, I’m strange like that. I can respect the codgers and partiers, but maybe we’d all be happier if there was a loop/section for your RV style.
Let me know where you are camping. I will be your good neighbor, but of course at a distance.
Parks that enforce their rules. Many times it seems that we are the only ones who follow the published rules and when you mention a rule breaker to the owner they just shrug it off………frustrating. If you don’t intend to enforce rules then don’t publish them.
I’m throwing in with the folks saying “more space, really, just MORE SPACE!”…
I myself don’t care about bathrooms or pools or laundries. I towed my bathroom, and swim and canoe in the natural water. To me, I just want a good space with trees (not an open field), and enough space that the neighbor’s slide doesn’t close my door for me or otherwise hit my awning. I’m comfy-camping, not parking in my exact footprint.
From some of the above responses against dogs and generators (I have a quiet generator and a ADA service dog), it seems maybe we should have stricter “dog” and “generator” loop enforcement. If you book yourself into either of those, you forfeit complaining about them. I’d even go further and abolish generator hours (for non-contractor gennies) for any site without power available.
Clear view to the southwest sky for satellite connection
Clear view for the satellite! Maybe the most important.
We agree! The availability of satellite friendly sites are important to us as well
Ease of getting into site and set up.
LEVEL SITE, PREFERABLY WITH A PAD
Only stay in State Camp Grounds with good ocean views
For OTHER I would like Friendly/ Helpful Owners and or friendly workers…I have stayed @ RV parks that were not very friendly….I wondered how they stayed in business…..
30 Amp or more electric, a shot at the 110 and 119 satellites, and a level pad, plus room to stretch out, are all it takes to keep me happy. Nice extras are a 60 foot pull through, water and electric, and QUIET.
Supply & demand
I almost never stay at a campground. Boondocking is the best way to go.
Its unpleasant to pull in, set up and then the neighbors have TV, satellite, etc. I stick to radio the old fashion way. Also, those folks that arrive after dark and set up. Wish that occurred less often.
Level sites are always a good thing, with other RV’ers not so close, etc. Lower noise after dark, sitting around the campfire singing songs and telling funny stories is always a good time. No druggies, no drinkers, no bad attitudes, and happy thoughts everywhere.
Dark is relative…. it’s dark at 4p in winter!
But to your likely-intended point, quiet hours should be just that –quiet. And should be 10p-8a, IMO.., so everyone has opportunity to settle down and get 8 hours of sleep.
Camps rarely let people in after 8-9p, in my experience. We’ve been here a few days…Last night there was an influx between 7-10p. Lots of noise til 10:30 but that’s still outside of park quiet hours of 11-7. Hard for those who have a normal bedtime around 10, though…
Level is a must
No barking dogs and keep your music and TV noise to yourself.
Level site and good utility hook-ups.
A reasonably level area to park; some shade with enough sun for our solar; few to none big RV units; few to none dogs in sight or sound; someplace to replenish fresh water tank; someplace to empty tanks. 30 amp electric is nice but just frosting on the cake as are clean latrines and/or shower house with hot water.
Depends if it is overnight or long term.
For Overnight low cost like Passport Americs,, wide sites, no low tree branches easy access into and out of the site and close to the freeway. Also no rocks or timbers outlining the fpdriveways or roadway.
Long term same as above just add a lbody if water, well kept green grass around my site and dpcsmpground with flowers and no long term RV’s And no park models!
Having a few ed fog park so our traveling dog can get out and exercise.
with 10K people a day in the U.S. turning 65 and that number happening for the next 12-14 years things are going to get worst instead of better. estimated rv sales in 2018 is around 600K. a lot of these people are new to rv’ing and have a lot to learn. commercial campgrounds are not where we stay for several reasons. we are not interested in the pool, hot tub, shuffleboard etc. we want a safe place to spend the nite, dump and fill the next day and leave. why do campgrounds not have a area with a reasonable price to do this? that is why we never stay in these places. we love blm, national parks, some state parks, harvest host, county parks. the large number of people on the road is going to make it harder to be a free bird. i am also amazed how many people never come out of their rolling condos while in camp.
I agree 100% !
We have a motor home class c and somewhat level sites are important.
I’m just hoping for gas/diesel to rise by at least $2 per gallon, CG fees to double or triple, and interest rates on RVs to hit double digits!
Level sites and privacy trees or hedges with space between. One site the neighbor had pullouts so. If and into our site so we could barely get out of our RV. Another site awning hit our RV. And high prices annoy us as we are packed in and no amenities.
I’m an urban camper, and really appreciate easy access to public transportation.
I travel in a 25′ Class C without a towed car. So I voted for clean showers/restrooms, fast wifi, and “other” – for me, that means LEVEL SITES!!! I will gladly forgo a spacious site with barbecue, fire ring and landscaping if I can have one where I don’t have to spend a sweaty hour at the end of a long drive, back-and-forthing over various configurations of leveling blocks. And for a stay of several days or a week (or more), the level site means I can come and go more quickly and easily for shopping, sightseeing, etc.