There are many things to consider when mapping out your route and choosing an RV park campground for your trip. The type of RV Park ownership, amenities offered, and hookup options will all vary by site and should be taken into careful consideration when choosing an RV Park campground.
While mapping our your route, utilizing a tool such as RVTripWizard is especially useful to give you all of the offered amenities, discounts, and customer reviews for each campground!
RV Park Ownership
- State/National Park Campgrounds
- These campgrounds are often found with limited hookup, amenities, and dump options, however they are relatively inexpensive and directly inside of the state or national park!
- Commercial Owned Campgrounds
- If you are staying at multiple campgrounds on your trip, you may consider purchasing a membership to one of the major commercially owned campgrounds such as KOA or Thousand Trails.
- Private Owned Campgrounds
- These locally owned, “mom and pop” type campgrounds bring a very refreshing experiences to your RV travels. These accommodations are often very unique, clean, and family owned. Privately owned campgrounds also frequently offer 10-15% discounts to AAA and Passport America members.
- Boondocking/Dry Camping
- There are many incredibly fun options if you are up for the challenge of dry camping or boondocking. There are very beautiful views that await if you choose this option. Using sites such as Boondockers Welcome or Harvest Hosts can offer unique options such as golf courses, breweries, wineries, and farms!
- If you are just looking for a quick stop at a low cost, Walmart and Cabela’s reserved RV parking spaces are FREE and a very sensible option for the budget friendly traveler!
RV Campground Amenity Options
Depending on your needs while on the road, you will take different amenities into close consideration when choosing an RV park campground. For families with children, playgrounds and pools may be a great selling feature! For travelers working on the road, Wi-Fi connection is a top priority.
- WiFi
- Cable TV
- Picnic Tables
- Pull-In or Back-In Site options
- Pet Friendly
- Pools/Spas
- Playground
- General Stores
- Restaurant/Bar/Grill
- Laundry
- Bathroom/Showers
- Dump Station
RV Site Considerations
Level sites are a must to save yourself a lot of headache. The best way to know ahead of time if the site will be level is to call the campground and ask or read customer reviews for feedback. You may be able to rule out a lemon ahead of time by listening to feedback from other travelers!
Another option is to consider a Pull-thru or Back-In site option. The difference is self explanatory, but the biggest distinguisher is if you are towing a camper/vehicle or driving a big rig motorhome, a pull-thru option will be preferred. If you are driving a compact or standard sized motor home, a back-in site should suffice.
RV Campsite Hookup Options
Hookup options for water, electric, and sewer will often vary by campsite and will vary in price. The budget friendly traveler may prefer dry docking or partial hookup back-in site to save money, while the big rig RV traveler will most likely select a pull thru premium full service hookup option.
| Option | Tent or Dry Docking | Partial Hookup | Full Service Hookup | Premium Full Service Hookup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | N | Y | Y | Y |
| Sewer | N | N | Varies | Varies |
| Electric (30MP/50MP) | N | Y | Y | Y |
| Price | $ | $$ | $$$ | $$$$ |
COVID-19 Travel Considerations and Restrictions
9 comments
I want to go on a camping trip with my RV, but I’m not sure how to go about it. It makes sense that I would want to consider finding one that is pet friendly! That way, I don’t have to leave my dog at home and get a pet sitter.
I want to find a nice RV park that I can stay at for a while. It makes sense that I would want to find one that has a lot of amenities! That way, I can ensure that I can stay nice and comfortable.
Hi Braden,
I used rvtripwizard.com to plan my West Coast RV trip and it was well worth the cost! It is connected to campgroundreviews.com and you can filter to campsites that meet your criteria of pet friendly plus amenities! Please share your trip with us! Looking forward to following your next adventure!
Becky
It is wonderful that this post shared that when choosing an RV park campground, it is important for us to consider the environment as well as the facilities. It makes sense for us to keep the environment and facilities in mind as it will ensure that we are choosing a safe and convenient campground. My family and I are planning to go on an RV camping trip, and I will definitely keep this information in mind when I survey our options.
Thank you for the positive feedback! Good luck with your RV camping trip planning, please let me know if you have any questions, and please share your pictures!!
becky
I like how you mentioned that it is a good idea to find an RV park that has WiFi. My friends are wanting to go on an RV trip. They are going to need an RV park with WiFi if they want to be able to check things on the internet.
Thank you for explaining that you’ll need to consider what kind of amenities you want when choosing an RV campground. My friend was telling me that she’s not sure how to narrow down the options for her family vacation next summer. I wonder if the amenities could help her to figure out what would work best for her and her family and making this a memorable experience for everyone.
My grandparents bought an RV last month so they need to find the right RV park to stay at. I appreciate your suggestion to choose a park that has positive customer reviews. I will have my grandparents check online for reviews before they select an RV park.
I appreciate you providing some advice on picking an RV campground. This involved taking into account amenities, as you said. I’ll be sure to pass this along to my uncle, who wants to travel and relax on a long trip in his RV. He should keep this in mind when picking a campground. I’ll make sure to look into the ones that could possibly accommodate him.