When you go to RVPR and are looking for a place to stay, do you look in the area to find a park or do you figure out how far you're going then pick a place or two and then check RVPR. What are the things in a review that make or break whether you stay or not. What are you using to plot your route to your destination. I thought this would be interesting and spark a bit of action on this Forum.. So what you say?? BC
Okay, I'll play in this one. When we plan a trip and have decided on where we want to end up as our "destination", I sit down and take out a map that covers the state/s we will be traveling thru. We like to drive between 250 to 300 miles per day so I map out areas between home and where we will end up and the measure that distance to see how many stops we will need to make to stay on that plan. Within that daily distance I pick two or three towns/cities/areas and then go to RVPR to see what parks/campgrounds are located in each. I first use Google maps to see exactly where each park is located and how the access to each is off the interstate or road we are on. Then I get into the reviews for each perspective park and narrow it down to one or two from the combined locations. What we look for a in park is one that is located close to but not right on the main roads if at all possible. Next I check to see what amenities are offered and check the parks website also for this info. We aren't real picky when it comes to a park for just an over night stay but we do like it to be clean and well kept, etc. and with pads that aren't dirt, sand or pea gravel. I hate pea gravel as it gets imbedded in all tires and it a real bitch to take out piece by piece. Yes I am a real stickler on not having the tires full of pea gravel as we travel down the road. Ever heard that annoying clicking sound coming from the tires when they are full of pea gravel............. We do check pricing too which in some parks has gotten just this side of insane for what you get, and we also like to have a nice coffee shop or cafe/restaurant within walking distance in case we don't feel like cooking that night. We don't concern ourselves really about having a Walmart, Tarjay, or supermarket nearby as we usually have everything with us that we need until we get to our "final resting place". That would be our destination park in case you thought otherwise.......... . With all that said, this entire scenario will be playing out the first of June as we are heading north to Washington for a high school graduation. Been this route several times so my advance scouting will be really short this time as we have our favorite stops along the way already chosen from past trips. Oh, in finishing this dissertation, I must add that when we start for home we usually "wing it" and try different parks that we feel might be fine for our needs. I take along a list of a few in each town we might spend the night in and then check each one out to see which one we like best. Sometimes we luck out and find a really good one, but on occasion we have ended up in a dump and then spend a few hours that evening throwing things at each other and blaming the other for a really bad choice........................... Just joking, we don't throw things, we got outside and she kicks my butt into the ground................. Great thread you started here TXBobcat. Hope to read a few other posts and get some laughs in return................... Regards, Bankshot
We go out for 4-5 months at a time, so the first thing we do is figure out where we want to be for major holidays - Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day - and make the reservations accordingly. Then we work back from there. We can always find somewhere to stay on June 17 or August 2, but try to show up somewhere nice on July 3rd without reservations and you'll be camping at Walmart.
Typically, if we're going from A to B and only plan on staying a night or two, I'll figure out where ~6 hours of driving will get us, then I will use Google Maps to identify one or more cities that we will be near at the end of the day. Then I plug those cities into RVPR to find the highest rated parks that are relatively convenient to the highway we'll be traveling. We're totally self-contained and don't require much more than a clean, level site with easy access and full hookups. Pull-throughs are nice if we're only spending one night. Satellite TV access is always appreciated and that can often be determined with Google satellite view. As for planning the actual route I use Google Maps supplemented by a trucker Garmin 745T, a Rand McNally trucker atlas and the Mountain West directory. Having driven >40,000 miles in our MH in the past 4+ years I know I can drive it on almost any halfway decent road and I don't get stressed asking people what the roads are like, etc. Out west, in particular, I like to know what grades I will encounter and I often use Google Street View to look at road width and quality. In the east I am careful to select routes that avoid most of the city corridor from DC to Boston.
We pick our destination area and then I search to see what good campgrounds are listed in RVPR for that area. If the destination is further than about two or more 8 - 9 hours drive I'll look for a campground with a good listing that is at about the half way marker. We may stay one or two nights at these locations before moving to our final location. When towing my first TT I also plotted the route using Costco for fuel stops. Now I have the 5er and a diesel truck, I just look to see where I might have easier access to the pumps. Google maps, street view, Trip advisor and FB also help in my route planning and campground selection
For the most part we pick the area we want to stay. Then either check the reviews here and sometimes post questions on the camping forums about the campground or I'll reverse it sometimes also. For now because me and DW are still working and our time off is limited so electric is a must. If I read problems concerning partying/lack of enforcement of security, or the campground looking trashy I will definitely pass on the campground. As far as plotting are main routes, for now I still use a old fashion MAP, sometimes google. We use our GPS on our phones when we start getting close to our destination. Excellent thread BC! Mike
It really depends on our situation that day, We really don't use any features of a campground, We explore the area. We usually stay 2 nights at each place with exploring the middle day. Quiet, easy in easy out and friendly staff are high on our list. We are pretty easy to please.
I only look for campgrounds at my destination. I do not care when I am traveling. I can stay in a rest stop or wal mart or a campground if it is easy in and out and pull thru only. If I want to do that I will look and see how far I want to go and then pick one. I really do not care about the amenities but is it clean and has good power and not tight with trees. I have covered a lot more miles then most RVrs at 370K so I have stayed at most places in the country. I do not review them all here other then the ones I go to for a destination usually. How many reviews do you need to read of a good overnight stop. I do have some favorites though. I always stop in Wall SD and go thru the badlands. I usually stay in a campground there as I will spend an extra day there. I do stay in campgrounds in Yellowstone as I will add in a day or two for that and finally I stay at South of the Border in SC as it is easy in and pull thru and I am usually going in the winter when it is snowing and I might spend an extra day there to let the weather clear. Otherwise, rest stops and truck stops are fine for me. I look for different things then on destination campgrounds vs overnight. Destination CGs need to be close to where I am going , good power and nice sites and wifi. If it has no wifi I will probably eliminate it.THe wifi can not be TENGOnet. I will not use them other then at Grizzly as that is the best CG in W yellowstone by far.
As full-timers now into our second year on the road, we depend heavily on the AllStays app, which can filter for big-rig friendly parks or for truck stops, or for just about anything a camper might want to research. This app links to reviews from RVPR and other sources. We follow the general guidelines several other posters have mentioned; basically laying out our route for 200 to 300 mile days and then researching parks in those areas. The RVPR reviews are usually the most comprehensive and answer the questions we want answered, such as: how good is the Internet?, are the sites spacious and level?, is the park clean? We also like to know if there are good jogging/biking trails in an area, or if a given park recycles, so we try to include that information in our own reviews. Trying to submit fair reviews to RVPR is the way we try to pay back the folks who went before to help us select a 'home away from home."
Passport America has a free app that is really good also. You can get to RVPR's and it interacts with your phone or tablet to get you right there.
We generally are out for the weekend. Many trips are to places we know and when we try something new, we check the ratings and read the reviews. We avoid the grumpy owners or noisy party places and tend to go with nice and clean with enforced rules. Rating does not always go with the review... Pools and activities are a plus. We are heading out for a week this fall to DC so we have been looking at places to stop halfway down and back. We think we are going to 2 different KOA's. One we have been to before and the other will be new to use but we met them at a show. Stayed at a KOA a couple years ago that was real bad so hopefully these will be ok. Next year we might take a 1-2 week trip to Myrtle Beach so we will be planning and reading up on reviews for that one.
First figure where point B is going to be. Then I use RVPR's map to find campgrounds along the way. If there are lots of places to chose from at point B I narrow it down with RVPR.
