Koa

[Nick1234]

Why is KOA so expensive?

[Second Chance]

They're in business to make money. They'll charge whatever the market will bear.

Rob

[TucsonJim]

Most of them that we stop at are in tourist areas, so I expect to pay a higher price. But as more and more RVs hit the road, I've noticed prices going up and availability going down. So I guess it's good ole economics 101. Too much demand for not enough supply.

Jim

[sande005]

While they vary, they tend to have more "amenities", trying to be "resorts". Plus, I am certain there is a pretty hefty % of the fee going to the home office for support, marketing, etc. The upside is, although nowhere near the cookie-cutter consistency of McD's, being part of a franchise means the customer has a little more assurance of what to expect. They vary a lot in quality, yes, but not as much as the wild levels seen between various independant spots.

[Gold Country Livin']

Why is KOA so expensive?

Nick1234, I have only stayed at a few of these so minimal experience there, but this summer we stayed at the KOA at West Glacier, Montana. I have NEVER paid this kind of money for a camping place and I do know that there are many places in the country that are much higher priced. I did not buy the high end site but was around $78/night. We stayed there a full week and unfortunately the smoke from fires was so bad, many people cancelled and or left. With that said, this place was beautiful, parts recently remodeled and some newer construction (they added more sites). It was well run, clean, friendly people (except for that jack@#$^$%) with the Rottweiler,another story, .....anyway as I was saying, beautiful and would go back again. They made it a resort experience and they had some cabins also.

To each his own and that's fine. I certainly could not stay at places like this all the time. I got some referrals from friends here on this forum and chose this because we had never been to the area and this was close to the park entrance. The landscaping was spectacular and the sites large and long.

As stated, I would go again or to another one but I also like boondocking, minimal rules, less people, so there you go. We camp in all types of places!

[TucsonJim]

We just booked a reservation for our return trip from the Texas rally. One night at the KOA in El Paso is $36 for a pull through site with full hook-ups. There are three levels of KOA:

1. Journey - These are parks that aren't in a destination city and are convenient for a stop along the way. They are typically the lowest price and have few amenities. The El Paso KOA is one of these, and that is why the price is so low.

2. Holiday - These are in cities with lots of activities and sites to see. They have more amenities and activities and run a bit higher. An example of that is the San Antonio KOA where the Texas rally will be held next month.

3. Resort - These are places that are their top tier locations. They have the highest prices. The KOA in West Glacier that Gold Country Livin' is a Resort and demands the highest prices.

[RVRunners]

We use KOA quite a bit and do appreciate the consistent and quality manner they are operated. As pointed out previously the locations near high profile tourist areas will cost more. We belong to the KOA rewards program which gives us 10% off plus we earn points to reduce the cost of future trips. We do about half of our camping at KOA.

We are doing a week at the KOA in Branson Missouri over the kids fall break in early October and we are doing seven nights for a bit over $350.00 for a full hook up premium (not patio or deluxe) site. The campground is right near the main area/attractions.

My record per night was right at $140.00 for a premium site at Fort Wilderness Walt Disney World on our most recent trip as we had six adults in our party. If you’ve been it is a fun resort even if you don’t visit the parks. Our cost when the kids were younger and had only two adults was around $100.00+/- per night.

[SmallBoxMaker]

We did a 10,000 mile cross country trip last summer and stayed almost exclusively at KOA's. The primary reason was their web site - it enabled us to quickly and easily make reservations without having to call the campground, get a recording and leave a message, then get a call back the next day telling us that they were booked for the time we wanted to be there. We were making reservations about 2 weeks out and this really simplified our planning process.

If campgrounds weren't so full during the summer we would have been more adventurous and not planned ahead so much. But with full campgrounds and wanting to have decent electricity for the A/Cs, this seemed like the best bet for us.

[DougW9876]

We frequently use KOA. We have the Valu Kard which gives the discount and points, I have the app on the IPad so booking sites is quite easy to do, they are usually conveniently located, we have a pretty good idea they will be a decent campground, and most of them have pull thru's so using the garage for the motorcycle is reasonably easy. Price wise, yes they are more expensive than COE, state or national parks, but they are not a lot more than other commercial campgrounds when you get the discounts. In fact the last time we were in Gettysburg the KOA was the best price we found.

[Airrace]

Rob you are right about that. But I think that some KOA's have gotten out of hand with price and 60%+ of some parks filled with seasonal workers. Will have to admit that last month we paid $95 for one night in Buffalo, WY. It was a fenced in area so dogs could run loose, 3 gazebos, BBQ and a hot tub! Was worth it to treat ourselves for one night.