Originally Posted by
indyfabz
Only $80? While planning my 2021 tour from VT home to Philly I looked into a KOA in Cuddebackvile, NY, which is in nowheresville. I had stayed there in 2018. Tent site by the river was in the upper $40s back then. In 2021 they wanted $105. No thanks,
I’m generally not a KOA fan, but I have stayed in a couple that were reasonably priced. I’ve started a few tours from the Missoula KOA. It’s close to the airport, very close (easy walking distance close) to the REI, where I ship my bike and pick up fuel, and they have 5 tent sites thst have both nice grass and cement patios, and they are partially covered, which is nice if the weather is wet. And the place is pretty quiet despite being large. Now the Mt. Rushmore KOA is a completely different animal. Combat camping at its finest, with hot pools filled with people drinking beers.
On ACA trips where ACA made the campground choices, I think I have stayed at two or three KOAs.
Generally, I avoid KOA but if there is nothing else available I will check with them. On Pacific Coast a decade ago two of us planned to take a zero day and stay at a site for two nights. Where possible we stayed at hiker biker sites. Stayed at a Manchester Beach state park hiker biker site, no shade, no showers, not much of anything. There was a KOA very close by. We checked with them and they offered a competitive price at a hiker biker rate, so we went there for the second night. It was not a designated hiker biker site, just a regular site, but they gave us a lower hiker biker rate.
Also on Pacific Coast, I do not recall exactly where, perhaps near Eureka, there was a long way between hiker biker sites. We chose to skip checking with the KOA and stayed at a motel.
I will wild camp where there is not any choice, but where possible I go to campgrounds. Hostels or motels instead if it is expected to rain. KOA is the only campground chain that is on my avoid list, I will check with them as a last resort.