The views at night are not quite as spectacular.

No, the traffic noise is not noticeable.

All KOA are not alike. We stayed at a KOA on the pacific Coast that charged us $10 per person and included a ton of amenities, activities, and what not. They were having a pizza part to send off a couple long time employees who were moving away and invited us for that. It was super nice and cheap enough. We were an impromptu group of 7 or 8 at that point and had a great time.

I admit that that one was are the exception, but after that I stopped my blanket condemnation of KOA.

I usually keep going if the prices are high and find a cheaper place or even a free place to camp. In the East I think prices are typically worse, but I have rarely toured in the east other than a bit at the end of a coast to coast tour.

Yes, some are quite nice. The one in Arcata, Cal., just north of Eureka, has a separate hike&bike area that was nice and quiet but still pretty close the showers and other amenities. It's on a section of the coast route where state parks are rather far apart.

Pete, What year was that, we had a similar experience? Did they also have ice cream?

When I was growing up, one of my friends lived on "Railroad Street" in a valley town off the Youghiogheny river. His front door was about 50 feet from the tracks just up the road from a crossing. You got used to it :)

Average prices in Australia are $50 per nite powered site, $30 per nite unpowered, National parks no services or toilets $15 per nite, with toilets and cold showers $25 per nite. Virtually no where in Australia do cyclist sites. That's why most cyclo tourists wild or stealth camp.

That takes a LOT of getting used to. :D

I remember camping at the YMCA in Cumberland. I thought I was going to have to get up in the middle of the night and open the door to my tent to let the train go through! :eek:

There are some really great hostels south of San Francisco too. $80 (maybe a bit more now) for a private room that could easily get $500-$600 making it a hotel and add a few amenities.

I loved the one an Montara. Big Sur could really use a hostel.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gmfl...a/?recid=64915

Says camping only in designated sites, $10? Still a bargain though.

When were you last there? I'm pretty sure I stayed at that one in October 2016 and there was no hike and bike area or price. We might be taking about different places though.

I checked my notes and it looks like that was September 13, 2011. I didn't note the location, but it was a couple days above San Francisco.

Not sure on the ice cream. I think maybe, but memory fails me on that. Oh, and it looks like it was $9 per person rather than the $10 I mentioned.

My stay was several years before that, so they may have eliminated the H&B area in the meantime. It was right off Hwy. 101 between Arcata and Eureka. Looks like it's under new management so they may well have rearranged things.

Happiest Place on Earth.... Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground

Tent site $60.00 to $142.00 per night

RV site $90.00 to $196.00 per night

The sites at Osceola National Forest in Florida are $2 to $18. Pretty reasonable.

Where is there wild land for camping?

here's some....

Not my tent, but when I saw it I had to stop to take a photo.

All that room, and you camp right next to the road?

They needed the pole to hang some of their clothing. There was not a lot of traffic.

That's for driving in. The $ 2.00 was on a sign for hike/bike in arrivals. But nice enough anyway.

I knew it would be a real long shot that we would be at the same place at the same time, but I thought it was worth checking out. We ended up camping with a forum member on one tour, so it does happen. It could have been the same campground, but we thought it was further south, and we were a year earlier. We did not take good notes on the location, but I'm sure about the date.

Bottom line is that we also had a good experience at a KOA, wherever the heck it was:)

On my Pacific Coast tour last fall we heard the Manchester State Park Campground was closed so we rode past. Afterwards we heard the KOA next door had hiker/biker sites for $10. Maybe that was the one.

I have met quite a few others while on tour from here and other forums, especially CGOAB. I have also met, folks in person later after having met them on tour.

It's a small world. While riding across PA in 2014 a guy pulled up to me in a car. Turned out he was a BF member whose posts I was familiar with. In 2010 I did ACA's Cycle Vermont. In 2016 I was doing a solo tour in MT and ended up camping at the same place as ACA's Cycle Montana tour. Three tour participants had been on the 2010 Cycle Vermont. The Cycle Montana leader had also participated in that tour.


In 2000 I ran into a couple in CO who I had seen riding in MT the year before. Earlier during that tour a car pulled up to me while I was riding in Yellowstone and I heard a woman in the passenger seat call my name. I looked over and it was a woman who had been part of my cross country group tour the year before.