Top 100 RV Parks

[dale farley]

For anyone who might be interested, this is a link to Good Sam's top 100 RV Parks: http://www.trailerlifedirectory.com/...09_GSC_Insider

[Loc]

Dale,

I always find the Woodalls / Trailer Life ratings to be interesting. We have been to 14 of the top 100 resorts on the list. Some are very nice and others make me wonder how the ratings can be consistently applied. For example American Heritage Park in Williamsburg is not in the same class as a Sunset Point or Dakota Ridge and most do not compare to ORA Las Vegas or The Lakes RV and Golf Resort. I always wonder what the people on rvparkreviews.com use as their standards as well. I am sure that I have different standards but to me the following are important:

1. Paved parking pads with reasonable pad width for the unit and for sitting outside and eating - I also prefer paved roads;
2. Adequate ingress and egress for big rigs (this was highlighted last night as we stuck the bus in the mud at a campground because of insufficient pad width and vehicle encroachment) - this includes proper tree clearance to avoid pinstriping or issues with slides;
3. Good power (50 amp) that can withstand everyone running full AC's on a hot summer afternoon with at least 112 volts or better remaining with peak demands;
4. Sites with reasonable space between you and your neighbor;
5. Good location of power, water and sewer hookups (if the hookups are too far from the site they are worthless - we have been to a couple of parks where the hookups were 10 to 15 feet behind the site);
6. Other amenities - nice clubhouse, bath facilities, dog run, pool, cable, playground, etc (not always necessary, but nice);
7. Management that understands that they are in a service business.

I wish we could get more people to post about their campground experiences on POG.

[GDeen]

I wish we could get more people to post about their campground experiences on POG.

I agree completely Loc. Seems threads about trips and places to visit get very little traction. Also seems like there are lots and lots of lurkers out there who are reluctant to join in any discussions. I can understand some not wanting to get involved in the technical stuff, but everyone could provide insightful input on places to go and things to see and do.

[Alek&Lucia]

Hi,

Does anybody has any experience with Big Rigs Best Bets campground book ?
How often do you buy a new edition ?
Because we are not fulltimers, I like to get a used one, to see if it will work for us, anybody ?

Alek

[Loc]

Alek,

We have used the Best Bets Big Rigs since it first came out. For the most part we agree with Ken and Ellie's reviews. A couple of times we have been less than impressed, but it is the best source that we have found. The earlier books only had a few states. With each successive version there are more states and campgrounds covered. It is well worth the price.

[tdelorme]

Loc, WalMart Supercenters score four out of seven on your list. Give um a try. Once you get a hang of where to park so the night deliveries aren't a problem, it's well worth the price. But, not a one made the top 100 list.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

We use the Big Rigs book and when traveling we look for convenient campgrounds before we decide to use a rest area or parking lot. It has been a good resource.

Loc's list is an excellent one. I have been in campgrounds with limited space due to parking of rigs or other vehicles, narrow roads or trees, and I have a simple policy I have not violated thus far. Unless I know what is beneath my wheels will support the bus, I will not put the wheels on the surface. That means I will not cut the corner because someone has parked in my way, or attempt to enter a site in which I need to go across the grass. I have asked people to move their vehicles, or backed out of a pull through space to avoid getting mired in soft ground.

There have been some excellent RV parks that I have been in that were poorly planned and there was insufficient room to make the swing. I have no problem heading back to the office and making them give me another site, or guaranteeing the grass I drive over will carry the bus.

Having been in the business of supplying electric boxes to RV parks I know for sure some electric distribution systems are poorly done and will not carry the summer AC loads. I know we cannot know this until we get hooked up and find we have 105 volts when we should have 120. I have no solution for this problem other than to move to a diferent site which may help, or find a RV park without the problem. Nobody I know of rates the quality of the hookups.

[Loc]

Ted,

I am not a fan of Wal-Marts. I will give them numbers 1 and 2 on the list, but other than that they do not meet the criteria. The biggest problem is that you typically can't find a spot to park because of there are too many Libertys parked there (no offense Jon). Did Jan make you sleep on the couch again last night?

Jon,

Unfortunately for us, we pulled into a campground Wednesday night about 10:30 pm in order to avoid a stay at Wal-Mart. The campground had a large number of more full time residents who believe that parking their truck or car three to four feet into the common driveway is okay, but it sure makes it hard to properly line up to get in a narrow space. Add a couple of inches of rain over a few days and you get a chance to meet the local wrecker company. Fortunately the road service with FMCA was relatively quick and we were out within an hour and a half. We did leave a rather impressive set of ruts in the grass. When a space is only 10 feet wide and the approach is limited it can be a problem. I should have checked the grass or just driven the additional 90 miles home (which we ultimately did after our introduction to Chuck the wrecker truck driver). Anyway it was a memorable way to spend the last hour and a half of our anniversary.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Another reason I do whatever it takes to make my driving in the dark very infrequent. I don't mind getting up early to drive, but I just hate driving from daylight into darkness. One of the reasons is the very reason you state.

[GDeen]

I am a neophyte compared to most on here, but having the Big Rig book in my console has proven handy more than once. Leaving northern AR fairly late in the day last summer, I pulled into the TX welcome center near Texarkana to park for the night ahead of driving on home the next day.

As I started to unwind I couldn't get relaxed with all the 18 wheelers driving 30 mph in and out of slots adjacent to me. Too much stress and noise for a good night of sleep. Pulled out the Big Rig book and found http://www.shadypinesrv.com/miscpage_001.asp. Sure it was 5 miles out of the way but man what a change of venue. Immaculate grounds, all paved, peaceful, and a much more restful night of sleep. Up early and on the road.

Also found a place right on I-35 this fall tripping home from Alabama just north of Waco. Last minute decision not to drive all the way home. Pulled up to gate at 10:30 PM and owner drove out in his cart saying I can't allow a Preeevost to find his spot without an escort.

We used it several nights on the drive home this summer from MT to locate good spots near the interstate. Overall good results thus far. I do also log onto www.rvparkreviews.com/ to get the latest updates and recommendations, and confirm what the BRB has to offer.