Quick question, what does K.O.A. stand for? What is it? Thanks-Dan
Koa=
Kampgrounds Of America
I'm not much on KOA's, just not my stryle, but I have been known to pull in and spend the night at a KOA during a long trip. They seem to be near interstates, which makes them convenient for the in route overnighter.
CajunCamper
So, is it just a parking lot for RV's to stop for the night?
KOA's are franchises and as such can be anything from your basic black top with lines to full out campgrounds with pools, game rooms, resturants, etc.
The original idea with KOA was that they would be close to the highway, so you could use them for quick stops. That resulted in the adjusted name...Kamping On Asphalt. Every KOA we have used has been close enough so that we could hear the highway...with exactly two exceptions.
If you want quick on-and-off, and don't mind the sounds of the highway (usually well in the background, but not always), then KOAs work fine. If you are planning on spending a week, look at the map and make sure she's a few miles from the highway...more in flat, treeless terrain.
Austin
Quote from: AustinBostonThe original idea with KOA was that they would be close to the highway, so you could use them for quick stops. That resulted in the adjusted name...Kamping On Asphalt. Every KOA we have used has been close enough so that we could hear the highway...with exactly two exceptions.
If you want quick on-and-off, and don't mind the sounds of the highway (usually well in the background, but not always), then KOAs work fine. If you are planning on spending a week, look at the map and make sure she's a few miles from the highway...more in flat, treeless terrain.
Austin
Personally I couldn't see spending more than a night at any KOA that I have ever seen with the exception of San Diego. I'm not knocking them as they do serve a purpose and some do have some nice amenities. They also charge more though too.
Not a KOA fan here - but I've also heard that it stands for:
Kramped on Asphalt. (gotta admit - that's my impression, too).
We've stayed at many KOA's recently. I've found that each KOA is differnt, some are resort like with lots to do, some are just a place to stop and sleep.
These KOA's are not unlike many other campgrounds out there. I find that looking at the pic's and campground description on-line helps a great deal.
In June we stayed at the Williams, Az KOA on our way to the Grand Canyon, and that KOA was great. Clean, lots to do, friendly, helpful staff. Everything was in good shape and well worth the cost. We also stay at the Visailia KOA when travelling to Yosemite. This KOA is set surrounded by farm land, so the scenery isn't much, but the campgound is a good stop over spot.
KOA's are like the chain motels, just depends on where your at....;)
We have stayed in the KOA, quite a bit matter of fact... My kids love it! there is so much for them to do... at the age of 11 & 12 they have to keep busy. but I must say when they were younger it was great to stay at a KOA, theme weekends, activiites etc for them. As they get older its less about the activity as it is about spending time together....
But each KOA campground is different with how lots are, if you are on gravel or black top pad... but they are family own and very helpful for a new camper.
Some KOA have a loud speaker with announcements and that could be annoying. We stayed at on this pass May and it did not have those announcements with loud speaker, but had pancake breakfast....
And KOA seem to be more expensive than private campgrounds or state parks.
so really its all what you prefer.
We have stayed at the Gunnison Colorado KOA many a time while visiting relatives and it is very nice and cheaper than a motel, The only draw back is a Small Airport nearby but it only operates from 0800 to 2000 and is so small that the flights are infrequent. KOA's are supposed to hold a standard for cleanliness, so you have a good chance that the bathrooms will be clean.
Ed
We have stayed at 2 KOA's so far....
The first one, we drove up to the Grand Opening of the new Orange County Choppers World HQ and that KOA (Newburgh KOA) was awesome. It was like the CG's that we prefer, but with some awesome amenities (trash pickup at the site, immaculate bathrooms). We can't say enough about this place, it was awesome.
The second one we stayed at, not so much. It wasn't an asphalt parking lot, but a dirt parking lot and we hated it and this one was probably the kind of KOA that garners the unfavorable reputations that KOA's have.
Both CG's were nowhere near any interstate or traffic or anything, so for us, that annoyance wasn't as issue so take that with a grain of salt.
The best thing to do is search sites like this, pop up explorer and rvparkreviews.com and judge for yourself. If you are adventurous and try a CG not reviewed, make sure you take the time to review the CG when you get home so you can do your part to either "warn" or "welcome" others to/from the CG.
We just think that not ALL KOA's are bad...
http://www.koa.com/
Quote from: cmack98We just think that not ALL KOA's are bad...
I don't think that anyone is saying that they are bad. They are what they are and one just needs to know what to expect. We have stayed at a couple. One I really liked (San Diego) and the other we went specifically so the kids could use the pool and pan for gems and fossils. Some of them do have some nice social activities and some nice amenities but they are not for the people that want to get away from it all and be out in the wilderness. They serve a niche and there is nothing wrong with that.
I've not been a big KOA fan, but when biking down the Oregon coast 5 or 6 years ago, we used two of them due to their convenience. There is one North of Lincoln City and it is well off the highway and very well run. The other was somewhere around Gold Beach, and it too was pretty quiet. However, the one in our area butts right up against the highway, so it all depends.