How to find campgrounds

[dthurk]

Question:  What method do you believe to be the best way to find campgrounds?  I have a Woodall's directory and a Trailer Life directory.  I also use a Good Sam Club search online.  Of course, word of mouth works also.  Just wondering what others might use that work better or more efficiently.  

I'm not setting up an actual poll, as I don't know all the items that should be set up on it.  I suppose just post your replies and lets see what we get.

Thanks

[Freedom_5]

Hello, Dave
  Here is what I have used in the past. These sites are informative but use with caution. It has been our experience to trust our family and friends first. Then look at the web sites to see what is out there.
  You may already know about these sites.
  1. //www.rvparkreviews.com
  2. //www.parks.com
  3. //www.greatcampingspots.com
  4. //www.campfirechronicle.com
 Good info for your reading pleasure,

[AustinBoston]

One method that works is to go on the regional review boards here, and ask.  If you don't get a list, someone will direct you to another site where you will get a list if you ask.

Austin

[dee106]

you can do a search for rving, or campground reviews, i like //www.gorving.com or rving.com, there are so many, yahoo has different camping message boards, all them do , I normally look where i want to go, then i try to find someone i know who has been to the area, if not I search and get a consensus from different boards, and how the major camping groups view them, ie good sams, trailerlife, etc

[Manchesterjim]

For us its been a combination of "old memories" and some internet searches.  (Found our current seasonal CG that way).

 
We'll be taking our first "road trip" next year and will no doubt rely more heavily on the internet searches.

[ilovecamping]

We have just taken a day and went for a drive and everytime we saw a camping sign we went off to see what it was like.  So far that hasn't found us anything exciting, but it has made us aware of a few we would not go to.  A friend of ours says that is how he found all of the new ones they went to this season.  The difference is he goes a lot further to camp than what we want to go.  We have a few to look over this year that our friend and my brother has told us about.  We are pretty sure one of them is something we will be interested in.  It is owned by a church so therefore there is no alcohol allowed and it has a couple of small places to fish that are supposed to be good.

[Kay in NC]

Hello, Dave
  Here is what I have used in the past. These sites are informative but use with caution. It has been our experience to trust our family and friends first. Then look at the web sites to see what is out there.
  You may already know about these sites.
  1. //www.rvparkreviews.com
  2. //www.parks.com
  3. //www.greatcampingspots.com
  4. //www.campfirechronicle.com
 Good info for your reading pleasure,

Thnak you for all the great sites!  I have added them to my camping folder!

[tlhdoc]

I find that I prefer campgrounds that don't rate high on the Trailer Life or Woodalls.  I don't need someone to entertain the kids or to be parked side by side with other campers.  I prefer state and national parks and check their websites, call the ranger station and ask about the campground, drive and check out campgrounds we might be interested in, look for pictures people have posted of campsites, do internet searches of a likely campground and ask here at PUT.

[garym053]

ditto on TLHDOC's reply. Don't need entertaining.
Don't trust Woodall's, think that their reviewers are either biased or skip actually visting the parks they are reporting on. Have seen some pretty bad parks that got good reviews.
Like the reviews on the various web sites, although sometimes it's tough to figure out if the reviewer is someone who needs/wants activities and entertaining, wants to be entertained or nature is enough, etc.
I've had pretty good luck using "New England Camping" from Foghorn Outdoors. Of course that only helps if you are camping in New England!!!

[deniski]

You can find USFS campgrounds and recreation sites by state here:  

http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/map/finder.shtml

[tahoecampers]

If we are camping close to home, it is usually "word of mouth" On longer trips, we tend to stay in State Parks and explore around for future trips. If we need to be somewhere specific, we use the AAA book and internet searches.

[12kv]

It's the NFCG for us.  The COECG's run a close 2nd.

I have yet to find a private CG that is anywhere close to appealing.  Way too close in those!

12

[nineoaks2004]

http://ra1.reserveamerica.com/     has a large listing of campgrounds