How to write a good campground review

[AustinBoston]

As the season winds down, kids go back to school, and some of us start planning our fall camping trips, things start to slow down here at PUT. :%

This does not need to be the case!

I would urge everyone to write reviews of the campgrounds they have been to this summer.  Here are some tips on writing a good review.

Use the correct forum!  Someone looking for a nice campground in Wisconsin isn't going to look in the General forum or the Campfire, they will look in the Great Lakes forum, so that would be where to put it.

Put the State and Campground or State Park name in the title.  If the locality isn't obvious, including that would be helpful.  When I searched Google for "Shady Acres" and "Campground" I got over 25,000 hits.  I'd bet you could find several Shady Acres Campgrounds in most states, so not including a specific location can lead to confusion.

Include contact information.  Address, phone number, or URL (web address) is sufficient; all three is better.  I generally avoid putting an email address in a forum because that can cause the poor campground to get flooded with spam.

Write your overall impression of the campground.  Try to include things like:
* amount of tree cover
* size and/or spacing of sites
* privacy of sites
* whether they are level or sloped
* cleanness of restrooms, showers, swimming pool, laundry
* availability of dump stations and groceries
* friendliness of the staff
* distance from the highway
* whether they have water/electric/sewer sites
* etc.  

It doesn't have to be elaborate or eloquent to be useful - just honest and understandable.  Be sure to include anything you find remarkable or unusual.  For example, if the campground has a rule like "Shoot only blanks after dark," most of us would really want to know about it.

Some people include a favorite site, or specific sites to avoid (such as "site 32 is next to the dumpster").  Personally, I don't, partly because I can't always remember which site is which, and partly because I don't want to find my favorite site is already taken by someone who liked my review!

Include the dates (or at least the month) you were there.  We spent an overnight once at Lake Colorado City State Park in Texas.  We chose that campground, in part, because of the reviews.  But what the reviews didn't mention was that in that part of Texas, nobody camps there in the summer because it's just too hot.  If we had realized that the reviews were by people who only camped there between October and May, we might have made a different choice.  Our review, which was clearly labeled July, reported extremely foul smelling restrooms, among other things.  The 101

[joe]

Great Post

lots of good ideas

Would it be possible to have a form to fill in for the reviews? Would keep the what info was in the review consistant and easy to find.

joe

[AustinBoston]

As of now, 64 people have read this thread, but only three people have posted reviews.

I'd love to know what's going on.  Are there that many people who read this board that never go camping?

Austin

[CajunCamper]

As of now, 64 people have read this thread, but only three people have posted reviews.

I'd love to know what's going on.  Are there that many people who read this board that never go camping?

Austin

Okay Austin, I wasn't going to say anything, but you asked. It's a conspiracy. We all got together while you were gone and decided that we were not going to respond to your thread. Just kidding, there's no grassy knoll or second shooter.

I will say this. the guidelines you posted were well thought out and if followed would produce a wonderful and very useful campground review.

But, ( I think you knew the "but" was coming) there may be more than a few of us out here that could be worried that the reviews that we post may not measure up to the high standard you have set.

It could also be that since most of us aren't professional writers, it sounds an aweful lot like work putting together such a review.

Last but not least, there may be others out there like me that just don't like being told what to do. I went into business for myself more than anything else because I don't like others telling me what to do.

When I first read the thread I have to admit I copped an attitude. It came across to me like this: Hey everybody lets write reviews on campgrounds you visited this summer, but if your going to write a review, I want you to write it my way because my way is the best way and if you write it any other way than my way, it will be dumb.

That's my take on it, I know you would want me to shoot straight with you.

CajunCamper

[AustinBoston]

But, ( I think you knew the "but" was coming) there may be more than a few of us out here that could be worried that the reviews that we post may not measure up to the high standard you have set.

Is that because you were looking for standards?  I left a lot of things wide open.

However, you make a valid point.  Any review is likely to be helpful to someone, regardless of how it is written.

If it helps, think of it this way:

Here are some tips on writing a good review.

Tips, not instructions.

If the locality isn't obvious...

Makes the suggestion subject to interpretation.

Write your overall impression of the campground.

Very open to interpretation.

Try to include things like:

Try, not required.  What follows (implied by the word "like") is a list of suggestions...I've already thought of more.

It doesn't have to be elaborate or eloquent to be useful

I can't see how that could be interpreted as a standard.

Some people include a favorite site, or specific sites to avoid (such as "site 32 is next to the dumpster").  Personally, I don't...

Uh, if this is a requirement, then you can see what I think of requirements.

Feel free to either start a new thread for your review, or add on to an existing thread for that campground.

In fact, if you post anywhere here, you must do one of those two things; there is no other way to post.

Austin