Re: [A/S] Nice Campgrounds

["Rich Walbridge" <wbcci@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

John,

The Trailer Life Campground Directory is a very good source for finding good
campgrounds.  Although you won't find every campground in the USA in there,
I'd say they probably have 70-80% of them.  The book is available thru
Trailer Life magazine for about $10-15 and is about as thick as a "big city"
yellow pages phone book.

The TL folks rate their campgrounds for "completeness" of facilities which
includes roads, recreation, security, hookups, etc.  They also rate for
"restroom cleanliness and completeness".  I guess this is pretty much
self-explanatory.  The last rating is for "visual and environmental appeal",
which is how the campground appeals to you as far as its landscaping,
aesthetics and natural surroundings, etc.

They rate them on a scale of 1-10 with a 10 being the best.  I think they
are pretty accurate, but again it depends on your needs too.  We have a
pretty big trailer and don't require restrooms, so we really don't care
about that rating.  We care more about completeness and the visual issues,
but sometimes we even overlook some of those issues if we are on the road
and just need a secure area to park overnight.

We find that there is something for everyone out there;  a KOA is great for
easy in and out, usually good for security and have full hookup-drive thru
sites.  But in our opinion these are not destination campgrounds.  We use
these a lot for getting off the highway without a hassle and getting back on
the road and putting the hammer down in the morning.

An "RV Resort" is a destination campground with lots of amenities and are
listed as such in the TL campground directory.  There are other directories
too, with Woodalls being the next in line. IMO.

If you go to www.50states.com you'll find all the states listed there with
lots of info about the states and communities as well as camping info.  Most
of the campgrounds will have an e-mail address for which you can use to find
additional info and brochures....lots of online brochures too.

Everyone's been in trashy campgrounds and we all have our favorites.  Our
favorite is on Prince Edward Island, Canada.  Holiday Haven Resort is
located right on the ocean with lots of clamming, and kick-back type
recreation.  It is by far the best for the money anywhere we've been.  I
think PEI is the "ice cream capital of the world".  There's an ice cream
stand every 300 yards.

There are also campground memberships of which I am not that well-read on,
but others on this list can give you the lowdown on them.

Good luck, and believe me.....camping is much more fun than hoteling, etc.

Rich Walbridge
wbcci@mediaone.net