Good Sam or KOA

[CYCLEPATH]

I am planning a trip in my Lance TC from Northern MI to Tucson in a couple of weeks. I want to stay at an RV park for about four weeks and ride my bicycle in the desert until I can't stand it. I also plan to do some bike packing in Michigan, which would be tent camping.

Does Good Sam's, or KOA, sound like more of an appropriate club to belong to. The rest of the year, I usually just take my TC to a families place in the UP, and set up shop there. No full time RVing, at least not yet. Plan to hit some parks on the way to AZ, though. I belong to AAA, and am old.

Also, anyone have any recommendations for an RV park in Tucson that does monthly rentals? They have a KOA in town that gets good reviews. Thank you.

[happycamper1942]

I may be wrong but I've found that at a particular location you may find one KOA but several parks that are affiliated with Good Sam, giving you more choice.
That being said the KOA I've used are always good quality, but the Good Sam ones are of mixed quality because of the larger number.
I would say for the price of them join both, it doesn't take long to break even.

[towpro]

I always thought KOA was an orginazation built at the campground owners level, and campground owners were buying into a franchise. you had to meet a standard. It includes the reservation system and I have a feeling also has some control on the business model etc.

I believe Good Sams was a system built on a business model where some business made a fee based club of campground users. Than they get campgrounds to pay dues to use the good Sam name to advertise.

I know woodalls also used to have a business where they would get the campgrounds to pay to be listed in the book, then sell the book to the campground users.

[ssthrd]

I'm a bit late for the party, but for what it's worth, we stayed at the Tucson KOA a few years ago in early December, and it was great. Very clean, and there were lemons, limes and grapefruit growing right outside the door!

Have fun in the desert!

[Grit_dog]

CYCLEPATH wrote:
Thank you all for the replies. I was able to get a reservation for only a week, at least for now, in March at the KOA in Tucson. I feel lucky to get that. I joined KOA while on the phone with the attendant. Looking forward to staying there. I'll have to figure out a plan for the way down. Probably try the Cracker Barrel/WalMart type deal once or twice. I will play tourist more so on the way back. Would like to have a couple of beers in Roswell:) Thank you all, again.

Sounds like an awesome trip! Safe travels!

[pianotuna]

CYCLEPATH wrote:
Thank you all for the replies. I was able to get a reservation for only a week, at least for now, in March at the KOA in Tucson. I feel lucky to get that. I joined KOA while on the phone with the attendant. Looking forward to staying there. I'll have to figure out a plan for the way down. Probably try the Cracker Barrel/WalMart type deal once or twice. I will play tourist more so on the way back. Would like to have a couple of beers in Roswell:) Thank you all, again.

This may help:

https://freecampsites.net/#!Michigan~Tuscaloosa,+Alabama&query=routeSearch&routeDistance=25&routeInd...

[CYCLEPATH]

Thank you all for the replies. I was able to get a reservation for only a week, at least for now, in March at the KOA in Tucson. I feel lucky to get that. I joined KOA while on the phone with the attendant. Looking forward to staying there. I'll have to figure out a plan for the way down. Probably try the Cracker Barrel/WalMart type deal once or twice. I will play tourist more so on the way back. Would like to have a couple of beers in Roswell:) Thank you all, again.

[SoonDockin]

I tend to take a KOA over others when traveling. The worst is often still decent for overnight stops and often priced accordingly. If I am staying longer than a day, I will shop around for a well regarded park. I have only found a few that would not honor Good Sam. And those that do rarely want to see any proof I am actually a member.

[towpro]

good sam is now owned by camping world. I am pretty sure it gets you discounts at camping world if you ever go there.

[nickthehunter]

State and county parks are going to generally be cheaper.

[BigSwick]

We are not KOA members, but have stayed a couple of their parks in the last few years. If you offer to pay cash you can get the same discount as if you were a member. We have never had a bad KOA experience, but it seems you pay more for a lot of extras that we never use. Kids stuff, pool, etc.

[lhenry8113]

We have Good Sam and KOA. Seem to use Good Sam quite a bit more. There are more G.S. sponsored campgrounds than KOA-in the U.S of A there are about 2500 G.S. campgrounds. If you are headed to Tucson-about 20 miles S on I#10-to Vail, Az. there is the Pima County Fairgrounds RV Campgrounds. Place is huge.

[LadyRVer]

I have both KOA and Good Sam. If I was only to get one, I would probably choose KOA. You earn points with them and get $$ off the campground fee with different amounts of points. When on the road, I usually get water and 30 amp elec and use the dump station (saving a full hook-up price) if they have that. I really prefer Passport America and can usually live with any restrictions.

[BB_TX]

KOA had 3 levels of RV parks now; Journey (fewer amenities, typically located along major highways for short stays), Holiday (more amenities, maybe located near some attraction or destination location), and Resort (most amenities, near more attractions, and suitable for longer stays). Prices go up accordingly

We have stayed at a lot of KOAs over the years. Quality varied but never stayed at one that I would never return to.

[wildtoad]

I’ve stayed at a lot of KOA’s and most of them have been good experiences, albeit a bit pricey. Of course this statement depends on what amenities you take advantage of. I’ve stayed at a few where I wondered how in the “H” have they passed a KOA inspection., or how did the get a good camper review. But like I said, mostly positive experiences.

Stayed at some Good Sam approved parks and they too have been hit or miss. Read the reviews with a critical eye.