Campground owners/ideas/links

Anonymous Poster · May 27, 2003

I have about 53 acres I am thinking of developing for a family oriented camp ground,any one know of any literature/links out there for campground owners/developers ? Ideas etc.
How do they price for the lots,how much/overnight/seasonal etc....What about electrical layout/sewage treatment....

I would appreciate hearing of anything... information,suggestions etc.

Thanks
Steel_Wheels

Bird · May 27, 2003

Fred, that's a big topic. You might join the Good Sam Club and get their magazine and do some reading there. Visit some campgrounds, get one of the campground directories, like Woodall's, or the Good Sam directory that lists a lot of the prices. You'll find that prices vary tremendously with different parts of the country, amenities provided, facility layout, placement and quality of utility hookups, sometimes the time of year, etc., etc. Are your roads and campsites going to be paved, gravel, or dirt? "Pull through" sites are much more popular than sites that require backing in. Are you planning a "destination" park or are you on a major thoroughfare and will cater to just overnighters? What kind of water pressure will you have? Some parks have signs warning that a pressure regulator is necessary because of the high pressure while others may have minimal pressure? What kind of sewer system? Septic type systems sometimes have problems from chemicals RVers put in their holding tanks. What electrical system will you provide. Many "old" parks only had 15 amp service, then most went to 30 amp service, and now 50 amp service is popular. Will you provide cable TV? Is telephone service available? Showers, restrooms, laundry facilities, swimming pool, LPG, store, recreation facilities? There's no end to what you can do, if you have enough money.

As for rental rates, I think we've stayed at one time or another in everything from the very best to the very worst, and from cheap to "you gotta be kiddin'". As with any real estate deal, location is the key factor. In my area, just north of Dallas, rates right now in decent parks are $330 to $350 a month plus electric or $20-25 a day, while my brothers are in a much nicer place just north of Waco for $150 a month plus electric or $15 a day. And 11 years ago, in Virginia, we worked one summer at a park that charged $30 a day or $600 a month. Daily rates usually include all utilities, although some parks add a dollar or two a day if you have an air-conditioner, while monthly rates usually do not include the electric bill (you have a separate meter).

I don't know where you are, but those are just a few thoughts off the top of my head. Good luck with your endeavors.

Anonymous Poster · May 27, 2003

Thanks Bird....I am located about 3 hours from Princeton WVa....

RobS · May 28, 2003

Fred, I think Bird hit most of the critical points (not surprising, eh /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif ). You might post your question on an RV forum like RV.net or RV America as well as just lurking about those places for more insight.

We are strictly vacation RVers and have stayed at a wide range of campgrounds. The most memorable ones all have one thing in common... the are all well maintained. Neat, tidy landscaping. No trash. Facilities in good repair and kept up to date etc. As you are starting from scratch, you'll have a good opportunity to design it for easy maintenance.

Good luck and let us know when you're open for business /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

mwechtal · May 29, 2003

The best campgrounds that we've stayed in have been the ones whose owners like to camp. If you camp yourselves you can figure most of it out by asking what you would like if you were camping there. I'd suggest renting something and doing some traveling if you haven't.

A few comments: Please don't make the patented KOA type park where they bulldoze down every tree for miles in all directions, and flatten the land so they can fit in a few more campers. These things are laid out like parking lots with hookups.

On the other hand, make sure that there's enough clearance in any turns on your access roads, and that big motorhomes won't bottom out on rises and dips.

Electricians like to turn the 30amp receptacles upside down. In some boxes this makes it almost impossible to plug in. In other boxes it makes the plug fall out. (One reason there is always a fresh roll of duct tape in the motorhome! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif ) Make sure that the electrician knows that it's 30amps 110v. I had an electrician that I rate as VERY good almost hook up 220 to one. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif It just looked like a dryer/range plug to him.

Please make sure that your sewer hookups drain well. You and the campers will be MUCH happier. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Actually, the more I think about it, you need to define the type of park you want before you do much of anything. For tenters, you just need to put up a sign. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Mike

Bird · May 29, 2003

( Electricians like to turn the 30amp receptacles upside down )

Yep, I've seen that a few times. In our travels, I also remember one RV park with low voltage (Elkhart, IN), two with reverse polarity (Canon Beach, OR and Apache Junction, AZ), and one with a 30 amp plug, but a 20 amp breaker (Sayre, PA). And in each case, the park management had no idea what I was talking about, and also wanted to know how I knew something wasn't right. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I've also seen water faucets turned every direction imaginable, and recall watching once as two elderly gentlemen in a very small motorhome took their three St. Bernards for a walk and the dogs used the park water hydrants at unoccupied sites that were a scant 6" out of the ground with the faucets turned UP instead of DOWN, so what the dogs deposited there stayed in the faucet. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

RobS · May 29, 2003

( Electricians like to turn the 30amp receptacles upside down ) 

I thought it was just a fluke but we had an RV outlet put in the garage of our house and this very thing happened.

And Bird, I've seen very similar things with faucets going every which way, varying heights, sewer connections all over the place, etc. It makes you wonder if the people who did the site layout ever saw an RV, much less stayed in one /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Anonymous Poster · May 29, 2003

My land has lots of ledges/ridges in a wooded area,I would want to build some ponds/lakes and keep it a natural looking woodsy area,with privacy,everything would need to be done neat and done right.I do not want to disturb the enviroment anymore than neccesary,I thought about maybe making it a private club/family oriented etc....

RobS · May 30, 2003

We have a KOA just a couple of miles from us. Know the owners and stay there a couple of times each year. It's much nicer than most KOAs and gives us a vacation-like weekend while still being able to tend to yard and/or kids activities.

To bring this whole thing back to tractors... the KOA owner has a nice little Kubota with about every attachment you can imagine and they all get used a lot. He also uses the tractor to pull a haywagon on weekend hayrides. Also has a Gator to tend to various chores.

So whatever you end up doing with your campground, you'll surely get a lot of tractor time out of it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Bird · May 30, 2003

Rob, if you know the owners then I guess you're familiar with the way KOA works (or at least did work quite a few years ago and I don't know what might have changed). KOA is (or was) a franchise operation; i.e., each one individually owned and operated. They just had to meet certain minimum standards as to what services were available, such as utilitiy hookups, laundry facilities, etc. So some were very good and some were very bad.