How To Find A Big Rig Campground
Despite the trend toward smaller RVs, particularly the growth in the Class B segment, there are many large motorhome owners looking for a big rig campground where they, and their RVs, can stretch out. RV owners that spend north of $250,000 or more (often much more) on their RVs are often looking for fitting accommodations that lean a bit more towards luxurious, rather than rustic.
The RV industry is booming
The RV industry is experiencing phenomenal growth, both in Recreational Vehicles to buy, and in places for us big rig owners to rent and potentially purchase an RV lot in a campground. The RVIA (RV Industry Association) is reporting record growth through June 2021.
“The year-to-date data is impressive. There have been 325,032 retail registrations through the first half of this year, a 38% increase – nearly 90,000 units – over the 235,506 registrations in the same period in 2020.”
Those numbers are on top of the millions of Recreational Vehicles currently in service. Additionally, a dramatic increase in the RV owner demographic is changing too. Young RVing families are increasing and now represent approximately 27% of all RV owners. This translates into a larger presence of families in every type of campground or RV resort. Perhaps these young adults saw what mom and dad or their grandparents experienced with their big rigs and now want to join in the fun?
7 Tools To Help You Find An Available Big Rig Campground
In any event, RV resorts, RV campgrounds, and National Parks are experiencing record reservation requests. Perhaps you’ve noticed your favorite RV resort is near capacity, or even sold out. You’ve noticed that you now have to reserve a timed entry pass to get into some National Parks. If you are a big rig owner, perhaps you’ve even noticed more RVs at the Flying J or Pilot fuel stops?
So where does the big rig owner find big rig RV sites to rent and/or purchase? Luckily there are a myriad of solid, well-established tools and websites to use. Many of these campgrounds and RV resorts are upgrading and improving their offerings via their internet sites and utilizing online apps or lists and various good books to help them with their choices.
1. RV LIFE Campgrounds
The first place to start is always CampgroundReviews.com. RV LIFE Campgrounds is the granddaddy of all campground sites; the alpha, the big dog, the leader in the clubhouse…and it’s all free. RV LIFE Campgrounds provides you with dozens of filters to narrow down your big rig campground search. Not only are filters for big rig access and Class A only, you can add ratings and amenity filters as well to really focus your search.
RV LIFE Campgrounds feeds all the campground data for RV LIFE Trip Wizard and the RV LIFE GPS app as well, so you can implement those filters in your RV trip planning as well as your RV-safe GPS navigation.
2. Big Rigs Best Bets
Big Rigs Best Bets (https://www.big-rigs-rv.com), put out by Adam and Alicia Miller, is a paid resource that is available both online and in a 500-page spiral bound book. They’ve been the go-to reference for owners to find big rig campgrounds throughout the US and Canada for over 21 years. They also list fuel stops and restaurants near their recommendations. It’s a terrific tool to use, and we’ve never visited an RV resort/campground without looking the park up first in their easy-to-use guide.
3. Upscale RV Resorts
A more recent tool with a website, a mobile app, and a thriving Facebook Group is Upscale RV Resorts. The Facebook group in particular was formed last fall and has quickly grown to over 20,000 members. Their members have identified some really terrific RV facilities which now number approximately 250 upscale RV resorts/parks.
Of these 250 locations, they have further identified another 30 or so luxury RV resorts that feel as opulent as the big rig you arrive in. The aforementioned app (Android and Apple) allows you to further refine your search based on different criteria that you choose.
“Upscale RV Resorts was started in July, 2020 in an attempt to find nicer “upscale” RV parks meeting criteria like paved roads and sites, not available via other websites or social media groups. As RV parks become more of a destination, where RVers want to relax, socialize and enjoy resort-style amenities, rather than a stopover for a few days or a week or to be used as a base from which to explore area attractions, the desire to find higher-end resorts has increased significantly. This is evidenced by the sheer number of members now topping over 20000 in just over one year. Most recently, over the past 28 days, the group has had 2200 requests to join, 289 new posts, 6700 comments to posts and over 13000 reactions to posts.”
Jim Wolfe – Upscale RV Resorts
4. MotorCoach Lots
If you are ready to purchase an RV site to avoid continually trying to search and reserve a spot several weeks or even months in advance, then give MotorCoachLots.com a try. Buy one of these offerings, and you can put away your reservation calendar. Their sister site is no upscale slouch either, nestled on the popular Prevost site, Prevost-Stuff.com. Both sites show photos, features, and benefits of big rig campground sites for sale throughout the US.
5. RV Park Store
Another great resource to find a big rig campground to buy or RV lot for sale is rvparkstore.com. Click the appropriate state and/or zip code and RV Lots, then Search. While this is a paid site to post, it is free to simply search and see what’s available.
6. Zillow
Believe it or not one can also find RV sites for sale on Zillow. It is a little harder to find them, but they’re there with a very clean and clever way to showcase an RV site along with features and benefits, photos, and pricing. You can post on Zillow (for free) as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO), where you the owner develop a website, brochure, or video and sell it yourself. Check out Zillow to see what might be available. You’ll find this author’s personal listing example below.
7. Site Direct Offerings
Another great way to find sites for sale and/or rent would be to go to the individual top resorts and look for Lots or Sites for Sale. For example, www.motorcoachrvresortidaho.com shows Lot Ownership or Sites for sale right on their site. Prices, features, and benefits, phone numbers, and normally lots of photos and videos. Most of the top RV resorts now do this to make it really easy to see what’s available at each of their own facilities.
Conclusion
Big rig owners sometimes take it on the chin from those that say “that’s not camping” or “why even bother…with all of those amenities you might as well stay home.” These naysayers are missing the point. It’s not always about woods, hiking, and campfires.
Big rig RVing is about avoiding hotels and airlines, traveling with pets, and following the thermometer. It’s about enjoying nice things away from home and on the road. Sure, it’s not for everyone, but for those of us that do, it starts by finding a big rig campground, enjoying the journey getting there, and enjoying the features and amenities once we arrive.
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We have a 45 ft 2021 Renegade Classic Super C motorhome. It is a beautiful and brand new rig…yet we find we are not welcome at some upscale resorts. I am uncomfortable riding out front and to the side in an A coach. It is scary being “first to the accident.” We sold our A because I did not feel safe as a passenger. It is really sad to be considered “second class citizens”. I do hope that there will begin to be changes to the rules in these A only parks. Please pass on this request to the powers that be….
Be glad your rig is new. The powers at be are now saying no to rigs 10 years or older no matter how well maintained they are. Our 2006 Tiffin 40 QSH looks like new because we make the time and effort- also the money- to keep her looking and running like new. Some parks will ask for a picture to be sent when making the reservation and will relax the restriction. Although we drive an A i think some of the Super C’s are great looking.
I agree we have a 2020 Newmar SuperStar 4061 SuperC we have been seeing the same response but I see some not many advertising Super C as long as there are 40′. I am disturb that some people are calling some Class C’s as Supers C’s that is mislabeling them for sure.
We chose to travel in our Entegra because of health reasons. We don’t want to be exposed to crowds of people in an airplane or hotel. Our Entegra allows us to travel and be our home on wheels.
We are thinking about buying a RV. But it is going to be a older one. For we are not going to have a whole lot of money from selling are house. To buy a newer one.
“……often looking for fitting accommodations that lean a bit more towards luxurious, rather than rustic.”
We don’t camp.
We luxuriate!!!
RV travel like any other travel and vacation plans require planning. I have been full-timing for over 6 years in a 70 feet long rig (45ft Prevost bus and 25ft stacker trailer) and have not had a problem finding a place to stay. I always do my research, then make an online reservation when possible and then follow-up with a phone call to make sure they received my reservation and my notes telling them about my rig. Almost always, I can get a pull-through site. Sometimes, I have to back-in or pull-in. Not ideal but I can handle it. I am staying at KOA‘s, private campgrounds and sometimes, RV resorts. I do not stay at Walmart, Cracker Barrel, Flying J‘s or the like. Repeating myself, you have to plan your trip.