You’ve got a great, spacious RV to travel in, and you’re touring the country. You may be wondering: “How do I find RV parks near me?”
Finding RV campgrounds is not difficult. The challenge is finding a quality one. Depending on your needs, you will want to find a place that has the right amenities.
Does the campsite offer free wi-fi? How about hookups? Do you want access to cable television? What about a dog park? Or a snack bar?
Is the RV park more for camping and recreation, or is it a place that caters more towards permanent residents?
Sometimes, if you are improvising a trip and just going where you feel like it, you may not have a lot of choice in RV accommodations. But, using modern technology, it’s a lot easier to find information about RV camping grounds than it used to be.
Before the Internet, you might need a quality guide book and a paper map. You might also be at the mercy of local billboards in the area. Or, you’d simply have to ask around.
Nowadays, finding a nearby RV park is as simple as running a search on your smartphone.
3 Ways to Quickly Find RV Camping Near Me
Finding RV campgrounds close to your current location is actually quite easy. Here are just a few ways you can locate some:
1. Search Engines
Sometimes people forget that search engines such as Google and Bing offer localized results. You’ll need to make sure your smartphone location services are on, so the search engine can automatically find your location.
Then, you can simply type in a search phrase such as “rv parks near me” or “campsites near me” and a local list will pop up. (You can also use voice search or an assistant like Siri.)
Both Bing and Google will bring up nearby campsites with star ratings and other information, so you can easily search for a good location.
2. Yelp Reviews
Don’t forget about Yelp as a source of information on RV parks. Since Yelp has a lot of reviewers (often more so than Google), you can often get a more accurate picture of a location. Do remember, however, that sometimes people are still more inspired to write negative reviews than positive ones.
For example, in searching for “rv park” near “Downtown, Austin, TX” a few options come up. For example, the Austin Lone Star RV Resort gets 3.5 stars, with many of the positive reviews citing how “clean” it is.
On the other hand, the Midtown RV Park has only 1.5 stars with 5 reviews. While it is close to downtown Austin, reviewers warn that the park is more of a budget RV park for permanent residents. Wi-fi only works if you are close to the office, and some water drainage problems were reported.
3. Smartphone Apps
Both Android and Apple smartphones offer numerous campground and RV apps to help you find the best location to stay. Some do charge a fee or use advertising to pay for the apps. Some of the fees may be worth it, however, if you plan to use a quality app frequently.
Some of the apps provide information on campgrounds, including ratings and amenities. Others will provide directions from your current location to a selected RV park.
RV Parky is a free Android app that does not have any ads or in-app purchases. It receives 4.6 stars, which is a high rating for an Android app.
“This app has saved us a lot of headaches not only finding a campground but with directions to the RV park,” wrote one 5-star reviewer on November 13, 2017.
If you like KOA campgrounds, the official official Kampgrounds of America, Inc. app is a free app with information on their almost 500 North American locations (in the United States as well as Canada).
This app has garnered 4.3 out of 5 stars – not quite as good as RV Parky, but still nothing to sneeze at. One reviewer wrote on November 1, 2017: “Very easy to navigate the map and find a KOA campground anywhere you want to go.”
Remember, of course, if you want to use a smartphone app while on the road, do not use it while you are driving the RV. And don’t forget to bring a car smartphone charger so you can keep your smartphone filled up with energy and ready to use!
Finding RV Campgrounds is Not Difficult
With so many options for online searching, finding an RV campground should not be difficult. The challenge may be getting a spot during busy seasons, especially for campgrounds near popular national parks. If possible, try to plan your trip in advance to these busy spots, and call ahead (months ahead in some cases) to make advanced reservations.