How we score campgrounds
Every campground review on this site gets the same scorecard: six categories, each scored 1 to 10, from a stay we actually made. Here is exactly how it works, so you can decide how much weight to give it.
Who is doing the scoring
One family: me, my wife, and our toddler, usually camping in our 2025 Coleman 17B travel trailer. Each review says what we camped in. We score what we lived on that stay, not what the brochure says. If you tent camp or drive a big motorhome, weigh the Campsites and Hookups scores with that in mind.
The six categories
Campsites
Size, how level they are, how far apart they are, and shade.
Scores high: Roomy, level sites with space between neighbors and some shade.
Scores low: Packed in tight, hard to level, or no shade at all.
Hookups
Power, water, sewer or a dump station, and whether it all worked.
Scores high: The hookups you paid for, working the whole stay.
Scores low: Missing basics, or hookups that failed.
Bathhouse
How clean it is, hot showers, and how far the walk is.
Scores high: Clean, hot water, and an easy walk from the site.
Scores low: Dirty, cold showers, or a long haul from the site.
Things to do
Water, fishing, trails, and playgrounds in the park, plus the town and sights a short drive away.
Scores high: Enough to fill a weekend, in the park or a short drive away.
Scores low: Nothing to do in the park or nearby.
Family-friendly
Safe roads for little kids, a playground, and how quiet it gets at night.
Scores high: Easy with a toddler, and quiet after dark.
Scores low: Busy roads, nowhere to play, or loud at night.
Value
What you get for the nightly rate.
Scores high: More than you would expect for the price.
Scores low: Overpriced for what you get.
How the overall score works
The overall score is the average of the six categories, rounded to the nearest half point. We do not bump it up or down by feel, and nobody can pay for a better number. If a category truly does not apply to a campground, we leave it out, average the rest, and the scorecard shows it as n/a.
What the numbers mean
- 9 to 10Worth the drive. Go out of your way for it.
- 7 to 8.5Solid pick. A good stay. Book it with confidence.
- 5 to 6.5Good, with catches. Worth it if the trade-offs don't bother you.
- Under 5Look elsewhere. We would not book it again.
Every scorecard also answers one plain question: would we go back? Yes, maybe, or no.
Hosted stays
Sponsored or not, the take stays real. When a campground gives us a free stay, the scorecard says so, and it gets the same six categories and the same math as a stay we paid for ourselves. If a hosted stay does not go well, the campground can choose not to have the review published, so keep that in mind when you read a hosted review. If you run a campground and want a feature, here is how that works.
The fine print
Scores are our honest opinion from one stay, on the dates listed on each scorecard. Campgrounds change: new owners, new rates, a remodeled bathhouse. Check the campground's official site before you book. If something has changed since we visited, email aaron@aarongoesoutdoors.com and we will update the review.
Every campground we have scored
- 8.5/10Fontana County ParkHazleton, IA
- 8.0/10Mountain Meadow RV Park & CabinsHungry Horse, MT
- 7.5/10Mackinaw Mill Creek CampingMackinaw City, MI
- 6.5/10Heery Woods State ParkClarksville, IA