Campground Sector Seeing New Development, Expansions – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
While the numbers of new and expanding parks are down compared to the early 2020s, when RV sales reached all time highs, there are still significant numbers of new and expanding campgrounds and RV parks across North America.
Woodall’s Campground Magazine has documented at least 4,146 new RV sites coming online with the construction of 31 new campgrounds, RV parks and resorts across the U.S. and Canada between 2024 and early 2026. Another 1,570 RV sites are also being added to 36 existing parks during the same time period. This makes for a grand total of at least 5,716 new campsites being added to North America’s campground inventory.
Billings, Mont.-based Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA), the largest campground franchise network, expanded its network in 2024 with 15 new campgrounds across 21 states and provinces, adding 1,500 completed RV, tent, and cabin sites. Looking ahead to 2025, KOA plans to open three newly built campgrounds in three states, featuring an additional 470 RV, tent, and cabin sites, according to Chris Fairlee, KOA’s chief acquisitions officer.
“With more development and sales discussions in progress, KOA expects to grow the portfolio continually throughout 2025, creating more opportunities to welcome campers across North America,” Fairlee said.
Stacey Campbell, KOA’s director of campground design services, added that many existing KOA campgrounds have been investing capital in their parks to upgrade the quality of their RV sites, including Paw Pen sites, as well as campsite amenities, with the renovataion of bathhouses and construction of meeting and group spaces. “This past year, our Design Services team provided design plans for over 1,400 new or improved site layouts,” Campbell said. “Our plans ranged from adding infrastructure for EV charging stations, site grading to expand to pull-thru or patio sites, new registration buildings, and group pavilions. While some of these projects completed construction in 2024, many will be completed in 2025.”
Meanwhile, many other campground and RV resort operators have been busy expanding and improving their existing properties or building new parks, including Ocean City, Md.-based Blue Water Development Corp.; Phoenix, Ariz.-based CRR Hospitality; Chicago-based Equity LifeStyle Properties; Houston-based Great Escapes RV Resorts; Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Northgate Resorts; Heath, Texas-based Open Road Resorts; Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Roberts Resorts; as well as parks affiliated with the Jellystone Park franchise network, Southfield, Mich.-based Sun Outdoors and the USA Camping Company.
Other campground and RV park projects are in the pipeline, but developers and consultants said they were not prepared to announce these projects just yet. Following are details involving new and expanding parks, based on WCM’s interviews with park operators and developers, published news reports, and information gathered through park websites:
New Parks
Arkansas
— Horseshoe Bend / Crown Lake KOA Holiday in Horseshoe Bend: This campground opened in 2024 with 91 sites.
Colorado
— Carbondale / Crystal River KOA Holiday in Carbondale: This campground opened in 2024 with 72 sites.
Florida
— Encore Tranquility Lakes in Cape Coral: This is a new 200-acre development with 502 sites that is situated on two picturesque lakes, featuring 50-amp full hook-up pedestals with picnic tables. Winter activities include culinary classes, wine tasting, line dancing and yoga.
— Olde Florida Motorcoach Resort in LaBelle: This resort is expected to open in January, according to its website. RV sites will be available for sale and the resort will eventually grow to 440 sites. The park is located about 22 miles east of Fort Myers.
—Panama City Beach KOA Holiday in Panama City Beach: This is a new campground that is expected to open in mid-January. The pet-friendly park offers 102 RV sites, nine furnished cabins and tent sites. Amenities include a fenced dog park and a newly completed pavilion.
— Peace River Oaks in Bowling Green: This new park, which was slated to open in December, is an RV and glamping destination located along the the tranquil banks of the Peace River near Bowling Green. The main campground consists of 43 full hookup RV sites with concrete pads, picnic tables and firepits, along with 20 riverfront glamping sites all spread across 25 acres.
— Preservation Point in Inverness: This new RV resort hopes to open the first 221 sites of the park’s first phase in February. Initial amenities include a lakeside pavilion and dock. The developers hope to eventually expand the park to 1,000 sites.
— The Station RV Resort in Madison: This 92-site RV resort held its grand opening in September. Amenities include a fitness center, dog park, cornhole, pickleball and bocce ball courts.
Illinois
— Marion / Shawnee Forest KOA Holiday in Creal Springs: This campground opened in 2024 with 71 sites.
Louisiana
— Julandy’s Isle Glamping Resort in Leesville: Key Dixon is developing this small glamping resort on land that has been in her family for over a century. Dixon hopes to open with six RV sites and five glamping tents sometime in 2026.
— Slidell KOA Journey in Slidell: This park opened in 2024 with 62 sites.
Mississippi
— Serenity RV Park in Belden: This park opened in late November with 52 rv sites, including 48 pull-through and four back-in RV sites. The park also has five cabins.
Nebraska
— Lincoln West KOA Holiday in Seward: This campground opened in 2024 with 172 sites.
New York
— Catskill Mountains / Gilboa KOA Holiday in Gilboa: This campground opened in 2024 with 277 sites.
— Sodus Point / Lake Ontario KOA Journey in Sodus Point: This campground opened in 2024 with 71 sites.
Ohio
— Calcutta / West Point KOA Journey in Lisbon: This campground opened in 2024 with 71 sites.
— Franklin Furnace / Ohio River KOA Journey in Franklin Furnace: This campground opened in 2024 with 53 sites.
Oregon
— Cave Junction KOA Journey in Cave Junction: This campground opened in 2024 with 66 sites.
Tennessee
— Jellystone Park Camp-Resort at Watts Bar Lake in Loudon: This park was expected to open in February with 173 RV sites and 55 cabins. Amenities will include offer two pools, a large splash pad with two water slides and an outdoor movie theater. Families will enjoy interacting with the Yogi Bear characters, wagon rides, laser tag, gem mining, arts and crafts, and themed weekends. Luxury glamping cabins and premium RV sites are set among the hills and woods overlooking the lake.
Texas
— A New RV Park in Caddo Mills: Open Road Resorts is planning to build a 150-site RV park in Caddo Mills, northeast of Dallas, which the company hopes to open in late 2025 or early 2026.The new park will have a retail store, an in-ground pool and hot tub, bathhouse and laundry facilities, playground, pickleball courts, a dog park, as well as a community fire pit and gazebo area where guests can relax, hang out and enjoy s’mores and campfires. The park was unnamed at presstime.
—Arch Ray on the River in Fredericksburg: This RV resort recently opened with 74 RV sites and has plans to develop another 243 RV sites as part of the Arch Ray Winery resort. On-site amenities include Arch Ray Winery, a resort-style outdoor swimming pool, a 50,000-square-foot community center, 1894 Farm-to-Table Restaurant, Paul Bee Distillery, Ogle Brewery, an espresso bar, a bakery, an event space, as well as The Living Tree Amphitheater.
— Horseshoe Ridge RV Resort in Wimberley: This is a brand-new luxury RV resort, which opened in January 2024 with 124 sites, is within 5 minutes of historic downtown Wimberley, and 45 minutes from downtown Austin. This new resort features a state-of-the-art clubhouse, a resort pool complex with 10-mile Hill Country views, luxury cottages, and modern resort amenities.
— McKinney North / Celina KOA Holiday in Celina: This campground opened in 2024 with 112 sites.
— River’s Edge Campground in Johnson City: This campground opened in April 2024 with 45 sites.
— Roaming Trails Burleson in Burleson: Provident Realty is developing this resort, which is expected to have 196 RV sites available during the third quarter of 2025. The park will feature a gated front entry, a clubhouse and swimming pool, and fiber optic Internet. Premium lots will be individually fenced.
— Roaming Trails Calaveras in San Antonio: Provident Realty is developing this resort, which is expected to have 216 RV sites ready during the fourth quarter of 2025. The park will feature a gated front entry, a clubhouse and swimming pool, and fiber optic Internet. Premium lots will be individually fenced.
— Roaming Trails Kileen in Kileen: Provident Realty is developing this resort, which is expected to have 225 RV sites ready during the fourth quarter of 2025. The park will feature a gated front entry, a clubhouse and swimming pool, and fiber optic Internet. Premium lots will be individually fenced.
— Skye Texas Hill Country Resort near Fredericksburg: This 99-site resort opened in March 2024 with 51 RV sites, 12 glamping pods and 36 cabins. This resort is unique in that it has gigabit-speed WiFi and EV charging stations at every site. The resort also occupies only 30 acres of a remote 250-acre section of wilderness in the Texas Hill Country 15 miles north of Fredericksburg.
— Stephenville / Dublin KOA Journey in Dublin: This campground opened in 2024 with 129 sites and is adding another 46 sites.
Alberta, Canada
— Drumheller / Dinosaur Trail KOA Holiday in Drumheller: This campgorund opened in 2024 with 31 sites.
— Grand Prairie KOA Journey in Grand Prairie County: This campground opened in 2024 with 91 sites.
Expanding Parks
Alabama
— Great Escapes RV Resort Chestnut Bay in Leesburg: This park added 70 RV sites and 30 cabins in 2024. New amenities opening in 2024 included a resort-style swimming pool.
California
— Boulevard / Cleveland National Forest KOA Holiday in Boulevard: This campground added a new glamping tent with a queen bed and sofa. The park offers yoga classes and massages in its wellness dome.
— Temecula KOA at Vail Lake in Temecula: Numerous improvements are underway at this campground, including 171 new RV sites, 20 of which are KOA Patio RV Sites; 14 new deluxe cabins; and 12 luxury glamping tents with bathrooms. This park also recently remodeled 20 RV sites.
— Palm Springs / Joshua Tree KOA Holiday in Desert Hot Springs: This park recently improved 14 of its RV sites with Eco-Shade structures.
Colorado
— Fort Collins / Lakeside KOA in Fort Collins: This campground added five premium tent sites with water and electric utlities, lakefront views, a Polywood table, chairs and glider, barbecue and fire ring.
Florida
— Encore Terra Ceia Village in Palmetto: This resort, which opened in November 2023, has added more than 180 new RV sites and additional amenity spaces for visiting guests. The additions include a new swimming pool, deck and pavilion, a clubhouse with fitness center, extra common area gathering space and four pickleball courts.
— Okeechobee KOA Resort in Okeechobee: This campground added 10 deluxe cabins.
Georgia
— Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Bremen: This park, which is owned and operated by Great Escapes RV Resorts, recently acquired 100 additional acres and is adding 250 additional RV sites and 71 cabins, which are expected to be available in March. A new pool, a multi-level splash park, a Wibit water obstacle course, a waterslide, and a new clubhouse and bathhouse are also being added as part of the expansion.
Idaho
— RedRock RV Park in Island Park: This park has grown to nearly 160 sites, with 66 full-hookup RV sites added in 2024 along with a new dog park. Plans for 2025 include adding a new oversized community fire pit and gazebo where guests can relax, hang out and enjoy s’mores around the campfire.
Illinois
— Kankakee South KOA Holiday in Chebanse: This campground added 10 RV sites.
Indiana
— Indianapolis KOA Holiday in Greenfield: This campground added glamping tents to create a glamping tent village.
Kansas
— Goodland KOA Journey in Goodland: This campground has expanded, adding 20 full-hookup 50/30 pull-through sites; four dull hookup 50/30 back-in sites; five new patio sites, including one with an EV charging station; four new patio four new Patio Paw Pen sites; and two new super sites. The campground also upgraded five 30 amp sites to full-hookup 50/30 pull-through sites and converted eight tent sites into six deluxe tent sites.
Maine
— Bar Harbor / Oceanside KOA Holiday in Bar Harbor: This campground is upgrading five deluxe cabins to include new decking, patios, as well as inside and outside furniture.
Michigan
— Jellystone Park North Port Huron in Carsonville: This park opened 30 new cabins in 2024, boosting the resort’s total to 68 cabins. All RV sites were also upgraded to full hookups, while major improvements were made to the camp store and café.
Missouri
— Great Escapes RV Resort Branson in Forsyth: This park added 160 RV sites and 54 cabins in 2024.
— St. Louis West / Historic Route 66 KOA Holiday in Eureka: This campground added three KOA Patio RV sites.
Nebraska
— West Omaha / NE Lincoln KOA Holiday in Gretna: Open Road Resorts acquired this park in April 2024 and immediately began making improvements to its bathrooms, cabins and store. The company plans to add nearly 80 premium full-hookup RV sites this year, along with a new bathhouse, dog park and community fire pit.
New Mexico
— Santa Fe KOA Journey in Santa Fe: Open Road Resorts acquired this park in September and is in the permitting process to add roughly 50 full-hookup RV sites as well as a host of new amenities, including a new bathhouse and laundry facility and a community fire pit and gazebo area. Open Road Resorts hopes to have all of the improvements completed by the end of 2025 or early 2026.
New York
— Herkimer Diamond KOA Resort in Herkimer: This campground has added 29 RV sites and 10 deluxe cabins.
North Carolina
— Cape Hatteras / Outer Banks KOA Resort in Rodanthe: This campground upgraded four rustic cabins for beach camping with a bed with linens, electricity, a mini fridge, a Keurig, plus air-conditioning and heating, a patio and outside furniture. The cabins are now marketed as “Coastal Cottages.”
Ohio
— Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Cleveland/Sandusky in Nova: This park, which is owned and operated by Great Escapes RV Resorts, added 150 overnight RV sites, 44 seasonal sites and 21 cabins in 2024.
— Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Mt. Gilead: This park, which is owned and operated by Great Escapes RV Resorts, added 30 cabins in 2024. All of the park’s RV sites have also been upgraded to full hookups.
Oregon
— Honey Bear by the Sea RV Resort and Campground in Gold Beach: USA Camping Company recently expanded this park with 42 big rig friendly sites.
South Carolina
— Big Rig Friendly RV Resort in West Columbia: This park is adding another 34 RV sites this year.
Tennessee
— Nashville KOA Resort in Nashville: This campground added 200 RV sites, including 2 KOA RV Signature Sites; 16 deluxe cabins; and 18 tent sites, including one group tent site.
— Paris Landing / Kentucky Lake KOA Holiday in Buchanan: This campground added a deluxe cabin.
Texas
— Dallas NE Campground in Caddo Mills: Open Road Resorts is planning to add roughly 25 premium full-hookup RV sites to this 115-site park, which also features 10 cabins. The company is also adding a dog park, and a new community fire pit and gazebo area where guests can relax, hang out and enjoy s’mores and campfires.
— Good Shepherd RV Park and Storage in Gunter: Open Road Resorts acquired this 160-site park in September and plans to add roughly 60 full-hookup RV sites in 2025. Several amenity improvements are also planned, including a brand new in-ground swimming pool and built-in hot tub, a new playground, pickleball courts, a fishing pond, a fully renovated retail store, and a community fire pit and gazebo area where guests can relax, hangout and enjoy s’mores and campfires.
— Great Escapes RV Resort in Bryan: This park recently added 28 cabins; an outdoor pavilion; a venue for special events, called The Den Event Hall; as well as a relaxing hot tub and adjoining resort-style splash area.
— Nueces River RV & Cabin Resort in Camp Wood: USA Camping Company owns and operates this 50-acre park, which has a quarter mile of frontage along the Nueces River, two hours from San Antonio. Recent improvements include the addition of 23 full hookup RV sites, expansion and remodeling of the camp store, a new $60,000 WiFi system, and paving the entrance road. Future plans call for glamping accommodations and a new bathhouse.
— On The Beach RV Park in Port Aransas: USA Camping Company owns and operates this 4.3-acre beachfront park on Mustang Island, one of Texas’s premier vacation islands. Recent improvements include the addition of 18 big rig sites, completed in March, along with providing high-speed WiFi service. Future plans include transitioning to native plants, adding a clubhouse and improving park bathrooms and showers.
— San Antonio / Alamo KOA Holiday in San Antonio: This park plans to develop a new KOA Signature RV Site in 2025 as well as an RV maintenance shop.
— South Padre Island KOA Holiday on South Padre Island: This campground is adding 23 patio sites and a new activity building with a bathhouse.
Wyoming
— Sheridan / Big Horn Mountains KOA Journey in Sheridan: This campground is adding 21 RV sites, one deluxe cabin, and two covered wagons.
Wisconsin
— Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Warrens: This park added 66 cabins in 2024.
— Wisconsin Dells KOA Holiday in Wisconsin Dells: This campground added five deluxe cabins.
