Every campground tells a story.
Some years are about growth. Others are about holding steady. And sometimes, the biggest wins come from small adjustments that add up over time.
As park owners look ahead to the next season, one thing is becoming clear: thriving doesn’t always mean doing more. It often means being more intentional, whether that is pricing with purpose or simply meeting campers where they are.
After reviewing system-wide trends and talking directly with campground owners about how they are responding, a few consistent patterns start to come into focus. These insights reflect the practical decisions owners are making as they look ahead to the next season, and they offer a useful lens for thinking about what comes next.
Guests are being more selective with how they spend their money. That does not mean they are unwilling to spend. It means that they are paying closer attention to what they get in return.
Many parks are finding that competing on price alone is no longer enough. Parks seeing stronger results are paying attention to the full picture of the stay, from amenities and activities to what guests consistently respond to during their visit.
As one multi-park owner shared:
”Our guests are having to be more selective with what they do with their money. So make sure when they decide to spend their money at your campground that they feel like they got what they paid for and beyond! Almost all of our activities are free to the guests since we wanted them to feel they were getting a good value. Feedback was very positive, and I believe it helped us book extra camping nights. We plan to carry that momentum into next season.” — Gary Ott, Jr., Gettysburg Campground
For many parks, this has meant rethinking events and activities as part of the overall stay rather than optional add-ons. Free or low-cost programming can go a long way in shaping how guests remember their visit and whether they choose to come back.
Once guests decide a stay feels worth it, the next question becomes when and why they book. For many parks, specific events or offerings are playing a bigger role in that decision than they did in the past. These don’t have to be elaborate or expensive to be effective. In fact, many parks are leaning into events and activities that fit naturally with their location, staff capacity, and guest mix.
Some examples park owners are using successfully include:
One owner put it simply:
”We have people calling and asking when the comedy night is before they book their stay.” — David Willette, Otter Lake RV Resort
Another shared how empowering guests to lead activities has worked well:
“Our snowbirds manage a lot of their own activities. One gentleman runs a pool tournament, another runs a Bible study, another runs a golf tournament, and a lady runs a water aerobics class.” — Kimberly Rennick, Camping on the Gulf
The takeaway is not necessarily that every park needs a full events calendar. However, certain events and activities influence booking decisions and can encourage guests to stay longer.
Behind the scenes, many park owners are taking a more active role in how pricing supports their overall operation. Rather than relying on a single flat rate, many owners are experimenting with Dynamic Pricing to better reflect how their park fills across different days of the week and different times of the year.
As one owner explained:
“I like Dynamic Pricing because at the end of the day, we are all looking at the bottom line, and it gives you that extra boost. Nobody’s asking what the nightly rate is anymore, just ‘how much?’ “ — Jan Maat, North Shore RV Resort
Another owner shared a more candid perspective.
”Dynamic Pricing rewards faithful guests for rebooking early. The guests that book last-minute are often the most complicated… You want to charge them more.” — Todd Foster, County Shores
Other park owners are using pricing in more targeted ways to influence demand and smooth out occupancy patterns.
”We’ve decided to offer one night at half price for non-weekend rentals on cabins.” — Austin Cable, Austin Lake RV Park and Cabins
Taken together, these approaches give park owners more flexibility. Pricing becomes a way to respond thoughtfully to demand, rather than something that stays fixed while conditions change.
Not every guest arrives with an RV. Parks that offer a mix of accommodations, like cabins, yurts, or other alternatives, are reaching a wider audience and capturing stays that might otherwise go elsewhere.
This has also meant thinking differently about where those accommodations are marketed. Listing select units on third-party platforms, such as Airbnb, can help parks connect with travelers who may not be actively searching for a campground but are looking for a short getaway to a unique place.
As one owner observed:
”We’ve added five cabins in the last two years, and we plan to add a handful more. People want to experience camping in their own way, but not everybody has RVs in the city.” — David Willette, Otter Lake RV Resort
The common thread is flexibility. By offering different types of stays and meeting guests where they already browse and book, parks are opening the door to new audiences without changing who they are at the core.
Thriving does not require reinventing your park. It starts with understanding what is already resonating with guests and building from there.
The strategies above reflect what park owners are actively doing to adapt. Many of these insights, along with additional data and context examples, are included in the Your Park Can Thrive: Strategies for Next Season and Beyond data presentation. Click here to download it.
If you’re curious how CampLife helps parks track this kind of data and turn it into practical decisions, just reach out. We’re glad to talk you through how these insights show up in day-to-day operations and what they could look like for your park.
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