Looking for RV camp grounds Atlas

[Mary Ann in MN]

I went to Barnes & Noble in Duluth the other day looking for both of these in the 2013 editions. I was told they don't carry them. I would like to find the one with the campgrounds in the entire US. and also find one for all of Northern MN. I don't like to order online without being able to see the inside. Can anyone recommend good ones that they have.

Thanks
Mary Ann

[cpaharley2008]

Walmart has several, some with large print for those in need and they all show where Walmarts are located.

[Mary Ann in MN]

Darn... I was just there when I went to Duluth and never thought to look at Walmart. I thought for sure B&N had everything but I guess not.

[honda03842]

For the entire USA nd Canada Ginny uses trailer life $10 at Camping World. I have a phone app that is very good but my 5 year old niece is using my phone so I can't give you the name right now - Allstays camp and Rv

[Jon Vermilye]

I had ordered the 2013 version of the Trailer Life Atlas & eventually, they let me know it was not available. Checked with Good Sam/Trailer Life & they are not going to publish a 2013 or 2014 version.

I did get the Good Sam 2013 RV Travel Guide & Campground Directory. About 4" thick, weighs about as much as my trailer (just kidding!) and poorly organized. It looks just like the Woodall books which have so many ads that finding what you want is difficult.

I really liked the old AAA books, however they are now using sectional versions of the Woodall books. I prefer 2 apps - Allstays Camp & RV for commercial sites & Camp Where for non commercial locations.

[Mary Ann in MN]

I think the one I ordered is the big thick one you are talking about. I don't like it. That's why I don't want to order online. I like to see what I'm buying.

I have a couple of Apps that have been recommended on here, but I like looking at the real maps in the evening and planning the next route I should take. I have the regular road atlas but would like one more for RV camping. I will just have to search around more and check out Wally World and see what they have.

[honda03842]

This is whatGinny uses. 2013 version bought at Camping World. It's organized by state and town



It was $9.95.

[Thomas G.]

I find these paper guides difficult to use. For one thing, they are by local town name, which can be awkward when you are not from the area. For me, a much better method would be to have them in an electronic format where they could be searched by general locality. So, you could look 100 miles down the road and it would show a series of dots in the area of interest. Click on the dot and it provides full information for the campground. Maybe this already exists - I hope so.

[Jon Vermilye]

That is petty much how CampWhere works. You start with a North American map, pinch down to view as close as you want & once you have under 400 miles across the map campgrounds start to appear. Again, it only does non commercial campgrounds, giving basic information, and a link to the campground site if available. CampWhere is iOS only...

Camp & RV works much the same, with the addition of a very useful filter that lets you pick the type of campground, stores, etc. Overall, it does not show as many non commercial campgrounds as CampWhere so both are useful.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye

That is petty much how CampWhere works. You start with a North American map, pinch down to view as close as you want & once you have under 400 miles across the map campgrounds start to appear. Again, it only does non commercial campgrounds, giving basic information, and a link to the campground site if available. CampWhere is iOS only...

Camp & RV works much the same, with the addition of a very useful filter that lets you pick the type of campground, stores, etc. Overall, it does not show as many non commercial campgrounds as CampWhere so both are useful.

Good to know. Do these require internet access to work? I'd like to see something with its own database piggybacked off the device's internal GPS.

[mary and bob]

We belong to AAA, they will give me 3 of the regional campground books free, per year I guess. Also belong to Good Sam and they always try to sell me the big book at a discount if I buy it early.

[honda03842]

We allso use microsoft streets and trips with overlays like walmarts, passport america, COE, state parks, ..... while defining our route we can aldo see parks. Streets also contains campgrounds

[Jon Vermilye]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

We belong to AAA, they will give me 3 of the regional campground books free, per year I guess. Also belong to Good Sam and they always try to sell me the big book at a discount if I buy it early.

Each local AAA has its own rules for campground books. The Syracuse office of the Western & Central NY chapter doesn't care how many or how often (well, there probably is a limit, but I've never hit it collecting maps & books for 2 cross country trips) you pick up maps or campground books, all for free. When I was in Duluth, MN they charged me 1/2 price for each campground book.

Another thing the Syracuse chapter does that is handy is they put all the maps & books on shelves & let you do the picking. Take your choices up to the desk to check out. The nice thing about that is I discovered a number of maps that I never knew existed, such as the Indian Country map & National Parks Guide.

[Mike Magee]

Good Sam directory replaces the Trailer Life and the Woodall's directories. They rolled them together and called it Good Sam. It is thicker than my previous 2005 (last one I had bought, till this 2013 one) and yet has less useful info for some of the campgrounds I checked for comparison. If you really like a hard copy directory, it's still probably the best deal out there.

I also have Allstays on my tablet and Campwhere on my phone. Allstays CG info can be viewed without internet, but the map only shows up with internet, so you are seeing pins on a grid with no map. You can click on the pin and see the CG info though.

Time will tell for me as to what I will reach for as I'm traveling, to check for CGs. I think that since the phone and tablet are so much easier to hold and navigate than the huge book, I'll probably try that first. But if for some reason I find reason to be frustrated with them, I'll have the tome.

Reference was made to something at Walmart.... I think that was just referring to the ROAD atlas Walmart sells that has all their store locations listed in it. Not a CG directory. And Allstays shows these WMs on their app, so now I'll never need to buy another WM Atlas.

[Evergreengirl]

We use the same big tome that Norm, Jon and Mike have mentioned. You can get it at any Camping World. If we have internet access and I know where we're heading I'll also check out Reviews of RV Parks and Campgrounds - RV Park Reviews. The reviews can be useful, but you have to read them with an eye towards what you're looking for. What one reviewer gushes over may not be at all what would appeal to you. We also like to stop at a good visitor's center when we get to a new area. They often have good maps and state and county park guides, as well as knowledgeable personnel. We also carry paper road atlases for many western states published by Benchmark Maps: Benchmark Maps & Atlases. I think they only make these for the western states, but they're great resources not only for campgrounds, but for all sorts of other recreational stuff. The atlas you show on the right in your picture looks very similar to these atlases.