KOA serves novice, veteran campers

The air was cool but not uncomfortably cold. It was perfect camping weather, and all around us Boy Scouts lay sleeping in the survival shelters they had built for their merit badge, all but the one who lay crying somewhere in the moonlit meadow.

I crawled out of my sleeping bag and followed the sobs until I found their rather surprising source, one of the older boys who spent the daylight hours bolstering his image as a tough guy. When I asked why he was crying, the young man explained that he didn't like bugs and was afraid a creepy crawler or two might find their way into his sleeping bag. Needless to say, that young man was not having a good time.

Fears such as these can keep would-be campers from embarking on almost any outdoor adventure. Others choose not to go camping because they need a few more creature comforts than the rest of us. My mother-in-law's definition of camping, for example, is an overnight stay at Grandma's house in a small community in Southern Utah.

Not everyone has access to a grandma's house, but some commercial campgrounds provide a few more creature comforts -- and perhaps a few less creepy crawlers than the traditional campgrounds found on public lands. These might be a good option for those people in your life who drag their feet when it comes to spending time in the outdoors.

"Kids and even adults today are fearful of going in the outdoors. We have a lot of work to do to try to get youth and even their parents into the outdoors," said Jim Rogers, Kampgrounds of America chairman and CEO. "We've got to make the outdoors fun. We've got to make it safe, and we've got to give people the sense that it's welcoming. I think KOA facilitates that."

With 500 campground franchises across North America, ranging in size from 15 acres to 1,000, KOA provides a wide array of opportunities for campers of all ages and experience levels. Some people use the campgrounds as one-night stopovers while others use them as base camps while engaging in outdoor activities nearby. Nearly half of all KOA campers are families, and 15 percent are first-time campers. Even so, Rogers said that many KOA campgrounds also appeal to the devout outdoorsmen who hunt or fish.

"We allow people to access the outdoors to any degree they wish and make it easier for them," Rogers said. "But I think the key thing is there are people there that help whether you are setting up a tent or learning about hookups on your RV or wanting to go out and find your local rifle shop."

In addition to providing facilities for tent campers and RV enthusiasts, KOA offers more than 4,000 cabins, which Rogers describes as log tents. These sleep four people and come complete with air conditioning, electricity, queen beds and bunk beds and even a barbecue. They share a common bathroom, but "you don't have to show up with much, just your sleeping bag and your gear," he said.

For those who prefer a camping experience like you might find at your grandma's house, KOA offers deluxe cabins that include bathrooms, kitchens, sleeping for up to six people and decks with gas barbecues similar to what you might have at home. Standard amenities at each campground include laundry facilities, a store and a pet area.

"We're trying to appeal to a broad base and take care of those folks that think Marriott is camping," Rogers said.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His "In the Outdoors" column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at intheoutdoorslv@gmail.com.