Worst Thousand Trails RV Parks | Our List To AVOID

[@liferedesigned]

This list encompasses the worst Thousand Trails parks we have been to .. SO FAR. Are we being too harsh? Let us know!

[@timf6916]

Bring it on, YOU GO GIRL.

[@rodneymathews5885]

Looking forward to hearing about your BEST Thousand Trails Parks :) We've stayed at a few others that are also run down. Cherokee Landing is one that could really use some TLC. More than a quarter of the sites are un-usable. Some are so bad that nature is taking them back and its hard to see that a campsite was even there. We did enjoy the peace and quiet though!

[@liferedesigned]

This Thursday (2/8) we will upload our top Thousand Trails picks 😀 We have heard the same think about Cherokee Landing.

[@lelandlanglois5902]

Hi, Bob & Karri, just a quick note the campgrounds at Robert Mosses don't open till mid-May! They stay open until October.

[@liferedesigned]

Noted! Thank you

[@gbryant261]

My partner and I lived full-time in our RV and were Thousand Trails members. Overall we were pleased with our Thousand Trails membership as it did save us a lot of money and, for the most time, we were happy with the parks. We upgraded our membership to include the Encore parks in our second year due to the greater availability of sites, longer stay allowances, and elimination of the week away requirement of the basic package. We enjoyed our stay at Diamond Caverns because I enjoy caverns and also the access to Mammoth Caves National Park. I do agree with you about the camping sites though. but as we spent most of our time away from our RV, it didn't bother us too much. Our favorite campgrounds were, of course, the Encore ones and the Mt Hood in Oregon was our favorite. Nice level sites, plenty of spaces between most sites, paved roads, friendly staff and so much to see close by. Unfortunately, due to my partner's health issues, we had to sell our RV and purchase a small home in the southern Arizona desert where we love desert life. There are lots of RV parks down here as well as plenty of BLM land and the winters are delightful so if you're looking to escape the winters of the west, come on down and enjoy desert living for a few months. And if you do, be sure and visit a real missile silo right here in Green Valley.

[@liferedesigned]

We are hoping to be that way next winter and have added this to our list! Thanks for the awesome tip!

[@johnstangel8918]

I would love to know did you let Thousand Trails know about these concerns and if so what happened when you did. Was anything done to make the situation any better because you guys spent a lot of money on the membership so I'm curious how they handled it. As always great video and keep em coming.

[@liferedesigned]

As with anyplace there are good and bad so we take it all in stride. Thousand Trails has known about the issues at these parks for quite a while and to be fair has made a lot of great changes at quite a few parks. Hopefully these will come online as well. For a list of our top Thousand Trails parks - check out Thursday's video (2/8)

[@Life.After.Retirement]

I agree with you on Peace River, my wife said we will never go back. I think we mentioned this when we meet at TTO. Enjoy your travels, good luck with the diet!

[@liferedesigned]

When you said that in TTO , we should have taken that advice 😂 Safe Travels, Karri

[@weighit]

Twenty years ago we stayed in St. Clair and I sprayed for bugs and weeds as a non paid helper. That made a huge difference in the bugs, but I heard after we left no one else took on that job. Seems they still are not doing the job.. Great Video and I agree on every park you marked as terrible,

[@liferedesigned]

Yeah, the rain certainly didn’t help the situation either. Thank you!😀

[@brucefranklin6765]

Have you been to Lake Tawakoni TT in Texas yet? We stopped overnight there on the way to Montana in 2022. Parts of it looked rundown, but there were parts that looked like they were upgrading. We had one of those free 1 year basic TT memberships that dealers gave to RV buyers. We’re not full time, so we never bought a full TT membership.

[@liferedesigned]

No, we haven’t been there.

[@JandAReview1]

We love how you guys tell the Truth! Safe travels!

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you! 😀

[@JDT454]

Weather is looking awesome there. Hey how long are u all staying here my wife and I were kicking around coming down in March but not sure yet we were there last March.

[@liferedesigned]

We’re leaving for a month and will be back in March. It’s chilly but beautiful!😀

[@celestepalm6949]

Thanks for letting us know. It really helps being aware of where _not_ to go...

[@liferedesigned]

exactly why we made the video! We never like to be too mean but sometimes we have to think that maybe we are saving someone's vacation 😀

[@TheArtofRetouching]

I watch a lot of repair videos, that leads me to believe that RV's just fall apart. You are a close match to what I envision (move, stay, enjoy). Do you feel that RV's are too much hassle?

[@liferedesigned]

Honestly, if we did feel that way - we would have quit. This exact question is why we do KZbin. For too long people on this platform sold this way of life as easy and "vacation like" living - when the views slowed down, they switched to the current narrative that "everything is junk" because negative videos do better for views. The reality is somewhere in between which is what we (hopefully) show.

[@MJD-o3l]

This is a very informative video and I appreciate your honesty. We are trying to decide if TT is worth the initial outlay. BTW, we love Myrtle Beach Travel Park and have be camping there since the 80's. Cheers!

[@liferedesigned]

We love TT, just have to understand what you are getting 😀 we honestly couldn’t live this way without them!

[@missouritravelers]

I dont know if i would use a TT membership.

[@liferedesigned]

We did the first year and now choose out of network parks

[@preppingplumber4776]

I really appreciate what yall do. I grew up camping with parents and grandparents I remember when ocean lakes had 2 basketball courts.. 1 pool no board walk and kids could roam free in the 90s. Now my wife and I are purchasing a small camper to take our 7yr old to make memories. My job will allow us to go for long weekends once a month plus. I really appreciate the insight,tips and reviews…. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you! We appreciate you for being here! That’s awesome! Being able to enjoy the outdoors anytime is great!

[@TDub_ADV]

Thanks for this, as new TT members its invaluable info.

[@liferedesigned]

No problem! Stay tuned for our Thursday video 😀

[@TDub_ADV]

@@liferedesigned We will be watching on Thursday for sure. I was informed by the planner in chief that she had already booked us for a weeks stay at Diamond Caverns. Are we doomed?

[@liferedesigned]

Wouldn’t say doomed but definitely don’t expect a resort. All buildings have mold / heavy moisture inside - stay out of those and you should be fine.

[@thousel9325]

Thank you for the heads up

[@liferedesigned]

Welcome! Thank YOU for watching😀

[@mazie65]

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you for watching! 😀

[@victoriamoberg1220]

You guys are awesome!!! I’ve been so worried about peace river and have canceled there a few times just because I got nervous! But then another person tells me it’s their favorite and it feels like real camping. Don’t ever do TT oaks at point south! I should make a list for TT/encores and KOAs that would help a lot of people lol

[@liferedesigned]

absolutely! We have TT Oaks scheduled for July but also have a backup plan. We have heard the horror stories. Oh and if Peace River is like real camping then BOY are we not campers 😂

[@Max-on-Tour]

I have to agree on TT Peace River. For the mud and how everything is organized. I can add TT Lake Minden in California and Pioneer Village in Fort Myers, Florida to the list. There are others that I would avoid, but that is mostly due to our size. A lot of these parks are so tight that you need to oil your rig to make it into a spot.

[@liferedesigned]

😂😂😂

[@lelandlanglois5902]

Hi Bob & karri. This is Lee & Sharon from northern N.Y. You need to check out Robert Mosses State park in Massena N.Y. Its part of the sea way Trails . We love it

[@liferedesigned]

Hello! How are you guys? I’ll share this with Bob! Thank you for the recommendation! 😀

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

Topic Idea: When towing your RV, how do you deal with traffic in the bigger cities, especially with the rude, dangerous, and clueless drivers? Are you able to keep your cool or do you find it challenging to quell your frustrations? My inheritant nature tends to fall into the second category but outwardly I always strive for the first. What are your tips?

[@liferedesigned]

So usually, we never have any real problems. We typically route us around large cities or if we have to go through an area with crazy drivers (Houston) we go super early. Most of our travel days are on Saturdays which helps eliminate most of the problems.

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

@@liferedesigned - ah, yes. Super early is probably where I'm failing. 🤭 We're getting better at avoiding more traffic down south here now that we finally figured out the toll roads with the pass that suctions to the windshield. That may be common knowledge to people in more populated states, but to us from sparsely populated states, that took some figuring out.

[@jimeandi525]

Cherokee Landing in Tennessee is by far the worst park I’ve stayed at. I did spend one night at the TT park in Kentucky but didn’t see much as it was just a sleepover. Happy travels

[@tracyholman6239]

What was your favorite in Texas and Arizona? We are heading there for Dec and Jan

[@liferedesigned]

We really like Lake Texoma, Colorado River and Lake Whitney. Lake Whitney was a little rough around the edges but the staff was amazing. Colorado River was the best of the 3

[@jsneed7216]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@liferedesigned]

Welcome, welcome welcome! 🤣

[@RandomStuff-zt6qf]

8:00 how long ago were you at Peace River?

[@liferedesigned]

24 minutes to long

[@liferedesigned]

😀

[@RandomStuff-zt6qf]

@@liferedesigned haha right on, but I meant how long ago, was it January of this year? We have a reservation coming up there and hoping it has improved...

[@liferedesigned]

Sorry about that - glasses were not on 😂 this was the first week in January

[@cuttinloose]

Which places do you like best? We are heading to AZ soon. PS great video

[@liferedesigned]

Thursday we will have the best ones in a video 😀

[@thousel9325]

Do you let TT know of your experiences? Or management?

[@liferedesigned]

Oh they are aware 😀

[@bigfamilyexpedition]

Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel Bob 😂

[@liferedesigned]

Nobody wants that lol! 😂

[@bigfamilyexpedition]

@@liferedesigned are you sure about that? You may be surprised 😂

[@liferedesigned]

he doesn't need any encouragement 😂 Y'all get to watch the videos - I have to live through it 😂😂

[@NatalieJeffcoat-h4x]

Karri I live with the same person lol!! Don’t poke the bear lol 😂

[@Thomas-jk5un]

Totally agree on Peace River, we are there now. I could find a better site in a national forest, bumpy dirt roads, unlevel sites, highway noise, kids on very fast scooters, creepy walking trails. I didn't like Orlando because of the heavy traffic in the area, this is way worse. The mowers just came by today to mow the sand outside our rig. At least in Orlando they help you find a site, here you have to go up & down the dirt roads looking for a site dragging/driving your rv. This is our first & LAST visit here, same with Orlando.

[@liferedesigned]

If you have Encore check out Tropical Palms outside Orlando. Crystal Isle is about an hour and a half out but is nice also!

[@danrambow7721]

We have had a great time with our 14-year full time RV life. We live rather austere, but travel all over the country. Thousand Trails has made it affordable for us. Mostly in the west, Texas, and some of the east coast and Florida. Most are not really great RV Resorts, but for us and our 40' class A, we find them for the most part, acceptable as an RV Campground. I guess our standards are not as high as some folks, as we have found the parks to be good for us. No, not all are great, roads especially are generally bad. When we stayed in Diamond Caverns TT in 2022, and it seemed fine to us. We stayed at Peace River in 2015, and it was great. But we know hurricanes have come through since. That can change things dramatically. Yes, a good staff makes a poor park really work, a bad staff can make a good park seem bad. Isn't life great, something for everyone on the road, but not necessarily every thing is for everyone.

[@liferedesigned]

Well said! We have stayed in far more great Thousand Trails parks than bad. We will cover the great ones in Thursday’s video 😀

[@rodboatwright9113]

Thanks for the info!! When you went to Branson did you travel S 49 to get there? We have to travel that pothole infested hiway every day. LOL

[@liferedesigned]

Don’t quite remember the route as all the states blur after a while 😂 I do remember high elevations but no potholes 🤣🤣

[@OurRollingVoyageORV]

Well I’m mad you called Peace River an S hole….it’s a straight up shit hole. When we were there the ground was so muddy and flooded with standing water, we left and drove to Sanford to stay in my wife’s mother’s yard. That was the second time we went there and I thought the horrid first was just a one off. The first time was not even good but it was just a week. But I was glad to leave. Safe travels!

[@liferedesigned]

Shit hole is very much accurate! 🤣🤣🤣 safe travels!

[@RoadieWingZZ]

We have a TT membership which was included as a no-cost perk by our dealership. Have only used it once at Lake Conroe, Texas. Overall we liked the experience and would definitely go there again. Their facilities are pretty nice, though I think the “permanent” residences tend to be a little off-putting as you get a trailer park vibe instead of an RV resort feel. The one downside we see with the TT system is the first-come-first served approach which puts you in hunting mode and uncertainty about which spot is best suited for your needs. The staff were very friendly and accommodating for us to move when a better/roomier site became open, so kudos to them on their hospitality 👍

[@liferedesigned]

Lake Conroe was pretty decent for a Thousand Trails. For the most part - the better ones are like that park.

[@Thesaltymedic36]

As a TT member since 07….you ain’t wrong 😂 it’s like the Walmart of camping. Some Walmarts are nice and some not so much. My membership has been paid for and paid for itself a long time ago. I look at it like this, I need a place to park. I need to fill the tank, empty the tank and hopefully get power. Honestly I don’t need power if the weather is good. The laundry facilities are hit or miss. If it’s a miss I head to town to a laundromat. I don’t need activities. If they have them, great. I do get irritated at total muddy sites though. I don’t care if people are rude or short, I honestly don’t need them much and I hope they don’t need me 😊because I’m walking away. Anyway I use it to fill a basic need, anything above that is a bonus for the Walmart of campgrounds 😂

[@liferedesigned]

Well said 😀

[@hollisconant2566]

oregon has some nice tt parks not fancy but great

[@liferedesigned]

Haven’t been there…yet.😀

[@TravelSmallLiveBig]

We have only stayed at two Thousand Trails - one in Oregon which was just "meh" and a horrible one in CA. So after that never had the desire to join. We have two sets of friends who love their memberships, but they mainly go to the same parks over and over.

[@liferedesigned]

As with everything in life there is good and there is bad. We love our TT membership

[@TravelSmallLiveBig]

@@liferedesigneddo you have it for a certain area and mainly travel in that area?

[@liferedesigned]

No, we have the top package and travel all over the country​@@TravelSmallLiveBig

[@TravelSmallLiveBig]

@@liferedesigned very cool! Then you have probably seen a lot of them! Skip the one in Acton, CA - haha! We only stopped there to add a night to a trip when we picked up our rescue dog. Definitely would not stay there again.

[@liferedesigned]

@@TravelSmallLiveBignoted!😮

[@Mark_Lawler]

Ha ha ha. I lived in Michigan's U.P. as a kid. Mosquitoes truly are the size of hummingbirds. Between them and the deer flies -- Yuk!!!

[@jeanengel6552]

Not buying a TT membership any time soon. Yikes 😳

[@liferedesigned]

These are just some that we didn’t like. Plenty of awesome places in the network. Couldn’t live this way without our membership

[@laurakilmer8652]

I am so glad we never never never joined Thousand TRails. We did go to a welcoming about 40yrs ago near orlando. Thank God.

[@liferedesigned]

For the few that we didn’t like, there are easily 20 that we absolutely loved. Good and bad with anything

[@Rick-x8h]

Good to know!👍 We’ve got some that had pretty pictures and all that and ok reviews and on arrival, well it was ghetto city, out the door we go and down the road to something better. Sad but true, just like buying a junky rv that looks a million.

[@liferedesigned]

Very true! We have found the best reviews that are the most fair are on RV Life Pro - quite a bit of difference when the reviews come from paying customers as opposed to just random people.

[@ModernDayProspector]

i have been enjoying peace river to be completely honest. and most of the people in here seem to enjoy it sorry you had a bad experience. i can aggree that the water drainage could be better. they were under 17ft of water over the last hurricane. it seems they are fixing the ground to not rut up as much slowly but surely. all new electrical down bottom. and yes if they get stone or pads someday it could help. there has been nicer parks sure but for what it is i enjoy peace river

[@liferedesigned]

If it works for you - enjoy! Just was not a good fit for us

[@nickknox.]

Beard is lined up nice though.

[@RickandDarcirvadventures]

We have thousand trails but glad we have military bases as backup to stay.

[@liferedesigned]

We always have a backup - too many things can go wrong anywhere 😀

[@RickandDarcirvadventures]

@@liferedesigned so agree

[@samsubia]

Which thousand Trails parks are the top 10 for ya'll?

[@liferedesigned]

check out our video from Thursday - they are all there :)

[@johnpeddicord4932]

Enjoyed, with 13k investment, membership, , corporate office should know what's happening in there parks, a portion of refund should be efficient 😊

[@liferedesigned]

To be fair we have stayed at far more great parks than bad ones. The ones we have lined up for this season we are excited about. Thursday's video will have our top picks so far .. we still have zero issues with our membership or value though

[@JanAllOverNow]

You are in Myrtle Beach in shirt sleeves and im here in Florida wearing a jacket..sigh

[@liferedesigned]

It was just a fluke day 😂 been jacket weather here also!

[@ddcornell1019]

Bob let it rip. 😂😂😂 Truth tellers

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you!

[@CharlesAnsman]

Copy That. 👍

[@liferedesigned]

👍

[@brianschindler1511]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@alan_whoneedstiedye]

Who says that Uber drivers don't smoke weed?! LOL.

[@liferedesigned]

I bet that would give them more 5 star ratings lol

[@carlbeaver7112]

Sooo... for what, $10k - $20k or more + $xxx/night to stay at a TT park and then you still have to put up with this garbage? Why would anyone sign up for that? I'm just not getting it. Even if some are nice who wants to put up with not knowing after spending that much money. "Please, here's my $20k, please, please spin the wheel and send me to a crapshoot!"

[@liferedesigned]

So, the answer to that is simple - research. There are good and bad with anything. We have stayed at KOA's and State Parks that would make these places look like 5* resorts. The reality is, These were a handful of the 30+ RV parks that we stayed at in 2023 - Thursday's video 2/8 will have our top picks for Thousand Trails so far and that list is quite long. When you break down our camping costs for year 2, we are paying roughly $4 per night. At that price even the bad ones are tolerable.

[@carlbeaver7112]

@@liferedesigned But after paying a ridiculous buy-in, an annual fee and a per diem? Then you have no idea if you're heading into an untenable location? Doesn't sound like much of a deal. If I'm spending that sort of money up front, make plans, spend my time and money to get to a spot and it turns out like those I'd be looking for someone's backside to insert my foot into. But, to each their own.

[@liferedesigned]

Under that theory - we would never go anywhere. No different than if you booked KOA, State Park or any RV Park. You have to do your research first. Perfect example is the RV Resort we are in now - $125 a night prepaid, if we got here and it sucked - it is what it is - no refunds. Again, the pluses outweigh the negative tremendously. Much more great parks than there are bad ones for sure. To be clear, initial package was $13k - our annual dues are under $2k. There are no nightly charges for TT members. All that said, for roughly $4 a night - hard to beat.

[@rickanders5883]

We bought a used membership for less than 4K

[@mommasonthemove9144]

As a pothead, I resent that. Lol

[@liferedesigned]

Lmao don’t worry, you are in good company

[@mommasonthemove9144]

@@liferedesigned OK. Smoke session when we meet!!! Lol

[@mommasonthemove9144]

Hey Karri, I think that since you're handling comments now, you should share your favorite hater comments and then your funny responses. 😁 Those videos are fun.

[@liferedesigned]

Girl, it’s all about the gummies!

[@liferedesigned]

Hmmm.. there are plenty, I’ll talk to Bob about this! 😀

[@FisherPost]

You’re endorsing a cell WiFi connection company?

[@liferedesigned]

Have been for quite a while - Great service, Great company and Great price. Oh... and we are honest about the service

[@bryanstaten5585]

So Bob im guessing you dont like the smell of weed? Bahahaha

[@liferedesigned]

There’s a time and place for everything 😀

[@CharlesAnsman]

I'm sorry your visits to My state of Florida didn't represent the native southern hospitality.

[@liferedesigned]

We domicile in Florida! Love Florida except that one spot 😀

[@forexfrank4484]

you guys really need to stop using that same thumbnail pic pose Lol ...i mean come on guys, get more creative..Lol

[@liferedesigned]

This is what you get when you don't have a team of people that edit your videos, create your thumbnails for you and respond to comments on your videos .. oh did we mention that we are not professionals and Bob also works about 60 hours a week at his job? Geez, now I am sounding just like him when he rants lol - I (Karri) will try to get new thumbnail pics done in a couple of weeks. Until then you are stuck with me lol.