Kampgrounds of America
KOA is the largest private campground franchise network in North America.
Founded
1962KOA is the largest private campground franchise network in North America.
KOA operates three campground tiers: KOA Journey properties designed for overnight stops along travel routes, KOA Holiday properties offering multi-night family destinations with enhanced amenities, and KOA Resort properties providing premium camping experiences with full-service features. Each tier provides electric, water, and sewer hookups for RVs alongside tent sites and cabin accommodations.
KOA also operates the KOA Value Kard Rewards loyalty membership program, which provides cardholders a 10% discount on nightly rates at participating locations. The network supports direct reservations through the KOA.com platform and mobile app, enabling campers to search, compare, and book sites across all franchise locations.
Camping participation surged to record levels during the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained elevated, with the KOA North American Camping Report consistently documenting new and younger campers entering the market. This demographic broadening — particularly among millennials, Gen Z, and multicultural households — represents a long-term tailwind for organized campground networks like KOA that offer beginner-friendly facilities.
The glamping trend is reshaping expectations for outdoor accommodations: demand for Deluxe Cabins, Glamping Tents, and Patio Sites has grown faster than traditional tent or RV sites, lifting average spending per stay. KOA's franchise model allows it to require franchisees to adopt premium site types as a condition of renewal, gradually upgrading the network.
RV ownership reached multi-decade highs in 2020–2022, and while the post-boom normalization has moderated sales, a larger installed base of RV owners provides sustained demand for full-hookup campground sites. Year-round camping is also expanding geographically as more southern and coastal KOA locations remain open through winter, reducing seasonal revenue concentration.
KOA's primary competitive advantage is its brand recognition built over more than 60 years as the largest privately owned campground network in North America. With more than 500 locations across the US and Canada, KOA's scale creates a national distribution footprint that independent campground operators cannot match, while its franchise model keeps local ownership engaged in day-to-day quality.
KOA's standardized experience — consistent amenities, site categories, Kamps for Kids programming, and clean facilities — addresses a key friction point for family campers: uncertainty about what they'll find. The KOA Value Kard Rewards loyalty program drives repeat visits and cross-location bookings, reinforcing the network effect of a large footprint.
The annual North American Camping Report, which KOA has published for over a decade, has become a trusted industry data source, reinforcing brand credibility with campground owners, investors, and media. Combined with a modern reservations platform, the brand has modernized its guest experience while maintaining the familiarity that multi-generational campers associate with the yellow KOA logo.