Back-to-back stays at two of the most renowned RV resorts in the country

We're now into our 4th year of full-time RVing, and we've learned a thing or two about how we like to travel. The RV resort isn't always our sought-after camping spot, as we usually opt for more rustic sites in nature. However, when word gets out in the RV community about must-try resorts, our ears perk up. Once in a while, it's nice to have ample amenities right at our doorstep. It's nice to not worry about water and tank conservation. It's sometimes even nice to have neighbors close by!

We also know that, because we don't seek out resorts, that we might not always be the best people to review these types of campgrounds. We wondered if we give them a fair assessment, being two child-free travelers who work full-time jobs on the road and mostly keep to ourselves. Paying high resort prices is always a tough pill for us to swallow, especially when we end up not using half of the amenities available. But then we thought about it some more, and wondered, is it possible that we actually give these places a fairer review? We don't put them on a pedestal. We don't like them just because everyone else does. This way, when we like a resort, people know we mean it!

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This campground is rated as one of the best in the country, and it’s right in our back yard

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Brighter on WheelsNicole Anderson

After a successful trip across the country, we landed in the Southwest. This was our second time RVing to this region of the country, which meant we could begin tackling our list of things to do and places to see the second time around. Our first trip to Tucson, we chose to camp at a county park, living among the saguaros and loving every minute of it. This time, we booked a site at the Tucson KOA Resort, which as far as RV campgrounds go, is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from a rustic county park. The rave reviews abound, though. Just Google "Best KOA campgrounds" and this one makes the list, with descriptions calling it a "desert oasis." It boasts a 4.6/5 rating on Google and a 9.2/10 on RV Life Campground Reviews. Its claims to fame are the ample choices of amazing RV sites you can choose from, many of which come with fruit trees that are yours for the picking. Just take a look at the site options! Not just normal KOA patios, but KOA patios with fire features. Not just K9 Paw Pens, but paw pens with covered shelters. Private playgrounds for the kids. Solar powered "power parasols" that power your hookups. Sky decks, aka double-decker patios. And these are just RV sites! Let's not even talk about the adob-orable cabins.

If we were going to stay at the Tucson KOA, we were going to do it right. I booked us two nights in a sky deck site and we were ready to get our sunshine on! This pull-thru site cost us a whopping $125/night, including our 10% KOA member discount. I also used some of our rewards points for an extra $50 off. With tax, the total ended up being $252.12, or about $126/night.

I must have missed the memo on the sky deck sites, because to my pleasant surprise, we also had a private K9 paw pen with its own orange tree. The pen is a fenced in area behind the lower patio, underneath the sky deck. The lower patio has a dining table and an outdoor TV, all covered by the sky deck. Uncovered, next to the lower patio, is a firepit with Adirondack chairs and a bench swing. On the upper level of the sky deck were two more Adirondack chairs, on a turf surface and shielded by a sun shade.

We noticed some variability among the sky deck sites. Our business-side neighbors had a spiral staircase and no sunshade, which meant their sky deck would barely be usable in the daytime. Most of the other sites had new, Adirondack-style patio furniture on the lower patio, but we had the old metal set. We also had a staircase of death, which we learned the hard way that Tanner could easily climb up but not so easily climb down.

The worst part about our site, however, was an immediate setback as soon as we pulled in. At this point, we have stayed at well over 100 campsites, and this was the first time we could not get level left-to-right. There was far too much gravel in our site, which caused our rig to sink. Usually this isn't a big deal because we come with tools and know-how, but this time, nothing mattered. We started off 2.5 inches down on the passenger side and first tried to roll up on our leveling ramps. They skid out from under the wheels. This has happened before. No big deal. We opted to use our stacking blocks instead and create a ramp. The blocks skidded out from under the wheels. We tried our wood blocks. More skidding. We tried maneuvering in the site, but our parking area was so narrow, nothing made a difference. I went over to the business side to try and dig the gravel, making the spot lower for those wheels and leveling us that way. Only, that part of the site was too hard to dig! Yet, the rest of the site was so deep in gravel that even our feet sunk in when we walked around. In one last desperate attempt, I shoved our wood blocks back under the wheels and had Anthony back up onto them instead of driving forward. This worked enough to get the wheels on the blocks, but the blocks aren't thick enough to raise us the full 2.5 inches. We could have finagled more, possibly trying to reverse onto the stacked blocks or doubling up the wood blocks with the leveling ramps, but at this point we had been trying to level for 15 minutes, still needed to unhitch and unpack, and it was hot out. We decided, for two nights, we'd stay unlevel by an inch. For $126/night, that's an expensive inch.

We didn't want our unlevel positioning to put a damper on the whole stay, and so we kept our minds open as we explored the resort and checked out the amenities. The sun was starting to set, and lots of campers were lighting their campfires and grills for dinner. This, plus the kitchen at the on-site restaurant, made the whole resort smell incredible! Then we were rewarded with our first Arizona sunset in two years, and anyone who's seen one knows that they are special. The amenities included two pools with hot tubs. We appreciated that each pool had its own poolhouse with bathrooms and laundry. There were pickleball courts, a decent fitness center, and tons of rentals: Golf carts, bikes, four-seaters, and more. Practically everything we've seen at a KOA, this resort had. Except for the famous jumping pillow.

Even though Tanner had his own paw pen, he did make a couple visits to the larger dog park at the end of our row. There were a few dog parks at the resort, but we noticed on the map that what was marked as dog areas looked like putting greens in person. We were confused. Did these used to be dog areas but the map isn't updated? Are the dog areas meant to look like putting greens? Are the dogs supposed to go in the holes?! We didn't ever figure this out, and we didn't use them for either purpose. Tanner's paw pen and the dog park were sufficient for his needs.

We worked up an appetite exploring, and the aroma of Mexican food was irresistible. We were still seeking redemption after our disappointment in Amarillo, and for an on-site restaurant, this place seemed legit. Tierra del Sol seems to be a fairly new addition to the resort, and while it's most frequented by KOA campers, it does seem to be open to the public. It has a 4/5 on Google, and most of the bad reviews were from when the restaurant first opened. We learned to not take reviews of Mexican restaurants too seriously, anyway. We went a little over an hour before closing, and so the restaurant wasn't crowded. We sat at one of the high top tables in the bar area and ordered some mango habanero wings and our entrees. Finally, spice and zest at a Mexican restaurant! And salsa that tastes like salsa! With chips that don't taste like grilled Tostidos! We left a little room in our stomachs for some fried ice cream for dessert. Absolutely delicious cornflake coating, and they also serve the ice cream in a cinnamon sugar tortilla bowl for double the pleasure to our palates. We left the restaurant completely stuffed and very satisfied. Was it "authentic" cuisine? Honestly, pretty darn close. Of course, the restaurant also served more American items to appeal to campers of all types, but of the Mexican items we tried, everything tasted legit enough. Truthfully, we'd take delicious over authentic any day.

The KOA resort has a couple of on-site businesses besides the restaurant. A Lazydays RV dealer and service department shares the property, but it's located adjacent to the resort, so you don't really feel like they're one and the same. The resort also has their own exclusive RV wash and wax company. You book an appointment for a wash and they come right to your site. We were overdue for a wash big time and decided to spend the extra money for the service. We got our truck and trailer washed with no extra bells and whistles, and it still cost us about $300. We typically spend less than $50 at a truck wash and way less when we use a self-serve, but we had multiple men working on the rig at once, and they were extremely diligent. We were able to see what on-site washing was all about and support a small business in the process. It's definitely not something we'd splurge for regularly, but it definitely felt good seeing the rig clean again, because boy was it caked!

Last year, we wrote a blog post series that ranked all the KOAs we had stayed at. Curious, we calculated the Tucson Resort to see where it would fall in the ranks. The individual scores were polarizing. This place scored 9s and 10s for convenience and amenities, but a 0 for having a nature trail, because it sadly didn't. We appreciated that they brought in some nature vibes with their landscaping, but if we had stayed longer, we would have missed having a nature trail. It also scored a 0 for noise pollution because it's situated right next to the interstate. In total, the Tucson KOA scored a 71, which would put it in the middle of the ranks. However, it's undoubtedly classified correctly as a KOA Resort.

We left Tucson and headed north to Camp Verde. Once again, this would be our second visit to the area, which meant we felt no pressure to explore beyond our resort. Verde Ranch RV Resort has come highly recommended by some RV influencers we follow, and it has won numerous awards over the years, including the #1 RV Campground by Campspot in 2024. Sticking with our splurge mentality, we booked two nights in a premium deluxe back-in site, which according to the website would be extra wide and situate us near the Verde River. Honestly, the price wasn't too bad, especially after our triple-digits site in Tucson. Verde Ranch accepts all major RV and travel memberships, so we got 20% off with our Escapees membership. The total ended up being $148.79, or about $74/night. We also got to choose our own site. Some of our other options were covered sites, sites near the "K9 Corner" dog park, or regular pull-thrus. Non-RVers have plenty of options as well, including modern cabins, safari tents, and Conestoga wagons. The glamping options are climate-controlled and have their own private bathrooms.

We had an extremely long travel day from Tucson to Camp Verde that included traffic through all 100 miles of Phoenix, so we didn't arrive to Verde Ranch in the best spirits. We wished we had more room to spread out, but even our extra wide site didn't feel spacious enough. We also realized that being near the Verde River didn't actually mean anything. We backed up to a dried up canal and couldn't even see the river from our site. We could, however, see and hear the interstate. The giant Verde Ranch billboard wasn't the most idyllic touch, either, but we hope it works to draw people in!

Once again, we needed to shake off initial impressions and keep an open mind. We got some sleep and were ready to explore the next day. First, we went to the office to finish checking in. We arrived after hours and were told to come and get our wristbands for the amenities. Wristbands? NOOOO! We loathe wristbands. We can't understand how resorts think people want to wear irritating paper-plastic awfulness around their wrists for days on end, most of which aren't even reusable. We feel like prisoners!

Read about our hatred of wristbands here and here.

But, the crisis was averted when the lady at the front desk revealed these:

She probably wasn't expecting our enthusiastic gratitude for trusting us with reusable wristbands! Comfy ones, too. More places need to take a page from Verde Ranch's book.

Something else we found interesting was that, instead of including site amenities like a picnic table or firepit, these were add-ons that we could rent along with our reservation. We're not sure what to think about this. In some ways, it feels like those deceptive processes that show the "base price" but then entice you to add a bunch of extras. On the other hand, we appreciate not paying for things we're not going to use. We also saw some of the rented tables and firepits, and they were in wonderful condition. We imagine it's much easier to maintain them when they're not at everyone's site 24/7. If someone is going to be camping at Verde Ranch long-term, then perhaps they find renting the amenities worth the price, or they could just bring their own. As long as your firepit is elevated and covered, you're allowed to use yours.

Now, we're not writing this post as a direct comparison between the Tucson KOA and Verde Ranch. It's like comparing all the fruits on the KOA fruit trees. We just wanted to see what two well-rated resorts in the area prioritize. In both cases, the amenities were well-thought-out in their design, quality, and location. At Verde Ranch, most of the amenities were at the Clubhouse, which was centrally located in the resort. Outside the Clubhouse is the on-site food truck, and down the hill, a playground and some pickleball courts. (Would it kill these places to just have one actual tennis court, though?!) The Clubhouse reminded us of what we'd find at a luxury apartment complex. The building is gorgeous. You walk into a huge atrium with a central, double-sided fireplace. To the right is a business center and to the left is a kitchen area, with seating in the middle and some gaming tables toward the back. In a room off to the side is an arcade. The games all cost money, but at least they seemed well maintained. Out back is the year-round swimming pool and hot tub, and on the other side of the Clubhouse is some bathrooms and the fitness room. I look for two specific things in a fitness room: a variety of machines that allow for both cardio and strength workouts, and some open space for people to put down yoga mats. This fitness room had both, but it also had something very surprising. People were using it! In all my visits to a campground fitness room, at most I've seen one or two people working out. Most of the time, the rooms remain empty, and it worries me that this is why the resorts don't keep them up. This was not the case here; the room was so crowded I couldn't even take a picture of it!

Even though we couldn't see the Verde River from our campsite, we were a short walk away from a nature trail that followed the riverbank. Two years ago, the Verde River looked very different. The melting snowfall had caused the river to flood, and it was brown from dirt and debris. This year, the river had reclaimed its name, emanating a lovely muted green color.

A short walk in the other direction led us to a pond and the K9 Corner. The dog park had some covered benches for the humans and plenty of running space for the canines. However, the signage was bizarre. Signs were posted inside the fenced in areas saying that dogs must be on leash. This fundamentally negates the purpose of a dog park, so we assume the signs are placed wrong. Perhaps they mean dogs need to be leashed upon entering and exiting the park, but they're using generic signs.

Desert RV parks are interesting with dogs because there isn't a lot of grass. Verde Ranch used turf, which as Anthony pointed out, "isn't self-cleaning," but we didn't notice any messes. In addition to the dog park, there are many dog areas scattered throughout the rows of campsites. We thought this was a nice touch because a lot of dogs aren't comfortable going to the bathroom in rocks and dirt, plus it's a safe way to keep them away from spiky plants. We assume this was Tucson KOA's purpose for the "putting greens," too, but here at Verde Ranch, the purpose was clear.

Our day at Verde Ranch consisted of a lot of adulting. We got chores and laundry done, and we regrouped from our exhausting drive the day before. We always appreciate a resort for its accessible laundry facilities, and Verde Ranch had two laundry rooms. Both reminded us of laundromats. They were big, had lots of machines and seating, had vending machines, and also allowed payments through an app instead of coins. Unfortunately, everyone's behavior was also like a laundromat, with people stealing machines right from under our nose.

Even though this wasn't a direct comparison between the two resorts, on our way out of Verde Ranch, I asked Anthony if he returned to one, which he would choose. He chose Verde Ranch, while I chose Tucson KOA. That's one of the benefits of RV resorts; they all offer a unique vibe. Once you find the one you gravitate towards, you have a home-away-from-home tucked in your back pocket for every time you visit that area. As for us? We might not agree on the specific resort we prefer, but we do agree that we usually prefer no resort at all. However, if we find ourselves back in Tucson or Camp Verde and in need of some luxury, we know exactly where to find it.