Grand Island KOA Journey

2 mi off I-80 NO traffic noise HOORAY
Most recent stay was 6/17/16 - I'm "late" in posting my review ~ We camp in a Little Rig “Tear Drop” style RV only 15' long w/o toilet or shower ~ plus we like to eat outdoors using the picnic table and set up our dining canopy for sun and weather protection and thus rely on condition of campgrounds facilities and being nearby our site ~ so our critique is focused in that area.

1st impression this is nice – a welcomed site after hours on the road next to cornfield with sites amongst the trees for shade & green grass. But then close up this is a typical KOA with very narrow close together sites packed together like a can of sardines RV park style with gravel pads and roadways. We had a picnic table but strip of grass was very narrow sandwiched between neighbor RV’s. There are many cabins for rent and a nice separate grassy area for tenter’s; all close to the restroom/showers ~ as were we. So placement of that building was ideally situated. Nice swimming pool area plus overall the grounds are clean and well maintained it shows they care.

The building held 6 individual unisex restroom/shower rooms. Down the hall on one side were 3 ea private shower rooms, opposite side were 3 ea private restrooms with a toilet and sink. At one end was an ADA shower/restroom combined. All were modern and clean. Shower rooms had hooks for clothes/towels, wall bench, and rubber floor mat for wet feet. Missing was a shelf for your toiletries stuff. Only NEGATIVE was Lack Of Adequate Ventilation; nonexistent and it got very stuffy in there. Trying to towel off dry was a joke! If you open the door a crack to get air, you’re exposed to next person in hallway waiting in line. [reason for 4 star rating] Restrooms had paper towels so you could clean up your area after and a shelf for toiletries – very thoughtful, but no hooks for towel and clothes. Same ventilation problem.

Note: there is a 2nd restroom/shower facility connected to the office building; the ventilation is so much better.

Most recent stay was 6/17/16 - I'm "late" in posting my review ~ We camp in a Little Rig “Tear Drop” style RV only 15' long w/o toilet or shower ~ plus we like to eat outdoors using the picnic table and set up our dining canopy for sun and weather protection and thus rely on condition of campgrounds facilities and being nearby our site ~ so our critique is focused in that area.

1st impression this is nice – a welcomed site after hours on the road next to cornfield with sites amongst the trees for shade & green grass. But then close up this is a typical KOA with very narrow close together sites packed together like a can of sardines RV park style with gravel pads and roadways. We had a picnic table but strip of grass was very narrow sandwiched between neighbor RV’s. There are many cabins for rent and a nice separate grassy area for tenter’s; all close to the restroom/showers ~ as were we. So placement of that building was ideally situated. Nice swimming pool area plus overall the grounds are clean and well maintained it shows they care.

The building held 6 individual unisex restroom/shower rooms. Down the hall on one side were 3 ea private shower rooms, opposite side were 3 ea private restrooms with a toilet and sink. At one end was an ADA shower/restroom combined. All were modern and clean. Shower rooms had hooks for clothes/towels, wall bench, and rubber floor mat for wet feet. Missing was a shelf for your toiletries stuff. Only NEGATIVE was Lack Of Adequate Ventilation; nonexistent and it got very stuffy in there. Trying to towel off dry was a joke! If you open the door a crack to get air, you’re exposed to next person in hallway waiting in line. [reason for 4 star rating] Restrooms had paper towels so you could clean up your area after and a shelf for toiletries – very thoughtful, but no hooks for towel and clothes. Same ventilation problem.

Note: there is a 2nd restroom/shower facility connected to the office building; the ventilation is so much better.

This campground is fairly typical of KOA's but in better overall condition that others we've visited. The staff was friendly and efficient. Like many KOA's, this one has convenient access to an interstate but it was far enough away that noise wasn't a problem.

The main downside to this site was the expense. Our full-hookup site had a base price of $50 a night. We were charged another $3 for each of our three children, so $9 total. With tax, the total was $64 which isn't a good value in our opinion. We are not KOA members so this price was without any discounts.

We did make sure to get our money's worth however and the nice showers with endless hot water allowed us all to get cleaned up nicely and we were also able to take advantage of the full hookups.

A second downside was site spacing - there was only a 6 foot strip of grass separating us from the neighbors on both sides - barely enough room for a picnic table.

WIFI was available and was better than many other campgrounds, but still slower than our cell service. It's adequate for basic web searches and email and only marginal for any data-intensive tasks.

We would not stay here again because of the expense and the policy of charging extra for children.

Our one night stop over on the way home from a week with family in Iowa was so very pleasant at the Grand Island KOA. The sites are close together, but in this sort of Journey KOA, who cares? The campground is covered in old, tall trees that provided a relaxing environment. Right when we arrived our boys found a tree frog hanging out at our tree. For being right off the highway and really convenient to get to, it was also a really pretty campground. And...they have PIZZA. Delivered to your CAMPSITE. Ummmm...traveling all day with a 2 and 4 year old and arriving at the campground at 6:30, which is way past dinner time in our world, and being able to order pizza while in the reservation line was INCREDIBLE. We had basically set up camp and the pizza was brought right to our spot. I’m sure this isn’t the only place that has something like this, but I was THRILLED. There was a great playground, and truly helpful, kind, friendly staff.

This is a great little KOA thatis minutes off of I-80. The campground is nestled among farmlands and although you are minutes from I-80 you will enjoy a quiet night's sleep.

What I liked:
-Bathrooms were spacious and clean. Private toilet and shower stalls in individual rooms.

- 2 dog parks, one of which is actually big enough for a small to medium-sized dog to get true off leash exercise.

- Great pizza made at the office and delivered to your site.

- Friendly, helpful staff.

- Sites were level

What could have been better:
- Like most KOAs, the sites are close together.

Verizon 40MB down/9MB up. Sprint 4MB down/1 MB up.
Friendly staff, interstate noise isn't too bad. Lots of standing water during rain. Pool looks nice but I didn't use it. Pizza, nachos and wings available in the office.

The staff was very nice!
The only amenity we used was the dog park which was small, but well maintained.
Sites were level, easy to get in and out of, but narrow.
It was expensive for where / what you get, but not awful. Just make sure you have everything you need when you arrive, there is nothing near-by.

Grand Island KOA was a welcome respite after a 30-minute Hail Alley storm experience late afternoon which broke our three skylights. We arrived late, about 9:30 pm, and still the host greeted us in his golf cart and showed us to our site. Super nice! The sites are very close to one another, but the lots were clean, with a bit of grass each. Location was very safe and convenient and, amazingly, no interstate noise. Laundry facilities were very clean. Nice store if you need quarters, a cold drink, etc. The reason we rated a “3” was the Internet was very poor and kept dropping so we really couldn’t use. I was interested to see that if a tornado warning is issued, guests are invited into the office. (These Nebraska storms are nothing to sneeze at!) Would use again.

This KOA seems to offer a lot for just a stop off the highway. It sits amongst corn fields and is close enough to the highway where you hear some road noise if the A/C is off. We were in a site closest to the highway so this may have played a part, but it wasn’t too bad. Sewer access hole was broken, but could be worked around. Small fenced-in area for dogs and playground for kids. They were accommodating to our last minute, late night check-in needs. Great spot for a safe quick stay over.

This is a nice KOA with many large trees and good shade. Our site was not level and it seemed most were using blocks also. Our site was by the front tent area so we had late afternoon shade and could keep our AC off. It’s off the interstate but it was quiet. Lots of birds and birds nests and it was pleasant to be outside. We did not use the laundry. The tent area up front by the office was the nicest I think I’ve ever seen with lots of shade and lush grass. We’d stay again.