Campground Website: KOA Indy

Date(s) of Stay: April 9, 2016 arrival; April 10, 2016 departure

General Information

Located close to I-70 in Greenfield, IN which is close to Indianapolis, this KOA has 207 sites and offers pull through sites up to 110′ in length. All sites include full hook-ups including water, sewer, electric (20, 30 & 50 Amp). Deluxe patio pull thru sites have a cement patio next to the gravel driveway and are bordered by grass. The non-deluxe sites do not have the cement patio, just the gravel driveway and grass so if it rains, it must get muddy. Note the campground is only open from March 15 to November 15.

Rates:
Like all KOA’s that we have been to, the rates are way to high for what you get. We booked a deluxe patio site and our rate was $48.98. With the KOA Value Kard, we received a 10% discount. Our total for one night including $3.09 tax was $47.17.

Overall Impression – 2.5/5
As mentioned in previous reviews, we are not fond of KOA campgrounds. Perhaps there are some nice ones but as yet, we haven’t found one we thought was even close to being worth the high rates. This one was no exception although the long pull thru’s were better than most other KOA’s we have visited.

Finding our way to the office from the marked entrance closest to the interstate was a little challenging even with the signs they had posted and required crossing a wooden bridge with no marked weight rating. At the office we had to make a tight 180 degree turn squeezing between the rec hall and the office. That was doable in our 43′ tag but just barely, so certainly not big rig “friendly”.

At the office there was a young girl at the desk who didn’t seem to know much – Rob asked about getting propane and she couldn’t tell him how to get to the propane tank which was located behind the office. Then she said someone in the office would be able to help us on Sunday even though the campground map said that propane fill ups were not available on Sunday.

To get to the site we were assigned (D36), we had to finish navigating the tight squeeze between the office and rec hall, then cross the wooden bridge again. We weren’t happy with the site. In addition to being fairly close to an RV dealer and the main road, the view from our front window was of dumpsters and assorted junk, the site was unlevel and the sewer hose and utilities would have run uphill due to oddly placed landscape timbers. And this was a deluxe site? NOT!

We took a walk around to scope out another site and decided site D43 would be adequate. We had no problem switching although the girl in the office seemed a bit befuddled by our request – I think there were only four other RV’s in this section of the campground.

While prepping for supper, around 6 p.m., we started to have electrical problems, popping the breakers at the power post every few minutes. It got to the point where we had to run our generator just so I could finish making supper. I called the office but of course it was closed, but I did leave a message. I didn’t expect a call back that evening but was quite surprised and disappointed when no one bothered to call me back even the next day to at least apologize for the lack of service. Later when we filled out a emailed request for feedback we also received zero response.

In general, the campground needed some maintenance, although it was very early in the season. Some of the interior roads had nasty potholes and were in need of repair. Although the grass was mowed, there were a lot of weeds and grass growing in the gravel at most of the sites. Since we were only there overnight, we didn’t have time or any desire to check out any of the facilities.

Besides the excessive cost for what you get, our main beef with this KOA (and all KOA’s in general) is the unavailability of knowledgeable staff or anyone to handle a service issue, as well as the apparent lack of corporate oversight and non-existent customer care. It was very infuriating to pay top dollar, have to run our genset for power, then not even get a callback.

Sites

Size – 3/5
Most of the pull thru sites were very long with a max length of 120′ but the gravel pads were not very wide and needed weeding. Most of the deluxe sites did have what appeared to be a fairly new concrete pad for the sitting area.

Privacy – 2/5
None, but site spacing was not bad.

Amenities – 3/5
Full hook-ups, deluxe (?) patio sites, cabins, picnic tables, restrooms with showers, fire rings, trash service, swimming pool, coin laundry, recreation hall, basketball, horseshoes, wifi, propane (looked hard to get to for a big rig) and dog park.

Location:

Convenience – 4/5
Because it is located very close to I-70, this campground is an easy overnight stop. We didn’t get a chance to explore the area but according to Google Maps there are a number of restaurants, grocery stores and other conveniences not too far from the campground.

Physical Surroundings – 2/5
Suburban. The north end of the campground (where we were) abuts an RV dealer that in turn abuts I-70. There is a chain link fence between the dealer and the campground that had a lot of garbage and junk up against it, not a pleasant view. The rest of the grounds, if properly maintained, are probably pleasant enough during the prime season.

Maneuverability and Roads – 2/5
Some of the roads were okay for a big rig while others seemed a little narrow with tight turns. Some paved roads in need of repair, but the gravel sections were mostly good.

Peace & Quiet – 2/5
Close to the main road and I-70 so lots of traffic noise.

Utilities – 3/5

• Sewer – Two sewer caps spaced apart and well placed for convenience for most rig types on the long pull thru’s. Threaded caps several inches above grade however making a gravity slope difficult for our rig.
  
• Satellite – Lots of leafless mature trees during our stay, but we still had a mostly unobstructed view to the south and west so had no problem hitting the DISH Western Arc (110/119/129). However, when the trees leaf out and/or depending on the specific site, reception may be restricted.
  
• WiFi – Did not test.
• Cellular signal – Good 4 bar Verizon 4G inside and outside without a booster.
• Over-the-Air (OTA) TV – Should be able to receive all primary broadcast channels without any issues.
• Power – Very Poor, at least on site D42. 50/30/20A. Our site had a problem and the power kept tripping to the point where we gave up and ran the genset. Voltage seemed OK and no specific errors registered on our Progressive EMS. We were not overloading the 50A circuit. The odd thing was our inverter kept shutting itself down too, whereas it normally kicks in immediately and seamlessly upon loss of shore power. Something very unusual was going on. No response for help that evening, the next day or after submitting a satisfaction survey.
• Water Pressure/Quality – Good pressure 40+ psi no significant off odors and no turbidity.

 

What We Liked
– Convenient to highway

What We Didn’t Like
– High nightly cost.
– Some interior roads in need of repair.
– Gravel sites not maintained.
– Some of the “Deluxe” sites are not very deluxe.
– Electrical issues at site with zero response from the local office or corporate.
– Lack of knowledge by office staff.
– Crazy 180 degree turn between two buildings at check in area.
– Unmarked weight rating for wooden bridge between campsite sections.

Would We Return
– No, and will avoid all other KOA’s.