• Startup costs can be high. Expect expenses for land, permits, utilities, insurance, and basic infrastructure before you welcome a single camper.
• Location, zoning, and market research decide your business fate. Build where campers want to stay, and where you are allowed to open a campground.
• Customer experience runs the show. Clean bathrooms, easy booking, and clear rules matter more than fancy extras.
• This business means hands-on work. You will fix things, clean things, and field complaints, sometimes all in the same hour.

If you are thinking about starting a campground, be ready to spend plenty of time (and money) before you see profits. The right location matters way more than you might think. You need to sort out utilities, permits, and insurance before you can even get started. It is not passive income. Owners who succeed understand their guests, offer safe places to stay, and keep everything running, day after day. Below, I will walk you through what it takes, step by step, so you can avoid common mistakes and build a business that lasts.

Understanding the Campground Business Model

Camping is an old idea, but campground businesses run on modern expectations. People want more than a patch of dirt and a fire ring. They want restrooms, hookups, booking systems, Wi-Fi, maybe a little shade. On the other hand, you have overhead costs. These can be much higher than many people expect.

If you are reading this and thinking, “That sounds like a lot of cash,” you are right. Some people get around this with leases or partnerships, but few skip these steps entirely.

Research Your Market Before Buying Land

Not every empty field can become a campground. And not every campground fills up, even if it looks beautiful. You need to answer a few real questions before spending a dollar.

• Is there demand? Are people camping in the area? Check state and federal park occupancy, reviews, and local tourism data.
• Who is your customer? Are you looking at families, full-time RVers, tent campers, glampers, hunters, or hikers? Pick one or two groups, trying to please everyone gets expensive.
• Does your site meet zoning and access rules? Call the county zoning office. Seriously, do this first. Parking RVs, drilling wells, or building bathhouses are not always allowed.
• Can guests actually reach you? A 10-mile dirt road sounds romantic, until every guest’s car gets stuck. You need real access for vehicles, waste trucks, delivery vans, and emergency services.

I know someone who bought land in the mountains, only to learn nobody could legally cross one small bridge to get there. His permit applications were denied, and he lost both time and money.

Legal and Regulatory Steps

Campgrounds are tightly regulated. Expect a lot of paperwork and rules. You will need:

• Permits from county or city planning boards
• State health inspections (especially for water and septic)
• Fire safety inspections and clear signage
• Business licenses, sometimes at multiple government levels
• ADA accessibility (at least in some parts of your park)

I think the biggest headache for many new owners is local resistance. Neighbors may push back on noise or environmental issues. Get ahead of this. Communicate your plans and address their concerns, you really cannot ignore this part.

Getting permits is often the longest part of the process. Plan for months, not weeks.

Insurance

Insurance costs more than you expect. Liability, property loss, worker coverage, these are just the basics. Guests fall, pets wander, fires start, trees drop limbs. Add coverage for natural disasters if possible, especially if you operate in wildfire or flood risk zones.

Do not open your campground until insurance is active. One incident can put you out of business overnight.

Setting Up Infrastructure

This is the nuts and bolts part. You need three things above all: access, utilities, and sanitation.

Access Roads

• Gravel or paved is best
• Wide enough for two vehicles to pass
• Bridge or culvert issues? Address these up front

Bad access may ruin your reputation before you even open.

Utilities

• Water: City supply is easiest, but wells are common outside town.
• Sewer: Municipal sewer is ideal. If not, a properly sized septic system is a must. Porta-potties are rarely acceptable long-term.
• Electric: RV travelers demand at least 30-amp, often 50-amp service on every site.
• Wi-Fi: Nearly every guest asks for Wi-Fi. Satellite may work, but be honest about speed and availability.

Bathhouses and Facilities

• Bathrooms and showers are required almost everywhere. Build more than you think you need.
• Easy cleaning is a must, tile, stainless surfaces, good drainage. Toilet paper and hot water can make or break your reviews.
• Consider a small camp store with cold drinks, snacks, and firewood. But, start simple and let your profits guide expansion.

Clean bathrooms are the most common reason campers leave reviews, good or bad. If you cannot keep them spotless, your business will suffer.

Designing Your Campsites

How you lay out your sites sets the mood for your campground. Do you want large, wooded, private spots, or rows of RV pads with hookups lined up? Your target guests will help decide this.

• Site Size: Bigger is better, especially for RVs. Length and width matter. A spot too tight to open a slide-out means a refund is coming.
• Privacy: Space out sites if possible. Natural screens, trees, shrubs, fencing, make a real difference.
• Fire rings and picnic tables: Required at most campgrounds. These do not cost much but make a site feel more welcoming.
• Paths and signage: Clear paths reduce confusion and accidents. Good signs save you a lot of explanation and angry phone calls.

Amenity Choices: Do the Basics Well

It is tempting to start with playgrounds, pools, and fancy rental cabins. But that is not necessary, or even wise. Invest in high-quality basics: clean sites, stable power and water, smooth check-in. Only add extras when the cash flow supports them.

Popular options you might consider later:

• Dog park or dog run area
• Small playground
• On-site laundry
• Nature trails
• Rental gear (kayaks, bikes, etc.)

Think about your daily work. Every amenity you add is something new to clean, repair, and worry about.

Staffing and Your Day-to-Day Role

Most campgrounds start with the owner doing nearly everything, maintenance, check-in, cleaning, even running the store. This saves money, but it is tiring. As you grow, you will need:

• Front desk staff for bookings and check-in
• Cleaning crew (or at least a dedicated person for bathhouses and common areas)
• Handyman or maintenance tech (outsource at first, maybe)
• Groundskeeper for mowing, trimming, and repairs

Hiring is tricky. It is hard to find people who want weekend and holiday shifts. But you cannot do it all yourself forever.

Marketing: Attracting the Right Campers

People rarely just stumble onto your campground. You must put yourself where people search for places to stay.

• List on national directories like The Dyrt, Hipcamp, and Campendium
• Build a simple website with online booking
• Encourage reviews and reply to them, even bad ones
• Keep social media simple, updated, and friendly
• Use clear, real photos of your actual campsites. Avoid stock images, they hurt trust.

Some guests may call you, but many will only book if they can do it online. Do not ignore that part. And never overpromise, false claims about shade, cell signal, or lake views will come back to you in reviews.

Pricing Strategy

Look at rates at other campgrounds within a 30 to 50 mile radius. Are they full on weekends? Are amenities similar? Underpricing helps fill campsites fast, but does not always lead to better reviews or return guests. You want fair prices that let you cover seasonal ups and downs.

Raising prices is easier than lowering them. Start in the middle of local rates and see who shows up.

Booking and Reservation Systems

Online booking is not optional now. Use a system that handles:

• Availability calendars
• Payments and refunds
• Confirmation emails
• Maps and choosing specific sites, if you want to allow it

Some owners use paper ledgers early on, but the risk of double-booking or losing track is high. I think guests expect modern systems, even at tiny campgrounds.

Customer Experience and Rules

Every campground needs a clear set of rules. Post them where campers can see. Cover:

• Check-in and check-out time
• Quiet hours (with firm start and end times)
• Pet policy (on leash or not? number allowed?)
• Fires (when and where? who supplies wood?)
• Refund and cancellation terms

Be consistent. If you make exceptions for one group, people talk. You train your guests how to treat your property and each other. I have seen new owners burned by this, it is tempting to be too friendly, but clear lines actually make people feel safer and happier.

Common Pitfalls: Where Campground Owners Go Wrong

• Ignoring zoning and access rules, then facing lawsuits or fines
• Building too much, too fast, and running out of money
• Picking a bad location, poor access, no demand, or water problems
• Believing campers do not care about cleanliness
• Not dealing with online reviews, especially the negative ones

The biggest oversight I see? Owners do not prepare for the sheer amount of maintenance this business needs. From mowing grass every week to cleaning bathrooms several times a day, it stacks up. Campers notice right away if you let things go.

Financial Planning and Projections

You will want to plan out at least three years of income and expenses before approval for loans or permits. That is not just to satisfy the bank. It will show you where the business gets tight, usually in the first two or three off-seasons.

Here is a simple example of annual revenue and expenses for a 30-site campground charging $45 per night, running eight months a year at 60 percent occupancy:

That number looks good, but notice: you are working full time with serious risk, and profit depends on good weather, guest reviews, and strong systems. During the first year or two, profit might be much lower.

Is Campground Ownership Right for You?

This is not a passive investment. You are in customer service, hospitality, and property management all at once. If you like working outside, solving unpredictable problems, and meeting travelers, it can be satisfying. If you want to sit back or leave the country for a month, this is probably not for you, at least not at the start.

For many, the hardest part is learning how to say no, to problem guests, to expensive upgrades, to taking on too much, too soon. On the other hand, some people wait forever, trying to make it “perfect.” My opinion? Launch with the essentials. Clean bathrooms, solid sites, clear rules. Add as demand grows.

The best campgrounds are not always the fanciest. They are the best-run, the best-kept, and the most consistent from week to week.

Next Steps if You Are Serious

• Visit as many campgrounds as possible, take notes, talk to owners
• Check local regulations before buying land
• Sketch your site layout with future growth in mind
• Crunch real numbers, including emergencies and off-season gaps
• Network with campground associations if you can

Maybe this has convinced you to rethink, or maybe it has helped you feel more ready. Either way, a real plan, one that faces tough realities, not just dreams, will save you money, relationships, and stress. That’s more valuable than a full reservation book in the long run.