Woodall's 5W Campground and RV Park Dual Rating System

Woodall’s Campground ratings help you choose the park you are looking for

Find Woodall's 2012 Top Rated Parks Here. Woodall's assigns two ratings to each privately owned campground/RV park. One rating is assigned to the facilities at the park (sites, roads, service buildings, restrooms, hookups, etc.). A separate recreation rating is also assigned. Both facilities and recreation ratings range from 1 to 5. (This is Woodall's copyrighted rating symbol.) Keep in mind the final ratings are a composite of several different areas of interest.

What do the Woodall Ratings indicate?

Ratings depend on the quality and quantity of our criteria elements. The more 's a park has generally reflects the presence of more development at the park, and usually more facilities. HOWEVER, THE MAINTENANCE OF THE CAMPGROUND WEIGHS HEAVILY IN ALL RATINGS ASSIGNMENTS. Cleanliness is a major factor in determining if you and your family will have an enjoyable vacation. The maintenance level at a park must meet or exceed the recommended ratings or the rating cannot be assigned at that level.

Do more 's mean a better park?

Emphatically, NO! The Woodall rating system does NOT indicate good, better, best. Each RV/camping family needs to decide how much development is going to make their trip enjoyable. Woodall lists a wide range of parks from rustic, natural settings to resort-like RV parks. Different factors may make a park attractive: convenience to the Interstate; width of sites; located near a popular attraction; a swimming pool, lake or other on-site recreation. Facilities Rating Detail - Development There are 8 main areas that are included in the point system evaluation for Woodall’s facility rating, with a maximum point value of 62. In order for a park to receive a 5 facilities rating, they must earn at least 57 development points from the 8 areas of interest (plus meet the maintenance requirement discussed below). Here are the areas of interest that are evaluated: Entrance – Worth 1-5 points for development. A park can earn the highest point assignment if the park has all of the following: superior commercial quality lighted sign, superior landscaped entrance, superior paved wide easy access and superior paved wide entry roads. Services – Worth 1-5 points for development. A park can earn the highest point assignment if the park has both of the following: management with posted daily office hours and separate registration building or area, and superior laundry (commercial quality Laundromat). Restrooms – Worth 1-15 points for development. A park can earn the highest point assignment if the park has all of the following at all restroom facilities: full professional finish inside and out, ceramic tile floors, showers and up to 4 feet on the walls, ceramic title, Formica or Corian counters, factory built partitions. Plus, to get at least 12 points or more the park must have a ratio of 1:10 restrooms to non-sewer sites and 1:50 restrooms to sewer sites. Dump Facility & Method – Worth 1-5 points for development. A park can earn the highest point assignment if the park has all of the following: 4x6 concrete pad sloped to flush inlet, self closing cap, flushing water, if drinking water is available it must be at least 30’ from dump, easy access, clear signage. Sites – Worth 1-10 points for development. A park can earn the highest point assignment if the park has all of the following: 75% of the sites must be level, have easy access, have a picnic table (or patio substitute), have shade and/or plantings, have surface preparation on 100% of the sites. Hookups – Worth 1-10 points for development. A park can earn the highest point assignment if the park has all of the following: 50% of individual full hookups plus 50% of water & electric hookups with a tap and electric stanchion for each 4 non-full hookup spaces, logical hookup relationship, minimum of 30 amp receptacle at all full hookups and minimum 20 amp receptacle at all electrical hookups. Interior Roads – Worth 1-5 points for development. A park can earn the highest point assignment if all the roads are wide and all-weather or paved. Grounds & Lighting – Worth 1-5 points for development. A park can earn the highest point assignment if the park has all of the following: extensive grounds development, lighting at registration, restrooms, camping areas and some activity areas. Bonus Points: A park may receive 1 bonus point for each of the following: If at least 20% of total RV sites have a separate 50 amp receptacle per site, if at least 50% of total RV sites offer instant wireless access. Facilities Rating Detail – Maintenance Although Woodall’s rating system weighs heavily on the amount of development that a park has, maintenance is also a factor when considering the Facilities Rating at a park. For each of the 8 areas mentioned above, Woodall’s assigns a maintenance rating of 0 to 5 - 0 being unacceptable and 5 being superior. In order for a park to keep the 5 rating that it earned through the facilities development evaluation, it must earn at least 43 points in the maintenance evaluation. Recreation Rating Detail Woodall’s other rating is the recreation rating. A park can earn up to a 5 for recreation, by having recreation items on site or nearby their park. Like the facilities rating, the Woodall’s recreation rating weighs heavily on the amount of recreation development that a park has. Recreation items are categorized as "major" or "minor" recreation. For example, a swimming pool would be considered a "major" recreation development, while horseshoes would be considered "minor" recreation development. In order for a park to receive a 5 in recreation they must have planned group activities, a swimming amenity (pool, lake, etc.) and 10 major recreation items (6 or more of which must be indoor recreation items). Depending on the kind of camping experience you would like to enjoy, the Woodall’s rating system sets out to help you choose a park that meets your needs by helping you understand the amount of development that a park has and how well it is maintained. Woodall’s ratings are considered by RVers as the most reliable ratings available because of the lack of subjectivity that is permitted. For a sample evaluation form, and even more detail about the Woodall’s rating, visit your local AAA office and pick up a Woodall’s/AAA camping guide, which outlines the rating in the How To Use this Directory Section. 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