Cranbrook-St. Eugene KOA Journey

This is a KOA I would stay in again. If you're looking for that large gravel parking lot with no amenities this is NOT the place. This KOA is very nice. Very well laid out with more than ample space between campers. Very nice office and club house. I didn't use the showers etc. but they looked very clean and well maintained. It has the look and feel of a high end resort. There's a casino within walking distance with restaurants etc. but I didn't bother. Electric and sewer dump worked. No water as it was still freezing temperatures. It was a bit off the beaten path but close to town and on the main road.

The park is located north of highway 3. Exit to 95A a short distance then turn off onto Mission Road for about 5 K. There is pavement all the way until the park entrance. Signage is adequate. Check in was efficient and friendly. The rules are fairly basic but one has to read and sign a lengthy Waiver Document . The interior roads are gravel and in good condition.

Our site, 104, was a gravel base back in that was long enough for our Coach and Towed. Services (30/50 amp, water and sewer) were to the left side. Given that check out is 11 AM and check in is not until 3 PM one would think that site would be clean and ready for the next occupant. Not so for ours. The previous camper left lots of mud and dirt on the pad and it was left for us to deal with. We had no way of cleaning the mess and had to keep our young puppy away from it during our stay. Distancing is fair for a rural park. No sites had a vegetation privacy barrier. Each site has a grassed area, table and a fire pit. Our site was flat and even. Overall the park was bland in appearance.

We did not use the park included wifi or cable TV(Shaw Box required). We did not look for any OTA channels. Satellite will not be difficult. We did not use the washrooms or showers but we checked and found them sparkling clean and unisex.

There is within easy walking distance a Casino, Restaurants and a store nearby. We found this park to be an okay overnighter. We paid $80.85 per night a we feel the price is excessive. The facilities are basic and the service (re the mud left on our site) dismal. We will not be back.

This KOA opened up the summer of 2018. When we were there in August of 2018, some of the sites were still under construction. I suspect it will all be finished by the end of the 2018 season. Note: you pay an extra $5 per night on the weekends.

The campground is associated with the St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino right next door. So the pool, hot tub, spa, etc. are all at the Resort. You get to the resort by climbing up 30 steps, driving, or walking up a side driveway. You can have food delivered to you from the resort.

The staff was friendly and always visible. Some of them are still learning what is what. Since the place is new, that is to be expected.

All the KOA buildings are new. The bathrooms are all unisex toilet/shower combinations and quite nice. The laundry facility was bright and clean. It was $2 to wash and $1 per 15 minutes of dry time. There was also a game room with game tables and a big screen TV with comfy seating. There is not a book exchange yet, the owner said he would like to start one - someone just needs to show up with some spare books. There is also a basketball court, a new playground, and a covered outside patio with a gas grill.

All the roads in the park are gravel and a lot of dust was being thrown up by the campsite construction. The sites are fairly well spaced with green grass between. There are fire pits and picnic tables on a concrete slab. There was a burning ban when we were there, but the KOA was renting out propane fire pits. There are some very small saplings. Give it 15 years and there will be some nice trees.

The WiFi was excellent, but then again, the campground was only half full. The cable TV was 49 digital HD channels (Canadian and American stations). I believe that means if you have an older analog television, the cable might not work for you.

Now for the downsides. The campground map shows sites next to the river with a path along the river. That is not case. The area along the river is actually a no-mans-land of trees, shrubs, high grass, rocks and a ditch. There are very few places where you can see the river. So if you are paying a premium for a riverside site, don't count on seeing the river. There are a few places were people have beaten a path to the river, we didn't attempt any of those.

The back-in spaces are turned so your walk-out door faces into the park, not towards the green space. We would have preferred it the other way for privacy.

All the utilities are positioned at the rear of the back-in sites. That means the sewer is poorly position at these sites. You better have extra sewer hose. For the pull through sites, having a car hooked to your RV when you park may also cause you utility problems when parking.

You pay a premium to stay here. We were really looking forward to a site on the river and were disappointed to not be able to even see the river. This place has potential. I hope someone else will chime in once it's totally finished. Maybe we would try this KOA again. But for now, we'll stay elsewhere.