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Thousand Trails

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We have been Thousand Trails members for a couple of years and I figured I would write up general thoughts about it.  To sum it all up we think Thousand Trails is great with a few caveats.

Looking at the google reviews of TT(Thousand Trails) parks you would think they are universally terrible.  I certainly did and was very hesitant to spend the money on a membership.  We found https://www.campgroundmembershipoutlet.com/ and bought an old used Platinum membership for $2500 figuring we could get that much use out of it in a year and dump it if it was really that bad.  Our first TT was in St Claire Michigan and our second was the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia where we ugraded to a newer membership and have largely spent the last year in TT parks.  So TT is great!

I have more detailed reviews on each park we have been to here so you can look at details there.  Generally TT parks are more "rustic".  Most of the roads in the park will be dirt or gravel.  Few parks have concrete pads.  The hookups can sometimes be older.  So if you are high maintenance and need to have a concrete pad and smooth roads then TT may not be for you.

Why do we like Thousand Trails so much?

  • Cost.  Once the initial membership fee is washed out you are in for $500/year.
  • We have had few issues with any of the parks.
  • We don't care so much about the park amenities like pools.

 

Ok I will grant you that is kind of a stretch for a list of reasons to like TT. :)  The reality is that cost is a HUGE win for TT.  Yes its a big chunk of money up front and people constantly complain how much they pay.  But break it down by how much you pay for a park now.  When we started we figured we payed between $500 and $900 per month for a spot.  So trying it for $2500 is somewhere around 4-5 months to make that wash out and then you can stay at TT for the dues of $500/year.

Just to be unbiased here are some things we don't like about thousand trails.

  • You can't always get a 50 amp spot.  This is not a huge issue for us unless its August and 100 degrees.
  • No TT in the midwest.  Lots of TT parks on the coasts and from Texas east.  
  • The sewer connections are kind of random.  Sometimes they are a concrete cone that you stick the elbow in and put a rock on it.  They work but its odd.
  • High use restrictions.  In popular places high use will kick in during the season and you will be restricted to two week stays.