I don't know if it's the pictures we post, our descriptions of campgrounds, or what, but we get so many questions about how we choose a campground, I thought I would just post an answer for all to see.

We start out going in some direction for some event way out in the future.  Now that we have determined that we are public campground fans (city, state, federal) over private campgrounds and RV parks (because of more natural settings and more distance between sites), I start out with an online search of the state park system for whatever state we are in or will be in.  Many don't have campgrounds at all or they don't have RV camping.  We throw those out and then check the ones with RV camping that are near our intended route (up to about an hour off our route) for park features, site size, and hook-ups (though the hook-ups are less and less of an issue for us).

At the same time I am doing state park research I also check for federal campgrounds in the state.  I start with ReserveAmerica (http://reserveamerica.com/) since they are the reservation system for many of national forest, national recreation area, corps of engineers, and other federal campgrounds.  I start with ReserveAmerica (they also handle reservations for several state park systems) because they have a good map feature that allows you to pinpoint possible campgrounds near our route and they have decent summaries of the campgrounds.  We actually prefer these campgrounds over the state parks in most cases, so if we find federal campgrounds, I then Google the campground to see if it has a separate website with more information.

Sometimes I back up that research by seeing if there is any information about the campgrounds I am considering in the Escapees RV Club forum or the RV.Net Open Roads forum.  I will also check the Frommers Best RV & Tent Campgrounds guide.  But usually I go on gut feel after calling the particular campground and talking to the personnel there.

If I can't find anything using the ReserveAmerica maps, I will just Google "federal campgrounds" and add the particular state as a filter in the search.  Sometimes we can find a hidden federal campground that way. 

We also have a KOA directory.  Never use it.  We have a Big Rig Campground directory.  Never use it because it just lists big rig suitable campgrounds - there are no real ratings or opinions that give any insight.  If we cannot find a federal or state campground, I will then check our Passport America directory - if we can't the type setting we want, we might as well find a good discount.  Passport America campgrounds can be very inconsistent, however, so I check to see if the campground has its own website (we rarely will take a chance on a campground that doesn't have a website) and I cross-reference it with our Frommers and Trailer Life directories for ratings.

If we can't find a suitable Passport America campground, then we will narrow things down with Frommers first since they look at beauty, spaciousness, and privacy which we prefer.  We then cross-reference with the Trailer Life directory or Escapees directory.  Escapees recommended campgrounds often have 15% discounts for Escapees rather than the 10% discount for Good Sam or FMCA (Family Motorcoach Association) members.

Oh, by the way, we will always stay at an Escapees campground (an actual Escapees Rainbow Park or and Escapees Co-op as opposed to "Escapees recommended" that just offers Escapees a discount) if one is in the area.  You can't beat the price or the people and reservations are never required.

Sometimes, if it is high season, we can't get into the state or federal campground we want for as long as we want to stay - that's why we like campgrounds that hold sites out that are non-reservable so we can walk-in and stay our one or two weeks.  So if we can't get in, then we might go with an RV Park or private campground with hook-ups.  Then we just try to find the most value for the money - remember, we limit our budget to $25 per day.  If we are going to be in the area for a couple weeks or a month, we look at weekly and monthly rates which the public campgrounds don't offer.  We will tolerate being out of the natural setting we like if it makes sense economically.

One thing we don't do well is discover some of the little city campgrounds.  We have stumbled onto a couple, but they can be a little harder to find without some digging.

I'll throw this in.  Those folks that are 62 or over can enjoy half price camping at federal campgrounds with a Golden Age Passport.  That makes those campgrounds unbeatable bargains.  Some state park systems accept it as well.  Alas, we don't qualify.   

We hate making reservations, and rarely will make them more than a few days in advance.  It's all about the flow of the lifestyle.  Reservations take too much planning and decision making without all the information in hand.  We don't tie ourselves to a destination so much that we will be really disappointed if we can't get in.  It's part of the adventure and there is always an alternative.  Like I've said before, we can't see everything, so we will just enjoy what we can and the adventure along the way.