Family Camping at the Ventura Ranch KOA Campground

Family Camping at the Ventura Ranch KOA Campground

Family camping travel in the United States is a time-honored tradition, filled with memory-making activities of arguing of the proper way to pitch tents, sometimes fruitless fishing, and boiling the world's worst coffee over a campfire while early-to-rise children are far more awake and less cantankerous than their exhausted parents. Sounds romantic, doesn't it? Obviously, there's a lot more good than bad in terms of summertime camping (or it wouldn't be a tradition). One company that's long ensured that the great memories outweigh the "attack of the million mosquitoes" memories is Kampgrounds of America. KOA has over 475 camping spots in the United States and Canada. Each is unique to its destination, but with a variety of amenities and the most friendly staff (and even food service!) to ensure that whatever level of roughing it your family wants to experience while camping, your KOA vacation will fit the bill. Case in point: family camping at the Ventura Ranch KOA Campground in Southern California.

The first annual "Bloggerfest" was held at the Ventura Ranch KOA Campground, and my family and I joined several other bloggers from the Los Angeles area (and one from Berkeley). Hanging out with like-minded travelers for the weekend was fun, of course, but what surprised me was how completely, absolutely terrific the KOA campsite was for my family.

The Ventura Ranch KOA Campground is in Heritage Valley, an hour and a half drive north of Los Angeles. This makes it close enough for a non-stressful car trip but far enough away to feel like a complete getaway. It's also one of the Kampgrounds of America that is open all year, due to the famously fabulous Southern California weather. Even when it's hot (Heritage Valley doesn't get cooling ocean breezes), it's not humid. The 76 acre property has nature trails through wilderness and along a creek, but also has open space for all levels of camping. Strolling the grounds, a guest sees everything from cars parked next to pup tents, to RVs, to permanent tee-pees, and more...seriously. A friend of mine stayed in a "Glamour Tent," which looks as deluxe as any supplied by a private guided safari tour.

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