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The KOA in RockSprings, Wyoming is a great place to spend a night, or a week, while traveling
across I-80 towards your next destination.
We had the privilege of staying there for almost 3 months while my
husband was working in the area. As a result,
we were able to really learn the pros and cons of the campground and the area.
Pros
*Easy on and off access from I-80, with a big rig friendly
gas station at the exit.
*Each site is pull through, with the majority being full hook
up. There is plenty of room for parking
at your site as well. Most of the sites
have cable and wifi. Prices range from
$36-43/night. A couple of the sites have
fenced yards with picnic tables and trees.
These are available for an extra fee.
* Tent sites are available.
There are also cute cabins available, with or without bathrooms.
*The long term/monthly sites are in the upper part of the
campground, while the daily sites are on the lower section.
*The entire RV park is clean and tidy, and everyone that
works there is friendly. The managers
live on site.
*The office/store is very well stocked. There is a variety of food in case you need
something last minute. The RV supply
section has quite a variety. We were
able to buy a heated hose as well as fuses when we needed them. They also have quite a few toys, much to the
delight of my children. The gift portion
of the shop has adorable items. I could not resist buying some wonderful hand
lotion!
*Propane is sold on site.
It is priced competitively and access is convenient.
*There is a coin-op laundry room with an adequate number of
washer and dryers. We rarely had to
wait. It was also very clean.
*The showers are hot and free. They also have handicap accessible shower
houses on one end of the RV park. These
have individual rooms with shower, toilet, sink, and mirror and each locks
individually.
*Surprisingly, there is quite a bit to do on site. There is a refreshing pool open during the
summer months, a new playground, basketball hoop, horseshoes, and a workout
room. My kids also enjoyed riding their
bikes around the campground.
*There is a large off-leash dog park that includes a few
pieces of agility equipment. We do not
have pets, but it did seem like the majority of those traveling with dogs made
their way down to the dog park so that their dogs could enjoy stretching their
legs, too!
*Towards the back of the campground are horse corrals and
extra parking with long term storage.
*The office is happy to accept packages and mail for those
on the road. We received mail there
regularly, and never had an issue.
Cons
*There is no grass at the sites, and as a result can be a
bit dusty.
*Other than the 2 premium sites, none of the other RV sites
have concrete patios or pads.
*When it rains, it can get quite muddy in the
campground. Luckily, it does dry out
quickly!
*During the off season (fall through spring), the office
switches over to reduced hours. They are
not open at all on Sundays, and only a few hours a day during the week. It is rather inconvenient.
*They do not accept reservations for long term/monthly
sites. However, from what I could tell,
they always have some long term sites available.
*A few people I talked to mentioned the giant oil or gas
storage tanks that you pass by on the way in to the RV Park. It seems that some people find these to be
unsightly, but they did not bother us.
They are no longer in direct site once you are in the RV park.
*Being in Wyoming, one must always expect strong winds. The KOA is at the base of a plateau, and can
be very windy. Never leave your awning
out while you are gone!
Things To Do Nearby
Just minutes from
the KOA is wild horse viewing. The
horses are located along the Pilot Butte scenic loop. This link provides information on how to
drive the loop: https://www.wyomingtourism.org/articles/details/spot-wild-horses-pilot-butte-scenic-loop
I recommend starting the loop on the
Green River side, as that is only a couple miles from the KOA. From the top, you can look down and see all
of the RVs way down in the KOA. We had
fun pointing out our home on wheels to our kids. Even more fun was seeing the wild horses up
close and personal. Simply amazing, and an experience we won’t soon forget!
Just outside of
Rock Springs is a wild horse holding facility.
You can view the horses that have been rounded up, read about how and
why they are rounded up and even adopt one if you have the means to care for
one. It is very cool to see the horses
and be able to learn more about them.
More information about the facility is located at this link: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Wild_Horses/rs-wh-facility.html
Flaming Gorge
Reservoir is a beautiful, huge lake just minutes from the KOA. It is extremely popular for trout fishing,
boating, and swimming. My father had
visited Flaming Gorge Reservoir long before I was born, as part of a fishing
trip. I thought it was neat to be able
to visit an area he had been to many years before.
We drove the
entire Flaming Gorge loop, which takes you into Utah to the dam (where we did a
free tour and fed fish at the bottom of the dam!) and back around the west side
of the lake into Wyoming again. Along
the loop are viewpoints with breathtaking views off of cliffs, places to see
wild animals, and picnic spots. You can
get more information on the loop, which takes 3-4 hours, at the Green River
Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center in nearby Green River, WY.
Rock Springs has
a new facility called the Rock Springs Family Recreation Center. It is simply amazing! The focal point for us was the indoor aquatic
section of the center. There is a large
splash pad that also has a smaller warm water pool for the little tots. This is attached to a lazy river, with a pool
to the side that has two fast, huge water slides emptying into it! There is also a large lap pool with a big hot
tub in the adjacent area. My kids loved
everything about the water attractions.
I have to confess that my husband and I put the kids in the provided
child care for an hour, and spent it floating around the lazy river and going
down the water slides over and over! It
was a blast!
The recreation
center also has a large ice rink, a running track, multiple rooms full of
exercise equipment, private men and women’s hot tubs and saunas in the locker
rooms, racquet ball courts, a child care room that is very reasonably priced,
exercise classes, and other stuff that I am sure I am forgetting. It is a wonderful recreation facility, and I
highly recommend checking it out if you are in the area for more than a couple
days.
We are hoping to
be able to go back to the Rock Springs KOA again this fall for work. We had a lot of fun at the KOA and made
friends there that we are looking forward to seeing again. The RV Park is perfect for a quick overnight
stop, but is also a pleasure to stay at for a longer term visit. It is not a fancy RV park, but it has all of
the basics delivered in a clean, affordable way, along with some fun extras
that one would not expect to find at an RV park in a small town in Wyoming!
