Is a Thousand Trails Membership Worth It?
Let’s talk Thousand Trails Memberships and if it’s right for you
We originally heard of Thousand Trails when we purchased our second camper and received a free Camping Pass as an incentive from the RV dealership.
Back then, we were exchanging our first tiny Starcraft camper - the one that had taken us on countless weekend getaways - for a Grand Design travel trailer. Our hope was that this new RV would bring us closer to our long-term goal of becoming full-time RVers.
It turns out that what seemingly felt like a “freebie”, the Thousand Trails Camping Pass would ultimately be the key to realizing that goal far sooner than we could have ever expected.
Could it do the same for you?
We’re breaking down everything we’ve learned from using Thousand Trails through our three years (and counting!) of full-time RV living. This way, you can decide if a Thousand Trails membership is worth it for you.
Here’s what you’ll find in this post:
What is Thousand Trails?
Thousand Trails Membership Options
Cost of Thousand Trails Memberships
Which Thousand Trails Membership is Best?
How Thousand Trails Makes Our RV Life Possible
What is Thousand Trails?
If you are not familiar with Thousand Trails, it is a system of over 200 campgrounds and RV resorts in North America that offers tent and RV campsites or cabin rentals. The Thousand Trails family of campgrounds includes Encore RV Resorts and Destination Campgrounds, in addition to its core Thousand Trails campgrounds.
With over 50 years of experience offering family-oriented campgrounds, you can expect to find a variety of amenities and activities in campground locations ranging from secluded outdoors to popular tourist destinations.
While there are several different levels of Thousand Trails memberships that increase accessibility and make repeat visits more affordable, membership is not required to book a stay. However, the membership is very popular among full-time and recreational RVers alike, because it allows for fee-free nightly stays.
What is the difference between the Thousand Trails Resorts?
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Traditional camping in the great outdoors with hiking trails, fishing, and family fun
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Warm weather resorts where you can escape with resort-style amenities and a variety of activities
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From unique accommodations to family-friendly activities, these campgrounds offer even more to experience
Thousand Trails RV Resort Amenities
A few amenities you could expect to see at Thousand Trails:
Clubhouse & Fitness Centers
Swimming, Biking, Hiking
Tennis, Pickleball, Volleyball
Golf, Miniature Golf
Fishing, Boating
Arcade, Game Room
Dog Parks, Wi-Fi
and more!
Thousand Trails Campground Locations
Thousand Trails locations are divided into five regions:
Northeast
Northwest
Midwest
Southeast
Southwest
Across these five regions, the Thousand Trails campgrounds represent over 75 of the 200+ campgrounds in the overall network.
Encore RV Resorts and Destination Campgrounds make up the remaining campgrounds as part of what is called the Trails Collection. The Trails Collection is an add-on that can be added to any one of the Thousand Trails Memberships that we will cover below.
Thousand Trails Membership Options
The primary benefit of a Thousand Trails Membership is the affordability and flexibility that comes with fee-free camping reservations. Depending on the level of membership and intended use, the benefits of being a member can quickly outweigh the cost.
So let’s talk membership options for Thousand Trails. First, I want to preface this with the fact that since we have had our own Thousand Trails Membership for the last 3+ years, there have been at least two changes to the available options. We can only imagine these changes have happened as a direct reflection of the ever-growing number of people getting into RV camping and their unique needs.
Because of this, and any potential changes to current offerings, we will focus on the highlights of each membership and the features that we see as the most important to consider.
Thousand Trails Membership Features that Matter
While there are several differences and incentives offered with each level of membership, the options that we consider to be the most impactful in helping you choose between them would include:
Location Availability: Thousand Trails campgrounds are located in one of five regions, shown on the map above. Region availability varies between membership levels, and will likely be a significant factor in deciding which option is best for you.
Advance Booking: Thousand Trails operates on a first-come, first-served basis for both campground reservations and site assignments. During peak seasons, or in popular destinations, availability in campgrounds can be limited.
The advanced booking windows vary between membership levels and can significantly improve your experience.
Days In / Out: To help alleviate network congestion and promote favorable availability, Thousand Trails campgrounds operate on regulated reservations for “days in” and “days out”. The standard number of days required varies with each level of membership and is subject to peak season restrictions.
Days In: Maximum number of days allotted for a single reservation
Days Out: Minimum number of days required between reservations (applies park to park)
Example:
14 days in = you can reserve and stay up to 14 days in a row before you would need to leave the park and start a new reservation
7 days out = your next reservation cannot start until at least 7 days after your prior stay is completed
Thousand Trails Membership Comparison
As of 2023, the Thousand Trails Membership options include:
Trails Collection Upgrade
Camping Pass
Escape
Elite Basic
Elite Connections
Adventure
With changes to package offerings, benefits, and costs, the information below is subject to change and subject to individual contract details.
Trails Collection Add-On
The Trails Collection option is an add-on to any of the Thousand Trails Memberships below. This addition extends campground offerings to include Encore RV Resorts and Destination Campgrounds, increasing campground locations from 75+ to 200+, with prime resort destinations.
Location Availability: 100+ RV Resorts and Campgrounds
Advance Booking: 60 days
Days In / Out: 14 days in / 7 days out
The Trails Collection Add-on is a great addition to any of the membership levels and gives you access to more exclusive resorts (ex. Key West, Florida), and to some age-restricted (55+) resorts in Arizona and Texas. Additionally, the Destination Campgrounds offer more unique camping experiences and outdoor activities.
Cost in 2023: $370 annually
Thousand Trails Camping Pass
An introductory-level membership that allows you up to 14 days of camping with no nightly fee at a time.
Location Availability: Choose any one region (1 of 5)
Advance Booking: 60 days
Days In / Out: 14 days in / 7 days out
The Camping Pass is a great way to test if Thousand Trails is right for you. With an annual renewal, you won’t be locked into membership fees and there is no commitment to renew (check your contract for automatic renewal details).
Cost in 2023: $670 per year, plus $90 per additional zone
Thousand Trails Escape Membership
New in 2023, the Escape Membership level offers more flexibility in regional selections and an increased booking window over the Camping Pass.
For an additional fee, you can add additional regions to your plan (up to four), making it a great way to explore beyond your immediate area.
Location Availability: Choose one to four regions (additional costs apply)
Advance Booking: 90 days
Days In / Out: 14 days in / 7 days out
The Escape Membership would be particularly beneficial for those who regularly travel between one to two zones or take longer camping trips throughout the year. The increased booking window is advantageous with a full 30-day lead time above Camping Pass members. During peak seasons, this could be the difference in getting a reservation or not.
This level of membership also includes membership dues. This is an annual fee that must be met each year to maintain membership, in addition to the cost of the package. These fees could range from $450-670+ a year (as of 2023), but freeze at age 62.
Cost in 2023: $2,995 (1 zone), $4,995 (2 zones), $5,995 (3 zones), and $6,995 (4 zones), plus annual dues.
Thousand Trails Elite Basic Membership
The Elite Basic level of membership unlocks even greater potential, with an increased booking window, longer reservations, and the ability to travel park-to-park with zero “days out”.
Location Availability: Nationwide - includes all 5 regions
Booking Window: 120 days
Days In / Out: 21 days in / Park-to-Park
If you are a full-time RVer, or someone who travels long periods of time, the Elite Basic Membership can be incredibly valuable. You will have the ability to stay up to 21 nights with no nightly fees, and then move right to another Thousand Trails campground to stay up to an additional 21 nights, and so on.
Cost in 2023: $8,995, plus annual dues. A two-year commitment is required.
Thousand Trails Elite Connections Membership
Moving into the Elite Connections Membership, the park-to-park travel perk is maintained, and you also gain access to the best booking window of 180 days.
Location Availability: Nationwide - includes all 5 regions
Booking Window: 180 days
Days In / Out: 21 days in / Park-to-Park
When it comes to comparing the Elite Basic and Elite Connections packages, the booking window is the biggest difference among the main features. However, several more detailed benefits include cabin and travel partner discounts through RPI Resort Connections.
Cost in 2023: $11,345, plus annual dues. A two-year commitment is required.
Thousand Trails Adventure Membership
Similar to the Elite Connections level of membership, the Adventure package offers more benefits in its additional vacation planning features and discounts. One standout benefit is the ability to upgrade to Trails Collection Plus, which unlocks all Trails Collection campgrounds AND increases both the booking window and days in / out benefits.
Location Availability: Nationwide - includes all 5 regions
Booking Window: 180 days
Days In / Out: 21 days in / Park-to-Park
Personally, the value in the Adventure level membership over Elite Connections only seems beneficial with the PLUS package add-on.
Thousand Trails Collection PLUS
Trails Collection PLUS benefits include:
Booking Window: 90 days vs. 60 days for Trail Collection campgrounds
Days In Increased to 21 days vs. 14 for Trails Collection
Days Out Increased to Park-to Park vs. 7 days out for Trails Collection
Cost in 2023: $17,595 (Adventure) + $670 annually (PLUS)
Recap
As you can see, the levels of Thousand Trails Memberships vary considerably with benefits and flexibility designed for all types of campers. It can be confusing to navigate all there is to be offered, especially once you include additional features like cabin rental discounts, transferability, and family sharing.
Thousand Trails Member Specialists
Here’s the good news. Not only are there qualified member specialists who know the insides and outs of every available option to help you choose the best fit, but one of these member specialists is also a dear friend of ours that we met through RV living.
If we are going to point you in any direction, we’re thankful that it can be towards someone that we trust will take great care of you. View the 2023 flyer, and reach out to Sarah directly at the contact information below.
Sarah Enquist, Thousand Trails - Lead Member Specialist
Schedule a Call | Phone: (469)-875-7853 | Email: sarah_enquist@equitylifestyle.com
Sarah and her husband, Jeremy have been traveling full-time with their children for the last 3+ years, also. In fact - we met Sarah through social media when we were both starting our full-time journey at the same time.
Not only do we consider Sarah and Jeremy great friends, but you can also rest easy knowing that she lives the RV lifestyle herself and is familiar with the benefits and struggles that come with the territory. Shes’s well-versed in every membership option and will help you find the best fit for whatever adventure you’re seeking.
The Enquist Family @livetodaylikeitmatters
Which Thousand Trails Membership is Best?
I wish I had the magic answer to this, but only you can decide! With all of these options available, it really comes down to how you plan to use it.
Case in point:
Over 3+ years of travel, we’ve seen campsite costs ranging from $35 a night to well over $150 a night.
For us, knowing that we would be reserving campsites for 365 days a year, even at $35 a night, we would have spent over $12,000 in just one year alone.
This more than pays for the Elite Connections package and after year one, those nightly-fee-free campsites have paid for themselves.
How Thousand Trails Makes RV Life Possible for Us
Now that we’ve covered all of the basics of Thousand Trails, can you guess how it’s made RV life possible for us?
I mentioned at the start of this post that we were gifted with a Camping Pass as part of our RV purchase. This was the first time we had even heard of Thousand Trails. Upon researching, we were excited to learn that there was a Thousand Trails campground just 15 minutes from our house. We booked our first shakedown trip at the campground to check it out.
What we didn’t know was that after spending a week at this campground, it would end up becoming our home for the first seven months of RV living. While we talked at length about days in and out and nightly-fee-free stays, you should also know that many Thousand Trails campgrounds also offer extended stays for a monthly fee.
This actually helped us launch into full-time RV life because we were able to seamlessly transition from our home without leaving our “hometown”, allowing Eric to continue working. We had never considered starting RV life as stationary RVers, but we were so excited at the thought of living in our RV and starting a new adventure, that we decided to jump in.
Would it surprise you to know that RV lot rent is much cheaper than a mortgage? By moving into the campground for those seven months, we also saved enough money to support Eric’s even earlier retirement, allowing us to start our RV travel adventure six months earlier than planned.
Of course, the most impactful way that Thousand Trails has made RV life possible for us is through their memberships. I used the example above on how an Elite Connections Membership could pay for itself in just the first year, and we came pretty close! We ended up using 245 nights of Thousand Trails campgrounds in our first year of travel and maintained that average the following year, too. In 3 years, we’ve traveled to 21 states and we’ve more than made up the cost of our membership and saved thousands of dollars in campsite costs.
Who would have guessed that a free Camping Pass would have helped us change our lives and realize this adventure?
We would love to hear from you!
We would love to hear your thoughts! Are you currently considering Thousand Trails for your camping needs? Do you have any questions that we can help with?
Drop your comments and questions below!
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