Salida / Mt. Shavano KOA Journey

Dusty Raymond

This is my second consecutive weekend staying at this location. My first visit was peaceful and enjoyable, which is why we chose to return. However, this most recent experience was the complete opposite. On the morning of our departure, my friend and I checked out of our cabin about 30 minutes before the official 11:00 AM checkout time. To avoid interfering with the cleaning crew, we decided to have breakfast in the picnic area, specifically the small wooden hut tucked away in that section of the campground. Just before we were about to leave, a woman—whom we believe to be the owner—approached us abruptly and aggressively, demanding to know why we were still on the campground. Her body language was tense, and her tone was accusatory rather than inquisitive. It was clear she did not assume we were guests or that we belonged there. As two Black men traveling in a predominantly white area, we are, unfortunately, familiar with the coded ways racial bias manifests. Rather than politely inquiring about our presence, she scrutinized us. She did not ask if we needed assistance or assume we were simply finishing our stay; instead, her tone suggested she viewed us as trespassers. When I explained that we had checked out of Cabin 2 earlier and were just finishing breakfast, she did not take my response at face value. Instead, she asked, “Then why aren’t you at your cabin?”—a question that disregarded the fact that we had already vacated the space out of courtesy for the cleaning staff. I may have overlooked KOA’s policy stating that departing guests cannot use shared facilities before leaving, yet she treated us as if we were violating a rule. Her demeanor became increasingly hostile, and she insisted we leave. We complied, but her lingering presence made the situation worse, as if she was ensuring we actually left. When I quietly told my friend how unnecessary and snarky her behavior had been, she overheard and interjected defensively, further escalating the situation. This was not a case of an employee simply enforcing campground policies—it was selective enforcement with racial undertones. We had done nothing wrong. We were paying guests, abiding by all posted rules, yet we were met with hostility and suspicion rather than the warm hospitality KOA is known for. I want to be clear: I do not believe every negative interaction is necessarily about race. However, the combination of her accusatory tone, refusal to assume we were paying guests, and insistence on our immediate departure made it painfully evident that we were treated differently. As a Black traveler, I have experienced this pattern in predominantly white spaces, where my mere presence is questioned or perceived as suspicious. I appreciate the many positive experiences I’ve had at KOA locations, but this one was deeply unsettling. I encourage KOA to take steps to ensure that all guests—regardless of race—are treated with dignity and respect. Specifically, I recommend: 1. Bias Training for Staff and Management – Ensuring that interactions with guests are based on policy enforcement, not personal biases. 2. Clear and Consistent Policy Enforcement – If post-checkout facility use is prohibited, it should be clearly stated and uniformly enforced. 3. Hospitality-Focused Approach – Staff should be trained to engage guests with a welcoming and service-oriented demeanor, rather than suspicion. 4. Accountability for Guest Complaints – Encouraging guests to report discriminatory experiences and ensuring those reports lead to meaningful action. While I will not be returning to this particular KOA location, I appreciate the company’s role in providing an oasis for travelers and will continue to visit other locations. However, I hope KOA takes this feedback seriously to prevent future guests from experiencing similar treatment.

Kaycila Gerbig

The onsite maintenance guy is definitely not there to help you and was very rude and unprofessional. My daughter had to pull in during a recent snowstorm and became stuck at the entrance of the park, this tool of a grounds keeper came marching down to her and began screaming that she couldn’t park her vehicle there and he was going to call the sheriff and a tow truck. Her vehicle was well out of the way of blocking traffic from entering or leaving the park. He had not plowed and the snow was very deep so unless you had a 4x4 you couldn’t get in or out anyway. When I got there to pick her up he was still melting down and being very aggressive as we drove off he gave us the middle finger. We got home and called the sheriff who came out and told him that her vehicle was fine where it was. HOW IS THIS GUY EMPLOYED??

Lane B

Very nice campground with astounding, friendly staff. I have been on site for 6 months. I had to laugh at reading some of the reviews. There are campground rules to follow and to many people come in the park thinking these rules don't apply to them. Such as taking items from other sites that aren't occupied at the moment, speeding, chopping down the campground trees because they don't want to buy wood, starting huge bonfires that aren't safe for anyone around. So yes, if you come in the park thinking the rules don't apply to you, you will most likely get a talking to and deservedly so. The rules are here to keep everyone safe and to keep the grounds nice.

Jim I.

Reservation for several sites at a time was easy and the female staff on the phone was accommodating and pleasant. Location was good and they have gone through a remodel of the campsites, so that was nice. Sites were pretty level and hookups were newer and in full working order. Cabins were newer as well and in good repair. All was fine until the evening male live in campsite babysitter, who was reeking of pot, just had to throw his weight around and was extremely rude, bossy on immaterial things, and had to insert himself in every aspect of your stay. (what are you doing, why are you here, where did you get that wood, pull forward more, make sure your dog is on a leash [which it was] whose tools are those, when are you expecting to be on site and off site, don't put chairs there [by the fire], ect) This really put a damper on the attractiveness of this campground and could have been over looked if it was just a onetime event because he was high, however during our several day stay this was an every day occurance which also had the added bonus of him moving our campsite items around when we were off site. As the Tripadvisor reviews, and the prior Google reviews show, the owners are aware of this male child in an adults body and have yet to remove him from their staff, it is clear that they don't care how this effects their reviews and the loss of customers that will steer clear from making a reservation and will certainly not return. too sad because we are in the latter group, and otherwise this is a great campground ruined by one person. Public bathrooms need brought up to the same remodel standards as the overall park, they are a little tired.

Maximus D. Meridius

The cabin we had wasn't very clean and had a black widow in it granted. That was okay. I took care of that. The restrooms and showers were disgusting with random hygiene bottles, and a filthy floor. Hair clogged drains, and the floor was atrocious. The cherry on top was how tiny the showers are if you are over six feet you are in for an adventure. I was banging my elbows and all. Not the worst experience at a KOA but certainly not the best...

Catherine Fletcher

Beautiful view, and spot were level. Would like to visit again when the weather is warmer :)

Ms. Kelli

I have stayed at other locations prior to this one and normally have an amazing experience, until my stay here. Upon arriving at the location, I went to office to go check in only to find the office closed with a sign saying that they are on premises but cleaning bathrooms. They did provide a number to call if any assistance is needed. I waited a little bit thinking to myself how long can it take to clean the restrooms. Waited over 30 minutes, even walked to the restroom to find nobody there. I then decided to call the number which I find out is disconnected. Long story short, nobody EVER came to help me, I was never checked in, I had a reservation for a tent site and ended up going to the tent side and picked a spot myself and stayed there.Not 1 person was at those tent sites, it was only my family. Was unusual and to top it off at this point you would think someone would have came to see who I was and welcome me or even verify if I had paid. Nobody came, it was very uncomfortable and unwelcoming. The following morning almost at check out time, i notice a staff member coming up towards us riding on a quad. i honestly thought at this point, wow, maybe now she'll come up and apologize for not helping us the night before, ask if things were okay at the very least.. well, that was it for me, she rode right by us said nothing at all and even my elderly mother was shocked on how rude the entire situation was turning out to be. Also the tent sites are not a lot of water, you will be sadly mistaken if you think that they are creekside. It's a tiny stream running down. The bathrooms were never cleaned, the same nasty hairs and dead bugs were in the exact same place as the day before. There are no bathrooms were the tent sites are. Would never recommend this place, EVER. This was my experience and completely dissatisfied. The location up from here, Cotopaxi I believe the name is, I would highly recommend it. That's where initially I thought I was making a reservation for until I arrived to a huge disappointment and waist of money and time. Never again will I attempt to stay here.

Jixergirl

This review has no reflection of the staff. They were absolutely wonderful. This is a newer KOA, so I’m hoping the next time I come through which could be a couple weeks or a couple months, that they update the community room. Other than that, all the amenities are working great, the staff is awesome the office is also very nice. I’m comparing This to the other several KOA’s that I start over at. I did have a tent site which is way on the back end up against the mountain, but I could still hear the traffic going by on the main road. It does seem to calm down later in the evening, but you do have those loud trucks going through the canyons at times. It’s a very nice place, will definitely return.

Dan Morris

Stopped here while on a work trip. The tent sites were nice. The showers were nice as we're the restrooms. Clean and functioning properly. Worth the price of a tent site. Quiet and enjoyable. Hummingbirds flitting around. Stop by and enjoy a night or two.

Marc M.

This KOA is in a good location and easily accessible from US-50. Bath house is close to the highway. Next up the slope are the RV sites and then then cabins along a tree line and creek. Walk over the bridge and the tent sites are there. Some shade in the tent sights, but the walk to the shower house will take a few minutes as evidenced by seeing tent camper riding their motorcycles to the shower house. Looks like each RV site has a trimmed medium sized Aspen tree to provide some shade. The men's shower house has a lock; but, the door is always open. Generally clean overall, but I've never seen toilets clogged so often. Yes, I would return another day.