The Outdoor Hospitality Membership category includes Colorado businesses which provide outdoor hospitality to outdoors enthusiasts. Examples: campgrounds, RV parks, glamping resorts, RV resorts, … all outdoor hospitality. (Out of state? Join as an Associate Member.)
CCLOA began as campground owners leaned upon one another for operational and managerial brainstorming. In the decades since that first meeting, members have expanded our purpose and mission.
We are in partnership with the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds (ARVC), which means a campground or RV park joins both when they join us (one dues payment includes all).
We work closely with the Colorado Tourism Office and the Tourism Industry Association of Colorado (TIAC), and other professional organizations.
WHO’S ELIGIBLE
Owners or managers of Colorado outdoor hospitality properties, including those which are still being built, are eligible to join.
The property becomes the member, which means its current staff are also members.
Owners of multiple Colorado outdoor hospitality businesses may join at a reduced fee when more than one joins us.
MEMBERSHIP TERM
January through December
New members who join in February through May pay prorated dues for the remainder of the year (some of the pay-to-play may also still be available; check with the office). Benefits will also be prorated. In August you will be billed for your next year’s dues.
New members join us June through December pay prorated current year dues plus the next year’s full dues. (Please contact the office before submitting your payment and form so we can ensure you have the correct dues calculation.)
Those who were members in the past 12 months, but didn’t renew in time for your previous uninterrupted membership benefits to continue, must pay the current full year’s dues. If their renewal falls between June and December, they’ll also need to pay for the next calendar year.
TESTIMONIALS
Click here to read what our members say about us. 
BENEFITS OVERVIEW
The seed of CCLOA was planted when several campground owners met to see how others were managing their businesses: Networking. In the decades since that first meeting, members have expanded our areas of focus to eight distinct programs.
Networking with campground owners.
Examples: Our annual gatherings and scheduled online cracker barrel discussions and webinars, freedom to request that the CCLOA office distribute an email to seek suggestions or to announce that they have something for sale, and through the Autumn Listening Tour. ARVC also offers opportunities.
Networking with industry suppliers.
Examples: Networking with our industry supplier members as found on on our roster and during our scheduled online cracker barrel discussions and webinars. ARVC also offers opportunities.
Professional development on best practices of campground operations and management and industry trends.
Examples: Our annual gatherings, emails, scheduled online cracker barrel discussions and webinars. ARVC also offers opportunities.
Monitoring of state & national legislative and regulatory affairs (advocacy; watchdog).
CCLOA monitors legislative activity in Denver and Washington D.C., and we have ties to other states, all as a means of staying ahead of issues that could impact our members. We have support in this mission through ARVC, the Travel Industry Association of Colorado (TIAC), and the Colorado Tourism Office.
We proactively worked diligently in February 2020, in the earliest days of the country’s COVID-19 pandemic, to inform the Governor’s office and public health authorities about the nature of RVers and RV parks. The Governor’s office allowed for privately owned RV parks and campgrounds to continue to serve their guests throughout COVID-19. The work continued through the pandemic, as new issues developed at the local level.
Impact Example 1: Our efforts prevented a change in wastewater regulations that would have rendered nearly all Colorado campground wastewater systems to be out-of-compliance. Our actions, saved campgrounds from being required to perform cost prohibitive upgrades.
Impact Example 2: An ARVC industry supplier prevented a change in a national electric regulation, saving every campground in the country $70 – $100 per campsite.
CCLOA and ARVC have taking positions on many other issues that impact small businesses, tourism, and the campground and RV industries.
Assisting with local authorities having jurisdiction.
CCLOA worked diligently and tenaciously during COVID-19 to inform the local commissioners and public health authorities about the nature of RVers and RV parks. We assisted in many counties that had delayed openings.
We have provided information to members who are building or expanding when their local authorities have requested industry information. CCLOA and ARVC have played key roles in enlightening the local authorities of the insight that’s available in the NFPA 1194®, nationally documents campground and RV parks standards.
Example: A local authority was concerned about seeing increased use of 911 emergency calls if an RV park were built, so CCLOA surveyed its members and provided the statistics to that member.
Purchasing power.
Members receive better rates than non-members with Clean Designs and MCPS For Campgrounds. Additionally, ARVC offers opportunities, such as the music license, propane, office supplies, and John Deere®.
Industry public relations.
Examples: Distributing press releases and social media posts that are relevant to campgrounds or campers (especially during wildfires and mudslides), and working with industry partners.
Marketing to campers.
We create a voice to the nation (and beyond) to take camping trips to Colorado! A united voice typically goes farther than the voice a single entity, so CCLOA is the voice to the camping public through our CampColorado.com brand.
We share about events, culture, cuisine, adventures, and activities that might appeal to campers, especially those in the vicinity of our member campgrounds. We enjoy mentioning our member campgrounds, and we often link people to the campground’s listing on CampColorado.com.
Examples: Member listing on CampColorado.com, and posts on Camp Colorado’s social media pages.
Learn more about marketing by clicking here.
ARVC also provides marketing through GoCampingAmerica’s website and social media platforms. (Members, please remember to log in through ARVC.org to maintain your park’s information and your own profile!)
An additional marketing perk: GoRVing uses the data from ARVC’s GoCampingAmerica’s website. You can see the Colorado Go RVing site here: https://gocampingamerica.com/states/camping-in-colorado.
TWO TRUTHS
- Your ranking of priority on our eight areas of focus will likely differ from someone else’s (highest need might be someone else’s least need).
- We aren’t here to be everything to everyone, yet we exist for everyone, and these programs exist because there’s been significant need for each.
Click here to see specific details for 2023.
JOIN US!
CCLOA would enjoy serving all Colorado campground owners. If you’re not yet a member:
- Use the contact form to give us some information about you and your property.
- Wait for our reply, which will include two worksheets.
- Remit your payment and the two worksheets.
Once we have received your dues, we’ll activate your full benefits and will notify the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds (ARVC) to do the same.
MORE INSIGHT ABOUT US
When creating our programs and determining our dues calculation, we factor in many details, including a few we’ll mention here.
Most Colorado campgrounds fall into one category, and most fall into multiple categories:
- Overnight campgrounds 14%
- Vacation destinations, whether it’s for a weekend or even a few weeks 87%
- Long stays who are in the area to work (go to work all day) 50%
- Long stays who come for the entire summer (live onsite all day; form a community) 62%
- Weekenders who leave their RVs at the campsite all season but who return home for their workweek 1%
- Residential (at least some sites are purchased) 3%
Months of operation vary from a few months to all year.
While most of our programs are included in the basic membership, we have seen a need by some of our members for us to offer pay-to-play programs. We’ll review these with you during the membership sign-up process.
Colorado Campground & Lodging Owners Association (CCLOA) 