What should be on an RV park map?
Eleven things. Two of them get left off constantly and both cause phone calls at the office.
Short answer
Every site by number, the roads with direction of travel, restrooms and showers, the dump station, laundry, the office, trash, water fill, the pet area, the playground or pool, and a box where the office writes the guest's site number at check-in. Add a compass, the entrance and exit, and an emergency marker. The two most often missing are direction of travel on one-way roads and the site number box, and both of those generate phone calls to the office all season.
The eleven essentials
- Every site, by number, at a size readable in a truck cab
- Roads, with arrows for one-way travel
- Restrooms and showers
- Dump station
- Laundry
- Office and check-in
- Trash and recycling
- Water fill
- Pet area or dog run
- Pool, playground, or main amenity
- A "Your site number" box for the office to fill in
The two most often missing
Direction of travel. A one-way loop without arrows means a 38-foot rig going the wrong way and reversing out. Arrows cost nothing and prevent it.
The site number box. A blank box the office writes in at check-in. It is the single most useful thing on the map and it turns a general map into that guest's map.
Things worth adding
An emergency marker with the 911 note and your address, since a guest calling for help often cannot say where they are. Quiet hours and office hours printed on the map face. WiFi network and how to connect. And the low branch or tight turn if your park has one, because guests would rather be warned.
What to leave off
Anything that makes the numbers smaller. Decorative illustration competing with the site grid. And advertising on the map face itself, which we never do; ads belong in the guide around the map, not on top of the thing a guest is trying to read while towing.
Related questions.
What is the most important thing on a park map?
Site numbers readable at arm's length in a vehicle. Everything else is secondary to a guest finding their site.
Should the park map show one-way roads?
Yes, with arrows. Missing arrows cause big rigs to go the wrong way and reverse out, which is where damage happens.
What is a site number box?
A blank box the office writes the guest's site into at check-in. It is the most useful element on the map and costs nothing.
Should ads go on the map itself?
No. They belong in the guide around the map. Nothing should compete with the site numbers.
More on what's on it: What do I put on the back of a campground map? · How many pages should a park guide be? · Should my park map have rules on it? · all questions
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