Route 66 KOA in Tucumcari, New Mexico: A Review
The Route 66 KOA in Tucumcari, New Mexico is the perfect (and easy) overnight stay if you’re traveling on I-40 between Albuquerque and Oklahoma City.
With an campground entrance less than a quarter mile from the interstate, this KOA manages to be incredibly convenient while also still being quiet.
Under new ownership, this campground is poised to make some big changes, which are sure to attract even more tired travelers on this stretch of historic Route 66.
As is, the Route 66 KOA is still an excellent choice for a quick night’s stay or a great base from which to explore the Tucumcari area.
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Tucumcari KOA: What to Consider
Tucumcari is fairly small—the city only has a little over 5,000 residents—but it is conveniently located along a lonely stretch of I-40.
We stopped here after leaving the area around Winslow, Arizona, on our way to Dallas, Texas.
It seemed like a natural stop overnight before pushing on the final 7 or 8 hours to Dallas for our mid-way stop at the Vineyards Campground in Grapevine, Texas.
The campground is located on the eastern end of Tucumcari in what felt like a remote, but safe area.
Getting on and off from I-40 was incredibly easy as the campground is one of the first properties off the exit ramp.
In fact, you can see the interstate from the pool area. Despite that proximity, the camping area was quiet with little to no road noise.
Camping Options near Tucumcari, New Mexico
We’d originally booked with a different campground in Tucumcari, the Blaze-in-Saddle RV Park, but I decided a day or two before our arrival to switch to the KOA.
This decision had nothing to do with the Blaze-in-Saddle, but rather everything to do with the fact that my kids were desperate to have a pool to splash in after a long car ride.
As the Route 66 KOA had a pool and the Blaze-in-Saddle didn’t, it was an easy decision to rebook.
I will note that the employees of Blaze-in-Saddle were super nice about processing this last minute decision. If I’d been traveling without the kids, I wouldn’t have hesitated to stay there at all.
Route 66 KOA in Tucumcari NM Review
To give some weight to this review, I should note that we’ve stayed in a considerable number of KOAs during our adventures across the U.S.
This experience has been valuable as we have a good grasp on what to expect from the KOA brand before we even show up.
That being said, each campground is a part of a larger franchise, and, thus, is individually owned and operated.
Check out our other KOA reviews:
Check-in Process
The check-in process started long before we actually arrived in Tucumcari as I woke up to a text message from the KOA owners reminding me of our stay, and providing the address and contact numbers for the campground.
The KOA sign on I-40 and entrance lanes for the campground
Over the next few hours, I received a couple of other texts from the KOA, sharing information about the available breakfast (more on that later), the check-in process, and after hours information.
Of all of the campgrounds we’ve stayed at—both KOA and others—this was the most helpful welcome that we’ve experienced so far.
Once we arrived at the Route 66 KOA, we were warmly greeted by the employee on duty and provided with a map of the campground, playground and pool hours, laundry information, and other important details.
The welcome packet also included a cute Route 66 sticker.
And we got a couple of warm Otis Spunkmeyer chocolate chip cookies!
I was won over in the first 15 minutes.
Check-in was easy and helpful with no wait.
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Setting Up Camp
From the main building and check-in desk, we made our way to our assigned campsite, which was towards the back of the campground.
The interior roads were well marked, and we quickly pulled into our site. The lanes are named after surrounding states, which I thought was cute.
I will note that there wasn’t an employee to take us to our campsite as we’ve had at other KOAs, but the Route 66 KOA has a much smaller layout.
The water, electric, and sewer hookups worked without any issues.
All in all, it took less than 20 minutes for us to feel as if we were at home and to start cooking dinner.
Make set-up and breakdown a breeze with our essential list of travel trailer must haves!
Individual Campsite Review
We were in site 40 between Missouri and Oklahoma Lanes.
This site offered 20, 30, and 50 amp electric hookups as well as water and sewer.
Our site was just across Missouri Lane from the bath house. While we have a small bathroom in the trailer, it’s nice to have convenient access to a bath house for more spacious showers and more space while everyone is getting ready for bed.
There are 2 bath houses on the property—the one near our site and another attached to the main office building.
We found both to be clean with large showers.
The campsites aren’t huge, but they were larger than the ones we had at Holbrook KOA.
Each of the Route 66 KOA sites had a picnic table and several feet of green space between RVs.
There are multiple trees on the property, but we didn’t have one near us.
We did have a great view of Tucumcari Mountain from one side of our site, which was beautiful as the sun went down.
Our trailer in its campsite
Route 66 KOA Campground Review
PIN ME!
As noted previously, this KOA is under new management by a family with experience running other KOAs. Based on my communication with the staff, the new owners have many ideas on upgrading this property in coming years.
In the future, this campground will have an upgraded pool area, more updated playground equipment, a new KOA sign by the interstate, and a more cohesive game room.
NOTE: If you stay the Route 66 KOA before I’m able to get back out there and see upcoming changes, please email me to let me know what’s going on!
Beyond that, the campground was clean, comfortable, and quiet, and I wouldn’t hesitate to stay again in the future.
What few complaints I have are nowhere near our worst camping experiences, such as the one we had at Lakewood Camping Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
I wanted a place that would let my kids burn off some steam between 2 really long travel days, and, in that regard, the Route 66 KOA delivered well.
Cabins and Tent Camping
While most of the campground is dedicated to RV camping sites there are about 20 tent camping sites and 2 group camping sites.
A few of the tent sites do have water, but most do not.
There are 3 cabins towards the back of the campground if you’d rather camp that way.
Tucumcari KOA Amenities and Activities
If I have any complaints about this KOA, it would be that the amenities and activities are lacking when compared to those we’ve found at other KOAs.
Since KOA campgrounds typically are more expensive than non-franchise campgrounds, state parks, and national parks, I expect more options for our free time than at those other camping locations.
Here, we did have a few amenities, but most need some attention and upgrading.
Breakfast
One of the best amenities at the Tucumcari KOA was their daily breakfast, which you can order the night before your meal.
You choose a delivery time, and the pancakes, eggs, sausage, and coffee are delivered to your campsite for an easy, hot breakfast.
While this service is a bit more than you’d spend for a fast food breakfast, you can’t deny the convenience. Plus, the breakfast is freshly cooked, which puts it another steps above heading to the closest McDonald’s.
For an early morning check-out, the breakfast is an efficient way to eat without needing to clean up your trailer’s kitchen or fight a drive-through.
Pool
The only place the Camping Kiddos wanted to be after hours of driving
While the pool area is one that needs some attention, it was clean and great for the kids.
The current pool area is fairly small with only a scattering of pool chairs. During our stay, a couple of the chairs needed repair.
There’s also no awning or shaded area on the pool deck, so it was quite warm in the afternoon as I sat and watched my kids swim.
There was clearly an awning or covering of some sort at one time as the metal skeleton of an awning still stands there.
The pool is where you’ll hear the interstate traffic the most on the property, but it still isn’t bad thanks to a combination of the property’s setback from the road and landscaping.
The pool is situated right next to the office building, so it was fun to watch other campers come in.
Playground
Located next to the pool is the decently sized playground.
There are swings, a seesaw, and other standard play equipment.
The playground is another area that’s ripe for upgrading. The equipment isn’t updated, and it’s a large space, so there are many options making this more inviting for kids.
You’ll also find covered seating here which would be much welcomed on hot days.
Unlike other KOAs, there wasn’t a jump pillow, which is always a favorite for my kids.
Camp Store
Located in the check-in building, the camp store has a little bit of everything. You can get a souvenir t-shirt, pick up some grocery staples, or grab a cold soft drink.
The prices of the groceries are more expensive than you’d find at a grocery store, but you’re paying for the convenience.
Laundry
We had to use the laundry while we were there, and we found this space to be small but well maintained.
There were 4 washers and dryers, all of which were coin operated (so bring some quarters!). Unlike many of the other dryers we’ve used camping, these dryers were large and only took one cycle to dry our clothes.
The room also has a small table for folding. I was in and out of this room doing laundry at the same time as two other campers, and it didn’t feel too cramped.
Game Room
Technically, this property does have a game room, but it’s in name only.
We poked our heads in out of curiosity while we were doing laundry, only to find a sad, small pile of board games, several stacks of folding chairs, and a TV that didn’t have a remote control obviously available.
We love a good game room on our travels, so this would be an excellent space to have board game tables, a lending library, DVD rental library, working TV, and hang out space.
As is, the Route 66 KOA in Tucumcari NM is a quiet, safe stop off of I-40 with some basic amenities, which is why I named it a campground to watch in my list of the best campgrounds in New Mexico.
Once the planned upgrades are in place, I can easily see this campground being a destination unto itself. Until then, splash in the pool, watch the sun go down over Tucumcari Mountain, and enjoy an easy stay near the interstate.
