Maximize Your Campground Profits: Use Our Free Revenue Calculator Today!

Hey there, private campsite owners and managers! Are you thinking about starting a campground or making your current one more profitable? Running a campground can be a fun and rewarding business, but it takes smart planning to make it pay off. That’s where our Campsite Revenue Calculator comes in. This easy tool helps you figure out if your campground will make money and how to plan for success.

In this guide, we’ll talk about why campgrounds can be a great investment, how much they cost to buy and run, and how our calculator can help you make smart choices. Whether you’re wondering “do campsites make good money”, “how profitable are campgrounds”, or “how to buy a campground”, we’ve got you covered with simple tips and real examples.

Do Campsites Make Good Money? Let’s Find Out!

Campgrounds can be a goldmine if you run them right. Here’s why:

  • Lots of Campers: More people are camping than ever before. Families, couples, and adventurers love the outdoors, which means steady customers for your campground.

  • Loyal Guests: Many campers come back every year, giving you reliable income. Some campgrounds say 30–50% of their guests are repeat visitors!

  • Extra Cash: Besides renting sites, you can make money from things like camp stores, firewood sales, or renting out kayaks. One campground owner even made more from laundry machines than site rentals!

  • Busy Seasons: Summer months, like June to August, can fill up fast, with some campgrounds hitting 80–90% full. That’s when you make the most money.

But not every campground is a winner. Things like where your campground is, what you charge, and how full it gets matter a lot. A report from the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) says the average campground makes about $500,000 a year, with profits between $100,000 and $200,000. Top campgrounds can earn even more!

For example, picture a campground with 100 sites charging $40 a night in summer. If it’s 70% full, that’s over $1 million a year in revenue. After paying for things like staff and utilities, you could still have a big profit. Our calculator helps you see if your campground can do this too.

Want to know if your campground can make good money? Try our calculator now!

How Much Does a Campsite Cost to Own?

Owning a campground isn’t cheap, so let’s break down the costs:

  • Buying the Campground: A small campground might cost $500,000, while a big one with lots of extras could be $2 million or more. How much does it cost to buy a campground? It depends on size and location.

  • Down Payment: You’ll usually need to pay 10–20% of the price upfront. For a $1 million campground, that’s $100,000 to $200,000.

  • Loan Payments: If you borrow money, you’ll pay interest, often 5–10%, over 10–20 years. That adds to your costs.

  • Running Costs: You’ll spend money on upkeep (like fixing roads or bathrooms, $5,000–$10,000 a month), utilities (like water and electricity, $2,000–$5,000 a month), staff (like cleaners or managers, $3,000–$10,000 a month), insurance ($5,000–$10,000 a year), and advertising ($2,000–$5,000 a year).

  • Taxes: Depending on where your campground is, property taxes might be $10,000–$20,000 a year.

How much campsite cost to run? It varies, but our calculator lets you plug in these numbers to see if you’ll make enough money to cover everything and still have profit left over.

How to Use Our Campsite Revenue Calculator

Our calculator is super easy to use, even if you’re not a math whiz. Here’s how it works:

  1. Name Your Campground: Pick a fun name, like “Sunrise Campground.”

  2. Add Loan Details: Enter the price to buy the campground (say, $1,000,000), how much you’ll pay upfront (like 10%), the interest rate on your loan (maybe 7%), how long you’ll pay the loan (like 20 years), and how much the property might grow in value each year (like 3%).

  3. Fill in Campground Info: Tell it how many sites you have (like 40), how much you charge per site each night (like $35), and any extra money from things like camp store sales (like firewood).

  4. See the Results: The calculator shows you how much money you could make, what you’ll spend, and what’s left as profit. It even makes colorful charts to show your money by season, site type, and monthly cash flow.

Let’s say you run “Sunrise Campground” with those numbers. The calculator might show you could make $336,000 a year, spend $200,000 on costs, and keep $136,000 as profit. That’s a 40% profit margin! It also tells you how many campers you need to break even, so you know what to aim for.

Curious about your campground’s numbers? Try our calculator today!

How to Buy a Campground: A Simple Guide

Thinking about how to buy a campground or how to buy a campsite? Here’s a step-by-step plan to make it happen:

  1. Look Around: Find campgrounds for sale in places people love to visit, like near lakes or national parks. Check websites like Campgrounds for Sale or talk to real estate agents who know campgrounds.

  2. Get Money Ready: Figure out how much you can spend. Get pre-approved for a loan to know what you can borrow. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans are a good option for campgrounds.

  3. Check Everything: Visit the campground and look for problems, like bad roads or old bathrooms. Make sure the land is okay to use and check local rules about running a campground.

  4. Make a Deal: Work with an agent or lawyer to offer a fair price. Don’t be afraid to negotiate!

  5. Finish the Sale: Sign the papers, pay for the campground, and start planning how to run it.

Our calculator is perfect for this process. Before you buy, you can test different campgrounds to see which ones will make the most money. For example, if one campground costs $800,000 but has 60 sites, and another costs $1.2 million with 100 sites, the calculator can show which is the better deal.

Want to find the perfect campground? Use our calculator to compare options!

Real Stories of Campground Success

Let’s look at some real campgrounds that are doing great. “Adventure Pines Campground” in Colorado has 50 sites near a national park. They charge $40 a night in summer and $25 in winter, with 70% of sites full most of the time. That adds up to over $300,000 a year, and after paying for staff and upkeep, they keep about $100,000 in profit. Not bad!

Another campground, “Lakeside Retreat,” started small with 20 sites. Over five years, they grew to 50 sites and added a camp store and cabins. Their revenue tripled, and now they have lots of happy campers coming back every year. Stories like these show that with hard work and smart planning, campgrounds can be a big success.

Why Our Calculator Is a Must-Have

Our Campsite Revenue Calculator is packed with features that make it a game-changer for private owners:

  • Saves Time: No need to do tricky math by hand. The calculator does - Quick Results: Enter your numbers, and in seconds, you’ll see your projected revenue, costs, and profits.

  • Easy to Understand: Simple charts show your money by season, site type, and monthly cash flow, so you can spot trends fast.

  • Works Anywhere: Use it on your phone, tablet, or computer, whether you’re at home or at your campground.

  • Helps You Plan: See if your prices are right, if you need more sites, or if a loan is affordable. It’s like having a financial advisor in your pocket!

Ready to plan your campground’s future? Try our calculator now!

Wrap It Up

Owning a campground can be a fun way to make money, but it takes good planning to get it right. Whether you’re asking “how much does it cost to buy a campground” or “how profitable are campgrounds”, our Campsite Revenue Calculator gives you the answers you need. It’s easy, free, and made just for private campsite owners like you.

Don’t guess about your campground’s success. Use our calculator to see your profits, plan your costs, and make your dream a reality. Visit our website today and start crunching the numbers!

Campsite Revenue Calculator

Campsite Revenue Calculator

Campsite Types

Seasonal Adjustments

Must be between 0 and 12
50%
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20%

Extra Revenue Sources

Operating Expenses (Monthly)

Financing

Results

Total Revenue: $0.00

Total Expenses: $0.00

Annual Loan Payment: $0.00

Net Income: $0.00

Profit Margin: N/A%

Break-Even Occupancy Rate: N/A%

Season Revenue ($)
Campsite Type Revenue ($)
Month Cash Flow ($)
Richie Smissen

Richie is another cofounder of The Journey. Richie is our Marketing Sales Director. He is a professional graphic designer, photographer, and enjoys creating gopro or FPV drone content. Richie is an expert in outdoor gear, and has been a lover and explorer of the outdoors since his cub scout and boy scout years as a young boy. Today Richie loves bringing less experienced campers and travelers on our trips and teaching them tips and tricks on enjoying the outdoors.

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