Amarillo KOA Journey, Amarillo, TX

This KOA Journey is off of I-40 just before you reach the heart of Amarillo. Although it seems to be stuck in the middle of nowhere it’s a popular stopping off point for travelers, hence the name. It doesn’t look like much, it was very dusty and windy the day I was there and there aren’t a lot of tall trees. But the staff and service make up for that. Several staff greet you upon arrival and there is a golf cart escort service to your site.

I found a fairly well-stocked store and gift shop with Route 66 souvenirs, however, they don’t allow dogs inside, unlike some other KOAs. A service unique to this KOA is a free limousine shuttle to a popular restaurant called The Big Texan. I noticed one of my neighbors use this service for dinner when I saw a limousine drive by my spot and park 2 sites down.

They have a fairly large fenced in dog park next to a children’s playground. The dog park is covered in gravel, which some dogs won’t like, but it’s better than the stickers you can get in West Texas. There are several dog walk areas along the perimeter with doggie bag dispensers and trash cans, which is convenient when your dog doesn’t want to play in the dog park. I didn’t check out the bathrooms, showers, or laundry building.

I was wondering why I was way out in the back forty with other pull-thru sites closer but upon taking a look at the campground map, it turns out the closer spots are the “deluxe” spots, which cost more. They don’t really look deluxe to me and probably not worth spending more. The only difference was the picnic table was on concrete instead of grass. The best spots are the back in spots in the front half of the campground, with grass and the larger trees. If you want a regular priced pull-thru, you will end up in the back in the dirt with sporadic patches of grass.

I heard a rumbling sound all night long that did keep me awake for awhile. I believe it was the nearby train tracks but there is also an airport nearby. For just traveling through and needing a quick and easy pull-thru, this is the place. For ambience and a camping vibe, I would definitely move on.