Tucumcari KOA Journey, Tucumcari, NM

Tucumcari has some fun places to check out when you are passing through, including iconic Route 66 motels and museums. Last time I was here, I stayed at a picturesque historic RV Park called Cactus RV Park that, unfortunately, ended up going the way of many of the original Route 66 businesses and was sold for redevelopment. This time, I am not doing any sightseeing and wanted something quick and easy. The KOA Journeys are definitely that. They are usually right off the highway, have lots of pull-thrus, and many of them can accommodate up to 100 feet of rig, if that’s how you roll.

This KOA must have a reputation for being able to handle the big stuff because by the evening I was here, there were many super long rigs, big motorhomes with trailers behind or big fifth wheels pulling extra toys. I couldn’t believe it when I witnessed one guest pulling in who was driving a 40 foot motorhome, towing a full size pick up towing a 12 foot cargo carrier. Yikes! He didn’t even fit all the way into the spot they put him in. Luckily, he came fairly late and pulled out early the next morning.

This KOA has all that you would expect from a KOA — a small off leash dog park, a laundry room, a small store, pull thru sites, back in sites, tent sites, a playground, and a swimming pool. Upon check in, they escort you to your site by golf cart. I changed my mind after checking in to a water/electricity only site and decided I wanted sewer. After a phone call, they graciously came over with the golf cart to escort me to a new site. They even gave me a new check-in brochure with the new site circled.

The store was closed due to New Mexico COVID restrictions. However, the cafe is open for phone in orders that are delivered to your site. They offer dinners and breakfasts during certain hours. I used the laundromat while here and everything was clean and in working order. I ordered the breakfast burrito in the morning, which is fresh made to your specifications and took about 20 minutes. It was large and filling and they charge the credit card you used to check in so an easy transaction just involving a phone call.

Although on a frontage road quite close to the highway, I was not bothered at all by traffic noise and slept really well. I had shade at my site and there seems to be an adequate number of shade trees throughout the park for those hot New Mexico summers. The dog park is split into two smaller areas, which is smart if you have an anti-social dog or just don’t want to socialize, and both sections have plenty of shade.