White Oak Campground — Hotel in Strasburg Township

This is an MUST READ if your camper isn’t brand-spanking new, fresh off the showroom floor. Or, if you just want to know how the campground likes to address potential campers.

Our family travels for work and we decided to give this campground a try. Our camper is a 2004, it is not new, but it is well-kept. VERY well-kept. We are a clean and presentable family.

Upon booking a stay, the campground requires you to send them all around photos of your camper and your vehicle. This is what they call a “pre-screening” and it is there to “protect & preserve the campground’s staff, patrons, equipment, and infrastructure from potentially harmful people.” HARMFUL PEOPLE is what this pre-screening process is designed to mitigate the risk of. It’s important to keep that in mind. After paying the deposit on a 1 month reservation, we took and sent photos of our camper and truck as required.

We received an email from the campground stating that the “age and condition” of our camper “do not meet the requirements” to stay at their campground and had the audacity to further explain: “In the event that you got your camper professionally detailed and sent us updated photos, we may reconsider”. This circles back to the ONLY explanation their website has for the reason why they require photos- to “protect & preserve the campground’s staff, patrons, equipment, and infrastructure from potentially harmful people.” HARMFUL PEOPLE.

Again, our camper is 21 years old. It isn’t new. It’s been all around the country on many adventures. It does NOT have any cosmetic damage (dents, broken/cracked glass or plastics, the outer cabinet doors remain intact, exterior light housings are brand new, ac unit housing is clean, etc). What the camper DOES have are mild black streaks and faded decals. Heavily focusing on “mild” because they are just that. The decals aren’t even cracked or peeling, they’re just a little sun-damaged. So yes, the camper looks like it’s 21 years old.

The owner of the campground had the audacity to tell us he’d reconsider, but only after we spent $500+ for it to be professionally detailed.

Here’s the thing: we don’t have a problem with the RULE. It’s their business, their property. What we DO have a problem with is their failure to disclose just how strict their policy is regarding who and what can stay at their campground, and with the way the owner addresses potential campers. The explanation of their pre-screening process is extremely vague and says absolutely nothing regarding any restrictions on the camper’s age and/or how pristine the condition must be. Its only stated purpose is to “protect & preserve the campground’s staff, patrons, equipment, and infrastructure from potentially harmful people.”. Families with 2 toddlers, a mini wiener dog, and 21-year old campers aren’t typically harmful people.

We have stayed at campgrounds throughout 13 of the states in this country. Each and every one of them have varied in “cleanliness”- some newer establishments, some quite old, some with weekenders, some with long-time and seasonal campers. Not a single one of them has required photos to gauge the quality of future guests, nor have they ever batted an eye at our equipment. We’re always greeted with smiles and welcomed into their campgrounds with open arms, because that’s what camping life is supposed to be about- happily gathering together, whether family or close friends or complete strangers.

We understand the owner is someone who is, clearly, very particular about who he allows at his campground. Fine. But to not include any sort of information regarding his particulars and unspoken restrictions on a camper’s age is extremely misleading. Furthermore, to treat prospective guests as if their slice of happiness is a dump by curtly requiring a full, professional detail before he’ll “reconsider” is crude and downright ill-mannered. We think it’s important that anyone considering the campground should be made aware (preferably BY THE OWNER) of what to expect as far as unspoken rules...

Our recent stay at White Oak Campground this past weekend for a girls only trip: Our site wasn’t mowed or picked up, previous trash/debris. Site wasn’t level, but we knew this from staying prior years in the site. We went to the pool Friday 1045ish – till about 430pm, no one came to check the pool levels. There was a dead mouse in the skimmer, we removed. Saturday, same thing saw no one come to check on the pool. Which to me is a little concerning. Public pool, I thought you are to check it so many hours. I know in the past staying there, we have seen someone checking the levels. The camp store was not opened during the hours posted. I feel like if you aren’t going to be open then at least have option for money box for wood or something. When the store was open, which the sign still said closed, us girls went in to get wood. The man wasn’t pleasant at all. Here are some of the convo pieces that alerted us not to return! “If you needed wood while we were closed, you could have picked up sticks!” “If you needed a camp store that was going to be opened, you should of went to Yogi” I stated my pain of trying to get thru after we booked online for a question, he said “well everything is done online, I said well what about the elderly campers who don’t do online, he said they can go somewhere else” “He said he was going to be all seasonal sites by next year and we wouldn’t be back” We explained to him that a family tried to check in for a cabin earlier that day and they couldn’t cause the office was closed. He stated the key was on the bulletin board out front. I said but what if they didn’t know where they were going and he said there is a map, not my problem! Upon leaving the dumpsters were also so full, you couldn’t get anything in them. It wasn’t overflowing from the weekend this was major trash build up. It was gross! This man didn’t have a care in the world for anyone or the campground. We will find another campground to go to. Don’t waste your gas/fuel or time with this...

Over 10 years camping here and the owners treat you like garbage that they just want thrown in the dumpster. They implemented changes that require everything to go through email, without verifying anyone's email address. As a result fees and issues have ensued and they take no responsibility to help correct. Such as charging $10/day late fees for the monthly electric bill because they want you to switch to auto pay - they told no one this, just started charging the fee. The seasonal rates went up 30% without notice and when that was questioned I was met with aggressive and hostile responses. Given proper handling of the situation, we would have liked to continue camping there, but after the complete lack of common decency on their part, I will discourage others from supporting such horrible individuals. They do NOT care about people at all, only about $$. Brian and Drew Kopan even avoid being onsite because they know they would have to face the public, and so many are very unhappy with them. The ladies in the front office are sadly made to do so much of the dirty work for them, and are the messengers. White Oak does not deserve them. Don't support heartless people.

When I spoke briefly with Brian by phone, close to tears over the issue, he said he only had a minute and would call back. He did not call back or reply to a lengthy and non-aggressive email I followed up with detailing all that transpired. You can’t rewrite the facts. This small family is definitely no...