Albany / Corvallis KOA

An Oregon family created a lovely KOA park on land that has belonged to the family since 1916. Built from the ground up, the Albany/Corvallis KOA opened in 1987. The family members who have helped make the dream a reality include Arlene Heins, and her daughter, Priscilla Greig, who runs it with husband, Mike Grieg, and brother, Norby Heins.

"We love this area," Priscilla said with pride. "We built it to put the land to good use." They've built fire pits at each large, grassy site and a long nature trail leads to bridges over the nearby Calapooia River, creating a lovely setting on this vast stretch of land. Trees have grown up over the years, creating a beautiful setting in their Northwest location.

Campers often return to pick a Christmas tree from the forests that were planted and have matured. The campground has an abundance of apple trees and berry bushes, which campers enjoy, and return to pick. "It makes for a beautiful park," Priscilla added.

Most of the family members have education degrees, she said, and they like to be around people. So the campground setting affords a great opportunity to meet an abundance of travelers who stay at their KOA.

The family's mission is to help each guest have an enjoyable stay. They love to cheer for their favorite college team, the Oregon State Beavers, and many of their fall season campers travel to enjoy the football games. The campground is blessed to be near the Coast, which is only 75 miles away.

Priscilla is very involved in the Lutheran Missionary Women's League. Mike is an avid runner, and spends a lot of time training. He runs in the annual Hood to Coast Run. Teams of 16 persons from all over the world compete in the race, which starts up at Mount Hood and continues down to Astoria on the Coast.