Daily Inspiration: Meet Hanawalt Family

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hanawalt Family.

Hi Hanawalt , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I will try to make this as short as possible and you will just have to take ! In 2000, Chip Hanawalt went to collect money from a builder who had not paid him for a tile job. He noticed a “for sale” sign in front of a dilapidated campground and thought it would be neat to own a park. So, with no prior campground experience, he purchased Autumn Lakes Family Campground. This campground had a bad reputation, was an eye sore to the community and was so bad that the campground organizations deemed the park not worthy of being rated. Therefore, it was not allowed to be in the Trailer Life nationwide campground directory. For the next 8 years he cleared out junk, removed unruly campers and built sites, buildings and amenities. During this transitional time of improving the park we were never short of distressing stories emerging along the way. His hard work paid off when the campground not only was finally listed in the Trailer Life directory, but it received a perfect 10|10|10 score (only 3 campgrounds in Ohio obtained this score) and a few years later the campground converted into Sunbury/Columbus North KOA. In 2021 the campground was voted “Best Campground In the US” by USA Today.

That campground was sold to KOA corporate in 2021 but we kept our current campground, Mt. Gilead KOA, which was a golf course we purchased in 2019 and turned it into a KOA campground.
Mt. Gilead KOA received the Campground Of The Year for 2025. This award is the highest honor in the KOA system.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Making improvements, getting approval from government agencies and keeping up with all the demands that guests want and need in the camping industry.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am going to copy and paste a bio so just take from it whatever you think pertains!

GILBERT “Chip” Hanawalt is an experienced campground owner who is a leader in the campground industry. He currently owns and operates Mount Gilead KOA campground in Mount Gilead, OH and Leadore Salmon park in Leadore, ID. He is the previous owner of White Fence Acres wedding barn in Marengo, OH, Sunbury/Columbus KOA campground in Sunbury, OH and Birds Creek Campground in Sevierville, TN. Campgrounds are one of the most diverse and unique businesses with a variety of micro trades within them as well as working with government agencies on licensing, permits, and rules.
In the year 2000, having absolutely no knowledge of operating a campground, he purchased Autumn Lakes Family Campground located in Sunbury, Ohio. This property didn’t match its name, as nothing looked like “family” or “Campground”. This property was so bad that Woodall’s Camping Magazine had deemed it “unratable” and never included it in their national catalogue which consisted of over 14,000 parks that they rated each year. Chip saw the potential and began turning it into the campground it is today. With his creativity, prior experience of construction and forming and operating Authentic Tile & Marble Company, he was physically able to rebuild and redirect the property, turning it into a beautiful entertaining campground that received a rating from Woodall’s of a perfect 10/10*/10, a rating that only 3 campgrounds in Ohio received. And in 2021 it was voted “Best Campground in the USA” by USA Today. He eventually sold Sunbury/Columbus KOA to KOA Corporate. He and his family now own and operate Mt Gilead KOA campground in Mount Gilead, OH. This park, only five years old at the time, received the highest honor in the KOA system, the 2025 Campground of The Year and the Icon award in 2024.
Chip has been heavily involved in the Ohio Campground Owners Association (OCOA) and the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds (ARVC). He has represented Ohio Campgrounds at the national level, working with senators in Washington DC on campground rules and operations. For the last 15 years to present he has worked tirelessly with Ohio law makers and the Ohio Department of Health. He is the most knowledgeable campground owner of the health department rules for recreational parks in Ohio and has aided the rules committee in keeping, editing, clarifying and creating Ohio campground rules, always keeping the campgrounds in his best interest. Representing Ohio campgrounds in Government Affairs has been a success. Although there have been many discussions, sessions, reviews and battles over rules and regulations for campgrounds, he is most proud of two Ohio rules that took many months to achieve. In 2013 he was the key player in grandfathering gray water drains in Ohio making it the only state that was not forced to tear out gray water drains at each campsite. From 2020 to 2022 he worked alongside OCOA lobbyists and Ohio Representatives to create the Ohio Campground Liability Protection bill which finally passed. In February of 2022 House Bill 229 was signed then enacted the following May. His outstanding service as president of the OCOA was officially recognized by the members of the House of Representatives of the 133rd General Assembly of Ohio and he was honored by the Ohio Senate when retiring from OCOA President for all his efforts and accomplishments in the campground industry.
Chip is sought out by his peers for campground guidance from construction and permits to health department rules and sewage. He is recognized by Kampgrounds of American (KOA Corporate) as a leader in KOA franchises and has sat on the Franchise Advisory Council at corporate level for unique accommodations and quality assurance.
It is certain that Chip knows campgrounds and accommodations and has a passion and keen knowledge for the business. He is successful mostly due to his over- the -top work ethic, unique creativity and mastered construction experience and will continue to be a big force in the campground world.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We are part of the Ohio Campground Owners Association and help our fellow campground owners in any area they are having issues and we receive help from them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mtgileadkoa.com
• Instagram: @mtgileadkoa
• Facebook: mtgileadkoaohio