By Andy Zipser
We’ve thrown in the towel.
Eight years and three-and-a-half months after taking possession of Walnut Hills Campground (in Staunton, Virginia), we’ve passed the baton to new owners — only the fifth in the campground’s 52-year history. That might seem like we lacked stick-to-it-iveness, but campground owners are like dogs, in a temporal sense. Each year spent catering to the RV crowd is equivalent to eight or nine years of a normal human’s. That’s an awful lot of living crammed into a short spell, and it’s exhausting. Small wonder that the average tenure for campground owners is only seven years before they decide to tackle something a little less strenuous, like sheep-herding or brick-laying.
Change happens
Short though our ownership might have been, it was, however, long enough to witness a sea-change in the business and in the industry overall. It’s all busier, bigger and more demanding than it was a mere eight years ago, from the amount and size of the traffic rolling onto the grounds, to the out-sized expectations of many campers for all the comforts they left at home, to the fraying of whatever “community” they may once have enjoyed.
The campground biz, as long-time campers already know, is becoming increasingly commodified: more corporate, more Disney-fied, less attuned to the very things that once separated camping from other forms of transient lodging. What is “glamping” if not a campground form of gentrification? What are the proliferating rows of “cabins”— really just downsized cottages — if not a suburbanized version of a Motel 6, one long building chopped up into individual units, at some campgrounds with just an alleyway between them? Slap on some faux logs and stick a fire ring out front and voila! It’s back to nature.
“Shenandoah Acres, a 522-site campground within spitting distance of Walnut Hills, sold last year to a holding company for $3 million—which then turned around and sold it this past February (that’s right—less than a year later) for $17 million.”
Does that sound bitter? It’s only meant to be descriptive, as seen from the vantage point of a campground owner who’s been watching these trends unfold for almost a decade. The truth is that the world of private campgrounds is rapidly following — no, charging — down the path already forged by the larger lodging industry. Thanks in no small part to the COVID-19 pandemic, but preceding it as well, the campground sector has become a hot investment sector and the big boys are charging in. If you’re a campground owner, this has become a golden moment to sell — and selling they are.
More local campgrounds have recently been sold
Shenandoah Acres, a 522-site campground within spitting distance of Walnut Hills, sold last year to a holding company for $3 million — which then turned around and sold it this past February (that’s right — less than a year later) for $17 million. The buyer is Sun RV Resorts, which already owns several hundred properties in the U.S. and Canada.
Small Country Campground, a 150-acre property about a 40-minute drive from us in Louisa, sold 18 months ago for approximately $4 million. The sellers, Bill and Ruth Small, built the campground from scratch starting 45 years ago. Our campground, a bit smaller at 43 acres and only 150 sites, nevertheless went for $3.1 million. That’s not $3.1 million going into our pockets, of course — there are mortgages and loans to pay off, not to mention a hefty tax bite — but there will be enough to see us through a modest retirement.
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So it’s carrot-and-stick. On the one hand, campground prices are attractive enough to tempt those of us who wearied of the long hours and crushing workload. On the other hand, the fun that made all that stress tolerable has been slipping away with each passing year, done in by the commodification mentioned above. One of the traditional selling points for prospective campground buyers has always been “the lifestyle” — work outdoors, no commute, enjoy the kinds of amenities unavailable to most people most of the time — but that increasingly is becoming a myth. In eight years, I doubt I had the opportunity to get into our swimming pool more than a handful of times.
Campsite costs going up
The thing is, as the few selling prices I’ve just listed will suggest, this also is becoming a business increasingly out of reach for the average mom-and-pop operator. There’s still room on the bottom rung for couples or families who can survive with a campground of 40 or 50 sites, but once you start looking at the mid-size universe of, say, 50 to 150 sites, the selling price becomes unattainable for most people. That’s where the corporate interests come in, with their deeper pockets and their capacity for at least some economies of scale — and as campers and employees soon discover, there is a world of difference between a family-owned operation and a corporate one.
Our buyers were Land Lease America (LLA), a relatively young company run by a couple of relatively young guys who are smart, personable and ambitious. When we started discussing our possible sale, LLA managed a handful of campgrounds — all KOAs — that they didn’t own, and also owned three campgrounds outright. By the time we reached closing, May 17, they had already doubled their ownership portfolio and were talking about acquiring as many as 10 campgrounds in 2021 alone. Their impact on Walnut Hills is already being felt, sometimes shockingly so.
Demand pricing at an RV park — just like airlines and hotels
For campers, for example, there’s the adoption of demand pricing, which many readers of this site have misunderstood. Demand pricing is not having one set of rates for in-season and one for off-season, or one set of rates for weekdays and one for weekends. Demand pricing is, first and foremost, dynamic: The cost of the same site for the same date will change from day to day, depending on when you make your reservation and how many similar sites are being sought by other campers at the same time. It’s what airlines do, and it’s why you will no longer be able to get a set answer to the question, “What does a water and electric back-in site at your campground cost?”
That means there are no rate sheets (ever try to get one of those from Delta?). It also means that if you stay on a site Tuesday and Wednesday and then swing by the office to see about extending by a day, you may end up paying a different rate — even though Thursday, under more traditional pricing schemes, was just another weeknight.
Employees are also affected
Employees are just as liable to get buffeted by corporate practices, such as the sudden switch from a weekly payroll to a bi-weekly one — with a week’s delay in getting paid because paychecks are being processed at a distant corporate center. That meant that the employees we last paid on May 16, for the workweek ending May 15, are getting their very next paychecks this weekend. That’s a three-week hiatus that people getting paid at or minimally above minimum wage can have a difficult time weathering.
More changes, for campers and employees alike, are sure to follow. Some may be for the better, especially if some of those corporate dollars are reinvested in the property or in higher wages. I suspect, however, that the overall trend will continue in the direction already set: Camping will be ever more crowded, more expensive, and more insulated from the outdoors it ostensibly exists to embrace. We feel lucky to have gotten a taste of the good old days, feel bad that we’ve contributed our small share to this slippery slope — and feel fortunate to have the opportunity to move on to new ventures.
Thanks to all who camped with us in the past, and safe travels, everyone!
Related:
RV park owner Andy Zipser: My park’s open, but campers are angry!
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Fair winds and following seas, Andy. We’ve stayed at Walnut Hills a few times and have nothing but great memories. Sorry to see you go, but I’m happy if you’re happy.
Chuck: go ahead and hire him as this guy can write! He passes your test!
…wow! News to me…we’re heading to Walnut Hills next week….
I’m always thinking of solutions. I gather from this that there’s no solution other than it’s being market driven. One take-away from the camper viewpoint is that we campers are increasingly demanding in various ways. Managing any business is not a piece of cake.
Very interesting article. Thanks for writing it.
I’m confused… what is there to be demanding about in camping? A hotel, yes. Camping=water, electricity, quiet, and maybe sewer! I’ll add cleanliness as well. Anything else is adding to the problems stated unless you can enlighten me.
Phillip, Do you camp??? The “new” camper (and family) basically want to pull their ‘glamper’ into a site and expect ALL the amenities of their fancy house and act like they own the place. How many times have people complained that the WIFI is poor in the campground where they are staying. Why, because they are sitting in the camper on the internet, streaming movies or writing emails. Remember their view is we are camping in the outdoors so we can make as much noise as we want because we are outside. We can bring our loud smelly dirt ripping toys and drive all over because WE ARE PAYING AND WE HAVE THE RIGHT!
From CG owner’s perspective, add to this the daily workload demands of running the cg, keeping the pool clean, the maintenance to keep 50 amp (really 100 amp) power circuits / pedestals from electrocuting some ‘newbie’ who knows nothing about how to hook up, cleaning the cg bathrooms who people leave like a dump because they are paying for someone else to clean and poor manners meaning I can walk and do what I want, when I want.
So water, electricity, quiet and sewer doesn’t feed the bulldog any more, and this is also why running a cg is not the job people want to do.
Not to mention rude dog owners that let their baby bark all day and don’t clean up after it when it does it’s business on a trail, road, bathroom sidewalk or even your campsite.
You (and I) are, sadly, the minority; heck, I don’t even “need” hookups. Today’s new generation of campers (and I use that term loosely) more and more want much more than that. They want a fully stocked store, restaurant, and bar. They want a pool, splash pad, hot tub, sauna. They want a playground with playground equipment, as well as a game room. They want cabins (how is that camping?). They want “concerts in the park”, non-denominational Sunday services, and guided nature walks. They want laundry facilities, concrete pads, built in fire rings and BBQs. They want golf cart rentals. They want “manicured” nature. They want, more and more, what isn’t traditionally camping. I feel for the small campground owners.
In short they do not want to be camping. But want to ruin it for those of us that do.
It seems that every day I read more that makes me feel less interested in camping, particularly in campgrounds. I like to use small Forest Service (etc.) sites and boondock mostly, and don’t like to make reservations. But it’s so crowded now I almost don’t want to leave the house and struggle to find a nice place to stop. The only saving grace at the moment is that people want more services which keeps them away from the small campgrounds I prefer, I wonder how long that situation will last.
Yes, we love to camp…have done so all my life. Now days it’s not fun anymore, you have to go thru Reserve America for our little camp grounds that we have stayed at all our life and they are booked out for a year in advance. We go to sit outside around the fire, fish, enjoy the wildlife, etc etc. But now days folks go to say they have went, stay inside watching TV, playing on internet, etc. I can stay home IF I want to do that and not spend the money. It’s just sad to see how things have changed.
Ditto!
Certainly there are some improvements begging to made in the RV park business as well. I’ve stayed in many parks that were in dire need of catching up on maintenance and upgrading WiFi, electrical and infrastructure. Maybe some of the heavy hitters will also make those investments. Work camping has also filled the slots for cheap help and comments about a two week pay cycle miss the discussion of why the mom and pop industry can’t pay a decent wage.
I’d gladly pay more to know that I’m getting consistent quality like I do when staying at a major hotel chain. Modern reservation systems across a chain of RV Parks would also be a welcome change.
The business model for an independent park has always been to work your butt off to try to make it during the season and hope to sell when you are tired and worn out and hopefully not have to carry back much of a mortgage.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for an improved situation.
For me, if corporate-run campgrounds become the trend in the RV and Camping industry bringing along their restrictions, outrageous price structures for no better amenities, and their “Resort” monikers, I would probably jettison the whole lifestyle.
If I can travel the Good ‘Ol USA by car and stay at clean moderate-priced roadside motels, why lug around my 37’ DP dragging around a car behind it only to encounter “corporate speak”.
There is a campground in Bath, NY, about 105 miles from my home that my wife and I along with other family and their campers would visit the last weekend of October every year as our final camp of the season. Their rates were half of their normal rate of $90 per night FHU, for an uneven smallish site. But, at that time a year, the place would be almost empty. Last time I went to make a reservation for four sites I found out that the private CG was sold to KOA and there were no longer any half-price sites available, even their last weekend open. Done there.
Love the way the author constantly created new words in the article.
Webster must be spinning in his grave…
What????
I pasted the article into Word and ran a spell check–it didn’t find any “new” words.
Yep, Agree…. I just went ahead and bought my own 45 acres overlooking the water… Built 8 E/W/S sites reserved for friends only. The state of Michigan has succeeded in turning their campgrounds into KOA size sites.. Offer very little oversite in rule enforcement…. noise issues, dogs barking, speeding, loud music…. I fully expect a full campground at our place all summer long minus the inconsiderate folks and high prices.
We’ve been camping for 15 years and full time for 6 years and feel your pain! Parks are fuller, costs are up in certain locations, but our biggest pet peeve (and what is causing us to reconsider the lifestyle) is the etiquette…or lack thereof! Noise, lights, walking/riding through spaces (not even empty ones!). I think people are ruining the experience more than corporations. I’m sorry to see you go.
People suck but so do RV pretend to be camping campgrounds. Get out and boondock.
If you can find a spot where you don’t need 4×4
Still don’t understand why they turn to sheep herding or brick laying,Andy
Because both are very hard
I’m reading this as the industry is modernizing. I’ll be able to reserve & check in on an app most likely if demand pricing is in play. The app will answer the question on price in 5 seconds vs. having to call or walk to find out. Weekends will be more expensive, as they should, and react to supply/demand.
Sounds like a similar story can be written on almost every industry. Think mom & pop hardware store deciding to close because Home Depot or Lowes came to town. Its unfortunate for each business to have to go through that. But also one that happens because a more efficient business figured out how to scale ahead of them. A crude but bound to happen event for every industry in a capitalist society.
Well said! In a free-market economy, nothing stays the same. New technologies eventually disrupt old ways. Those who adapt and adjust, survive. Investment money always follows demand particularly when supply is low.
And you like the Chinese made tools that Home Depot sells that last 1/10 as long as my father’s? Great modern day capitalist society.
The quality (or lack thereof) of tools sold at Home Depot by foreign manufacturers isn’t the fault of a capitalist society. To the contrary, it’s a direct result of the policies pushed by the elite political ruling class ‘We the People’ have been electing to public office over the last 50 or so years.
I disagree, and while there is plenty we can point to poor government, in both the Home Depot example and this camping sea change described here, we can attribute the root cause of both to consumer demand. Businesses will react to consumer demand – if buyers are willing to pay for inferior tools at a cheaper price with a higher profit margin, well why not sell inferior tools at a cheaper price and rake in the profits? If campers want modern amenities and are willing to pay for it, why not take advantage?
The flip side to the camping issue for me, however, is the fact that many (as this thread shows) of the campground consumer DOES NOT WANT to pay to use a “resort” campground, preferring more natural settings w/o all the noise and distraction. As one of those campers myself, I just hope that the demand for this type of campground encourages many operators to continue to provide that service.
What you describe is exactly the result of a Capitalist society. People would rather buy cheap tools and replace them more frequently, so big box stores sell those. It’s the free choice of consumers demanding the cheapest possible product combined with the greed of corporations that has resulted in the throwaway culture we have today.
Oh, but they don’t care. It’s such a good “deal”. For the Chinese, that is.
So you sold the CG because of the $$$$$ staring at you and say the changes are over whelming. It also sounds that you wanted to retire, nothing wrong with that. But it seems that the story is CG owners seeing $ signs and saying “where do I sign”. I guess flipping houses also extends to CG’s.
Agreed. The article did not talk about why they felt tired as much as corporate changes.
When we want a place to stay, we do not want all the amenities (swimming pool, etc.) We just want a quiet place to lay our head that is not 10 feet (okay exaggeration) from our neighbors. Becoming increasingly harder to find.
Bingo!
I agree and do not think you have exaggerated.
As experienced camp hosts, we’re happy to see campgrounds moving into the current century. We’re seniors, but techies. Lots of front-counter experience, can read a P&L, understand the challenges of small business. Most smaller campgrounds act like Mayberry RFD, from what we’ve seen.
. . . and that would be a campground where I would like to stay.
Agreed!
Me too!!!
And what exactly is wrong with a “Mayberry RFD” acting campground? Too quiet, rural and natural for you? Enjoy your world of computers, noisy inconsiderate campers, barking dogs, screaming children and people watching their big-screen TVs OUTSIDE their camper. This is the main reason we sold our TT in December. We had enough of the “new”, “enlightened” crowds and having to make reservations at least one year ahead of time. Congratulations on your “techies” knowledge. I’ll stick with my flip-phone.
Thanks for updating us, Andy, and GL with your retirement! Certainly a lot of us reading this are retired, too. My wife and I stayed with you in March 2020 on our way home to NH from FL, and we were impressed with your campground, sites, and the overall atmosphere at Walnut Hills. We’d like to get back there someday.
Andy,
All the best to you. I’ve enjoyed all that you’ve shared with us over the years.
Good Luck to you, Andy. Even though I have not stayed at your campground, I have enjoyed your contributions here. As a fulltimer for almost 2 yrs now, I have seen the changes you mention. We are not the “resort” type, give me a lake or river and a fishing pole and I am very happy. But even the quiet spaces aren’t so quiet anymore.
In hindsight it’s surprising the corporations took so long to get involved given the price and amenities of a modern camper.
Good luck in your retirement.
Just like alot of other things, camping is being ruined for real camping folks. Someone should have opened Glamping Grounds and left the real thing alone. Now true folks won’t be able to enjoy other true camping families. The prices have been pushed way to high for your normal camping families. And the campgrounds change to accommodate these glampers…I wish everything would stop being stolen by those with money…..leave something for the average( now poor) families. Go and create your own Glampground. Leave what was perfect for us alone…let us enjoy our Church with God .
Amen to that. I couldn’t have said it better.
All of this is good for hubby and I to learn now before we buy our RV. With our budget our RV probably wont be allowed in many places because Id rather buy old and put money into than buy new…only to have to put money into. I want to boondock and already making plans for solar. I’ve tent camped and towed a camper for years and because of kids we stuck to state parks. The biggest issue for us will be water for cooking and showers as we plan on using a composting toilet. We want to get out and see the world…if we wanted a hotel life we’d just fly everywhere which just isn’t fun.
Despite all the posts below trying to minimize the author’s perspective through a combination of age-ism and general claims for a desperate need for “modernization” of camping (????), this is spot-on, and is closely attached to an even larger issue: the steady privatization, corporatization, and technocritization of every aspect of life under the guises of open access and safety.
If you live anywhere in the Western half of the US, you have seen this play out on a even larger stage, and one that usually involves so-called “protected” space. 20 years ago, most of the stretch of Highway 36 between north Denver and Boulder featured wide open spaces full of life; now, that same stretch of highway looks, with the exception of the landscape itself, just like every other portion of this nation: strip malls, Targets, Wal-Marts, Pet Smarts and Michael’s stores are ugly substitute for wild nature. If marketers had ever managed to figure out how to turn the Flatirons into ads, they would have
100% theyre selling land for factories by the little airport in Broomfield…once open space. I moved to standley lake area 2014 and its so over built now I’m leaving CO end of this year. I can because I’m permanent work from home. But when I camp its primitive. That’s also nearly impossible now in CO too. Crowded not permitted locally and downright dangerous I am convinced the death theaters who took over my spot on federal land last July and were throwing fore cracker strips on the antlers of the young elk they’d corralled started the fires in middle park. All i know is me and my little dog drove home faster than we should have on lip and I will never go back to that area again. Those local millennial brats deserved to have their family property burnt down for crimes against nature
I grew up backpacking in the High Sierra for 2-3 weeks every summer with my family. It was rare that we ever saw any other people, save an occasional ranger. For me, camping has always meant getting away from people and people-generated noise, amenities, conveniences and now, more than ever, technologies. It was all about immersion in nature and living as simply as possible in order to fully embrace the experience. When I’ve stayed in camp grounds it has always been the more primitive variety…water, pit toilets, possibly a few hook-ups – never the kind of campgrounds being discussed here. However, as I age, I’m thinking more about a mobile lifestyle and find this new model of non-camping to be horrific at best. Maybe I’m just getting too old to understand why humans feel the need to pollute the places they go to ‘get away from it all’ with the very things they’re supposedly trying to get away from. What are we becoming as a species? Wishing you a peaceful retirement.
Trash is a problem of their upbringing. No one taught them as kids to pick up their toys and clothes from the floor. I see people, mostly young people, walking down a sidewalk and intentionally dropping the wrapper of their snack on the ground without thinking about it. I was driving on a highway behind a pickup truck with a passenger and saw fast food containers fly out the window, intentionally thrown out. It’s a collapse of our society’s cultural standards.
Oh I dunno. I’m 69 and I remember seeing WAY more highway littering when I was a kid. Trash disposal out car windows was routine. And every road was lined with it.
100%. Happy camping the true definition. I have a bad leg so i need car access but I put the tiniest footprint I can on mother earth and love primitive camping too. How I was raised.
A lot of the newbies will be gone in a short time you only have to outlast them. These are the people who jump from fad to fad as New ones become available.
We have been tent campers, pop up trailer campers and now we own a 39 ft class A. We don’t enjoy lugging our suitcases up and down stairs everyday or worrying if our car is being broken into or stolen while we sleep.
I maintain our rv and we’re leaving on a 6,000 mile trip in less then 30 days. So far we have spent over 3,500 dollars just doing normal stuff. New slide seals, tires, oil and filters, odd and end things. No labor just parts, how many new owners can handle the normal time maintaining an rv takes. Ours is parked on our property and we use it on a regular basis and as you know the longer they sit the more things go wrong.
Give it time and it’ll be back to those of us that have been here all along.
Andy- thanks for your insight into the ownership and management of a campground. Having worked in an RV park for a summer, not only did the managers work like dogs, but so did the employees. Many campers (younger, newer, self-centered) make nearly impossible demands on a park because that is that camper’s vision of what they want.
I’d love to visit some but way too many have the 10 – 15 maximum rule. Mine isn’t mint condition but it’s not duct taped and urban art either. Maybe if they drop that rule, they’d get more business who want trees and quiet and less Disney cartoon camping.
We live in the Draft and have stayed at your campground multiple times, both in our RV and in the cabins.
From the sounds of it, you were burned out and forgot that owning a business means you serve your customers and not the other way around. (I say that as a small business owner who knows how frustrating that truth can be at times)
I wish you’d gone into more detail about the changes in the industry but I can see you’re eager to be out of it.
I’m glad you found your exit plan. Enjoy your retirement! Perhaps we’ll see you around the Valley sometime if you stick around.
That wasn’t how I interpreted it — I highly doubt he ” forgot that owning a business means you serve your customers and not the other way around.” I found the article very sad and very informative. Life is changing so fast in so many ways and definitely not for the better…
I guess where I see things differently is that I’m part of the group most of the commenters are lamenting – we have young kids and we are glampers.
It’s easy to hate on change, but it’s young families like ours who are allowing CG owners like Andy to sell their businesses for $3M+.
Instead of hating on us for changing the industry – how about appreciating the opportunities we are creating both for those who want to sell as well as for those who want to grow their businesses?
I wish I could downvote this. This is not a matter of the park not making enough profits or having enough visitors, or any such failing. There weren’t specific prices discussed, but they said a nearby campsite that sold for $3 million sold for $17 million a year later. That’s an awful lot of incentive to leave no matter how well or badly sites are doing, whether serving customers is job #1 or not.
Maybe you burned out on reading!, and didn’t finish reading the article, or even the two paragraphs that contain the 3 and 15 million dollar figures. Maybe it means you forgot you should read and understand an entire article before you post. (Sorry, but you should get what you seem to be glad to give.)
The campground that sold for $17M is well-known locally, but I also read the post in its entirety here.
All I’m saying is that it is young families like mine who are allowing campground owners like Andy to sell for these inflated sums, so rather than being upset the industry is changing, perhaps a little gratitude and adaptability are in order.
I understand why old school campers may not be happy (increasing prices, harder to reserve spaces, campgrounds have a lot more going on when you’re there), but as a business owner who just had the opportunity to cash out to the tune of $3.1M, these changes should be something to be excited about.
As free Americans we each have the privilege to make our own choices. If we can afford it and want a larger RV it is our privilege. If we want to stay in a hotel/ motel or even a tent that is our choice. Those who are trying to legislate how others choose to live need to stop. Let us be to make our own choice.
I recently tried to book a short-term stay at a beautiful little developed campground in Oregon where I had stayed 3 years ago for one night. I was disappointed to be told that they no longer are doing short-term stays, only long term leases for sites. In other words, they don’t do vacation stays like an RV park but rather they are in the residential leasing mode like a mobile home park. Is this a trend because it’s so hard for small operators to manage the place like a motel?
Motels underwent the same “gentrification” years ago. Most small “motels” are dominated by “hospitality chains” now. A couple of years ago I looked for a family motels along Route 66, in New Mexico going west, and they are mostly either closed, in some sad state of decline, or bought by national chains. “Manage like a motel” is an anachronism to me, because now motels aren’t managed like motels! I don’t have a lot of knowledge of KOA parks, but like them or not, any campgrounds that aren’t in a similar system are going to close down.
In 1990, one or two adults in New England motels for $35 were some of the highest prices in the country, only matched in southern California. Across the rest of the country, (from personal experience) many could be found for less than $20 a night. Adjusted for inflation, they should now be $40 to $75 a night. They’re not, they’re a lot more! and finding a “family-owned” motel is much more difficult. Although it’s also easier to get a minimum-corporate-standard for cleanliness, breakfast buffets, etc. but it’s also much more difficult to find places that go above and beyond for service and amenities.
I don’t know why I’m babbling. Just to say motels can’t be managed like they used to be managed, so I’d say the “trend” goes deeper than that!
The big corporations bought out all the mom & pops and made all the motels unaffordable. They could do it because they had economies of scale, but they are also becoming monopolies because they killed or swallowed the competition first. It’s sad.
$35 in 1990 is equivalent to $69 in 2020 based on commodity costs, but it’s $95 based on changes in income, which is probably the best comparison:
If you want to compare the value of a $35.00 Commodity in 1990 there are four choices. In 2019 the relative:
real price of that commodity is $68.50
real value in consumption of that commodity is $78.20
labor value of that commodity is $79.20 (using the unskilled wage) or $78.60 (using production worker compensation)
income value of that commodity is $95.80
economic share of that commodity is $126.00
https://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/uscompare/relativevalue.php
There’s more money being a landlord more laws protecting landlords less work and the economy is so bad more people all ages living in houses on wheels
I have been a camper most of my life, I am 80. What is happening today should not be called camping. It is no longer getting away and enjoying nature and Gods creation. It is not grabbing your wife and kids at the spur of the moment and head for the great out doors. Much of the time one has to reserve months ahead of time, in the mountains or the ocean signs galore, no camping or 4 hour limits on parking. I understand what brought all this on, but what a travesty.
I boated for over 45 years on large vessels much like a Class A Motorhome. I also watched that industry/business changing and not always for the better. When I started there was no electricity on any docks anywhere. Today each slip is generally powered with at least a 30 amp service, many with 50 or twin 50 amp drops. I camped as a kid in a WWII surplus tent and a Coleman kerosene lamp and a Coleman alcohol stove.
When I retired my wife and I were seriously planning on switching to camping but looking around at the situations (and partially at the populace that makes up campers) we have decided to pass on the opportunity and stick with road trips and Motel 6 overnights.
It’s all relative. We sometimes stay in motels, leaving our RV parked (we’re full-time RVers). Just got back from Kalispell, MT, where we spent $286/night for a room at the Springhill Suites/Marriott hotel. Out of curiosity, I checked a Kalispell RV park which also has nice amenities. $105-$125/night to park your rig. We’ve actually found (maybe it’s because we usually stay off the beaten path) most RV parks are well underpriced. Okay with us! RVing is still far less expensive than staying in a nicely appointed motel or hotel. (Plus your own pillow!)
This saddens me. This was our FAVORITE campground! For us it was a get away, place we could be at on a Friday afternoon through Sunday morning. The pond, the ducks, having a cigar near the fire ring, site 63, which was PERFECT!!! I am understanding as to WHY, but I wish it wasn’t happening. I doubt if a corporate campground will feel anywhere near as welcoming. (KOA doesn’t, but some try…)
Your campground was why my wife now goes camping, you gave the two of us our joy. Thank you for that.
Take care.
I have a Mom and Pop operation I would part with and we are just getting it started call me five 174254931 we are full time RV ourselves Rick
We are located in east Oklahoma by Arkansas if you’re interested
The only reason we never stayed at Walnut Hill is that we have been mooch docking on a fhu on our son’s farm in Covesville VA- the other side of the BRP. We stopped by to take a look several years ago and found it very pretty. We have been RVing since 2001 and Full Time since 2011. The only kind of camping we try to avoid is large corporate cgs with multiple amenities to draw families and destination “resorts” that fill with families and many teens. We enjoy our comforts in 36′ DP, but love to setup chairs outside and meet other campers. We have made long term friendships with people we walked by or who walked by our place just to chat for a minute about life on the road. We are leaving our homebase in SoCal in a few days for a two month wander with no real plans other than Escapade in WY in July. We will boon dock, and stay in gov’t parks and with any luck we will find a midsized park run by a dedicated couple or family.
Good Luck in your next venture
The garbage business did it the promotional business did it, it’s called merging your competitors and creating systems that created additional profits I don’t know how they can afford 17 million for a 3 million site but it’s not my money and I really don’t care. The last time I went camping was 25 years ago and I enjoyed it for the few years we did it and then our kids grew up. And now we’re in a senior 55 plus community with pools golf courses and 100 plus clubs
Never liked RV campgrounds anyway. A really good reason to avoid them further.
As an ex business person I wish you good luck, but it’s BLM’s and Forest service now if I can’t get a state or national park.
Please leave your RV at home when venturing on taxpayers set aside natural property
Check out my earlier comment. Not everyone can camp without an RV. There are people with limitations.
You should change your name to Karen. It suites your personality better. You’re littering the comments with what you think is better for people. Please do the world a favor and remove all access to the internet, and other people from your life. You sound horrible.
Dear Andy—-I read with interest your account of your struggle when Covid restrictions in your state were announced last year. Whatever your reasons for opting to sell and retire—-it doesn’t matter. You have EVERY right, without needing to offer a reason or an explanation, to choose to sell and get on with your life. I appreciate all of the hard sluggin’ you and your team have done over the years, despite the fact that I haven’t ever stayed at Walnut Hills. Enjoy your retirement and do yourself a favour—-make sure you spend some time relaxing beside a swimming pool soon. lol You have earned it. Spend your profits well.
I worked two summers at an RV park in Prosser, WA. The owners sold it to the owners of the Best Western. They bought to take advantage of the wineries in the area which are a big draw. They did away with long term and changed their pricing to be more like the hotel pricing. I would never stay there with the pricing like they changed it but those with fancy RVs that want all the perks of a high class resort do. When they have special events in the area they almost double the prices requiring 3 or 4 days paid in advance.
No thank you. Give me a less fancy park. I do need cable and internet but I don’t use the pool or hot tub.
Camping is about getting away from cable and internet. Let’s concentrate on definitions. RV and trailers and conversion vans are houses on wheels for people who want to waste money on gas pollute nature and for don’t like hotels or cabins for traveling. These parks are parking lots for houses on wheels and profit from offering hotel and cabin services. The word camping is not part of that usage.
I understand how you see camping as a complete back-to-nature experience and can appreciate that. However, I also think back to the 70s when I was a kid. If we had not borrowed our friends’ RV our family would never have been able to go camping and traveling all around the country, and I would have missed many great experiences. My mother would never have been able to camp in a tent and live with no amenities at all. She had some limitations that would have precluded her from going. There is a place for RV camping. I do think too many people are overdoing the comfort requirements nowadays, but not everyone can camp with the bare minimum either.
Cool. You don’t get to define anything though, Judith, an unknown random person. You also don’t get to define moral or virtuous actions.
You are a fantastic writer!
Such a shame. I stayed in 51 twice in June, coming and going, and it was OK. I guess I’ll look elsewhere for my next trip.
These stories are a mixed bag. The industry needs some growth as more of us reach retirement age and we hit the road there will need to be more parks built. When I read about large corporations buying up place at these prices it scares me they are going to have to raise prices to pay for there expense and paying prices like this its a sure bet that prices are going way up.. We bought a 13 foot teardrop camper 2 years ago and found sleeping on a full size bed with a 43 pound dog to be more then we bargained for and would like to buy a 20/22 foot unit to make our camping experience better. The problem is that I see the crowded camping and wonder if I should even stay in camping with prices raising like they are. I could keep what I have it does work but many RV resorts are designed with self contained units and I need to be near a bathroom. We also retired on a modest income typical of an average American with the price of units and camping going way up we may decide to go back to moteling.
I often think about doing the same as I’m retired and then start thinking of the cost of a camper trailer and the storage during winter months. An upgrade in towing vehicle and wow that’s a lot of hotel rooms. Northern Wisconsin has tons of cabins to rent just 4 or five hours away.
Right idea!
Your retirement dream is obsolete. Take a class on how to conserve not pollute with gas guzzling glamp equipment. Stay in a cabin or hotel or at home. If you’re cramped in a teardrop you don’t want to camp. Super 8s are what you want.
Cool. Luckily your line of thinking is not only irrelevant, but was never a thing to even be considered out dated. Move along Karen.
I go camping about 8 weekends each summer and I know I would never use that camper for it to be even worth the cost to store it. If I had room for it, it would be one thing but camping in a tent is so much cheaper and with a proper cot, mattress it works out fine. You can still get a electric site and use a little electric heater or mini air conditioner or fan in your tent if needed) I belong to a meetup group so we go to camp areas together and get our own site and meet up for hikes, kayaking and the fire at night. We have a few people with campers so of it rains we can go there to play cards or whatever. But being disabled the last thing I need to deal with is trying to hook up a trailer and even though I have a suv I would need to buy a new car to tow it. . But I am someone who would rather go to one area and really see it then spend hours on the road to get to some park just to move somewhere else. Also tent sites are much easier to get. I loved Europe youth hostel system. We Biked in the Netherlands and since we were biking they found a place for us to sleep even when the hostels were full. We had a great time and never had too worry about traffic since bike trails connected towns so we hardly ever were on the roads. Meanwhile people camping today will get tired of camping and the camper ends up in a landfill eventually. Camping use to be about going back to nature and not about carrying your 2nd home behind your truck or SUV.
Jennifer, you are one of the few that makes sense. This pandemic will be over very soon and you will see changes in the costs of goods and services through higher prices. The government is throwing money up in the air and people are swarming to get it. As people realize that the money they are spending to camp isnt worth it, RV site owners will be affected big time. The only people camping will be the people who have lost their homes because they couldnt afford the costs of owning a home. The smart people who want to camp will rent an RV and plan carefully to make the experience worth while.
I was going to share with what these very people think they have a good reason to complain. These people that were only distant thots of others who wnted kids. Well, this certainly isn’t teaching much to ur kids from wht I hear and see in pics. Fishing? How many of you tell ur kids, Find a long stick, they ALL come back helping to drag half a dead tree to camp. Well tht attracts a few curious camp dads n moms to come see. Of course sites were NOT on top of each other, so word of mouth brought the curious. Guess wht happened? They guys w the little guys started to make it happen. Families came to know each orher, recipes swapped and pics went up to add to many on the board. This became a tradition there. Kids went to sleep dirty, went swimming the next morning. And smiles n wonder of all the next day over breakfast cld be heard now n then from the next camp a ways away. We were ALL the best kids ever. And I say Amen.
Sorry no idea what you say
Ummmm….. WHAT?
100% Suzanne
I think I’ll try reading it backwards???
Looks like I’ll be doing a lot more boondocking in the future….
In Colorado you need a gun and dog to protect yourself from other boondockers. Its the wild west the law wont help and its so crowded theyre burning down the state. Boondockers need to go further north to have the real experience
In 2018 I had such a horrible experience with RIvers at several USForrest Service campgrounds in Colorado that I wrote to them and suggested that they differentiate themselves from the rest of the glamp sellers by making their facilities off limits to. RVs and trailers limit to tents and vans. For the huge market that still wants that real nature experience. Also replace contracted management with rangers again who can teach those eager campers about earth stewardship. Until our government takes a stance people will just use camping as an avenue to destroy nature as usual.
so as long as you are comfortable nobody else matters? You are better than other people since they do not do things your way. Let me explain to you that it is not the type of camping or the rig or anything related. It is the people. I have camped in every situation you can think of including a top notch RV. Nothing wrong with any of them as long as people appreciate and act as they should. The problem is entitlement and laziness.
We had a great experience at astute campground in Colorado. They had actual State Rangers who helped us find a space after we found the one we selected wasn’t big enough. He couldn’t have been more helpful.
Why are you even mentioning Small Country Campground? Bill Small stopped doing maintenance the last few years. He sold to a multi-generational family, not a corporation. That family was hard at work catching up on all of the deferred maintenance when we stayed there last year. They are exactly the kind of new owners we need.
We just started fulltiming in what I call our ‘bigazz’ 37′ fifth wheel and bigazz diesel truck. We only did this because here in SoCal, it was time to sell our bigazz house because the value finally increased beyond the original price we paid in 2006. Plus, we’re retiring and have some health issues to deal with. The size of the unit is also to accommodate three spoiled felines. Because prices are so high here, we choose not to buy a smaller place as of yet. This ‘bigazz’ unit is what we would call ‘transitional housing’.
We are under no illusions that what we are doing is actual ‘camping’. That said, we are currently in a beautiful campground here until October. There are many other fulltimers here. When health allows, we will try to travel again.
When looking for longterm spaces here in SoCal, we ran across a ‘new’ (refurbished) SunRV Resort that charges $3500/month for a basic parking lot space with some trees. Close to the ocean, but really? Someone mentioned ‘gentrification’ and that is absolutely correct.
Very sympathetic with the author of this article for selling his park given the inflated prices. That’s exactly what hubby and I did that enables us to also enjoy a ‘moderate’ retirement.
I’m in agreement with those that advocate leaving traditional campgrounds for vans, tents and very small rvs. Forget the glamping cabins and large spaces. If we were simply going camping and able to leave the felines at a house, I’d definitely go for a van. It’s too crowded out there otherwise, and vans allow for stealth overnight stays if needed.
Good choice. I see some of these huge campers and they are a huge waste of gas to lug around. If you are going to stay in the same camp ground and stay there every year for the summer I can see it but you see these huge campers in state parks and most of these parks were made in the 1930’s and were never for huge 30 ft campers. Some of these campers are as big as a 18 wheel truck. Q
Well written.
I believe the same shift from small business to corporate overseers will create a change in the boots-on-the-ground staff. The change in staffing will jack up rates, pushing more campers out of the picture.
Social media sites for work campers frequently focus on how to calculate a fair work camper pay. Many posters believe their compensation for living the dream life should be calculated on the same basis as the smothering corporate life they left. (Likely the same kids who got a trophy for sitting on the bench).
While these privileged workers demand more, volunteers are becoming more and more disillusioned and many will be leaving. Just this year, three couples with whom we spoke said that they would not be returning as volunteers and the reasons sound familiar.
So be it. My calculations show that with higher campground prices, RV payments, insurance, gas, etc. I can finally build my little cabin in the woods.
Methinks Andy will have a lot of followers.
Soon they will only be gated playgrounds of the rich and infamous!
BLM is Bureau of Land Management
Unfortunately with so many newbi’s entering the “camping” market, most haven’t a clue on campground etiquette plus they are dragging around huge RV’s that they do not know how to drive.
I’m sure you were an expert when you got started.
Yeah. Kind of. It just took some common sense. Don’t walk through a camp site you didn’t pay for; be quiet, especially after hours; pick up our trash; leave the dog at home etc etc. You know, the simple, logical, and reasonable stuff.
Ever hear of a tent? Sheesh. Bigger and uglier as usual….people seem to have lost their appreciation for the simple things, like sleeping under the stars.
A Sad state of affairs. We have owned three separate small pull trailers, with accommodations for 4-6 people, plus a pickup in which three of us could pack into , and a 5 bed motor home, all in the past 50 years. They allowed us to travel coast to coast, plus 7 years in the British Islands. Why? Much less expensive over-nighting, and getting closer to nature than moteling. We enjoyed the sites, especially those with plenty of trees, and swimming. Even rivers running thru them, we could pop the canoe in for a nice trip floating along. I guess we saw this coming, 10 or so years ago. Got rid of the camper, and the few trips we took, just cruised along looking for low to mid-priced motels. Even our one small camp-site here in the county has turned away from tourism, and its all up-grades for permanent, to semi-permanent sites now. Half million dollar “campers”. Sigh.
We live in Texas and try to go to a cooler climate for the summer months. Husband ( after chemo and radiation for colon cancer) cannot tolerate heat and hates having to stay in the house, therefore spent a lot of years in Colorado, Northern California two summers (last summer,the fires forced us out) and one summer in Alaska. Will hopefully make it back to Alaska for another summer.
Sounds like state parks, COE RV parks and BLM land is the best place to camp !
So sorry! In all my camping trips I have only spoken to the owners or attendants, while checking in and checking out! I liked my tent and now my camper to be a little “glampy” but that had nothing to do with the attendants. If I don’t like the amendments I choose a different place. Of course electricity, water and a view are what I prefer, so if I can’t blow up my float or wash atleast my face I would find someone. But for the most part I don’t want to talk to anyone. Just friends, fun, food and a few cocktails.
Reading comments & find myself getting depressed by it all. Why some of the commenters are on this site is puzzling. It is “RV” Travel as in recreational “vehicle”. Sorry, didn’t grow up in a family that camped. Dad was self employed as a tailor, 5 1/2 days a week. Took 2 wks in summer to visit our relatives 1500 miles away. Went by car as time was of the essence. Tried tent camping once at 20. Liked nature, not the camping. Rented an RV w/first husband in 80’s for 6 wks w/18 mo old son. Loved it. 2nd husband & I have been RVing since we met in 96. 300k miles. Can live in my own “home” while seeing this beautiful country, going on hikes, sampling different cultures, food, etc. Travel 3/4 months out of the year. Most CG’s we’ve stayed at run by families or very friendly “company” workers. Haven’t had negative experiences described by many here. Just got home. Wish we were back on the road. Not going to apologize for enjoying how we choose to travel.
Hmmm, so the author bought a business. Then he found out when you own a business it usually entails having a “crushing workload” plus dealing with unreasonable people. Also, most business owners usually work 60-80 hour weeks, nothing new with this, it comes with the territory of being a business owner. Then after only 8 years of hard work (most business owners work 30-40 years at their businesses), the author sold his KOA to a big corporation and now has enough money to see him through a “modest retirement.” You would think he would be celebrating.
We called for a reservation at a fairgrounds.
They asked the age of our Motorhome? I said it was a 1999 Rexhall, in good repair just like new.
They said we don’t allow RV’s that old you will have to send us a picture.
Well we were let in and they commented on how nice we looked..
You can’t rate on age it’s self?
The Manoff’s
Wow! After reading all these comments and opinions I think everyone should mind their own business and do what they want and not tell others what to do. Sounds like the politics have invaded RVing. If you want to sleep on the ground or sleep in a million dollar motorhome that is a persons choice and should be nobody else’s business.
I boondock. Not in the desert or scenic woods, I urban boondock. I use my truck camper mainly for my work. It is volunteer work, no paycheck. My M.O. is I drive all day and most of the night then go to bed.
Even if I was rich I don’t want to drive any more than I have to at midnight to bed down. I have many prospects where I can boondock and generally have had no issue finding a spot right off the Fwy…except when I work in NYC. That is the only time I use a campground.
I stay at Jersey City and take PATH into the city. It is $120 a night. If I am lucky I can park in their dirt parking lot with no hookups for $85 a night. So I’m not your run of the mill RV’er.
Even boondocking is very expensive nowadays. All volunteer + no income + not rich = bad formula. On a recent 3,000 mile trip in mid America it cost $787+ just for gas. Everything was boondocked so no other cost other than depreciation. And that is big cost…I couldn’t afford my 13 yo rig if I needed to buy it again.
I just wish the big companies that buy out campgrounds would take time to evaluate what they purchased. We were bought out by Sun, they plan on revamping a successful Profitable family campground as it currently stands, and templating it to standardize, yet in our case we are not the standardizable? campground, yes the previous owner Grandson of the builder changed it to resort for marketing but its far from it, true since sun bought everything around us, they can force the changes, but I like many prefer customer loyalty, but we know corporate does not see that, they just see Gree(n)d. I will sum it up, Car sales up north can offer a snowplow to push the sale, where someone in the south really does not need the plow.. Campgrounds are very similar, Beach, Mountains, Large Local attractions, secluded..
Quote from Above:
“The sellers, Bill and Ruth Small built the campground from scratch starting 45 years ago. Our campground, a bit smaller at 43 acres and only 150 sites, nevertheless went for $3.1 million. That’s not $3.1 million going into our pockets, of course — there are mortgages and loans to pay off, not to mention a hefty tax bite”
This raises this question:
How in the Hell do you own a piece of property/business for 45 years and still have a mortgage and loans of any type on the property/business?
Sounds like Bill and Ruth were not the best business owner’s/managers IF they were still borrowing money to run their business 45 years later!!!
what a load of crap, plenty of campgrounds for sale and within reach for ma and pa. In fact my wife and I just closed on one in Michigan and we will owner operate it. the previous owners did a wonderful job on upkeep and we plan to do the same. do upgrades as we can afford it, without nickle and diming customers.