The latest news about camping and developments in North American campgrounds and RV parks from Janet Groene and the staff of RVtravel.com
DISCLAIMER: Information is believed current at press time but conditions can change quickly. Check ahead for dates, rates and rules. For specific location information for any campground please Google it by name. No endorsement of any campground or product is implied by this reporter nor this website.
DATELINE: July 5, 2019
NOTICE: LOCATION CONFUSION
We’ve had inquiries about our location references, or lack of same, for campgrounds. For example, the physical address of Bedrock City in Arizona is Valle but its mail address is Williams. I live in a community that has a postal substation address. It’s recognized by some databases and not others. To find it on GPS you may have to try both.
When you see a listing here you may want a GPS location, a route number, a mail address for your forwarding service or more specific information about RV accommodations. For that reason, we recommend that you Google each campground by name to get all the information you need for your RV trip.
ALBUQUERQUE BALLOON FESTIVAL
Time is running out for making RV reservations for this popular festival, to be held in October. There are already almost 3,000 on the wait-list. The good news is that reservations for the 2020 festival go on sale October 22, 2019. Dry camping rates are $40 to $50 and sites with water and 30-amp power are $95. VIP dry camping adjacent to the launch field is $100 with general admission. Reservations are online only.
CALIFORNIA CAMPGROUND OPENS
Launch Pointe Recreation Destination and RV Park, a new 47-acre campground at Lake Elsinore, opened June 28 with 204 RV spaces. The family-friendly campground issues wrist bands that can be waved in front of sensors to open gates, purchase drinks and even give a child a daily allowance. The park has WiFi throughout.
COLORADO SPRINGS BANS STREET-SIDE RV PARKING
Add Colorado Springs, Colorado, to the list of cities that ban RV parking. In a harsh announcement the city said RVs, many of them occupied by disabled or elderly persons, will be confiscated for noncompliance. If displaced, it appears they have no place to go. Jakob Rodgers of the local Gazette wrote, ”No space remained at RV parks in the Pikes Peak region for their vehicles, much less at affordable rates.”
FALL FOR THIS FLORIDA PARK
The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida, has many loyal regulars who reserve by the year, so it’s important to make reservations well ahead, especially for the more popular events. The blockbuster Suwannee Hulaween music and visual arts spectacular this year is October 24-27, offering a variety of RV packages. RV sites scattered around the park may have 20-, 30- or 50-amp service.
OHIO FESTIVAL WELCOMES RV TRAVELERS
Tickets and several RV camping packages are on sale now for the Bellwether Music Festival in Waynesville, Ohio, August 9-10. Headliners include Beach House, Cake, Twin Shadow, Katie Pruitt and Caroline Rose for a total of 20 acts for a rip-roaring celebration of rock ‘n roll, comedy, disco and nonstop music. Camping load-in begins at noon on Thursday, August 8, and load-out must be completed by 11 a.m. Sunday, August 11.
PADDLING TRYOUTS PREVIEW KAYAKING, PADDLEBOARDS
If you’ve been wanting to try paddle sports without investing in the gear, here’s a chance to try for yourself. The $20 fee covers use of a kayak or paddleboard and related gear. The program is at Table Rock State Park, South Carolina, on the third Friday of the month at 10 a.m. The park offers 69 RV sites in one area and 25 in another, all with electric and water hookup.
SC STATE PARK CHOPS RV SITE FEES
Weeknight camping at Little Pee Dee State Park in South Carolina is half price this summer to celebrate the fact that Lake Norton is full again. A minimum two-night stay is required.
TAILGATE FEST OFFERS RV PACKAGE
Leal Ranch in Eastvale, California, will ring out with nonstop music and whoopla August 17-18. The lineup features Brantley Gilbert, Clint Black, Lindsey Ell, Big Boi and many more. Camping is from 3 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Monday, first-come, first-served. Saving of spots is prohibited and there’s no in-and-out. Campers must have a Tailgate Fest wristband. RV spaces are 20 X 50, all dry camping. No additional vehicles are permitted and your RV spot is your tailgate spot. No car camping. Stay updated with the free Tailgate 2019 app.
WINTER DAMAGE CAUSES CLOSURE OF CALIFORNIA CAMPGROUND
Winter storm damage has caused the closure of the 20-site campground in Devils Postpile National Monument for what may be the entire season. Improvements are being made to make the campground and day use area more user-friendly. Check before heading for the site.
ADDITIONS FROM RVTRAVEL.COM STAFF
Whistlers Campground in Jasper National Park is undergoing a $48.7 Million (Canadian) facelift. Whistlers is Jasper’s largest campground with 781 campsites. It’s not clear when the campground will reopen, but there will be a new registration center, 17 new combined washroom and shower facilities, improved campsites and wider roads for two-way traffic. Underground services will be replaced to improve water, sewer and electrical systems, as well as upgrades to many of the existing electrical campsites to 50-amp service.
After five weeks of closure because of floodwaters and more than 400 canceled reservations, the Downtown Riverside RV Park in North Little Rock, Arkansas, was scheduled to reopen July 1. The park normally offers 61 full hook-ups for water, sewer and electricity for RVs and has 10 more sites with power only. The park is a popular stopover for RVers, and received a 2018 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for consistently positive reviews.
Options are being considered for increasing the number of campsites at Armitage Park, north of Eugene, Oregon, which is popular with RVers year-round. The expansion could include anywhere from 9 to 46 new campsites at the northwest area of the park. Expansion would include increasing the capacity of the park’s water, sewer and electrical systems. No time frame for the expansion was indicated.
There are new features and added capacity to campgrounds along the Middle Fork of the Payette River in the Boise National Forest in Idaho. The Forest Service has spent the last 10 years renovating seven campgrounds, making them more accessible for all, and increasing the capacity without losing the feel of the forest. More campgrounds will undergo renovations in the coming years.
Janet Groene is the author of 25 books including Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Edition, available at Amazon.com. Her brand-new book, “January Justice – A Yacht Yenta Mystery,” is available at Amazon.com.
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