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. No endorsement of any campground or product is implied by this reporter nor this website.
DATELINE: June 14, 2019
STAR GAZING IN ARKANSAS
Camp at Woolly Hollow State Park in Greenbrier, Arkansas, and spend the night of July 27 with volunteers from the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society. Telescopes will be available to view celestial bodies, and Society members will answer questions. Meet at 8:30 p.m. at the snack bar parking lot. The park has 41 full hook-up campsites, 29 of them with 50-amp service.
HONEYBEE CELEBRATION IN GEORGIA
Celebrate National Honeybee Day at F.D. Roosevelt State Park in Georgia on August 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Professionals will give you a close-up look at a working hive. Learn about these fascinating and valuable insects with programs, learning stations and honey tastings. Cost of the program is $4. RV camping is $30. Campsites accommodate RVs up to 40 feet and have Verizon WiFi.
RV CAMPING PACKAGES FOR OHIO CONCERT
Reserve early for overnight camping at the Bellwether Music Festival in Waynesville, Ohio, to be held August 9-10. Many ticketing packages are offered including a VIP package. Hear nonstop performances from such headliners as Burning Man favorite Dragomi Art Car as well as Twin Shadow, Beach House, Cold War Kids and many others. Entertainment will also include comedy acts and guest DJs.
WASHINGTON GETS NEW LUXURY RV RESORT
Opened June 1 but continuing to add RV spaces is the Northern Quest RV Resort in Airway Heights, Washington. Luxury RV sites include some pull-through and some back-in. Luxury RV sites have a furnished patio. The gated casino resort has a clubhouse, outdoor pool with cabanas, laundry, golf cart rentals, fitness center, dog park, fire pits, shower facilities and a concierge service.
MICHIGAN CAMPGROUND FORCED TO CLOSE
A water leak caused the unexpected closing of The Dunes Campground portion of Petoskey State Park on Sunday, June 9. If work continues on schedule the park should reopen by June 23, but check ahead.
NEW ILLINOIS CAMPGROUND
Newly opened in Litchfield, Illinois, is the Country Bend Campground with 145 campsites, most of them RV sites. The former Honey Bend property has new owners and improved facilities.
THREE-DAY OREGON MUSIC JAMBOREE
Get a three-day pass that includes RV parking for this annual spectacular in Sweet Home on August 2-4. Two stages host 25 shows starting with appearances by Randall Hank Williams better known as Hank Williams, Jr. Camping passes are valid from 2 p.m. Thursday to 11 a.m. Monday. Campsites within walking distance of the festival sell out early.
Stay Tuned …
Work has begun on a massive rehabilitation project at Glenn Cunningham Lake, Omaha, Nebraska. Now closed to allow draining of the lake to remove invasive species, the park will reopen in 2020 with a 337-acre lake, 1,050 park, nature and equestrian trails, 42 new RV pads and, eventually, a connection with the Democracy Trail.
Ditto Landing in Huntsville, Alabama, is adding 40 campsites with full hookups. The large city recreation complex along Hobbs Island Road will also include a restaurant, zip line, mountain bike trails, boating and swimming pool.
It’s approved. Now watch for an opening date of the new Rocky Springs RV Park in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Planned are 40 RV spaces with full hookups.
It’s good news for all campers and especially for RV campers that Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba has been slated for $7.5 million in improvements. Upgrades will be done to bathrooms, roads and the water system. A completion date has not been announced but the park remains open while work goes on.
ADDITIONS FROM RVTRAVEL.COM STAFF
Several campgrounds and roads around Alamosa, Colorado, have been closed due to flooding. Even the Rio Grande River was closed to boat traffic and watersport activities due to high water from the melt-off from 350 percent of normal snowfall in the mountains. Read more at alamosanews.com.
Gateway Park in Monona, Iowa, is being upgraded with a new and greatly improved bathroom, as well as an expansion to the campground which will feature seven new campsites. The campsites will have water and sewer hookups and a combination of 30, 50, and 110 amps. Two miles of walking trails will be added. The project will be completed by August 31, or sooner if the weather cooperates.
The new Smith River Campground is on 80 acres in the mountains along the Smith River, 27 miles from Reedsport, Oregon. The primitive campsite, with 1,700 feet of river frontage, is family-run. For information or reservations phone 541-725-4197.
A mandatory evacuation order was issued Saturday, June 8, for camping areas around Bartlett Lake, Arizona, due to a human-caused wildfire in the Tonto National Forest. The Mountain Fire was burning about eight miles east of Cave Creek, according to a wildfire incident page. There are several other wildfires burning in Arizona. For information on wildfires in the U.S., click here.
Balch Park campground in Tulare County, California, will be closed until mid-August due to necessary electrical repairs. Hidden Falls campgrounds and Moses Gulch campgrounds are closed until mid to late June due to damage from winter storms. For information on parks around Tulare County, go to tularecountyparks.org.
Several campgrounds at Joshua Tree National Park, California, are closed for the summer. Any campgrounds that are open are on a first-come, first served basis. For more information go to NPS.gov.
Janet Groene is the author of 25 books including Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Edition, available at Amazon.com.
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