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: May 24, 2019
VIRGINIA STATE PARK HAS HISTORIC FESTIVAL
Hungry Mother State Park’s famous annual festival is now 46 years old. The name of the park remembers an early Native American child whose mother starved in the wilderness. The festival, to be held July 19-21, will be an explosion of great music, food, activities on land and water, more than 100 artisans and a host of animal demonstrations. The park has two campgrounds with a total of 31 RV sites with electric and water. Rigs up to 35 feet can be accommodated.
ALBERTA COMMUNITY BANS “VAN” PARKING
City authorities in the Town of Canmore use such terms as “van life mentality” and “van lifers” in setting up new rules for RV full-timers who park overnight in this community near Banff National Park. The town bans parking between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. All vehicles must be moved by 7 a.m. each morning.
UPSTATE NEW YORK CAMPGROUND TO OPEN
Once a Western theme park, Frontier Town in North Hudson, New York, will reopen June 28 as a major “gateway to the Adirondacks” campground and park. The RV area has full hook-ups at 13 sites. An equestrian camping area has electric hook-ups and a pavilion. Reservations are already being taken. The theme park closed in 1998 and the land was taken by the government for unpaid taxes. Focus now is on camping, hiking, fishing and horseback riding.
ALASKA PARKS CLOSE
If you have camping reservations at Nancy Lake State Recreation Area or Denali State Park, get current information before you go. Some areas have been closed because of a beetle infestation that causes dead trees to fall on campsites. Closures are indefinite for 2019 and may affect the 2020 season.
MOBILE, ALABAMA, OFFERS CITY CAMPING
If you’re an RV camper who wants to be in the heart of a major city, Mobile has much to offer. In downtown Mobile you’ll find trendy coffee shops, excellent museums and fine dining restaurants. The City RV Park is 3.5 miles from I-65, 8 miles from downtown, 4 miles from one of the famous Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail courses and 3 miles from the University of South Alabama. Don’t miss the Mardi Gras Museum, old forts, nature sites and the U.S.S. Alabama battleship, park and museum complex. The City RV Park is a year-round, full-service RV park offering daily, weekly and monthly rates. (251) 342-3383. Email info@cityrvparks.net
PLAN NOW TO ATTEND FALL ART EVENT
The 44th Annual Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival at Hunting Beach State Park (near Murrells Inlet, South Carolina) will be held September 27-29 in the former home and studio of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington. The Moorish-style mansion makes a dazzling centerpiece for a major art and sculpture show. Musicians play in the courtyard and food will be served in a food court. Admission is charged to adults over age 15. Reserve early for an RV site. If you’re an artist, entertainer or food vendor, apply NOW for placement. The campground and park are dog-friendly but don’t bring Fido to the festival. More than 100 RV sites have water and electric hookups; 66 sites have full hook-ups.
Stay Tuned
As early as October, Quartzsite, Arizona, is expected to have 125 new pull-through campsites at a place to be called The Arroyos Preserve Luxury RV Park Campground. It plans to have a swimming pool, pickleball courts, electric bicycles and an archery pavilion. The resort will cater to ATV enthusiasts with refueling, ATV wash ramps and a meeting area for use as a trailhead. A large laundry and four deluxe shower facilities complete the picture. Eventually a park-wide shuttle will be available 24/7 via a smartphone app.
ADDITIONS FROM RVTRAVEL.COM STAFF
If you’re an adventure seeker, you won’t want to miss your chance to ride the Pipestem Peaks Zipline Tour, one of the most extensive zip line systems in the East. West Virginia State Parks and the West Virginia Office of Tourism officials unveiled the new Pipestem Resort State Park Zipline May 9. The zipline allows riders to soar for more than a mile above the Bluestone National Scenic River. Additionally, the park is undergoing extensive improvements to the cabins, lodge, campground facilities, as well as the water treatment facility and tram. Book your zipline tour soon and get $15 off with code ZIPLINE15.
The Six Rivers National Forest in California is looking for enthusiastic, friendly volunteers who enjoy the outdoors to serve as campground hosts for the 2019 summer season. Host duties include welcoming visitors, sharing news and information about recreational opportunities in the area, and light campground maintenance. All hosts receive a free campsite for their RV or trailer and personal vehicle. Other amenities may be available, depending on the campground selected. Interested? Learn more.
Wellfleet Hollow State Campground (formerly Paine’s Campground) in the Town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, will commence its first camping season under the management of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Reservations can be made at the campground for the season, which is from Thursday, May 23, 2019 through Saturday, September 7, 2019. In 2018, the DCR purchased the campground. Since then, several enhancements have been completed. Wellfleet Hollow State Campground will offer 107 tent/pop-up campsites for $22 for Massachusetts residents/$35 for out-of-state residents. Learn more at capecodtoday.com.
Campers at Montana State Parks will experience more flexibility when making campsite reservations at some parks this summer. Reservations at Beavertail Hill, Black Sandy, Lewis & Clark Caverns, Placid Lake, Salmon Lake, Tongue River Reservoir, and Whitefish Lake State Parks will now be available as little as one day before arrival. Read more at KPAX.com.
Janet Groene is the author of 25 books including Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Edition, available at Amazon.com.
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I looked up “The Arroyos Preserve Luxury RV Park Campground” in Quartzsite. Looks like it’s going to be a KOA ‘campground’. The developer says there is a need for another RV park because many campers have to boondock on BLM land with no amenities. Does he not realize that we purposely use the BLM area because we WANT to? Wanna bet the nightly fees will easily be north of $60