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 online for dates, rates and rules, as well as a campground’s location. No endorsement of any campground or product is implied by this reporter nor this website.
DATELINE: October 18, 2019
ALABAMA STATE PARK WELCOMES CREATIVE SPIRITS
The Creative Spirit Art Festival, scheduled for November 9-10 at DeSoto State Park, Fort Payne, is something special – a unique art fair hosted by the Little River Arts Council. See art demonstrations and try your own skills at art tables. Shop for regional folk art. Listen to live music. Buy pottery, baskets, quilts. The state park has 94 RV sites. Go online to choose and reserve your site.
BRITISH COLUMBIA CAMPGROUND STARTED
Work has begun on a new campground for the Begbie Falls Recreation Site near Revelstoke. It will have 19 drive-in sites, plus eight more sites farther down the road. An opening date has not been announced.
CALIFORNIA CAMP GETS REPRIEVE
Campland on the Bay in San Diego was under fire from the Audubon Society for its impact on the environment, but it’s been given a five-year lease extension. The agreement requires removal of 167 rundown mobile homes from De Anza Point, remodeling of the clubhouse and new landscaping, but allows an increase in RV slots.
COLORADO GETS NEW RV PARK
In Meeker, watch for the opening of Trail & Hitch RV Park and Tiny Home Hotel. Formerly the Wilderness Rendezvous, the site was been vacant for some years. It is to be a destination resort with state-of-the-art hookups and facilities.
GEORGIA STATE PARK REVISITS PIONEER LIFE
The daily life of early Georgia farmers goes on every day at General Coffee State Park in Nicholls, and the annual Pioneer Day on November 9 is even livelier. See demonstrations of farm life, arts and crafts vendors, food, entertainment, syrup making and more. The site is an old-style working farm with animals and chickens every day. The park has 50 RV sites as well as equestrian camping. Walk the boardwalk through the cypress swamp to see rare pitcher plants and bird life. Admission to the festival is $2 additional.
IDAHO CAMPGROUND GETS MAKEOVER
After a summer shutdown for renovations, Kings Point campground at Horsethief Reservoir now has upgraded campsites, new asphalt pads for RVs, new fire rings and regraded and blacktopped boat ramps and fishing areas. The site is a state Fish and Game property but is managed by the YMCA, which has a camp nearby.
MINNESOTA PARK TO OPEN NEXT MAY
The Black Beach Campground in Silver Bay has set a goal of completion by April 15 and opening by May 15. Work will continue through the winter on the 49 campsites, a main office and a shower building. All sites will have 30-amp electricity and 34 of the sites will also have 50-amp electric service and full water and sewer hookups. Most of the sites will accommodate larger RV’s. There will also be a few pull-through sites. Rentals will be either nightly or weekly.
MISSISSIPPI HIGHLAND GAMES AT FAIRGROUNDS
See an authentic Celtic Festival and Scottish Highland Games November 9-10, with children’s activities, dancing, music, Highland cows, storytelling, bagpipe bands, sheep herding demonstrations, food and quaffing. Athletic games are on Sunday. Tickets are sold only at the gate. The Harrison County Fairgrounds in Gulfport have 46 RV sites with water and electric. (228) 832-8620
SOUTH CAROLINA RV PARK UNDERWAY
Stonewall RV Park in Jenkinsville has full hook-up sites and a new bathhouse and gazebo on the way. It’s near Lake Monticello. The park is fairly new and appears to have no website but there is brief listing for those who use Facebook.
VERMONT CAMP HIKES RATES
Residents are grumbling that a rate hike of 19.5% is too much, too fast, but that’s the situation at Prouty Beach campground in Newport. The 27-site seasonal campground on Lake Memphremagog has 67 names on its waiting list.
Stay Tuned
Because of costs involved in this year’s flooding, campground fees in South Dakota are due to rise in 2020,. Although rates don’t have final approval, RVers should prepare for an annual park pass increase from $30 to $36 and daily passes will go from $6 to $8. Statewide, tent sites with no electricity will be $15. New campsite fees will start at $20.
It will be a while in coming, but a zoning change was approved that is the first step in seeing a 132-site RV park come to Mesquite, Nevada. Plans include four pickleball courts, four hot tubs and two clubhouses.
ADDITIONS FROM RVTRAVEL.COM STAFF
The Mendocino National Forest Service will begin winterizing campgrounds on Oct. 27. The park will remain open year-round but services such as food, lodging and gas will not be available within the forest. However, there will also be no fees.
Plans are in the works to add 12 acres to the Jekyll Island Campground in Georgia. The expansion includes an area of land which will put the campground at around 36.7 acres total. The 12-acre expansion would include 54 camp sites and facility improvements, as well as the ability to accommodated larger RVs. A public hearing on the plan is scheduled for Nov. 7.
Janet Groene is the author of 25 books including Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Edition, available at Amazon.com. Her brand-new book, “February Felony – A Yacht Yenta Mystery,” is available at Amazon.com.
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