Compiled by Janet Groene
We scan the web, including local news and industry sources, for information about campgrounds and RV parks across North America. Those listed here are for you to investigate and evaluate. Always check further about any of this information if you plan to visit. Own a campground? Send news about your park to janetgroene (at) yahoo.com.
Country music idol Whey Jennings will headline the 5th Annual North Springs Music Festival in Whitleyville, Tennessee, on October 11-12. Whey is the grandson of country outlaw legend Waylon Jennings, whose family operates a free campground in Littlefield, Texas. The festival features dozens of country music acts, multiple food trucks and vendors and unlimited dry camping for $10 per site. If you have tickets for the kickoff concert on Thursday, you can set up camp on Thursday morning. Bring your own chairs for the stage shows and bring cash because the Internet doesn’t always work here. See www.northspringsmusicfestival.com.
Once called Hide-a-Way Lakes and now reborn as Fox Bluff Cottages & RV, a popular camping destination has been transformed into a first-class RV park and glampground with 650 sites. The Yorkville, Illinois, park is on the Fox River, one hour from Chicago. The park retains nature’s treasures such as mature oak trees, leafy hiking trails and spring-fed waters, then adds luxuries such as a gated entry, a boat launch, a glam swimming pool with cabanas, a new playground and ball courts and the Fun House with billiards, big-screen television and ping pong. (630) 553-6323. The resort is a sister property of Pearl Lake Beach in South Beloit, Illinois. Website.
It began 65 years ago as a bet over who makes the best bear stew. Now the McCleary Bear Festival in McCleary, Washington, is preparing another serving of its famous Bear Stew, minus the bear meat. Located in scenic Grays Harbor, this small town offers loads of food, a softball tournament, a parade, live music, children’s activities, a car show, vendors and a soapbox derby. Bring the whole family July 12-14. RV camping is at the KM Resorts-Travel Inn RV Resort with 200 RV sites, (360) 482-3877, or the Grays Harbor Fairgrounds, ghcfairgrounds.com. Bear Festival website.
A large new Visitor Center at Mohican State Park, Loudonville, Ohio, will be a must-see for campers when it opens in fall, 2025. The new center will be built along the Clear Fork of the Mohican River, a designated State Scenic River. History and nature displays will include gathering spaces, porches and rain gardens. It will be accessible from the campground as well as from the park entrance. The park’s campground has 51 sites with full hook-ups and 33 river-side sites with no electric. The campground has a seasonal swimming pool, showers and flush toilets, a playground, ball courts and a Nature Center with programs in season. Gem mining is available through the camp store. Fees at hook-up sites are reduced from mid-November to March 31, when water is turned off except at the dump station. Reservations can be made six months ahead at (866) 644-6727. Be there on August 11 for the hour-long Campfire Breakfast Demonstration at Cline Cabin in the Class A campground. Website.
The future looks bright but distant for a Legends Resort and Casino to come to Little Rock, Arkansas. Cherokee Nation Entertainment submitted its application and proposal on June 5. The latest round of competitions for the gaming license calls for a $300 million gaming resort that will have a glitzy hotel, restaurants and full-service spa, plus an RV park, water park, dog park and an outdoor music venue. Stay tuned. Website.
The up-and-coming Ramble Camp family of campgrounds focuses on car and van campers. It offers open-air camp/glamp sites with built-in grill, tent pad, shade structure, Internet access and a picnic table. Some sites will have a wash basin and electric outlets. Shared baths have flush toilets and hot showers. The company plans to add more of their campgrounds just outside national parks. Each campground will have its own amenities and organized activities. Ramble parks are now open in Mosca and Buena Vista, Colorado, and planned for 2025 and 2026 in Pine and Montrose, Colorado, and in Spicewood and Cleveland, Texas. Booking is through Campspot.com. Website.
In April, the Albuquerque, New Mexico, Journal announced new fees for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers camping at the Riana Campground, Abiquiú, and some campgrounds at Cochiti. Primitive sites will be $10; RV sites with no hook-ups, $15; electric and water hook-up sites, $20. Riana Campground website.
Big things are happening at Eagle Island State Park, Eagle, Idaho, resulting in a scrambled schedule of closings of trails, roads and sometimes the park entrance. When the dust clears, the park will be minus its old water slide and will have 50 new RV sites with full hookups. Check ahead. (208) 939-0696. Website.
New on I-15 in Mesquite, Nevada, is Mesquite Trails RV Resort. It’s open and is well into Phase Two of its construction. Already in place are pickleball courts, a swimming pool, hot tub, playground, laundry and dog park with dog wash station. In the works is a large event center with two warming kitchens and seating for up to 200 guests. The year-round resort has 193 RV sites with full hook-ups. Wi-Fi is free throughout the park; high speed Wi-Fi is offered for extended stays. (702) 344-0497. Website.
According to the Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, major changes are coming to Medoc Mountain State Park, Hollister, North Carolina. For now, campsites are closed for renovations. Day use facilities, trails, primitive camping areas, the visitor center and equestrian campsites remain open. When work at the campground is finished, estimated to be in about 10 months, RV sites will have water, sewer and electric hookups. Bath houses and rustic cabins are being renovated. Four six-sleeper cabins will be added. (252) 586-6588. Website.
The summer season opened with a whoosh at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Kozy Rest Camp-Resort in Harrisville, Pennsylvania. The new water playground holds untold gallons of splashy fun including a storm bucket, water basketball hoops, slides and blasters. One luxurious pool has cabanas with mini fridge. New are the camp store, pavilion, sports courts, playgrounds, eateries, mini golf and a gem mining sluice. Website.
Opened in May just west of Bemidji, the new Bergamo Campground in Solway, Minnesota, has 49 extra-large campsites with metered electricity plus water and sewer. Golf carts are available for rent. Still to come are sports areas, a laundry, bathhouse, pond and more campsites. The pet-friendly campground is in the heart of Minnesota’s lake country and is surrounded by miles of hiking and horseback trails. (218) 467-3529. Website.
McBride Lake Campground opened this season in Porcupine Provincial Forest, Saskatchewan. The remote park has some sites with electric. Access is via a gravel road, and cell service is limited. Available are bait, ice, a fish cleaning station and a boat launch, as well as spectacular aurora borealis shows. Dustin Kracji, one of the new owners, is known for his astro-photography and he welcomes like-minded guests. Most campsites are seasonal but six are reserved for short-term visitors. Phone(s) are (306) 470-7773 and (306) 865-9144, email mcbridelakecampground@gmail.com. Website.
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Thanks for the information
Thank you, Janet! 🙂 Safe travels! 🙂