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.
Already popular for its scenic hiking and mountain biking trails, Lehigh Portland State Park, Iola, Kansas, will become a fully developed state park by July 2025. In the works for the next season are “at least” two campgrounds, a visitor center, an amphitheater, restrooms, fishing docks, a swimming beach on the lake and a boardwalk. (620) 365-8128. Website.
Part of a family’s farmland in southern Illinois is being turned into a three-acre campground. The I-55 RV Park in Madison County, Illinois, will have 20 big-rig-friendly sites with full hookups. A bathhouse will come later. For now, information is available from i55rvpark@gmail.com, telephone (314) 323-5439. An opening date has not been confirmed. Website.
New managers are in place at the Port of Kimberling Resort & Campground in Kimberling City, Missouri. The resort offers easy access to the 40,000-acre Table Rock Lake, RV sites, cabins, swimming pool, a marina with wet and dry storage, houseboat rentals, a restaurant and fuel. See Portofkimberling.com. Website.
Buffalo Business First reveals that the Lazy Lakes Resort and its campgrounds in Niagara County, New York, have been bought by an out-of-state company that specializes in outdoor adventures. Some 275 campsites and 80 acres of land are included in the deal. To follow the changeover go to the website.
Dust off your dancing boots and prepare for this year’s Born & Raised Festival in Pryor, Oklahoma. The dates are September 13-15 at the Rockin’ Red Dirt Ranch campgrounds. Party around the clock with a long list of country music singles and groups starting with Hank Williams, Jr., Cody Johnson and Dwight Yoakum. The camping area is enormous and offers many categories, so take time to scope out the many options. Tickets and campsites are booked separately. The event is family friendly, and parents are advised to bring hearing protection for children. Call (866)404-0036, info@bornandraisedfestival.com. Website.
New owners are in place at the year-round Texarkana KOA Journey, says the Texarkana (Texas) Gazette. Changes will include improvements to the campground’s hiking trail. The campground has high-speed fiber optic Wi-Fi, a dog park, swimming pool, spacious sites for rigs up to 90 feet, playground, laundry and a camp store that is also an RV art gallery with collectibles, souvenirs and gifts. Reserve at 1-888-562-5697; for information call 1-903-793-7517. Website.
The nation’s oldest, continuously operating blues festival plays in Greenville, Mississippi, on September 21. The 47th Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival is at the Washington County Fair Park, where RV camping is available during special events only. The 133 sites have electric and shared water. This year ten new sites with 50-amp power have been added. If your rig is longer than 35 feet, reserve two sites. Showers may be available in season. For RV information, contact wcfairpark.com/camping-facilities. Festival tickets are available at DeltaBluesMS.org.
Rivershire RV Resort & Camping is the new name for the Honey Hole RV Park in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Located on the Arkansas River, the resort offers fishing, lazy days on the water and a welcome for RVers who work in the oilfields and other nearby industries. RV sites have full hook-ups, Wi-Fi and short- and long-term rates. Owner Jay Wagner, who is a Scoutmaster and who served in Iraq, is raising funds to build a spacious, ADA-accessible deck overlooking the river. See website.
The Harvest Festival to be held at Sleeper State Park, Caseville, Michigan, on October 4-5 is for campers only. Decorate your campsite and celebrate autumn sunrises and sunsets on the shores of Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay. The season is perfect for paddling, hiking forested dunes and trails and ending days with warming campfires. Large campsites in the woods have a picnic table, full or partial hookups and a modern shower and bathroom building. The schedule of festival activities will be given to campers when they sign in. Reserve your campsite at MIDNRReservations.com or call 1-800-447-2757. Website.
Go north for the iconic Sacred Acre EDM music festival to be held at Ninilchik, Alaska, September 6-8. Featured are multiple stages, dozens of performers and activities such as yoga, tea and cacoa ceremonies, ecstatic dance, breathing and somatic workshops. RV camping is at the adjacent Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds. Email kenaipeninsulafair@gmail.com. For ticket information see website.
Thrash metal band Megadeth plays on September 13 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, New York. The site of the famous 1969 Woodstock concert, the former farmland is now a campground, glamping site and cultural center. RV camping with full hook-ups is at the Best Road Campground, 4/10 mile from the Pavilion. At the Pavilion, choices are tent camping, glamping and on-site RV rental. See ticket information, camping information and a packed event schedule. Website.
Vigilantes of the Old West come alive again on October 25-26 when you take a Ghost Walk at Bannack State Park, Montana. It’s a ghost town and National Historic Site. Listen for the wails and groans of the town’s long-gone population of varmints, outlaw gangs and fancy ladies. The park’s campground has 24 campsites, eight of them on a first-come basis. The Ghost Walk is ticketed separately from camping. Website. To make reservations at the park: montanastateparks.reserveamerica.com.
You’re in a certified butterfly sanctuary when you camp at Cypress Landing RV Park in Dozier, Alabama. Recognized by the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) and also listed on the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail, the park has 63 full-hook-up RV sites, cable TV, Wi-Fi, a general store, boat launch, private showers, laundry and playground. It’s on the 2,700-acre Gantt Lake and offers swimming, jet skiing, boating and fishing for bream, bass and shellcrackers. In season, the area is known for duck hunting. (334) 388-1008. Website.
According to KLXF TV, a new campground is coming to Whitehall, Montana. In addition to dirt biking and 4-wheeling in the area known as the “Moab of Montana”, Pipestone Rentals & Adventures will add an 80-site RV park with full hookups. The campground will also have cabins and tent sites. An opening date has not been announced. Call (406) 287-8610.
See last week’s Campground News.
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A word or two on Cypress Landing RV Park. I stayed there one month in November then another month in March a couple years ago. The November stay was great but the March stay was a disaster because of the amount of rainfall. The dirt roads and sites turn into several inches of mud with heavy rain. Thank goodness I had a 4X4 dually to tow my 5th wheel out of the muck. And for the duck hunters – don’t venture out on the lake during duck hunting season if you get between the ducks and the hunters. Buck shot was flying all around me when a boat of hunters roared up and opened fire around me.
Thank you for the addendum, Tom E.! 🙂 That is extremely useful and helpful information. November, YES! March, not so much. Thanks again, have a great weekend, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Thank you, Janet! 🙂 Another wide-ranging, interesting, and helpful discussion of campgrounds and events! Thanks again, have a great weekend, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂