What’s new at campgrounds and RV parks, August 24, 2024

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.

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Now that plans have been approved by local officials, things are moving ahead for a new, resort-style RV park on 45 acres north of Syracuse, Indiana. Developers are aiming for 80  RV sites at first and eventually as many as 230 pads. Stay tuned for future news of the big-rig-friendly North Trace RV Resort.

Do you love to garden? Junction West Vallecito Resort in Bayfield, Colorado, has a colorful Memorial Garden program with small gardens around the park that are tended by guests who “adopt” them. The park’s rates range from daily to seasonal. Amenities include a pavilion, a large indoor gathering hall, camp store and cable TV. Limited Wi-Fi spots are available but no cell service. ATV rentals are offered for exploring the surrounding outdoors. Fish in nearby Vallecito Reservoir. Website.

If you dig conservation, be at Blackwater River State Park, Holt, Florida, on September 29. Join a team to dig up invasive plants. The park has picnic areas, hiking on the Blackwater River, fishing and geo-caching. The entry fee is $4 per car. Meet before 11 a.m. at the day-use parking area. Contact aimee.wolters@floridadep.gov for information on this project. The park’s campground has 30 sites with full hook-ups and can accommodate rigs to 50 feet. Park website.

Starting March 1, 2025, the campground at Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park, Florida, will close for an expansion project. Reservations are suspended for the period and will reopen as soon as possible after the project is finished. The 1,962-acre barrier island park on the Emerald Coast in NW Florida presently has 60 campsites with electric and water. Every campsite has hang-ups for a hammock. There’s also a dump station, restrooms with hot showers, a playground and a nature trail. Call (800) 326-3521 or (850) 927-2111. Park website.

A family-owned business has passed the first hurdle in its aim to provide a luxury motorcoach resort in Supply, North Carolina. The Carolina Coastal Motorcoach Resort is coming to U.S. 17, SSW of Wilmington in Brunswick County. The 49-acre gated community will be built around a 19-acre lake. The plan calls for 180 owner-occupied concrete RV sites plus pickleball courts, swimming pools, a clubhouse and dog park. We weren’t able to find a sales office for the lots yet. Check with the area tourism bureau (www.) VisitWilmingtonNC.com for updates on this future project. Article on PortCityDaily.com.

A major new development is taking shape south of Jacksonville in Vilano Beach, Florida. The upscale, 38-acre Ocean Club RV Park will have 166 RV sites at first for its opening in 2025. Plans call for a many as 2,500 sites, a splash park, lazy river and tiny home rentals.  For now the contact is the developers, DPL Capital in St. Augustine, (800) 350-8061. Info at jaxdailyrecord.com.

Coming in 2025 to Buckeye, Arizona, is the newest member of the CRR Hospitality group. The Buckeye Ranch RV Resort, just west of metro-Phoenix, will have a spacious clubhouse with entertainments, a heated swimming pool, 24-hour fitness center, storage sites, play areas for kids and a dog park. Website.

In Apple Valley, California, the Sirius Ranch will sound off with the Off the Grid Campout featuring nonstop music, arts, interactive installations, comedy sets, fire performances, a healing sanctuary, food and beverage vendors, a marketplace, themed camps, workshops, yoga, a Thursday pre-party, and more. Dates are October 10-14. Ticket packages are available for RV camping, dry or with electric. At extra cost get the early arrival option. Call your concert ticket agent or (949) 891-4671. Facebook page.

A city-size oasis is coming to the Mojave Desert between Las Vegas and Phoenix. The 70-acre Destino Ranch project is seen as an international destination and music venue, with every need met for the discerning leisure RV traveler, including a state-of-the-art RV park. The complex will include a spa with rejuvenation treatments, a resort, dining and drinking, and an amphitheater with seating for thousands. Stay tuned for more news as this $6 million project comes to life. Website.

The family-owned Saratoga Escape Lodges & RV Resort in Greenfield Center, New York, is upgrading. There’s a new playground and ball courts for basketball and pickleball. The large swimming pool is newly revamped and there’s a busy menu of activities such as bingo, live bands and food trucks. All RV sites have 50-amp power and water. Some sites have Wi-Fi available. All rates are for two people. (518) 893-0537. Website.

The 67-acre Lake George (New York) Camping Village (formerly Adirondack Camping Village) is expanding, changing, upgrading and improving with the eye to improved accommodations for RV travelers. Thirty-one of the current tent sites will be converted to RV sites with full hookups. The big swimming pool is heated and the resort also offers outdoor movies. (518) 668-5226. Website.

Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington, will close its main entrance, campground and some day-use areas on September 16 for construction projects. Re-opening will be late March 2025. The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Beard’s Hollow and North Head Lighthouse (and historic lightkeepers’ residences) will stay open through the winter. Website.

Moonlight Canoe Floats at Cheraw State Park, South Carolina, will be September 14 and October 19. For details and reservations call the campground at (843) 537-9656. The campground on Lake Juniper has hot showers, a playground and volleyball courts. Six of the 17 campsites are waterfront. Camping reservations are found here. RED ALERT. The park’s Cheraw State Park Golf Course will close for renovations April 14, 2025, until September 3. The pro shop and driving range will stay open but no entry on the golf course will be allowed. Website.

When you’re headed for the city’s Lakeview Campground and RV Park on Raum Road in Lawson, Missouri, plan your route carefully. The Raum Bridge is closed and due for replacement in fall 2026. Alternate routes are described in the city’s website., along with more campground information. The campground has 21 full-hookup campsites and one ADA site. Facilities include a playground and individual bathrooms. The park complex includes a walking trail, 18-hole championship disc golf course, 25-acre lake, fishing dock, boat ramp and kayak rentals in season. A camp host is on call.