By Jan Steele
When I hit the road eight years ago, I stayed at a lot of Mom ‘n Pop campgrounds for about $20 a night—with electric. Those don’t really exist anymore.
Then I joined an RV travel club Wandering Individuals Network (WIN) and was told two things: Get solar, and join the Elks. (As in the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. Not the herds you see in the Northwest.) When you’re out on the road 365 nights a year you want the cheapest spot you can find.
Joining the Elks, and later the Moose, are two of the smartest things I’ve done in my full-time RV life. Yet, when I Google it, I see so few stories about why RVers should be Elks. And honestly, my friends wish I wouldn’t write this story and keep this under my hat. Loose lips might mean less room for us.
Why should you join? Because you can stay at just about any of the 2,200 Elk and 1,500 Moose lodges across the United States. Some have hookups and dumps. Some are campgrounds where people stay a season. And some just offer a parking spot to stay one night.
Prices are all over the map—from $5 a night donation for dry camping to $50 a night.
Elks and Moose lodges guarantee people (mostly) will welcome you when go into the bar to check in and low-priced alcoholic beverages. Some even serve great dinners.
Some Elks and Moose require reservations. I usually phone ahead to any lodge I plan to stay at to make sure there is room and that they allow RV parking. They are great when you are speeding across the country. BLM and National Forest Service campgrounds are our favorites, but you can’t find them in every state.
I joined the Naval Elks Lodge at Port Angeles, WA, because it was the easiest. A fellow WIN member signed off on my application—but I still had to be initiated. Later I switched my membership to my local lodge and members there still had to vote me in.
Initiation is mandatory in Elks. So is being a United States citizen (sorry, Canadians) and professing a belief in God. Just so ya know. There are some Moose lodges in four Canadian provinces and in Great Britain, which I didn’t know. You still need to profess a belief.
Also, it’s my personal belief that you have no business joining the Elks or Moose unless you are going to support them and their charities. That might mean sending in an extra $20 with your dues or cleaning up a campground or participating in fundraisers. One saying is “Elks Care, Elks Share”, so don’t be a greedy RVer. If camping is going to continue at these lodges, it must be supported.
To become an Elk or a Moose, just visit your local lodge. You’ll fill out an application, give them some money, and be a member in a month or so—as long as you are approved. Dues depend on location but rarely are more than $100 a year.
If you are on the road, it’s a bit more time-consuming but totally possible.
Here is the process to become an Elk:
- Go to the Elks website. Use the ZIP code lodge locator to find a lodge convenient for you.
- Contact the lodge to see when the next new member ceremony is happening. Find an Elk member to sponsor you.
- The Elk member will then log in to the Elk website. Go to “Invite someone to join” using the applicant’s email address. The Elks organization will send a registration number and pin code to the member.
- The Elks organization will send the candidate an electronic application form to fill out online using the registration number and pin code. Again, this is done online.
- The lodge should contact the candidate with the date they will be initiated. The ceremony involves walking through the stations of the lodge. The event takes about 90 minutes, and the lodges take this ceremony very seriously.
Here is the process to become a Moose:
- Sign into mooseintl.org and at the top is Be A Moose. Hit that, then go down to the bottom and you will see the online application. Hit that. They will ask if you have ever been a member of the Moose. Then the membership application will show up.
- If you know a Moose and you want them to be your sponsor, put in their sponsor ID (membership #), First Name, Last Name.
- On the application, you have a choice of what lodge location. Example: Illinois. Then it brings up the towns in Illinois.
- Once you decide on the lodge, the dues will be stated for that lodge under the payment information.
- After all that and they approve you, you can download your membership card and also pay online when you need to renew.
There are Moose and Elk apps, and most lodges appear in apps like Campendium and Allstays.
My top 5 Moose Lodges
- Eureka, CA
- Homestead, FL
- Ocala, FL
- Winter Haven, FL
- Fanning Springs, FL
My top 5 Elk Lodges
- Provo, UT
- Tillamook, OR
- Puyallup, WA
- Pensacola, FL
- Brandon, FL
Sybil Burke and Bob Moser contributed research to this story.
##RVDT2457
Not a fan of the cheapest option, I look for quality and then value, otherwise stay home, it’s what makes the experience of RV’ing go to crap as anyone pushes something for RV’rs. And here we are.
Being a member of a fraternal organization is an honor.
Always humorous when someone thinks they know exactly what others want for an RV experience. No idea why anyone would care if someone else wants to park at an Elks Lodge overnight.
Go for it. Elitism is what the high option, high priced “Resorts” thrive on! That’s just more room for us humble folks at more reasonably priced options.
To each their own.
FYI: Mark, you can become a member of the Mar-a-Lago Country Club in Palm Beach FL for $1M, with annual dues of $20K (and rising). But you CAN’T bring your RV!
😀
I was in this mood for a while yesterday too but then my day got better.
Elk lodges are over $100.00 per year
Pete, my dues has been $85 per year for the last 3 years.
I guess it depends on the location as my dues have been a $100 a year for the last 3 years.
My local Elks is over $500 per year and that is why I joined the Nevada City Elks (been around for 150 years!) it is $140/year!
We joined our local Elks club expressly for this reason….and stayed a member for the wonderful fellowship! Elks clubs provide support for their community in so many ways. Our favorite Elks Club to camp in is Monterey California. It is a 5-minute drive to Cannery Row, or a bit longer trip by e-bike, or a nice slow walk.
Thank you Lindy Maynes-Kolthoff! 🙂 Your comment about fellowship is intriguing. I grew up where we live and know some people, but DW grew up elsewhere and knows few. I will mention this to her. Perhaps it is an avenue of socialization and charity to pursue. Thanks again, have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Thank you, Janet! 🙂 We had heard about the Elks, and met a member (he brought his portable sawmill and sawed the mantels for our house from cedars felled on our property) who offered to sponsor us. We never joined because we don’t know, at least not well, any member(s). If we traveled more nearly full-time, then we might pursue this lower-cost (?) option. As is, it just seems a perk for Elks and Moose members. But, in that they gain more dues-paying members, then that seems a benefit to the lodges, especially if they also get more helping-hands for their projects. Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Joining is a really good way to meet the members and get to know them.
Thanks for the encouragement, Bill! Happy new year and safe travels! 🙂
I was a member of the Elks for a few years after my wife gave me a membership app. and the $75.00 as a Christmas gift; (Which she got from an Elk friend). I went thru the chairs or initial ceremony and it is most impressive – one you will not forget. Also the 11th hour! I had to drop the membership due to new babies and building a new home. Altho I knew of the ND campground – we didn’t Rv in those days. The Elks and the Moose are great organizations in local communities – however it is like they are undercover as one rarely hears of the good they do.
There are about 2000 lodges and about 600 have some sort of RV facility. However, you can check the locations of all lodges and if there is one near where you want to camp, call them. I first check on Google maps to be sure there is space to dry camp. Have only been told No once (Cape Cod).
“And honestly, my friends wish I wouldn’t write this story and keep this under my hat”
Once again, RV travel is publicizing a limited resource. There are only so many lodges and campsites.
In a few years, I expect you will be bemoaning the fact that these campgrounds are now limited due to overcrowding.
But you made your money right?
What did we make money from, Howard?🤔 And with about 3,800 lodges between Moose and Elks, I don’t think they’ll be overcrowded anytime soon. You’re saying we’re not allowed to offer suggestions where people might consider camping? And if the Moose and Elks organizations gain more paying/contributing members from this recommendation (I think they’re always looking for new members), where’s the harm in that? Have a good day. 🙂 –Diane at RVtravel.com
You are incorrect. Many Elk’s lodge RV areas are already compromised by freeloaders who abuse the system (and the “benevolence” of the Elks) to stay as long as they can and this article will make it worse. Was the writer compensated for the story? Hence they “made their money” at the expense of traveling Elks.
Sorry, Richard. I didn’t know that freeloaders are abusing the system (but I should have known, since people seem to be abusing everything these days). I hope this story doesn’t make the situation worse. Have a good day. 🙂 –Diane
Some articles are better left unwritten. This is one of them.