RV Coronavirus News Update, March 25, 2020

Please send your news about the coronavirus pandemic as it applies to RVers to editor@rvtravel or submit it here.

Thank you to all the RV Travel readers who have sent us information, much of which we have included here. We have been working so fast that we have not had time to thank you all. So thank you! (You know who you are.)

Read yesterdays extensive news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and how it’s affecting RVers.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is reopening indoor facilities at 23 select rest areas across Pennsylvania to all motorists, including the 13 facilities in critical locations that were reopened March 18 with portable restrooms and handwashing facilities. PennDOT’s 30 rest areas were temporarily closed statewide on March 17 in response to Governor Tom Wolf’s mitigation guidance regarding COVID-19 to ensure that proper safety and sanitation protocols were in place. Here’s the list of open rest areas.

Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee has closed all camping, cabins, group recreation sites and restrooms due to the coronavirus pandemic and they will remain closed until at least May 15.

Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky also closed its campgrounds; the park previously had closed its visitor center and suspended cave tours.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered the immediate closure of parking lots at many of California’s most popular parks and beaches in the latest restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus. The parking lot closures will affect state parks in Marin, San Mateo, Sonoma, San Diego and Los Angeles counties, according to the state park website.

Jackson County, Oregon’s park system shut down Tuesday, except for the Southern Oregon RV Park near Medford. In nearby Douglas County, county parks and campgrounds are closed. The Douglas County Fairgrounds and RV Park closed at 8 a.m. today.

Closed in Southern California: San Diego Zoo, Knott’s Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios Hollywood, SeaWorld San Diego, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

Idaho State Parks has closed camper cabins and yurts, but RV and tent camping is still available. Visitor Centers are also closed.

New Melones Reservoir campgrounds (Calif.) are closed.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has closed state park campgrounds. Public outdoor spaces including wildlife areas, forests and nature preserves including trails, dog parks, and non-marina docks remain open.

Because of the Oregon Governor’s order, the Country Coach/Winnebago factory service center in Junction City has been closed until April 14th.

The Nevada County Fairgrounds RV Park in Grass Valley, Calif., is closed.

The National Forests in North Carolina closed all campgrounds as of Monday, March 23. This includes all concessionaire-operated campgrounds and all day-use areas associated with those campgrounds. Reservation holders will be notified via email and/or cell phone text messages of any changes affecting their reservation and will receive a full refund.

Biosphere 2 near Tucson has suspended all public activities for an undetermined time.

Cape May County, New Jersey, is recommending private campground owners push back the opening of their locations to May 11. A number of campgrounds in the area typically open in April, or around Easter weekend. The county said the move is part of an attempt to limit the number of coronavirus infections.

Knowing that the RV industry is going to take a huge economic hit in upcoming months, even years, the industry is advocating for the use (and presumably sales) of RVs for emergency response purposes such as quarantine units, mobile medical clinics and mobile intensive care units.

From RVtravel.com reader Deborah Hopkinson: “I just got off the phone with the BLM Yuma (AZ) field office. They plan on keeping the LTVAs open (LTVA is a Long Term Visitor Area), but they could be ordered to shut down tomorrow; they don’t know. However, if all this is still going on come April 16 and they are allowed to remain open, the BLM will not be kicking anyone out who is already there. Their offices are closed to the public, including the camp hosts, but they can still help you by phone, email, and mail. I hope this helps.” EDITOR’S NOTE: It does, thanks!

Concessionaire Aramark has closed the RV park and campground at Wahweap in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Other closures in the park are Bullfrog RV and Campground, and the Halls Crossing RV Park and campground.

Late Monday, RV refrigerator maker Norcold, Inc., said it would lay off 224 of its 265 employees in Sidney, Ohio, and 120 of its 137 employees in Gettysburg, Ohio.

Acadia National Park in Maine has closed is campgrounds and restrooms, and the Bar Harbor Town Council posted a statement online asking that, “everyone stay home and avoid unnecessary travel.”

HOUSEHOLD & HAND SANITIZERS. If you’re concerned about keeping germs away, there are plenty of products here to do the job.

In Sequim, Wash., the Dungeness Recreation Area is open to day use but campground loops A and B — 66 sites in all — have closed, along with the two campground restrooms. Nearby, the 92 sites in the upper and lower campgrounds at the Salt Creek Recreation Area west of Port Angeles are closed, as well as the two restrooms and the main gate.

In Washington’s Olympic National Park, all park campgrounds are closed, including: Staircase, Heart O’ the Hills, Ozette, Mora, Hoh, Kalaloch, Queets, North Fork and Graves Creek. Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, Campground and RV Park have delayed opening until April 24.

K&M Resorts in Washington are closed as “non-essential” by Gov. Inslee.

Walgreens is looking for 9,500 people to fill temporary jobs, full- and part-time. Meanwhile, CVS Health is hiring 50,000 workers and delivering bonuses to employees who are required to work on-site during the coronavirus pandemic.

ABOVE: John Brownwood sent us this photo he took in Las Vegas. “Last week was a good time to take the RV down Las Vegas Blvd. May never be like that again.” EDITOR’S NOTE: John, you’re right about that!

Vandalism, illegal camping, overcrowding, and short-staffing issues are cropping up and overtaxing some units of the National Park System due to the coronavirus pandemic. The issues are reminiscent of those that arose during the partial government shutdown of 2018-2019. While staffing problems during the government shutdown were due to furloughs, this time concerns over getting sick from park visitors and, in some cases, the need to stay home with children whose schools have closed, are leading to work force issues at some park units. Read more at National Park Traveler.

The state of New Mexico was the first to close its state park campgrounds. But now, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has authorized the parks to reopen at 50 percent capacity. CORRECTION: State parks are closed through April 9. RV parks may operate at 50 percent capacity.

Spring Gulch RV Park in New Holland, Pennsylvania, is closed and telling seasonals to stay home.

RV parts and accessories distributor Stromberg Carlson has temporarily shut down, and will reopen on Monday, April 13, to comply with Michigan’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order closing all non-essential businesses.

All Flagler County, Florida, camping areas closed Monday morning amid concerns over COVID-19.

Latest Information about closed KOA campgrounds.

Just discovered — an excellent Facebook Group: Displaced Nomads and Full-time RVers Relocation Resource.

Can’t find something at your local store? Amazon may have it.

RVers WELCOMED:
If you own or manage an RV park that welcomes RVers during our current crisis, please tell us about your park in 100 words or less. Or if you are a resident at such a park, please chime in. Submit here.

Crater Lake Resort is open! We are a small 13-acre resort in Fort Klamath, Oregon. We have 6 full-hookup sites and 6 partial-hookup sites. We also have a general store and standalone cabins, and are pet friendly. Fort Klamath is a rural area just south of Crater Lake in southern Oregon. We would be happy to welcome new guests.

Becci Pechin reports: “We are staying put here in Palm Desert at Emerald Desert RV Resort (near Palm Springs, CA). We see RVs coming and going. Many have left, and there are lots of open spaces for elbow room. Gorgeous weather and some golf available. No open facilities at the resort. Grocery stores and ‘to go’ food very close. We’re golfing, riding bikes, and walking. Hiking available too. We have a small group of friends who also stayed behind, so we can still have our happy hours (with distance between us, of course).”

From RVtravel.com readers Patricia Meinke: “We are fulltime RVers, but have 2 acres of land in Elko County, Nevada, where we park our motorhome during the spring/summer. We are on our way back to our property now and will be there on Wednesday, March 25th. We have full hookups there plus availability for another rig to hookup also (30-amp electric, sewer and water). If anyone needs a place to stay during this time they are welcome to contact me. We can probably have 2 more rigs dry camping also if someone needs a place. Please let people know.” If you are interested, email your contact info to editor@rvtravel.com and we will pass it along to Patricia.

Ingrid Elizabeth reports: “Pioneer RV Park at the north end of Phoenix is allowing new guests, but most of the facilities are closed.”

The Yosemite Pines RV Resort in Groveland, California, is open and welcomes new guests. RVers looking for long-term camping sites should call (209) 962-7690 to receive available discounts. The park has premium pull-thru sites with full hookups to accommodate up to 70-foot rigs, and premium back-in sites for rigs up to 45 feet. The park is three miles east of Groveland in California’s Gold Country. For more information visit yosemitepinesrv.com.

From Greg Elwell (who works in the office): “Del Pueblo RV Resort in Yuma, Arizona, is open and taking reservations. Call (928) 341-2100 and we’d be happy to help!”

Jack Harris reports: “Town and Country RV Park in Roswell, NM, called and canceled our reservation next week because their governor is limiting private RV Parks to 50% occupancy and they no longer have room for short-term stays.”

Big Chief RV Park on Lake Buchanan in the Central Texas Hill County, owned and operated by RV radio host Alan Warren, is open.

Branson, Missouri, has many RV parks and most have many spaces open. From owner Susan Roth Rauschl: “I own Branson Shenanigans RV Park and Campground and most of our vacationers have cancelled for March and now April is getting cancellations. We have a small park on the edge of town in a quiet corner but still close to grocery stores and medical. We have a deeply discounted temporary rate for monthlies during this corona chapter. We have full hookups, free WiFi and cable. Email shenanigansrv@gmail.com.”

John Meikle reports: “We are at Branson Shenanigans RV Park, Branson, Missouri. Nice wooded scenery, full service park. Coronavirus special $616 per month 50 amp, including electricity. Nice quiet place to hang out to practice social distancing.”

Herbert J. Bidwell reported: “Schulenberg RV Park in Schulenburg, Texas, is open and accepting new guests. I-10 exit 674.”

From Mac McWilliams: “Campers Holiday in Brooksville, Florida, is open. A quiet community. Pretty cheap too.”

READER REQUEST
I am a traveling nurse, I have a contract in northern Vermont through the end of August. We have a 25′ trailer that we will be living in for the summer. We have a local campground that will host us BUT with the trending closures we’re concerned this could be an issue. However, if we stayed at someone’s private residence this wouldn’t be an issue. Essentially we need electric and water, sewer would be a huge bonus. We, of course, will be happy to pay! Maybe someone could help out a healthcare provider in need of a spot to live near Berlin, Vermont; May 15th through Aug. 29th.  —BreAnne and Stan Lanahl

Can you help? Send your name and email to editor@rvtravel.com and we’ll pass it along to BreAnne and Stan. EDITOR’S NOTE: Help a nurse! We need them now more than ever!

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT MORE THAN EVER
RVtravel.com is working overtime to bring you the news about how the current pandemic is affecting the lives of RVers. In the meantime, most of our advertisers have stopped their campaigns due to necessity. We are able to continue because of our nearly 5,000 readers who have become voluntary subscribers. Please consider making a pledge today, no matter how modest. UPDATE FROM THE EDITOR: If you are being hit financially by the pandemic, please take care of yourself: don’t worry about us. But if you are doing okay, we could use your help.

New Facebook Group:  How the coronavirus is impacting RVers. Get updates throughout the day about park and campground closings, cancelled rallies and RV shows — and more. Join in the conversation with other RVers about what’s on all our minds right now.

If you are a member of an RV club or are affiliated with an RV-related event would you please let us know if its gatherings, meetings, etc., are cancelled or postponed because of the coronavirus? We’ll pass along the info to our readers. We appreciate any news related to RVing that’s relevant to the present crisis. Please submit it here. Thank you!