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What’s REALLY New for RV-ers
* One of the hottest trends is “destination” trailers. They’re more portable than park models, perhaps less portable than travel trailers. Roomy , homey and affordable, they are designed for longer stays yet they remain roadworthy.
Here’s a way to have a fishing camp, ski lodge and summer cabin all in one. Consider the cost of hiring a professional transporter to position the trailer each time you move on.
* It’s usual now to find as many as six or more price categories in campsites. If you shop for the best price, take a closer look at what you are actually getting for the extra money such as a fenced patio, pull-thru, paved pad, a waterfront site, mountain view, more hook-ups or a site closer to the swimming pool. Words like Premium, First Class or Five Star mean different things to different folks.
* Take a new look at RV parks’ opening and closing dates for 2026. Many more are staying open all winter while some seasonal campgrounds are extending their seasons by a month or so. (Note that all facilities may not be available in the “off” season.)
* Water features, from splash pads to resort-style pools with cabanas and swim-up bar are everywhere.
* New costs. Tourism taxes, once charged only at hotels, are now often added to local and state sales taxes on campground bills. Also borrowed from the hotel textbook is “yield management” pricing. Thanks to smart, fast computers, nightly rates change from minute to minute depending on availability and demand. Stay nimble.
* New reservations windows. Some reservations are available one year ahead, some six months. If you’re hoping to score a hot spot, know to the minute when reservations open. Then pounce.
What is the best campground? These days, “influencers” are everywhere online and in print. Often that means a glowing “news” story about how Camp Wormwood was just voted “the best” RV resort in Mulekick County. Sez who?
Who said so and what are their qualifications for deciding what’s best? Ask questions. Read the park’s own website and claims, not just Facebook or Yelp.
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FREEDOM OF THE OPEN ROAD?
Do you dream of living and traveling in a complete home on wheels? Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Edition by Janet Groene & Gordon Groene is a total guide to the full-time life on wheels. Should you sell the house or rent it out? Downsize possessions or put them in storage? Too young to retire? There’s a chapter on ways to make a living anywhere. Kids on board? We cover home schooling and also an exit strategy if and when the time comes to settle down. Order at any book store or let Amazon gift wrap and ship it for you. https://amzn.to/29XFEkq
CAMPGROUNDS; GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS
This just-in RV park and campground news from our local sources may be incomplete or premature. Follow up for yourself as the story develops. Locations are in large print. Dates are in red. No endorsement of any service or place is implied.
NEW AND FUTURE CAMPGROUNDS, RV PARKS
New in the northeast notch of the Sunshine State west of Jacksonville is the luxury-laden Island Oaks RV Resort in Glen St. Mary, Florida. The 365-site resort lists full hookups, pickleball, large concrete pads, free WiFi, an arcade, a variety recreation sports courts outdoors, a swimming lake and a full restaurant with bar. Sign up for the newsletter to keep up with schedules of weekend events. (904) 420-7822.
Thirty-two Ohio state parks now have life jackets on loan in sizes from infant to adult. The loaner stations are at the following parks.
Northeast Ohio:
Findley,* Geneva (multiple stations), Headlands Beach, Portage Lakes
Punderson and Mosquito Lake
Southeast Ohio:
Barkcamp, Blue Rock, Burr Oak (multiple stations), Dillon, Forked Run,
Jesse Owens, Lake Logan (multiple stations), Lake White, Muskingum River Parkway, Strouds Run and Wolf Run
Central & Southwest Ohio:
Buckeye Lake (multiple stations), Caesar Creek, Cowan Lake (multiple stations, Deer Creek, Hueston Woods, Indian Lake, Kiser Lake and Rocky Fork
Northwest Ohio & Islands:
Catawba Island, Grand Lake St. Marys (multiple stations), Harrison Lake. Kelleys Island, Lake Milton, Mary Jane Thurston and South Bass Island
Six more Love’s Travel Stops, known for their one-stop fueling, feeding, laundry and showers for road warriors, have added overnight sites for RV’s. They are Haubstadt, Indiana; Fargo, North Dakota; Oakdale, Wisconsin; Blacksburg, South Carolina; Mt. Vernon, Texas; Richmond, Kentucky and Binghamton, New York.
New in Pinicon Park, Linn County, Iowa is the Firefly Campground, boasting the county’s only online campground reservations. The park, which also has cabins for rent, has 32 RV sites with full hookups (two-night minimum). There’s a new shower house and playground too. Go to LinnCountyIowa.gov/Conservation.
CHANGES, UPGRADES, NEW OWNERS, EXPANSIONS
Come meet the couple who are new owners of Creek Valley Campground, Dubuque, Iowa. They’re doing renovations that include a heated swimming pool, new picnic tables and fire pits at each site, a laundry and upgraded showers/restrooms. The campground has ball courts and will soon have horseshoe pits. Walking trails can also accommodate golf carts and UTV’s. (563) 580-9453,, CreekValleyCamground.com.
Soon to be the largest lift-served mountain bike park in the world, The Trails at Mena is under construction at Queen Wilhelmina State Park in Mena, Arkansas. Phase One will be a 1,200-foot drop in elevation in a range of trails from beginners to expert jump lines. Raw, technical and steer terrain will challenge advanced riders.
The facility will be open all year and is expected to draw a who’s who of international mountain bike enthusiasts. The park has a stately 40-room lodge with restaurant and a 41-site campground with Class A ,B and C hookups. (479) -394-2863
CAMPGROUND CLOSURES
The RV park within Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island, Texas is due to close indefinitely in October. Its massive upgrading project promises a lot of new, RV-friendly conveniences. Reservations aren’t accepted through the summer of 2026. The rest of the park remains open.
Officials in Ocean Shores, Washington announced that the Quinault RV Park and Marina is closed indefinitely. With serious erosion problems, the site needs extensive structural changes and for now funds are not available.
William Watson Lodge Campground, Kananaskis, Alberta, is closed now through June 22.
EVENTS, RV's WELCOME
Stay in your RV during the International Plowing Match, Niagara Region, to be held in Grassie, Ontario, September 16-20. The 500 RV sites at the 50-acre 1PM RV Park have water and 30-amp hookups. Nightly entertainment is planned. To get the $600 special rate package, reservations should be made by July 1. Shuttles will run from the campground to event sites. For information about the IPM CAMPGROUND call +1 519-767-2928.
Camp, jam, eat and shop the vendors at FarmJam 2025 in Colville, Washington. Dates are August 29-31. This year’s music lineup includes 49 Winchester, Bayker Blankenship, Sheyna Gee, Scooter Brown, Mark Chesnutt and many more. To get a ticket package that includes camping, go to https://farmjam.frontgatetickets.com/
August 9 is the date for this year’s Forest Festival at Hartwick State Park, Grayling, Michigan. Learn more about Michigan forests. Visitors get a goody bag. The park has a modern campground, boating and 21 miles of trails including the paved Old Growth Forest Trail. There’s also mountain biking, fishing, birding and winter fun such as cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, hunting, fishing, hunting and birding. For festival event information call (989) 348-2537. The state park’s number is (989) 348-7068. Reservations https://midnrreservations.com/
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