Copyright Janet Groene 2026.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THIS WEEK'S LATEST BUZZ ON NEW, FUTURE, CHANGING AND CLOSING RV PARKS AND CAMPGROUNDS
Let’s Hook Up
Those first messy, scary minutes at a campsite are easy if you know how–AND IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT GEAR for hooking up. Here are some things to check, whether you are equipping a new RV or are a seasoned RV hooker.
* A white drinking water hose delivers safer, tastier water to your RV. Some types fold flat for easier storage. If you keep it clean, it looks good outside the rig. However, white hoses get grotty quickly. Unsightly mildew gets a grip. It gives your campsite an untidy look.
Give the hose a bath. Fill a water bucket, add a drop of detergent and a cup of bleach and plunge the coiled hose into it. Wipe down, rinse well, then run a few gallons of water through to flush it outit before hooking it up to the RV again
. Consider two other items when you purchase hoses. Quick-disconnect fittings are a convenience. You might also add a pressure-control device that tames water pressure if the campground’s pressure surges. Your RV’s plumbing could be damaged if incoming water pressure is too high. Inexpensive doublers allow you to connect two hoses to one faucet. Camping supply stores sell everything needed for water hookup.
Once inside the RV, water has to go down drains into tanks that you have to monitor and empty. It’s illegal to let anything drain into the ground, not even clean water from the sink.
* The capacity of your RV’s electric cord(s) depends on diameter and length, so it’s important to get cord(s) that do the job without adding more bulk and weight than you want to haul around. Power is lost with length, and too thin a power cord overheats and melts. We need a heavy enough cord in the shortest length that will do the job.
In active, travel these cords take a beating, so check often for breaks, nicks, cracks, chafing or exposed wires. If you give the cord a quick wipe-down (I use an old oven mitt) before coiling and stowing it, you’ll transfer less dirt into the RV’s storage area
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* Sewer hoses are the bad boys of the hook-up arsenal. Even when they appear to look good, they may stink. They break down are eventually, made porous by use and sun damage. Treat yourself to a new one before you think it’s needed. Then shop for accessories that keep it property routed and in place. You-know-what doesn’t run uphill.
Many RVs have a built-in flushing system that allows you to put clean water through the entire system including the black water tank and out the hose. If you have one, its operation is described in your owner’s manual.
It’s best to empty gray and black water tanks after a long run so everything is stirred up and in solution. Empty black water first, then gray water to flush the hose. The dump station will also have clean (but not potable) water to use for a final rinse.
Please leave the dump station as clean or cleaner than you found it. Abuse is the chief reason free dumps are disappearing and fee dumps are raising their prices.
* All tanks are vented to allow waste to “burp”. If you’re getting sewer gas smells the first thing to look for is a vent clogged by a wasp nest or other debris.
* It’s less important in these wireless days to carry a variety of connectors but in some remote areas, phone and cable TV hook-up may be available if you have your own cables.
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BE PREPARED
Stuff happens when you're away from home too. Prepare your RV for delays, breakdown, sudden evacuation, can't find ice, fire ban, supply chain interruptions, civil disturbances. How much food will you need for a week in the woods for two adults and two kids? A month in a remote fish camp? A two-week power outage? See Survival Food Handbook for tips on buying, stowing, and making meals from ordinary supermarket supplies that need no fresh ingredients.
This book was written for campers, RV travelers and boaters who have limited storage space. It's not about having a year's supply of dried food in your RV's basement.
CAMPGROUNDS & RV PARKS;
GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS
Fresh from our local sources, these news briefs are intended to give you a heads-up. It's up to you to follow up as the story develops. Locations are by state. Dates are in red.
NEW AND FUTURE RV PARKS AND CAMPGROUNDS
We have to wait until late summer, 2028 for the opening but the new campground at McCormick’s Creek State Park in Washington, Indiana will be bigger and better than the camp that was wiped out in a tornado in 2023. In the plans for the 92-acre campground are 192 modern campsites, three new playgrounds, 32 primitive sites, new restroom/shower stations and a camp store. The park is known for its limestone canyons, scenic waterfalls and the dining and accommodations at the stately the Canyon Inn. (812) 829-2235
New in Dansville, New York is the Valley View Hideaway on the site of former summer camp for kids. Existing buildings and restrooms have been rehabbed. Cabins are renewed. RV sites with water and electric are being added. The scenic, 50-acre campground has a playground, obstacle course and hiking trails.
Coming soon to Breaks Interstate Park, Breaks, Kentucky is a 43-site RV park on the Kentucky side. The park, which straddles the Kentucky-Virginia border,,is known as the Grand Canyon of the South and is in the Jefferson National Forest. It has water sports, camping, hiking trails, guided elk tours, nature programs and much more. Call (276) 865-4413, Email info@breakspark.com/
New since last July in Shepherdsville, Kentucky is the family-run Shepherds RV Park. The park has RV sites, a camp store, Wi-Fi throughout and a catch-and-release pond. See shepherdsrvpark.com/
The first Snow Peak brand campground in the U.S. has opened in Long Beach, Washington. A Japanese concept, . Campfield offers family camping, cultural experiences and luxury touches such as spa. It does not appear to offer RV sites. Tents, cabins and the setting are nature friendly. (833) 662-7624
CHANGES, UPGRADES, NEW OWNERS
A new playground last June is just one of the upgrades at Noah’s Ark Resort near Revelstroke, British Columbia. The year-round, family-friendly resort on the Trans-Canada Highway also has Wi-Fi in selected areas, a community kitchen, facilities such as a laundry for winter guests, a hiking trail to the waterfall and a refreshment station with Keurig coffee pods and frozen yogurt. See RVCampingRevelstoke.com
In Sandpoint, Idaho, renovations at the City Beach RV Park will include construction of restrooms and showers, thanks to a grant from the state. The goal, they say, is to produce a “signature” RV park but plans are vague and construction dates TBA. At present the park reportedly has 40 RV sites with full hookups. Get current details from DandpointIdaho.gov/
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| Historic Mather Lodge |
It’s time to take a new look at Petit Jean State Park in Morrilton, Arkansas. The historic Mather Lodge is newly restored and the park now has the first via ferrata climbing route within a U.S. state park. Also new is the Monument Trail mountain biking system. The park has 144 RV sites with 50-amp power. (501) 727-5441
SCUTTLEBUTT
Belden Town Resort is located in unincorporated Plumas County in the Feather River Canyon, California. The 4-acre riverfront property is an outdoor getaway for camping, fishing and hiking. It has hotel rooms 16 RV sites and tent camping. Now for sale, the hamlet is known for its festivals including the annual Stilldream Art and Music Festival.
The proposed plan for a new campground and development in Woodlington, Lenoir County, North Carolina calls for a $55 million project providing 205 RV spaces, 23 tiny homes, 20 houseboats and tent spaces. The Paradise Lake and RV Resort site will extend to the Neuse River and include includes a lake. Stay tuned.
CLOSINGS
Woodland Trails Resort on Strawberry Lake, Minnesota closed for the season and will not reopen. Future plans for the property are not announced but a campground is NOT one of the options for the property.
We tell the whole story, from making the hard decision to sell everything and go on the road, to a happy ending when we became part-timers again.
We traveled full-time for 10 great years.
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? See our chapter on ways to make a living anywhere. Kids on board? We cover home schooling and also an exit strategy if and when it's time to settle down. Order at any book store or let Amazon gift wrap and ship it for you. https://amzn.to/29XFEkq
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