30 Great Escapes at RV Parks
Summer’s here and it’s time to hit the grounds to enjoy family and “me” time! What better way to recharge than to visit on of the 30 PARKS highlighted here.
Image Caption: Ramblin' Pines Family Campground & RV Park
So many places, so little time. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily routine and to let another day or week go by without getting your RV out and settling in at a lovely campground or RV park and enjoying the finer things in life. Here’s a smidgen of the more than 2,100 Good Sam Campgrounds across the US and Canada that have gotten the Good Sam seal of approval, and a little bit about the surrounding attractions to help you plan your vacation.
To find one of these featured Good Sam Campgrounds and other RV parks and campgrounds, visit goodsam.com and go to “Find a campground.” From there you can search by state, city, and name of campground among the parks listed, with the Good Sam Campgrounds offering discounts to members. Many of these RV parks are rated by Good Sam representatives who visit the parks in person and evaluate them according to Facility, Restrooms, and Appeal, with 10/10/10 being the coveted highest rating. The sun is shining, your RV is calling, and it’s time to get out there and enjoy the fresh air in style!
West
Coyote Valley RV Resort – Morgan Hill, California
Coyote Valley RV Resort
Set in the magnificent rolling hills of the Silicon Valley, Coyote Valley RV Resort has a saltwater pool and spa, fitness center, dog park, clubhouse, and entertainment center with a full kitchen, and horseshoe pits. Stays include Wi-Fi and satellite TV. Right behind the resort is Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve with multiuse trails for every hiking level, mountain bikers, and equestrians. A dozen miles from the RV park is Gilroy, nicknamed the “Garlic Capital of the World” and known for its annual Garlic Festival in July.
Horn Rapids RV Park – Richland, Washington
Horn Rapids RV Park
A few miles from open-year-round Horn Rapids, the Columbia and Yakima rivers meet. The resort offers boat parking, some right at the 225 full-hookup sites, and pull-through sites that accommodate the largest RVs. The Park plans dessert socials, potlucks, and weekly craft days for a wonderful way to get to know your neighbors. Throughout the resort are game areas for shuffleboard, volleyball, and horseshoes; playgrounds; and a pool and jacuzzi. The fenced pet run has a self-serve dog-wash station.
Pechanga RV Resort & Casino – Temecula, California
Pechanga RV Resort and Casino
The fun never stops at Pechanga, where 200-plus large RV sites are set in a beautifully landscaped resort with rolling hills as a backdrop. Buddy sites with shared gazebos are available, and a shuttle runs 24/7 to the adjacent casino with 200,000 square feet of gaming space. Book a round of golf or slip on your bathing suit and head to The Cove, Pechanga’s 4.5-acre pool oasis. The area is home to dozens of wineries—some with sunrise hot-air balloon rides—and trails for hiking and biking.
Emerald Desert RV Resort – Palm Desert, California
Emerald Desert RV Resort
Looking for sunshine, sunshine, and more sunshine? You’ll find it at Emerald Desert’s 33-acre luxury RV resort with its 255 full-hookup sites, family and adult pools and hot tubs, tennis and pickleball courts, Bocce, cornhole, giant Connect Four, pool tables, gym, and putting green. Did we mention that this desert jewel even offers on-site RV cleaning? A short distance from the resort you can catch the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway—claimed to be the world’s largest rotating tramcar—for breathtaking views at more than 8,500 feet.
Southwest
Hidden Creek RV Resort – Bryan, Texas
Hidden Creek RV Resort
With premium pull-through sites for big-boy RVs, resort-style pools, curbside propane, and trash service, and a gated community, RVers will be living in luxury at Hidden Creek. The resort is a 15-minute drive from many attractions, including Texas A&M University. Football fans can opt for a season pass (September–November) for a discounted price.
Tombstone RV Park – Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone RV Park
Family-friendly Tombstone RV Park, with its sparkling pool, laundry facilities, and two dog runs, is just one mile from the blast-from-the-past National Historic District. Most RV sites are pull-through and include a picnic table and fire ring. If you need a grill, one will be delivered right to your site. The RV park has four corrals for equestrians bringing their large four-legged friends. There are trails out the RV park’s back gate for riding horses, bicycles, and motorized off-road vehicles. You can even walk to check out some petroglyphs.
By the Lake RV Resort – Ardmore, Oklahoma
By the Lake RV Park
How does an RV park surrounded by ranch land with a nature trail running around the perimeter, all 70-foot-long pull-through sites, and indoor and outdoor games to keep you occupied from sunup to sundown sound? By the Lake is set on 80 acres with its own stocked catch-and-release pond where you can net a 4-pound fish, and has all kinds of sports equipment for guests, from basketballs to Hula-Hoops. Close to the resort, Lake Murray State Park has miles of diverse trails and historic sites.
Parkview Riverside RV Park – Concan, Texas
Parkview Riverside RV Park
Smack dab in the middle of Texas Hill Country, scenic Parkview Riverside RV Park has sunny and shaded campsites along the Frio River. There’s “always something going on” in the area, from country jam sessions on the courthouse lawn to local fairs and festivals. A championship golf course is five minutes from the RV park, or stay on-site and kick back at your site with plenty of space between fellow RVers, or gather your neighbors and family together for a barbecue at the outdoor pavilion.
Seven Oaks Resort – Mission, Texas
Seven Oaks Resort
If you’re on a mission to relax, sit under blue skies, lounge by a sparkling heated pool, and watch palm trees sway, Seven Oaks is just the place to be. Surrounded by immaculate grounds, you can join in on potlucks and ice cream socials, dance lessons, bingo, golf, shuffleboard, and card games. Open year-round, the resort has 30-by-60-foot big-rig RV sites. Mission, dubbed “the butterfly capital of the USA,” celebrates Community Day at the Texas Butterfly Festival on October 30 this year.
Take-it-Easy RV Resort – Kerrville, Texas
Take It Easy RV Resort
This 55-and-better RV resort is open year-round and—as the name implies—is laid-back. Pull-through and back-in sites include full hookups, but bring your own table and chairs for lounging. The pet-friendly park has an indoor heated pool and hot tub, billiard room with two pool tables, shuffleboard, and behind the resort is Kerrville-Schreiner Park, where you can beat the heat in the summer months by cooling off in the Guadalupe River. And you’re minutes from shopping, museums, and art galleries.
Little Vineyard RV Resort – Deming, New Mexico
Little Vineyard RV Resort
Convenience and fun are the name of the game at Little Vineyard, with its all pull-through sites long enough that even the largest RV-and-dinghy combo doesn’t have to be disconnected, indoor heated pool (90ºF in the winter!), zip line, new playground, and communal firepits with Adirondack chairs. Little Vineyard is celebrating 35 years as a Good Sam Campground by offering two free nights when you pay for five in 2021. Nearby are three state parks, including Rockhound, with opportunities for mountain biking, hiking, birding, stargazing, and—you guessed it—rock collecting.
Bluebonnet Ridge RV Park & Cottages – Terrell, Texas
Just 35 miles east of Dallas, Bluebonnet Ridge’s relaxed country setting encompasses 64 acres with 90-foot-long pull-through sites. The full-hookup sites are a minimum of 33 feet wide, each with a picnic table and a shade tree. Onsite are a 5.5-acre catch-and-release fishing pond, play area, basketball, adult fitness room, tennis and pickleball court, horseshoe pits, and pet area. To chill out, take a dip in the resort’s family swimming pool or do the 20-minute drive to Canton to Splash Kingdom Waterpark to up the fun.
Midwest
Caboose Lake Campground – Remington, Indiana
Caboose Campground
If you and your kiddos like splashing around head to Caboose Lake Campground’s “Summer Beach Family Fun Zone,” with its water trampoline, jungle gym, swim platform, bumper boats, and dunk tank. Big-rig-friendly and open year-round, the RV park is located in a small agricultural community halfway between Chicago and Indianapolis (90 miles) and about 65 miles from Indiana Dunes National Park that hugs the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Choose a grassy site from 115 with full hookups or rent out the Little Caboose that sleeps three or an Amish-built cabin.
Situated on 38 acres with a 20-acre spring-fed stocked lake with designated areas for fishing and swimming, pet-friendly Caboose Lake offers planned activities for all ages and all the amenities you need. Carpenter Creek Cellars, the county’s original winery that’s housed in a beautifully restored
horse-barn-turned-winery, is less than 10 miles from the RV park. The dog-friendly winery is open daily for tastings of its Hoosier wines and hosts monthly outdoor music during the summer.
Cross Creek Camping Resort – Delaware, Ohio
Cross Creek Camping Resort
Scoring a perfect 10/10/10 rating, Cross Creek is 20 minutes north of Columbus, where visitors can enjoy miles of multi-use trails and a world-class zoo housing more than 900 animals. A 3,000-acre lake with a marina and beach is across the street from the family-oriented camping resort. Open year-round, Cross Creek has planned activities and themed weekends from May–October (like the “Star Wars”-themed “May the Fourth be With You!”) with food trucks. Each Fourth of July the party starts with a 50-foot banana split that’s served up to park guests. Located in the center of the resort is a pool with a full-time lifeguard; a pavilion for crafts; and volleyball, tennis, and basketball courts.
Deer Creek Valley RV Park – Topeka, Kansas
Surrounded by trees and landscaped with bright flowers, top-rated Deer Creek Valley RV Park is located within a fenced property with a security gate and is centrally located to shopping and restaurants. Walk to Lonnie Q’s BBQ, the number-one-rated restaurant in Topeka, for large portions of down-home finger-licking fare. Less than two miles from the resort with a swimming pool, laundry facilities, pet play area, and its concrete RV pads separated by grass, is Lake Shawnee, offering fishing and boating, and an eight-mile bicycling and walking trail.
Amana RV Park & Event Center – Amana, Iowa
Amana RV Park
Located in the “Heart of History,” Amana RV Park sits on 26,000 acres of the original communal land from 1855. From the RV park, you can catch the 17-mile wooded trail for walking or bicycling through the historic Amana Colonies. The RV park, with 450 sites, is known for hosting rallies and festivals and has buildings to hold from 12 to 1,200 guests. The park’s annual July Firecracker 4th Antique Show culminates with a fireworks display over the large lily pond.
Rafter J Bar Ranch Camping Resort – Hill City, South Dakota
Rafter J Bar Ranch Camping Resort
Surrounded by woods and located in the center of the Black Hills, Rafter J is a true get-away-from-it-all camping resort that offers everything you need for convenience. Sectioned into five camping areas with a mix of shaded and open sites, the rustic resort has three bathhouses with laundromats; a ranch store stocked with souvenirs, groceries, and camping supplies; and an activity center with a pool. Mickelson Trail, “where the ghosts of Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane still roam,” runs right by the resort where you can catch one of the 15 trailheads. Along the trail, you’ll find more than 100 converted railroad bridges and hard-rock tunnels from its heyday as the Burlington Northern line.
Southeast
Candy Hill Campground – Winchester, Virginia
Candy Hill Campground
Open year-round, family-run Candy Hill has shaded and non-shaded sites that can accommodate the largest rigs. There’s a pool, mini-mart with RV supplies, mini-golf, dog park, big and small playgrounds, and a rental trolley that can accommodate 20 people. For some real treats, check out nearby Shenandoah Fine Chocolates’ snickerdoodle cake and Sweettooth Bakery with its cases of treats.
Cajun Palms RV Resort – Henderson, Louisiana
Cajun Palms RV Resort
With the motto “We will show you a good time!” and boasting all 10s from Good Sam’s rating, plus 400 deluxe RV sites with digital cable, Cajun Palms has fun written all over it. The resort staff plans events for every Saturday during the summer months, from luaus to Mardi Gras to evenings dancing to a DJ. There are four pools—one is an over-21 pool with a swim-up bar, while another one sports a waterslide. Game on!
Jolly Roger RV Resort – Marathon, Florida
Jolly Roger RV Resort
Eleven-acre Jolly Roger, located in the Florida Keys, has spacious, grassy, and shaded sites with 50-amp electric hookup. All sites are within a five-minute walk to snorkeling, swimming, and basking in the sun on the white-sand beach. Boat docks and boat harbor sites are available for rental, and free HD cable TV and Wi-Fi are included. Next door is the Dolphin Research Center where you can swim with dolphins!
Road Runner Travel Resort – Fort Pierce, Florida
If outdoor activities are on your agenda, Road Runner Resort, about 10 miles from the Atlantic, is just the place to set up camp. The resort has a heated swimming pool; tennis, pickleball, basketball, shuffleboard, and pétanque courts; a three-hole golf course; and planned events during the winter season. The resort has a catch-and-release pond with an island set right in its center. Fort Pierce does a waterfront farmers market every Saturday and is home to the National Navy SEAL Museum.
River’s End Campground – Tybee Island, Georgia
Half a mile from Tybee Island’s white-sand beaches and shimmering blue ocean, River’s End is an RV resort for all seasons. The charming Southern “Green Commitment” park has full-hookup sites that include standard cable. The pool is open during the summer, and next door are two dog parks. A 15-mile drive will get you to historic Savannah, where you can explore Victorian architecture, book a ghost tour, hop aboard a riverboat, or sink your teeth into delicious fried chicken.
Whisper Creek RV Resort – Labelle, Florida
A mile north of the friendly historic town of LaBelle — once a center for cattle raising and popular with Florida cowboys — is serene Whisper Creek RV Resort. Centrally located in south Florida, the well-lit, upscale RV community has 68 super sites, each with a minimum of 50-by-60-foot-wide lots with 50-amp service and internet. The RV park has an indoor pool, fitness center, horseshoe pits, game room, and laundry facilities. Check out the LaBelle Nature Park nestled along the Caloosahatchee River.
Camp Gulf – Miramar Beach, Florida
Step out of your RV and onto white sand at Camp Gulf in Florida’s Panhandle, a.k.a. the Emerald Coast. Make a splash in the ocean where water temperatures peak into the 80s in July or take a dip in one of the resort’s two solar-heated pools, one with a Super Water Slide. Or roast marshmallows over a bonfire on the beach. With basketball and shuffleboard courts, carpetball, scheduled activities, and events, you’re sure to keep busy at Camp Gulf, or simply kick back on the beach for some R & R.
Northeast
Ramblin’ Pines Family Campground & RV Park – Woodbine, Maryland
“Ramblin’ Pines”—the name says it all, although the family-oriented RV park has tons of other trees as well. Pick from full-hookup sites that are heavily wooded for shade or request one with full sun. This RV park caters to all ages and keeps guests busy on weekends with craft activities, karaoke and bingo, Christmas in July, and PG-13-rated “drive-in” movie nights with popcorn. Enjoy hayrides on Saturdays (weather permitting) and free mini-golf. Ramblin’ Pines’ annual Father’s Day celebration includes a fishing tournament where kids can win fishing rods and tackle boxes.
Circle CG Farm Campground – Bellingham, Massachusetts
Circle CG Farm Campground
Tucked away in a beautifully wooded area with adjacent open fields about an hour from Boston and Cape Cod, family-run Circle CG offers a little piece of the Old West. The country-western-themed farm has a petting zoo to get up close to four-legged friends; shuffleboard, basketball, and tennis courts; mini-golf; horseshoes; a play area; and pools. Most of the 150 sites have a picnic table and fire ring. For another slice of history, head to Old Sturbridge Village, about 45 miles west of Circle CG, New England’s largest outdoor living-history museum.
King Phillips Campground – Lake George, New York
King Philips Campground
Located in Adirondack State Park, King Phillips Campground accommodates all outdoor enthusiasts, from those with tents to those with the largest rigs. The family-run resort has an arcade with a billiard table, badminton, ping-pong, horseshoe pits, and a pool. From the property, you can catch the trolley into Lake George Village for shopping, or the Great Escape amusement park with more than 100 rides and shows. Or if you prefer to hit the “downtown” on two wheels or on foot, take the bike path right from the campground.
Cherry Hill Park – College Park, Maryland
Cherry Hill Park Campground
Open all year and the closest campground to Washington, D.C., family-owned Cherry Hill Park is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The park has two huge lifeguard-monitored solar-warmed pools, one with a beach walk-in; tractor rides; summer movie nights; 18-hole miniature golf; three playgrounds; gem mining; a campground shuttle; and 40-plus miles of off-road trails right from the park’s entrance.
Canada
These top-rated RV parks offer a home-away-from-home experience in a beautiful setting, activities for the entire family, and are close to major attractions.
Burnaby Cariboo RV Park and Campground – Burnaby, British Columbia
Surrounded by 400-acre Burnaby Lake Regional Park with level walking trails through the forest, this beautiful RV park has a fitness room, heated indoor pool, hot tub, arcade, and playground with basketball and horseshoe pits. Relax on Burnaby Cariboo’s central sundeck or on the patio at your full-hookup site with a privacy hedge. If you don’t want to drive into nearby Vancouver, catch the bus right from the resort’s access road and then transfer to the Skytrain.
Campark Resorts Family Camping & RV Resort – Niagara Falls, Ontario
Open May 1–October 31 this year, Campark has everything you need and activities galore. From an outdoor cinema to daily hayrides, to a huge bouncy pillow, to a heated pool and splash zone, to karaoke and dances every Saturday night, you can fill your day with fun and recreation. The on-site shuttle will take you three miles to Niagara Falls.
Kristopher Bunker
Kristopher Bunker is the Managing Editor of RV Magazine and an avid RVer. He's one of the most knowledgeable journalists in the industry.
