Hello, I am looking for advice from seasoned RV travelers. We are planning a family vacation for late June. We love to camp, but because our youngest son is still only 2 years old, we are considering renting an RV and going somewhere a little more "tame" than a typical campground, but still more accessible to outdoor living and activities than a lodge or motel. We live near Seattle and would like to travel to a nice destination, and then stay put for a week or so and enjoy the nearby sites to see and the RV resort ammenities, preferably somewhere a bit warmer than Seattle. We are new to all this! There are so many options... I must admit we are feeling a little lost and welcome advice. Renting an RV plus the cost of gas will make this a fairly expensive vacation and we don't want to be disappointed by choosing a destination based on a website. We'd much prefer "word of mouth" recommendations. Any ideas? Potential areas include: anywhere in Oregon or Northern California or even Idaho or Wyoming. We don't mind taking a couple days to get there, especially if it's worth it. I welcome your advice! Thanks so much.
Tammo You didn't mention when you are planning on going (what Month). The Oregon coast with all the state parks is very hard to beat. Fort Stevens state park and Beverly Beach state park would both be great choices from where you live. If you want to be inland Smith Rock state park (short distance from Bend Or.) is also a good choice. Whispering Pines Rv park in Cle Elum Washington is another nice place to go (off hwy 90 between Easton & Ellensburg). Then you also have Pot Holes state park out by Moses lake Wa. There are so many great places with in a days drive from where you are that it is hard to recommend any given one. If you let us know what you would like to do, see and how long you are planing on actually staying, everyone could offer more defined recommendations for you to chose from.
Tammo, While I can't help with places to visit in your neck of the woods - other than to say Yellowstone is amazing - I did want to say welcome. We started camping when my youngest was 3 and went every summer after. The kids are in their early 20's now and have a lot of great memories. Over the years, we were able to take them to visit 34 of our "Great States".
Thanks for the replies so far... here's some additional detail: We plan to leave Seattle June 20, right when school ends, and return June 30 or so, right before the July 4 holiday. As far as destinations, we might be more interested in interior Oregon this time around rather than coastal OR. And we are even noodling around the thought of going all the way down to Burney Falls, where we have fond camping pre-kids memories ourselves. Any more ideas?
Tammo Being you are talking a short stay time wise, Burney Falls at that time of the year would be a great choice as well as Smith Rock state park in central Oregon. The weather should be very cooperative (not excessively hot yet).
If it were me, I'd head for One of the Yogi Bear parks. There's one in Missoula and one in Spokane (Cheney). Decent rates, they are geared for the kids, and it isn't so far away that it'll take forever to get there. I've never been disappointed at a Yogi park, and a lot of them have hayrides, pools, spas, mini golf, cartoons, coffee bars, internet, and cookouts. http://campjellystone.com/washington/campg...washington.html will get you to a map and reservation number. Have a great time!!
Try Mt. Lassen National Park. East of Redding/Red Bluff. It's like Yellowstone with about 1/100th the crowds. Mudpots, volcanic activity, great trails, lots of wildlife, extrodinary fishing. Doug
Good to see these suggestions lean heavily toward public campgrounds, my general favorites. This is one time, though, that I would second the Jellystone park nomination. This is perfect for young kids and falls into that "tamer than regular camping" territory. And, compared to other private parks, Jellystone parks are at least outdoors! If you are looking for a more rustic experience, I can't suggest specific public campgrounds as my memory for park names is bad, but I can say that the 2 separate weeks spent in Washington state were wonderful. The ocean-side campground that we stay in at Olympia National Park particularly stands out. Gorgeous views, but not a beach type of park. We did check out a couple of Washington state parks on the ocean and were a bit disappointed at the barrenness of the sites. Having said that, however, I remember how wonderful beach days are with toddlers when they have sand to dig in! Good luck, though. The best thing is getting started with this camping thing early so your child thinks it's the best thing. Forms a foundation for wonderful family vacationing for the rest of the childhood years.
We have stayed at Osoyoos State Park for 29 years because it was great for our kids and now our grandkids. Lots of grass and families to get to interact with if you are into that when you aren't ready to be at the lake. There is an IGA and department store a walk up the hill. In the town of Oroville there are shops and restaraunts - one of the best Mexican cusine places around called Trinos and the weather in the Okanogan Vally is usually very warm. The Park is on the south end of Osoyoos Lake which is claimed to be the warmest lake in North America. The campground is well kept with really friendly staff. The sites are a nice size - the only draw back is there are no hook-ups. You would probably need reservations if all of Washington schools are out on the 20th. The park is located 5 miles south of the Canadian border on highway 97 at Oroville, Washington. It is about 40 miles north of Omak where there is a huge Wal-mart if you absolutely had to have that kind of shopping. Around Oroville if it is not a lake day there is the Ghost town of Molson up the mountain - you could even check out Osoyoos, BC if you got restless. Lake Bonapart is another sight seeing place to check out if you are looking to get out and about. We have taken a day trip to the Grand Coulee Dam to see the light show on the dam but it doesn't start until about 9:00 so it is very late when we get back. But I would highly recommend this park especially if you have children that like the water. QUOTE(Janjanjan68 @ May 12 2006, 03:08 PM) [snapback]4200[/snapback] Good to see these suggestions lean heavily toward public campgrounds, my general favorites. This is one time, though, that I would second the Jellystone park nomination. This is perfect for young kids and falls into that "tamer than regular camping" territory. And, compared to other private parks, Jellystone parks are at least outdoors! If you are looking for a more rustic experience, I can't suggest specific public campgrounds as my memory for park names is bad, but I can say that the 2 separate weeks spent in Washington state were wonderful. The ocean-side campground that we stay in at Olympia National Park particularly stands out. Gorgeous views, but not a beach type of park. We did check out a couple of Washington state parks on the ocean and were a bit disappointed at the barrenness of the sites. Having said that, however, I remember how wonderful beach days are with toddlers when they have sand to dig in! Good luck, though. The best thing is getting started with this camping thing early so your child thinks it's the best thing. Forms a foundation for wonderful family vacationing for the rest of the childhood years.
:unsure: New to the forum we plan on taking a trip in april 20 next year looking for advice on good camping ground. We have a 37 motorhome. from texas to fl. trip about 18day
If you are looking to stay at the Beach, you can try Topsail Hill State Park near Destin or the Panama City Beach RV Park in Panama City.
The sun must have baked my brain here in GA. I didn't even notice the dates. Thanks. I was refering to the last post which was above mine, not the original post.
