1. Yosemite Pines RV Park – If you’re interested in majestic beauty of mountains and wilderness, this destination is hard to beat. A nice feature for children is a petting zoo.
2. Boyd’s Key West Campground – This park offers oceanfront campsites and an inviting sense of community.
3. Horse Thief Lake Campground – Located close to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and other natural wonders, it is a great place for a family vacation.
4. River’s Edge RV Park – A luxurious way to explore Alaska, the park provides miles of hiking trails but yet is near interesting city attractions.
5. Valle Del Oro RV Resort – Tucked into the beautiful Arizona desert, the park offers many nice amenities and activities, such as dance lessons, a beauty salon and a fitness center.

Check our Access Camping website regularly for updates.

Another tool available on the internet is CampWiz.com, a free service that permits visitors to plan trips though devising personalized camping checklists and providing reviews of campgrounds across the country. It offers list of amenities available in each campground, including electric hookups, stores and recreational facilities. Nearby tourist attractions like museums and amusement parks are provided as well.

The wealth of information given by such tools will likely save campers much time and trouble. Keep up to date on all the camping news on our Access Camping website.

Jim Rogers, chairman and CEO of KOA, refers to today’s camping trips as being “soft rugged.” Although KOA still provides basic cabins, they also offer luxury ones that could be comparable to those found in non-camping resorts.

Hardier souls who prefer to sleep in a tent can now purchase a host of equipment and gear to make their camping more pleasant. There is no need to endure grainy cowboy coffee because French presses are manufactured for outdoor use. Also, if hamburgers or hot dogs aren’t your cup of tea, you can buy freeze-dried gourmet entrees, as well as chocolate cheesecake to take on your trip.

Of course, such amenities don’t appeal to everyone. For the purists who feel such niceties detract rather than add to the true outdoor experience, the old-fashioned way of camping will always be available. Get all the latest industry news on our Access Camping website.

Sources:

http://www.woodallscm.com/2012/05/taking-the-rough-out-of-roughing-it/

Best Parks in America is a network of independently owned RV parks and campgrounds that have been highly rated. Each member of this esteemed group provides a host of special amenities ranging from water slides for children to dining and dancing for adults to water sports for the whole family.

Deb Kohls, vice president of the camping club, states that the contest seemed like a terrific way to launch the summer season. Visit the company’s website to nominate the park you consider to be the best.

Make our Access Camping website your headquarters for all your camping news.

Source:

http://www.woodallscm.com/2012/04/best-parks-in-america-launches-best-of-summer-contest/

There are some important factors to think about when choosing a tent, and this article aims to help you identify the various styles so you can make the best choice. Before going through the different styles, here are a few things you need to bear in mind.

Size

Probably the most important factor to think about is the size of the tent. It needs to be big enough for sleeping comfortably and big enough to store camping gear and accessories. Head room, eating space and living space is optional, depending on what you require.

Material

It’s worth thinking about the material of the tent. While canvas is durable, it’s also very heavy. Nylon is much lighter, but it is designed for calm conditions. Polyester is good for long periods of time in sunny conditions, as the material withstands exposure to sunlight.

Weather Conditions

Whatever tent you end up buying, make sure it’s suited to the weather you might be up against. That means ensuring it’s 100% waterproof with a rain fly that offers total coverage. Consider a tent porch for storing wet items that you don’t want inside the tent.

Strength

A strong tent will be invaluable against strong winds and other conditions. Strong tent poles, high quality pegs and secured fastenings will help. Choose a tent with double sewn seams for overall durability.

Pitching

Is the tent easy to pitch? Can you do it alone, or do you need help from your camping associates?

Now that you have something to think about, let’s move on to the various styles of tents available on the market.

Traditional A-Frame Tents

A-frame tents are your typical ‘A’ shaped tents when erected. They are lightweight by themselves but have an added tarp for extra weather protection. However, they can be a little heavier to carry around. Inside they aren’t very spacious due to the steep sloping sides. They are a simple shelter but are not very sturdy in strong winds. Typically, these tents consist of two poles at each end to form an apex with a single ridgepole running down the center.

Modified A-Frame Tents

The difference between a modified A-Frame tent and a traditional A-frame tent is that the modified version utilises curved poles instead of straight poles. This provides more stability and improved head and interior space. The other benefit of a modified A-frame tent is the full coverage rain fly that allows you can leave the tarp at home!

Tunnel Tents

Tunnel tents provide excellent stability if pitched end-on to oncoming winds. However, when they are pitched the other way, they are much less stable. Typically made up of two or more poles running the width of the structure, this shape makes for much better interior space and head room. Overall strength and durability varies from tent to tent, based on quality of materials, sizes and tent poles.

Hoop Tents

Hoop tents have curved poles at either end to help retain shape and stability. Guy ropes need to be tied with pegs, staked carefully for optimum pitching. Typically, they are made up of three arched frames for spacious interior areas and head room. The benefit of this shape is that snow and water can simply slide off. Make sure to support any fabrics because if they are not staked down properly, they will rattle and flap in the wind. This type of tent is the lightest and most compact packing tent on the market.

Single Hoop

Single hoop tents are made up of a single curved pole and are usually only designed to sleep one or two people maximum. These tents don’t do very well in strong side winds but are quite sturdy if the wind runs against the spine of the tent. These tents are ideal for cycling or backpacking due to their space and weight factors.

Dome Tents

Dome tents are most popular among family and group campers. Typically made up of two or three poles passing each other across the center of the roof, these tents provide spacious living areas, great head room and sometimes the ability to have separate rooms and porches to store gear and equipment.

They are easy to pitch, stable and can handle conditions such as snow much better than other styles. Dome tents are usually free standing, so you can move them around while erected, which can come in handy in time of events like weather or wind direction changes.

There are other types of tents available, such as yurts and safari tents, but I won’t go into those here because they are usually more permanent for different purposes. I hope you found this guide useful and remember to bear these points in mind when you purchase your tent.

This guide was kindly written by the folks at World of Camping, Europe’s number one choice for camping equipment and accessories online.

All campers should register for KOA’s 50^th Anniversary Giveaway sweepstakes. Since the launch 50 days ago, more than 100,000 campers have registered to win the top prize of a 2012 Keystone Vantage recreational vehicle. Other prizes involved in the sweepstakes include 50 weeks of free camping at any KOA location, in addition to eight $500 camping gear gift certificates. To register for the giveaway go to the main KOA website. Get all your camping news at our website.

Sources:

http://rvdailyreport.com/News/ctl/ArticleView/mid/427/articleId/19970/KOA-giveaway-nears-100000-entries.aspx

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogscheapchick/53942357-67/campgrounds-koa-offer-amet.html.csp

http://koa.com/come-camp-with-us/

Reasons for the growth of the industry can be attributed to different factors. PKF Consulting, a national research firm in the hospitality industry, asserts it is still less expensive to travel in an RV than to pay airfare and hotel bills. Furthermore, baby boomers, who have saved all their lives to be able to travel via RV in their retirement years, are not likely to be deterred by a mild to moderate increase in gas costs. The bottom line is RVing is an economical way to recreate while spending time with family. Visit our website to for all the latest camping info.

Sources:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/apr/11/rv-sales-growing-despite-weak-economy/

http://www.ktvz.com/news/30891782/detail.html

Yes, the iPhone has the largest App Store, but the others are slowly catching up, and for the most part the best apps are on all devices.  And, No, not every single “camping” application is on our list – we did our best to sift through the lists and find what we thought were the best targeted to those looking to find a place to stay. There were many other apps about what to bring on the trip, help with organizing your RV, things like that. We were looking for those apps that used GPS to help campers find their location.

If you know of an app that you think should be there please let us know. Shoot me an email at info@accesscamping.com

Clothing

Kids should always be geared properly for camping trips. Besides weatherproof clothing to protect them from catching a cold or fever when exposed to ill weather, proper footwear is also vital. This will minimize risk of injury when you’re all traveling on foot.

Sleeping Gear

If you like sleeping together in one tent, try to look for family tents that offer optional partitions – some models can even divide a tent into three “rooms” – to give you and your children privacy whenever needed. If you have particularly young ones in tow, there are also tents that offer lockable entryways and windows that are above children’s height.

There are also many tents, cots, and sleeping bags specifically made for children. Besides offering kid-friendly designs, they also offer features like hidden compartments for their toys and built-in pillows.

Cooking Gear

Kids get cranky when they’re hungry so that’s one thing you should avoid at all costs during camping or any trip for that matter. As such, you need to make sure the kitchen gear or cooking set you purchase utilizes the best technology to provide hot and delicious meals as quickly as possible. Your camp kitchen should also include enough utensils for everyone to enjoy their meals in comfort.

Other essential features to consider are compact packaging, safety, and user-friendliness. As it’s not easy looking after children when vacationing outdoors, the last thing you’ll need is a cooking set that’s complex to operate and pack.

Survival Gear

Your children will try harder to behave when they feel they’re treated as an adult. One way of inspiring good behavior from your kids is by equipping them with kid-friendly survival gear for outdoors. This includes first aid kits specifically designed for children’s use, pocket flashlights, and light sticks.

It would also be good for everyone concerned if you can teach them how to read maps and use a compass. Further, giving your kids a guide for identifying poisonous and edible plants can be both an educational and recreational experience.

Having the right camping gear will always make family trips more enjoyable and secure, but nothing beats taking proper precautions. Never forget to educate your children about the common dangers found outdoors and what they can do when they find themselves in potentially risky situations.

About the Author

Belle Maeyahn writes for NDParks.com, the site that reviews camp grounds and all sorts of camping equipment, from family camping cots to the best folding camping chairs.