The Best Kept Secret in Camping - RVing!

The Best Kept Secret in Camping - RVing!
By Keith A. Williams

Most RV'ers have one or more of the big, thick, campground guides. But did you know that there are hundreds and hundreds of great campgrounds in all the states which are not included in those guides?

The best kept secret in RVing is campgrounds located in county parks! But where are they, and how do you find them? That's the big question!

Often these are relatively small and almost always off what most would consider the beaten path. But if you're looking for a quiet place to listen to the birds, wet a line, read a book, or maybe even meet a new friend, it might be well worth seeking out some of these neat spots.

One of these is F. W. Kent County Park, near Oxford, Iowa. It's just a few miles off I-80 Exits 230 or 237, on US-6 between Oxford and Tiffin. As I recall, it's about a mile square in size, has a "lake" (miniature), and lots of trees and trails for exploring.

If you want to explore this part of Iowa for a day or two, this park is conviently located for visits to the Amana Colonies, Coralville Mall (the second largest mall in Iowa), and the University of Iowa. The Amish and Mennonite town of Kalona is but a short drive away, too.

If you're a user of Google Earth, you can preview the park easily! Just type in "F. W. Kent Park, Iowa" and it will whisk you right there. I have even placed a pin on the entrance to the RV sites! If you're GPS equipped, right click on the pin, go to "Properties," and it will give you the lat/lon to plug into your unit. Then your GPS will take you right to the spot!

For some time I've felt that there should be a good way for any traveller to find county parks, so I purchased the domain name countyparks.us. The site is up and running, but so far it has little in the way of park information on it. I have a grand idea as to how to do it, but have yet to create it. When complete, it will be the neatest campground finding service available. (How's that for positive thinking!)

And you can help! If you'd like to recommend a county park in any state, please drop me a line about it? I'll figure out a way to share that info with our fellow RVers and campers!

Happy Camping!

The author is a part-time RVer who enjoys more natural settings than commercial campgrounds usually provide while en route and needs a place to spend a night or two. County park campgrounds are the answer!

Although incomplete, you can see his county parks site here: http://countyparks.us

He also has a couple of commercially oriented sites, http://awninglock.com and http://awninglock.info on which he offers a product in which he believes every RVer should have an interest.

This is his third RV-related article, the other two being "The Greatest Myth in RVing -- and What To Do About It" and "RV Awning Travel Lock -- Why Do I Need One?"

Copyright 2007 by Keith A. Williams

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