DeadbeatCampers.com, which provides a searchable database of campers with a history of nonpayment, property damage and failing to follow park rules, has added links to federal and state databases of sex offenders.
“Now our subscribers have a way to identify people with a history of sex crimes, as defined by federal and state authorities,” said Don Parent, who co-founded Deadbeat Campers, LLC in Bluffton, S.C. with his business partner, Michael Kaiser.
DeadbeatCampers.com went live in July and currently has only a few dozen undesirable campers listed. However, as more parks subscribe to the database, Parent said the database of undesirable campers will grow and more parks will be able to search the database to avoid booking sites to campers with a history of breaking park rules.
Right now, DeadbeatCampers.com is a manually searchable database. However, Parent and Kaiser are meeting with representatives of online booking platforms to discuss ways to integrate their database into the booking systems commonly used by private park operators.
Deadbeat Campers currently allows subscribers to check off seven different undesirable behaviors, including inappropriate behavior, aggressive behavior, neatness issues, failing to pick up after their pets, issues with management, property damage and unpaid bills. Subscribers also can add additional comments about their troublesome guests. Additionally, subscribers can search for undesirable campers using not only their name but their email address, phone number, city, state and zip code.
Annual subscriptions cost $345 and park operators can take a month-long “test run” of the database for only $1, Parent said. DeadbeatCampers.com also gives its subscribers the ability to add their own undesirable guests to the database, thereby helping their peers in the industry.
The market for campgrounds and RV parks is softening as a result of higher interest rates and lower year-over-year occupancies involving both seasonal and transient guests, according to investors and RV park brokers across the country.
The ramifications of market softening don’t stop there, however. High interest rates and weaker occupancies are also slowing the pace of new park construction and expansion projects, brokers and investors say.
While different brokers have different assessments as to the severity of the market decline, only one broker told Woodall’s Campground Magazine, a sister publication of RVBusiness, that his firm’s business levels were as strong as they’ve ever been this year.
James Cook
“Sales of RV parks are down 80%. That’s my assessment of the industry,” said James Cook, national director of brokerage for Yale Realty & Capital Advisors in Miami, Fla. “Most RV parks are down 3% to 5% in occupancy this year. I think that’s the average. We’re just in a different market where people are not as aggressively chasing RV parks as they were.”
Cook added that he has seen cases where sellers have been forced to reduce the prices of their parks during the underwriting process as it becomes apparent to underwriters that the financial data cannot justify the sale at the original price. He cited one case two years ago when the RV park selling price was originally listed at $14 million. It was subsequently reduced to $10 million as a result of changing market conditions and weakening financials.
Richard O’Brien, CEO of Athena Real Estate in Orlando, Fla., who also owns and operates 14 private parks under theApplebrook RV Parks brand, said some investors who purchased private parks during the pandemic are now trying to sell them because these parks are not producing the returns they envisioned when they acquired these properties.
“We’re seeing a lot of developers in the market trying to sell, while there is still reasonable capital in the market to buy,” he said.
“Transaction volume has slowed down mostly due to the spread between buyers and sellers,” he said, adding, “The majority of (transient) RV parks are lower on revenue than in previous years. More supply has been added to most markets, and a chunk of COVID-era travelers have gotten back on planes.”
Sheedy added that the majority of transactions he sees are “forced sales” involving a seller who has personal or financial reasons for selling, such as health or age.
“To put into comparison, though 2024 was still similar to many years of pre-COVID RV real estate market — 2018 to 2020 — generally, the pace of selling a property was a bit slower this year, oftentimes with buyers needing extensions to close and financing contingencies common in most purchase contracts. Owners were faced with rising CAP rates — therefore, lower property values — in 2024 as the spread between interest rates and CAP rates was slim. Buyers had difficulty finding appealing returns and there was a gap between buyer and seller expectations. Values of properties could have declined this year due to overall lower income, rising CAP rates and buyers wanting higher cash on cash returns.”
Most brokers also note that rising interest rates have made it much more expensive to build new parks and expand existing ones.
“The cost to build is much higher than what it was two and a half years ago,” O’Brien said. “It is costing much more to construct sites. Consequently, there are some owners that have paused construction and are in a position where they are just tabling a project where they have entitlements.”
Falling occupancy rates are also making some investors and park developers reconsider the pace of their developments and whether it makes sense to do it now or take a wait-and-see approach.
“The return on investment capital is of concern,” O’Brien said, adding, “We have seen a number of transactions that have started development, but have not been built because of the cost to build.”
Pine has a similar perspective.
Jesse Pine
“Some development projects were delayed or halted altogether and may never break ground,” he said, adding, “High interest rates have put the brakes on some acquisitions of development land or expansion projects if the margins in their underwriting were already slim. The high cost of debt is a significant factor to the bottom line, especially in a development deal where holding costs can be several years and a new RV park may not make a profit ’til year two after it is stabilized with high occupancy.
“Generally high construction costs and lengthy and expensive entitlement processes are other major reasons developers cite as not wanting to begin a project, Pine continued. “Now the market is not as hot as 2021 or 2022, but those were very much peak years and the top of the market. The market is still good when you compare it to the last 20 years of averages. Today, buyers and developers are becoming a bit more cautious and very disciplined in their valuations and pro forma assumptions. They are building in higher reserves and not always counting on consistent year-over-year growth, but perhaps flat income growth for next year. With the election behind us and a new political direction, real estate markets tend to benefit from these shifts and look forward to consistency over the next four years.”
Not every brokerage firm shares the same perspective, however.
Mark Whitworth, president and associate broker with Parks and Places, which has offices in Tallahassee, Fla. and Grand Rapids, Mich., told WCM his firm has not seen any slowdown in market activity.
“I don’t think the market has slowed down much at all,” he said. “We have had 21 sales so far in 2024 with at least nine more scheduled to close before the end of the year. Thirty sales would be another good year for Parks and Places. We also have several parks scheduled to close in early 2025. On the values park owners are getting, our average for the 21 parks sold this year is a 9.3% cap rate with an average time on the market of 8.8 months. That was 8.2 months in 2023. It was just over 10 months in 2022 and 2021. That tells us there is still an increasing number of buyers willing to pay for a park that makes good financial sense for both the buyer and seller.”
On the topic of new park construction and park expansion, Whitworth said the same factors have always been at play.
John Sheedy
“From our perspective,” he said, “funding to build a new park has always been slow. There are numerous factors to consider, like the cost to purchase land, the cost of engineering plans, building material and labor costs, the extended time to build before the first camper arrives… etc. Then the a high likelihood that it may be several years before the park turns a profit. Those things have not changed much and building a new park is still considered to be a high-risk venture by most lending entities. If a park is already up, running, and turning a profit with an obvious need to expand, lenders will be much more likely to be on board to help with those costs.”
For her part, Jayne Cohen, president of theCampground Consulting Group, said it’s important to keep overall market trends in perspective, given the unprecedented industry boom that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“RV park sales and expansions have slowed down post-COVID, but only when compared to pre-COVID and COVID times,” she said, noting, “We are not at a reasonable pace. Remember going into COVID there were record occupancies and double-digit increases in early 2020 before the COVID shutdown. The economic and financial climates as well as the overall slowdown and decrease in occupancy have eliminated the craziness. In addition, it took a moment for sellers to get back to reality and realize the hay days were over. There are still plenty of buyers for RV parks if the seller is reasonable and the numbers make sense. Interest rates are starting to fall, but the effect has not yet been truly realized. Seller financing or taking back a second mortgage has become a necessity in making some deals happen.”
Jayne Cohen
Cohen also said campground and RV park development will continue.
“Developers develop regardless of the times – they simply shift their focus,” she said, adding, “We have a lot of projects in the planning and soft-cost stage, as I call it. These developments want to be ready to go when the economic climate and consumer demand shift. The election was holding folks back as many were concerned a Harris/Waltz leadership would be bad for the economy and inflation. Regardless of your personal political beliefs, there is excitement for a better economy and future with the Trump presidency.”
Indeed, real estate brokers are cautiously optimistic about 2025, particularly now that the election is behind us.
Randy Hendrickson, a broker with The Intrepid Group in Houston, Texas, said his business has picked up since the election.
“The market slowed down considerably in 2024, and many investors were sitting on the sidelines waiting, among other things, to see what the outcome of the election would be,” he noted. “Since the election, our phones have been extremely active and, in conjunction with the recent drop in interest rates, that’s adding more fuel. It does not mean that valuations of parks on the market have changed, however. Rather, investors are still underwriting conservatively. We are seeing an increased volume of calls from owners who are looking to sell now, so the drought (in sales) may be correcting.”
On another positive note, Cook said the private park industry continues to attract new investors from other industries.
“A lot of folks see the potential to consolidate and still see it as an inefficient industry with room to improve,” he said. “But they’re being very cautious and they’re not rushing in.”
Jayne Cohen
O’Brien, for his part, said caution is a good thing in today’s market environment.
“One must tread cautiously forward on a project-by-project basis,” he said. “Demand continues to be strong and rental rates have increased. But we’re coming off a highly inflationary period. We have to be cautious as to future rental rate growth, and especially cautious in developing in light of higher inflationary costs, higher interest rates, higher cap rates, and putting the slow button on rental rate increases.”
Pine also expects the transaction volume to pick up in 2025 compared to 2024.
“Sunbelt states continue to be popular for investors and campers alike,” he said, adding, “Increased financing options for buyers, along with stabilized interest rates, will help more buyers to transact next year,” he explained. “Private equity-backed buyers will also represent a larger contingent of the overall marketplace. There will be a portion of owners who want to exit for some of the same reasons as always — age, need to move, lifestyle changes, investment sales — but there will likely also be an increase of sales due to strained financial pressures. Some parks will also need to be refinanced this year which may make continued ownership implausible.”
Sheedy, for his part, doesn’t anticipate any significant improvement in the market anytime soon.
“I don’t expect transaction volume or pricing to improve until there’s more stability with treasuries, which drive borrowing rates. Pricing, I don’t think, will be dramatically different for at least four to five more years than it is today.,” he said, adding, “There’s basically no bid for parks or campgrounds that are in soft markets.”
Russell Baehre
Russell Baehre, of Baehre Real Estate in Kerrville, Texas, has his own sobering assessment of market conditions as he looks into the future.
“The market is 2008 slow,” he said, “(first in) anticipation of the election, and now (in) anticipation of what is to come in 2025. Plus, (having) about 9% commercial interest rates has most buyers and builders stalled. Also, sellers of good parks know when rates go down their park will be worth more. I was looking and, just in Texas, I counted over 200 parks for sale. Some have been on the market for 365 to 600 days. Most we would never list.”
Baehre also complained that inexperienced brokers “new to the outdoor hospitality industry have listed parks and overpriced them.
“I think the economy is worse than the Fed thinks,” he said. “We already know employment numbers are tainted. So, one way or another, rates will come down in 2025.”
BRANSON, Mo. – More than 500 people representing nearly 200 campgrounds in close to 40 states and Canada attended the fourth annual Campground Owners Expo (COE) Dec. 4-7 in Branson, Mo., making it the largest and best attended COE event yet.
“I think this year, especially, the positive vibe was so strong, and powerful. That’s something you cannot get from every association, group or club you belong to. It’s a feeling that can’t be measured with a success stick,” said COE organizer Lori Severson, who also serves as executive director of the Wisconsin Association of Campground Owners (WACO)
While Larry Helms of the Missouri Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (MOARC) and Bud Styer of WACO provided the initial inspiration for having COE in Branson, Severson said the convention has gained momentum and support over the years from other state campground association executives who see value in providing education and support for parks across the country, including parks in states that do not have their own campground associations.
Held annually at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, this year’s COE included more than 50 educational seminars and cracker barrel discussions. The RV Women’s Alliance and the RV Technical Institute also partnered with COE to provide Level 1 RV technician training for women. The convention also included a tradeshow with 150 booths and nearly 120 vendors, as well as numerous networking and social activities.
Several first-time COE attendees said they were pleased not only with the educational content, but the contacts they made and the overall vibe of the event, including Jeff and Amanda Stoy of Double Nickel Campground in Waco, Neb., who sent Woodall’s Campground Magazine an email with their perspectives on the convention.
“This was our first time going to COE. We have been to other conferences and sometimes feel like they are geared towards new park owners or towards larger parks. This was not the case at all with COE,” the Stoys wrote, adding, “We feel like we have gotten a lot of new ideas for our park. We are a family business and it was so great that we were able to bring our two boys and have them participate and learn more about the industry. Everyone at COE was so down to earth, welcoming, and helpful. We are so glad to be part of this community now!”
Jon Thatcher, who recently acquired Shady Oaks Family Campground in Newmanstown, N.Y., near Plattsburgh, said the conference was worthwhile on multiple levels. “The sessions gave me invaluable insights into different aspects of the business and industry, and I learned a ton from other campground owners,” he said, adding, “I will definitely be back in the future and will be bringing other members of our team.”
“Last year when we attended, we were not park owners,” she said. “We closed our first park two weeks later. I can tell you the information and relationships we make attending COE are invaluable. We learn so much in each session that we try to bring a team to hit every class. And the information and knowledge you learn from fellow campground owners has helped us so much in installing and implementing systems, increasing business and streamlining each of our parks, making them give us higher returns and happier employees. We cannot express how much this event helps us and our team, from new ideas to helping us clear the smog of a busy year and giving us a refreshed outlook for the new year!”
Steve Saint, who co-owns and operates Fort Welikeit Campground in Custer, S.D., said this was his third time attending COE, and he continues to gain insights and connections each time he attends. “The networking is phenomenal,” he said. “Over the past three years, I have made contacts and friends who have shown how outstanding the industry is. I know I can reach out to anyone for advice, and I know I will get it. What other industry does this happen in? To me, this is worth it alone. COE Is the best conference going on.”
COE’s educational sessions covered a variety of topics, including:
— Adapting to Market Shifts: How You Can Attract New Generations of Travelers with Sustainable 3d Printed Tiny Homes, by Gene Eidelman of Azure Printed Homes in Gardena, Calif.
— Complaints Are Gifts: Turning Feedback into Loyalty, by Mark Maynard of Maynard Consulting.
— Recovering from Disaster, by Danielle Lee of Holiday Hills Resort in Eddyville, Ky., who talked about how her park was damaged by a tornado in 2021 and how she recovered.
COE also included cracker barrel discussions on a variety of topics, including issues affecting small parks, moderated by Mary Arlington, a former Kansas park owner who is currently executive director of Rivers and Rockies Outdoor Lodging Coalition (RROLC), which represents campgrounds in several Midwestern states. Kelly Jones, vice president of operations for Houston-based Great Escapes RV Resorts, moderated a cracker barrel discussion involving large parks, while Sarah Krause, a WACO board member who manages several Wisconsin campgrounds, moderated a discussion on park activities and events. COE entertainment included a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet lunch at Grand Country Buffet followed by a Christmas-themed comedy show at Grand Country Music Hall. The show was immediately followed by an exclusive question and answer session for COE attendees with several Music Hall managers, who talked about their demanding show schedules and the difficulties of recruiting, hiring and retaining good employees — all of which resonated with park owners who struggle to recruit and retain talented people to help run their businesses.
COE also encouraged attendees to participate in its annual charity auction and donated proceeds from the event to a relief fund for Ben Quiggle, WCM’s managing editor, whose home was destroyed by a fire over Thanksgiving weekend. “This was the largest charity auction yet, at $9,040,” Severson said, adding, “We donated the rest to make it an even 10K! COE donated all the fee’s and expenses, so everyone who donated was able to give that money directly to Ben’s family.”
Betsy Allen-Manning, the keynote speaker at Camp Jellystone’s annual Symposium, challenged Jellystone Park operators on Wednesday (Nov. 13) to take a close look at the work “culture” they create at their parks because it has a direct impact on their ability to attract and retain talented employees.
“Care about everyone and everything. A leader’s character is contagious,” she said, adding that it’s important for the leaders of each park to “invest in yourself to be the best you can be. … Develop yourself so that you can develop others.”
Allen-Manning is an internationally known leadership speaker, best-selling author, and company culture expert. Her specialty is helping leaders attract, engage and retain the best talent in a hyper-competitive marketplace. Her company, Destination Workplace, is one of the top leadership training companies in the Dallas area. Camp Jellystone invited her to be its keynote speaker because of the challenges park operators always face in attracting and retaining talented employees.
Often it is managers themselves who need training, Allen-Manning said, noting that most people could stand to improve their communication skills, their coaching skills, their time management skills and even their ability to delegate tasks effectively or simply manage change.
Allen-Manning cited Jellystone Park’s “core values” of committing to be the best in the industry, employee empowerment and team accountability as being noteworthy. But turning these values into reality requires more than writing them down.
“Ask (your employees), ‘What does it look like to share these core values in your role?’” she said.
In other words, in what specific ways can each employee apply a park’s core values to the work they do each day?
Equally important, Allen-Manning said, is recognizing the efforts employees are making to do good work.
‘Make appreciation part of your culture,” she said.
Allen-Manning even suggested having employees fill out an employee recognition questionnaire, which asks them about their favorite retail store, favorite coffee or tea, party spot and other favorite things because this information can help guide park operators when it comes time to reward their employees with gifts that recognize their efforts in a personal, meaningful way.
It’s not enough and may not even be appropriate, she added, to simply give out Starbucks gifts as small tokens for jobs well done, particularly when another type of gift could be a much more effective way to get the employee’s attention in a positive way.
Such efforts to recognize employees for jobs well done are important, Allen-Manning said, because “people will repeat what they are recognized for.”
Today’s younger employees also have different objectives when it comes to deciding where they want to work.
“People are no longer seeking to work ‘just’ for a paycheck,” she said.”They work to work at a ‘destination workplace.’”
A “destination workplace,” she added, is a place where employees feel valued, engaged and eager to contribute to the company’s long-term success. Jellystone Park locations that do a good job of attracting and retaining employees should market their efforts by sharing their employee reviews online because this is valuable information that can help with recruitment efforts, she said.
Allen-Manning also held a second keynote address later in the day that focused on how to resolve conflicts by understanding different personality types.
Camp Jellystone’s three-day Symposium concluded Wednesday night with the annual awards banquet, music and dancing.
The event took place at the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, Tenn.
Damage from Hurricane Helene has forced the closure of 16 campgrounds – numbers are changing daily as parks reopen – in the mountains of western North Carolina, according to Dee Witting, executive director of the Carolinas Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (CARVC).
But even though two thirds of CARVC’s mountain campgrounds remain open, tourists have been avoiding the area, dealing North Carolina’s entire mountain region a devastating economic blow during the peak of the fall foliage season.
“This is the height of the fall foliage season and people are not traveling anywhere to the western North Carolina mountains,” Witting said, noting that the mountains are famed not only for their striking fall colors, but their popular fall festivals and fun family activities, such as apple picking.
“We were fully booked for October. It was going to be a great October,” said Marla Snead, who co-owns and operates Linville Falls Campground with her husband, Kenny. Situated at an elevation of 3,500 feet, their park is just one quarter mile away from Mile Marker 317 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is famous for its fall foliage.
But Helene toppled somewhere “between 88 and 100 trees” across the campground, including pines, oaks, tulip trees, hickories and maples, Snead said. The fallen trees not only blocked roadways and campsites, but damaged some of the park’s cabins, the park office and bathhouse. The park’s pavilion was also destroyed during the storm.
“The ground was so soaked that it loosened the roots. In some of the fallen trees, the root ball came up, while others broke with the wind,” Snead said, noting that many trees that are now leaning into other trees will have to be taken down for safety reasons.
When WCM caught up with the Sneads on Monday, their power had just been restored. “We went 17 days without electricity,” Snead said. “We got our Internet back with the (restoration of power). But we still don’t have landline phone service.”
The Sneads survived the preceding 17 days by relying on their 7,500-watt generator, which provided enough power to run their refrigerator and TV. But because the Sneads rely on well water, the loss of power also shut down their well pump. “The worst thing was having to carry water to flush the toilet,” Snead said.
While Linville Falls Campground had planned to remain open until Nov. 11, the Sneads decided to keep their park closed after Helene because they didn’t know how long it would take to find tree trimmers and other crews to help them clean up and reopen. They had tree trimmers working at their campground when WCM caught up with them on Monday.
Despite the damage, the Sneads consider themselves fortunate. “Yes, we’ve had all this damage, but our house isn’t damaged,” Snead said. “We can rebuild from this and we will reopen as usual in April.”
Many other people across the mountains of western North Carolina suffered far greater losses. “One of my good friends lost her house and her car. So many homes are gone,” Snead said, citing the unprecedented floods that submerged entire communities in the mountain areas of western North Carolina.
“This wasn’t a part of the country where you thought about flood insurance,” Snead said, let alone hurricanes.
Witting said campgrounds in mountain communities in South Carolina also suffered damage as a result of Helene, but their damage was generally light compared to what happened in North Carolina.
“They didn’t have damage (in South Carolina) to the extent that they can’t reopen,” Witting said. “They are pretty much fully operational.”
Several campgrounds that are owned and operated by Spacious Skies Campgrounds, LLC were initially affected by Helene, but all but one have since resumed near-normal operations, according to Ali Rasmussen, the company’s CEO. These include:
• Spacious Skies Bear Den in Spruce Pine, N.C.: This park remains closed as a result of Helene, but restoration efforts are underway. “On all fronts, we feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude that no Cosmic Crew or campers were injured, and that most of the property damage that occurred was ours,” Rasmussen said. “Our small but mighty team has already begun the hard work to restore the campground. Everyone in the area is taking it day by day, but the swift response from relief efforts from the federal and local levels has been very encouraging.”
• Spacious Skies Hidden Creek in Marion, N.C.: Operations at this park are almost back to normal. “Our team has been hosting both relief workers, displaced campers, and our usual October guest population in harmony,” Rasmussen said, adding, “On their off time, many team members have been generously donating their time and efforts to aiding the community.”
• Spacious Skies Peach Haven in Gaffney, S.C.: Operations are almost back to normal at this park. “Several campers have assisted with clean up on their own campsites, which was not necessary but much very much appreciated, and it showcases the warmth and caring of the camping community,” Rasmussen said. “Otherwise, we are welcoming our October campers, as well as actively selling our new winter and summer seasonal packages.”
Meanwhile, Toby O’Rourke, president and CEO of Billings, Mont.-based Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA), the Asheville East KOA Holiday and Jonesborough / Cherokee NF KOA Journey will remain closed for the foreseeable future. “We are working closely with our campground owners, managers, and local emergency service agencies to provide support and resources as they navigate the recovery process during this time,” O’Rourke said.
Witting said CARVC is monitoring relief efforts across the Carolinas and is working with its lobbyists and OHI to identify funding sources that can help private parks that suffered damage as a result of Helene.
Pat O’Neill, left, and his wife, Heather, center, with their children on a recent camping trip. (Courtesy photos)
While the Southeast has been battered by a succession of hurricanes in recent weeks, RV parks across the region have been taking in evacuees and, in some cases, serving them hot meals.
“Where we are are located in northwest Florida, we experienced no damages whatsoever. We became a haven like many other parks outside the target areas,” O’Neill said. “We filled up for a few days each time and (my wife), Heather, made pots of homemade soups, including Conecuh sausage and bean and bacon/potato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, for the evacuees.”
O’Neill said evacuees have been very appreciative of his park’s hospitality. “It was well received and guests were very grateful to have a safe and friendly place to (seek safe) haven and make new friends. We even saw old friends rekindle to meet up here for a respite.”
Camp Delta RV Park in Stockton, Ala. offered free campsites to hurricane evacuees, according to a report by WKRG, a CBS affiliate in Mobile, Ala. “If they don’t have a place we will fill up the cabins and then if we run out then we’ll go get a bunch of tents. We’ll find somewhere for them. We are not going to leave them where they don’t have a place to stay,” said park owner Luke Carruth.
Maynor Creek Water Park in Wayne County, Miss. and seven other parks managed by Pat Harrison Waterway District were also said to be welcoming Hurricane Milton evacuees from Florida. “Any of those campsites will allow anyone evacuating because of Hurricane Milton with an RV or tent to stay free,” WDAM, the Channel 7 television station in Moselle, Miss., stated in an Oct. 9 report.
“Pat Harrison (Waterway District) wants to do what they can do, and this is what they can do,” Maynor Creek manager Michael Tarver said. “Just like everybody would like to be able to do more, but most people can’t. They’re in trouble down there. They’re heading out, getting away from this monster. And they come all, they come this way, too. Everybody needs help.”
Hoover Met RV Park in Hoover, Ala. also hosted Florida evacuees fleeing Hurricane Milton, according to an Oct. 9 report by WBRC Channel 6 in Birmingham, Ala.
Campground operators and industry officials are still trying to assess the full impact of Hurricane Helene on Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.
Mountain Stream RV Park in Marion, N.C.
What was known as of late Monday was that several campgrounds were destroyed and many others suffered varying levels of damage, including flooding and fallen trees. At least one campground death was reported. Scores of campgrounds in the storm’s path were without power and it was unknown when electricity would be restored or when they could reopen.
“This is the third time in 13 months that the Big Bend of Florida, specifically the Steinhatchee and Cedar Key areas, have received a direct impact, or were on the bad side of the storm,” Bobby Cornwell, executive director and CEO of the Florida RV Park and Campground Association stated in an email to association members on Monday.
“The storm surge and flooding was severe for coastal communities from Sarasota to Panacea. Tampa and Clearwater received bad flooding, and some parks are still under water in certain areas, including Nature’s Resort in Homosassa, which had significant flooding. Power outages are sporadic, but power is being restored quickly in most areas.”
What was particularly unusual about Hurricane Helene was the amount of damage the storm inflicted after it hit the Florida coast and headed northward across Georgia and into the Carolinas.
“It’s devastating,” said Dee Witting, executive director of the Carolinas Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, noting that search and rescue teams were still scouring mountain communities across the region late Monday.
Unlike typical hurricanes, which unleash their most significant damage when they first hit the coast, the remnants of Hurricane Helene brought as much as 30 inches of rain to the mountains of Carolinas after rampaging across northern Florida and Georgia, creating levels of flooding that had never been experienced so far inland before. Witting said many campground operators in mountain areas remain cut off from civilization late Monday, unable to travel roadways that have been blocked by landslides, fallen trees, floodwaters or other damage from the storm.
Mountain Stream RV Park in Marion, N.C. announced on its Facebook page that the park had been totally destroyed. Witting said many parks have been affected by falling trees which blocked roads, damaged cabins and created other property damage.
“Most campgrounds are still without power. Many are without water,” Witting said, adding that she was working with CARVC’s lobbyists to ensure that state officials are aware of the damage suffered by campground and RV park operators and include them in emergency funding requests for recovery efforts.
Witting said she was aware of at least half a dozen campgrounds across the Carolinas that had suffered severe damage and that one person had died as a result of the storm at a campground in South Carolina.
Toby O’Rourke, president and CEO of Billings, Mont.-based Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA), said its franchisees were still assessing the full extent of damage to their parks across Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia late Monday.
“With more than 50 campgrounds in the storm’s path, the effects have varied,” O’Rourke said, adding, “We expect to have a clearer understanding of the overall damage in the coming days. However, we do know that our Asheville East KOA Holiday and Jonesborough / Cherokee NF KOA Journey were among those severely impacted.”
O’Rourke said KOA’s priority is to support its campground owners, operators, staff, and their guests. “As many of our campgrounds in these states continue to assess the full impact of this devastating storm, our thoughts are with everyone affected,” she said. “We are committed to supporting our community and working closely with our campground owners and managers to aid their recovery during this challenging time.” KOA campgrounds that sustained minimal damage—or were unaffected—will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, O’Rourke continued, noting that campers can visit KOA.com for more updates on specific campgrounds.
While many campgrounds suffered significant damage, others got through the storms with relatively minimal impacts, even in Florida. Cornwell noted that most of the affected parks near the storm’s path in Florida will reopen soon.
“The areas of Perry and Madison, north of where the storm made impact, were hit hard by strong winds, but most of the parks in Madison came out ok. The Madison RV and Golf Resort is open, the Station RV Resort is open, and Ragan’s Family Campground is expected to re-open on October 6,” Cornwell said.
Some companies with campgrounds or RV parks near the storm’s path said their parks were recovering quickly.
Five campgrounds in the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee that belong to Spacious Skies Campgrounds, LLC were affected by the storm, but all of them were expected to reopen soon, according to Ali Rasmussen, the company’s CEO.
Affected campgrounds include:— Spacious Skies Bear Den in Spruce Pine, N.C.: The park is currently closed while area and property clean up continues.— Spacious Skies Hidden Creek in Marion, N.C.: This park is currently without power and water, but expects utilities to be back up within a week to 10 days. However, this park is accepting campers on a boondocking basis who have been displaced by the storm or are working in relief efforts.
— Spacious Skies Peach Haven in Gaffney, S.C.: This park is currently without power and water, but expects those services to be back up within a week to 10 days. This park is also accepting campers on a boondocking basis who have been displaced by the storm or are working in relief efforts.
Spacious Skies Savannah Oaks in Savannah, Ga. and Spacious Skies Belle Ridge in Monterey, Tenn. had minor impacts, but both campgrounds are open and welcoming guests as clean-up continues, Rasmussen said. “Our priority continues to be the safety of our staff and guests. We are also doing whatever we can to support local clean-up efforts. We will likely have more to report in the coming days,” she said.
Parks that were an hour’s drive or more away from the storm’s path still experienced significant storm impacts, but they were much better able to bounce back after the storm.
Ho-Hum RV park in Carabelle, Fla. was about 60 miles west of Hurricane Helene when it made landfall. While the park sustained minor flooding, there was no lasting damage to the infrastructure at the park, which was able to reopen Sunday, Sept. 29, according to Scott Cleveland, marketing and market research manager for USA Camping Company, which owns and operates a dozen parks in 11 states. “The area was hit and lost power and cable, but overall the area is looking good,” Cleveland said, adding, “All beaches, restaurants, and local businesses are all open within a two-hour radius, including Apalachicola and Saint George Island.”
Advanced Outdoor Management (AOM), which manages RV parks across 23 states, also had a park affected by the storm. “Our South Carolina park, Lake Hartwell, got hit. They were out of power and WiFI for seven hours. They have trees down, but no major flooding, thankfully,” said Rachel Godbout, AOM’s chief operating officer.
Woodall’s Campground Magazine reached out to several other companies that have campgrounds and/or RV parks in the Southeast, including Equity LifeStyle Properties, Sun Communications and Camp Jellystone, but none had information they were ready to share as of late Monday.
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