RV Parks Lure Summer Travelers

RV campgrounds come in all types and sizes, and this month in RV Life we take a look at three parks that provide different kinds of experiences for travelers.

Forest Glen Resort in Salem, Oregon, is a handy site in a serene setting for anyone who wants to explore the attractions of the state capital and nearby amusement parks. The Yakama Nation Resort RV Park in Washington is a spacious campground where you can learn Indian lore and stay in your RV or a tepee. And Eco Park Resort near Mount St Helens is ideally situated for anyone who wants a closeup look at the mountain’s recovery since the volcanic eruption of 1980.

Forest Glen Is a Wooded Retreat

Forest Glen Resort, located in Salem’s neighboring town of Turner, bills itself as Oregon’s best-kept secret, offering something for everyone.

The resort is in a wooded setting amid quiet, peaceful surroundings. But it is conveniently next door to the Thrill-ville USA and Enchanted Forest amusement parks and within easy driving distance of all the attractions in the state capital.

Amenities at the resort include a tropical swimming pool, sauna, basketball and tennis courts, lake fishing, paddle-boating and more. There are 80 full-hookup RV sites, showers, laundry facilities, rental cabins and cedar park models. Each RV site has its own fire pit and picnic table.

Within the property’s forest glen setting is a habitat where it is not unusual to see deer, grouse, quail and other woodland creatures. Yet the location offers easy access from Interstate 5.

Within seven miles of the resort are the State Capitol building, which is open for daily tours, museums including A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village for children, wine tasting rooms, and the restored Willamette River waterfront park. The Silver Creek Falls area for hiking and nature lovers and the famous Oregon Gardens are less than 25 miles away.

Forest Glen is an affordable private membership resort that is affiliated with all major reciprocal resorts, including CCC, RPI and ROD.

For information about the resort, including details about an offer for a free overnight stay, call (503) 371-7616.

Yakamas Build Enticing RV Resort
By Russ and Tiña De Maris

There's an old radio gag that says if your laundry comes out of the dryer minus a sock, the missing sock can be found in a warehouse in Yakima, Washington. We've got plenty of mismatched pairs of socks, but still haven't found that warehouse. We will tell you that we've found something a whole lot better than socks, and it's near Yakima. That would be the Yakama Nation Resort RV Park.

This is not your everyday “water faucet and electrical plug” RV park. The Yakamas have gone out of their way to make a truly enticing resort. Spell that relaxation in the form of a lap pool, with a great whirlpool to soak in at the end of an active day.

What made your day active? Ah, well, you could start off your morning with a nice run on the mile-long jogging track that circles the 11-acre resort site. Or you could press a few weights in the modern weight room. Or perhaps that whirlpool would even be more inviting after you've shot a few hoops.

For those of us who have more cultural than physical inclination, it may be better to step next door to the Yakama's national heritage center. The highlight here has to be a travel through time in the tribal museum. The Yakamas have a most interesting tour guide to assist you, a fellow by the name of Spilyay. By tradition, Spilyay helped man to get along in his natural setting. It may have helped that Spilyay was a coyote, and he'll guide you through exhibits that spell out how the Yakamas once lived. It's an interesting perspective, and quite an eye-opener for the “traditional European” background that many of us carry.

After a look through native eyes, you might as well get a bit of native taste. The nearby restaurant provides plenty of native foods. Salmon? Fry bread? Be still my beating stomach.

Your rig won't feel slighted by a stay-over at the Yakama Nation Resort, either. While so many RV parks seem cramped, the Yakamas' place feels spacious, even when hosting the largest of fifth wheels with multiple slideouts. Electrical connections accommodate up to 50-amp draws, and cable TV is available in some areas of the resort.

If you bring more than your “tule tipi” (RV) can hold, there's room for them, too. On one corner of the park stand tall tepees ready to receive overnight guests. Come to think of it, it might be fun to spend the night in one, watching the stars through the smoke hole.

After a day of touring area wineries, or taking in the attractions of the huge murals in nearby Toppenish, you'll be glad to have this place to relax. Tepee dweller or not, you'll marvel at the silhouette thrown by Pahto (Mount Adams) as the sun travels in its evening course. Sit a spell—maybe you'll hear the voice of Spilyay come out with the rising moon.

Camping in the Blast Zone
By Vicki Andersen

When I was a child, winter weekends were spent ensconced on the slopes of Mt. Hood. The revelation that I was bunking down on the flanks of a dormant volcano turned my unadulterated sense of security into a jumble of wonder and fear: wonder at the powerful forces nature could unleash, fear of Highway 26 becoming a river of molten lava and leaving no way off the mountain.

The Smith family, who owned and operated Spirit Lake Lodge at Mount St. Helens, may have had the same mixture of feelings before Mount St. Helens threw her little tantrum. When the old lady blew her top in 1980, among the places and things she buried or blasted out of existence was the Smiths’ lodge and livelihood. Undaunted and determined, they established Mt. St. Helens Tours to conduct guided tours inside the blast zone, opened the world’s first tent and breakfast camp, and created Eco Park Resort.

Within Eco Park’s 90 acres are yurts, log cabins, tent sites and unimproved RV plots, There’s a café, a community fire pit, a covered dining area, and bathrooms with showers. Trails invite hiking, mountain biking or equestrian jaunts. There is decent wildlife viewing and countless feathered critters for birders. Horseback tours are available, or visitors are welcome to bring their own mount and stay at the park.

As an adult who has come to terms with dormant volcanoes, I signed up for the Tent & Breakfast Adventure Tour. Parking my vehicle in the secured lot at Eco Park, I boarded an off-road rig for a ride to the camp, situated inside the volcano’s blast zone at an elevation of 4,200 feet. My very own 12-foot by 12-foot canvas tent awaited me, its wooden floor and heater promising to keep me high and dry should inclement weather pass through. The “wilderness comfort station” even offered a hot shower!

The site is nestled along the shore of Hanaford Lake and encircled by a trio of high alpine lakes. After paddling about in one of the camp’s canoes and trying my luck at fishing, I set off on an exploratory hike to see first-hand how the mountain had regenerated itself.

Afterward, my appetite was well addressed by a hearty spread of steak and chicken, corn, beans, salad, garlic bread and a beverage. I was tempted to linger in the dining tent, but it would have been a shame to pass up the twilight tour. Transported in the off-road chariot, the tour group had a chance to watch wildlife nestle in for the night, hear nocturnal critters come to life, and enjoy spectacular moonlit views. Back at camp, I delved into a delectable dessert while listening to logger poetry and storytelling.

Morning’s breakfast was a feast of hotcakes, bacon, and eggs-to-order that fueled me for another day. Alas, all too soon I found myself again climbing aboard the off-road vehicle and heading back to Eco Park, my car, and civilization.

The Tent and Breakfast Adventure operates during July and August, but cabins and yurts are available for rent year-round. So are the spacious campsites, with three nights the maximum stay for RVs. No hookups are available and, for the tranquility of all guests, generator use is not allowed during the summer. The on-site Backwoods Café serves a varied menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and features the Original Logger Dinner Show on Saturday evenings.

You can also take the Off-Road Adventure Tour of nearly four hours that covers 60 miles and provides an up-close-and-personal look at how the mountain is doing since her shake-up.

Lying in my tent in the blast zone, savoring a serenade of pond frogs and the melody of twittering birds, I realized that bedding down on the side of a volcano no longer intimidated me, and I felt fortunate to have discovered such a unique experience.

Eco Park Resort is at mile marker 24 on the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway (State Route 504). For information about Eco Park Resort, phone (360) 274-6542 or see www.ecoparkresort.com.

Vicki Andersen is a travel writer who lives in Portland, Oregon.