Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.
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Today, as we loaded up our bikes, after removing the bike rack from the 5th wheel, re-installing it onto the truck, loading the bikes back onto it and driving 35 minutes to the trailhead, I was lamenting the fact that we haven't done a good job finding more campgrounds with easily accessible bike trails. Our last stop in Boise ID, we rode onto the trail straight from the campground, which was awesome. For us, both still working, it's so much easier to fit in an evening ride after the work day is done if we can leave directly from the campground after grabbing our helmets and changing into our bike clothes. It's a huge bonus and a higher quality of life that we factor into our decision on which sites are places we want to return to in our travels.
So, I thought I would share the locations we've found thus far where you can do this, hoping others would add to the list. We're going to be spending part of our winter in So Cal and I would love some suggestions for the greater LA and San Diego areas. My list is paved bike trails, not mountain bike trails and we aren't real big on riding city streets for much of our riding.
My choice of campgrounds varies from private, commercial, state, county, etc. I note where the campground wasn't so great, but the bike trail helps make up for that.
Washington:
Auburn WA - Wilderness Game Farm Park (only 30 AMP and water, small campground with 7 day limit), located right on the White River trail.
Kent WA - KOA campground, (campground is very pricey and not one we'll stay at again) but awesome access to the Green River Bike Trail
Idaho:
Boise ID - Boise Riverside RV park (probably one of the best private campgrounds we've stayed in, sites were larger than most), located right in the middle of the Boise Green Belt Trail
Couer d'Alene ID - Blackwell Island RV resort, (haven't stayed there but have driven past it and thought it would be a good place to try next time we're in the area), very easy riding across the river to the middle of the Centennial Trail, can ride further into ID or head west and cross the state line into WA
Colorado:
Longmont CO - Boulder County Fairgrounds, campground a little close quarters, but super easy access to the St. Vrain Greenbelt trail
Longmont CO - St. Vrain State Park, expensive state park campground if you include the vehicle fee for non-residents, but awesome sites and a very short ride to access the St. Vrain Greenbelt trail
Arizona
Tucson AZ - Prince ofTucson RV Park - not our favorite due to placement of trees and power pedastals, but super easy access to the Tucson bike trails that follow the canals dry river beds.
Utah
Provo UT, Utah Lakes State Park, beautiful campground, a bit buggy certain times of the year, but a very short ride on a lightly used road outside the park puts you on the Provo River Bikeway.
So, anyone else want to share? Again, I'm specifically looking at So Cal for Jan-Mar but I can't imagine we're the only ones out there who love to be able to go for a ride right from the campground instead of having to drive to a Trail head.
Looking forward to other contributions to this thread.
Our home base is Griff's Valley RV Park in Altoona, Iowa. A new paved path runs adjacent to the Park and connects with a network of Des Moines area paths. The park has nice amenities, is big rig friendly, quiet, year round, and relatively inexpensive.
There's also Lelynn RV Park in Polk City, Florida. One can ride 2-3 miles by low traffic roads to the Van Fleet state trail which goes through Florida's Green Swamp. For those who like solitude and the occasional wildlife, this is a wonderful trail. But, hey, I'm a Florida native and a liberalized redneck swamper.
__________________
Bill LeMosy
2001 Volvo VNL 610 with Smart car bed
2013 Smart for Two Passion
2007 New Horizons Summit 38, MorRyde IS and pin, Dexter disks
"There is no path. Paths are made by walking." – Spanish poet Antonio Machado
Park City RV Resort in Park City Utah. Not only is it about the only campground in Park city but miles and miles,, and miles of trails can be ridden starting right across the street.
Dave - you made me think of one more, close to your old home area.
Rogue River OR - Valley of the Rogue State park is right on the Rogue River Trail. A relatively short bike trail, but a fun way to get into town without having to jump in the truck.
While visiting Bryce Canyon we saw they were almost finished what looked to be a fantastic bike/walking trail that went all through the national park AND into Red Canyon. Easy access from Ruby's campground, right across the road in fact. It's probably open now I would guess.
And yes, the Rogue River trail and it's being expanded as well.