This scenic marvel in the area known as the “Pennsylvania Wilds” is blessed with well-planned state parks on both rims. Leonard Harrison State Park on the east [...]]]> Looking for another great Pennsylvania camping destination? RV camping to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania delivers scenic views, abundant campsites and a whole new impression of the Keystone State.

This scenic marvel in the area known as the “Pennsylvania Wilds” is blessed with well-planned state parks on both rims. Leonard Harrison State Park on the east rim offers more than five hundred acres of outdoor recreation possibilities. Campgrounds in and around this park make it the perfect place for an RV camping adventure. Colton Point State Park on the west rim consists of four hundred rustic acres crisscrossed with challenging hiking trails.

The Canyon itself (also known as Pine Creek Gorge) is a thickly-forested wonderland popular not just with hikers but also wildlife watchers, nature photographers and fishing buffs willing to hike a bit to find the good spots. Springtime canoe trips through the Canyon along Pine Creek are another perennial hit. At forty-seven miles long with a view fourteen hundred and fifty feet down at its deepest point, it goes without saying the gorge’s scenery is spectacular!

An abundance of hardwood trees in the area makes it a very popular destination for fall “leafpeepers”. Book a campsite for late September or early October and you’ll be rewarded with unforgettably colorful vistas. And you needn’t be capable of strenuous hiking to enjoy the scenery. Overlooks at both state parks supply a panoramic view of an eight-hundred feet deep section of the gorge.

How to get to this North Central Pennsylvania attraction? It’s an easy two hour drive from State College via I-80/US220, then PA state roads. It’s also about a two hour trip from Kingston, PA in the Wilkes-Barre area.

Once you’ve arrived, you’ll want to find your campground and make it your home base for your outdoor adventures. Here are just three of the many RV campgrounds in the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania area:

• Canyon Country Campground on the east rim in Wellsboro, PA is just steps away from memorable scenic overlooks.
• Stony Fork Creek Campground, also in Wellsboro, offers easy access to Canyon overlooks and free shuttle service to nearby Pine Creek Rail Trail.
• Kearses Campground, near Gaines, PA on the west rim, is walking distance to Pine Creek fishing.

Why not visit North Central Pennsylvania this year and find out why RV campers rate it high for return vacations? Tioga County has created a colorful tourism website packed with photos, helpful links and plenty of information about the area. Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon is a wonderful place to experience the state’s scenic beauty. Add it to your “must-see” list as you plan your future RV camping adventures.

Rent Your RV Rather Than Buy

If you only take a week or two for your RV [...]]]> While RV trips are typically less expensive than traditional vacations by up to 74% (see: RV Vacations Are Least Expensive, Study Finds), there are still many things that you can do to keep the cost of your RV vacation down.

Rent Your RV Rather Than Buy

If you only take a week or two for your RV Vacation every year, it may end up being more economical to rent an RV rather than purchase one. Also remember to pick the RV that is sized right for your needs. There is no need for a big Class A motorhome if a smaller Class C will adequately meet your needs.

Travel During the Off Season

If you are not beholden to a school schedule than seriously consider traveling in the off-season to get better rates (both in rentals and campgrounds). Obviously, depending on the season, your destinations may be limited to the “sunshine states” – but there is nothing wrong with escaping the winter blues with an RV vacation to Arizona.

Shop Around for Campgrounds

Campground rates can and do vary considerably. Take the time to shop around. Also don’t forget to investigate the campgrounds on public lands. Check out the State Parks in your destination state as well as Recreation.gov for campgrounds on Federal land.

Park for Free

When traveling to and from your destination, there are many places where you can park overnight that cost little or nothing. Often times public lands have free RV parking in campgrounds with no amenities. Most Walmarts allow free overnight parking (see: WAL-MARTS BY STATE). Some other resources to check when looking for free overnight stays with your RV:

• Free Campgrounds for RVs
• Park Free Overnight

Longer Stay for Lower Price

Some campgrounds offer discounts for extended stays. It never hurts to ask…

Use Your RV’s Kitchen

While on vacation it is always fun to eat out, do make sure to make use of the kitchen in your RV to keep eating costs down. Even if your are only eating breakfast and lunch in the RV, it will still help to keep meal costs down.

Check for Discounts

There are many discounts that are common for both RV rentals as well as campgrounds. Discounts to check for include:

• Discount for active duty military
• AAA discount
• AARP discount
• Senior Citizen’s Discount

With these tips in hand, you should be able to keep RV vacations expensed down.

Why should you make plans to see the wonders of Sedona? Browse our list of the top ten reasons to visit Sedona and you’ll soon understand why!

RV campers report the fishing’s fine [...]]]> Reeling in a fantastic RV fishing vacation in New York is easy, considering the lakes, streams and ocean shoreline that offer a different fishing experience every trip. Add in the wide variety of RV camping venues, and you’ve got everything you need for one whopper of an RV vacation.

RV campers report the fishing’s fine on these New York waterways:

New York Great Lakes Fishing
New York boasts shoreline on two Great Lakes, Erie and Ontario. Lake Ontario is the place to go for great Coho and Chinook salmon fishing, while Lake Erie is well-known for its walleye and smallmouth bass. Park your RV at Lake Bluff Campground near Lake Ontario’s Great Sodus Bay. For your Lake Erie RV fishing vacation, why not try Lakeside Campground in Ripley, NY?

New York Adirondack Lakes Fishing
The beauty of New York’s Adirondacks is legendary, and so is the fishing! With hundreds of lakes and ponds to tempt fishing fans, the Adirondack Lakes Region presents endless RV fishing vacation possibilities. Here’s just a sample of what’s waiting for you there:

• Saranac Lake Chain: The Upper, Lower and Middle Saranac Lakes are just three of dozens of bodies of water in the Adirondack Lakes Region. Connected by a series of locks, these lakes are prime brown bullhead and largemouth bass territory. Plan to spend time exploring six-million-acre Adirondack Park while in the area.
• Adirondack Stream and River Fly Fishing: Another popular way to spend time in the Adirondacks is fly fishing the area’s streams and rivers for wild brook trout, brown trout and even salmon. The Ausable River near Lake Placid has a reputation for rewarding fly fishing experts.

New York Hudson River Fishing
The Hudson’s thirty boat ramps make access to this mighty river simple. Don’t have a boat? The fishing piers built by the State of New York give landlocked fishermen a chance to enjoy the River, too. This river’s unique blend of coastal salt water and fresh Adirondacks river water makes for some stellar fishing. Try your hand at catching some of the Hudson’s legendary stripers, and then relax for the night at River Road Campground in Corinth, NY.

New York Atlantic Coast Fishing
Fishing New York’s Atlantic Coast off Long Island is another “can’t-miss” experience for RV fishermen. We’ve heard great things about fishing the surf off Montauk for blue fish, and you’re sure to find places to catch tuna, fluke and striped bass in Long Island’s waters.

New York Lake George/Lake Champlain Fishing
Sport fishermen flock to northern New York’s Lake George/Lake Champlain area. So should you, if you’re hoping to catch lake sturgeon, channel cats or Atlantic salmon, as well as a trophy bass or two. Known as an ice fishing wonderland, Lake Champlain is accommodating year-round, with scenic views and abundant RV camping. Lake George, just south of Champlain, is also home to numerous bass fishing tournaments. Plan to stay at Brookwood RV Resort for easy access to both lakes.

Believe it or not, there are even more New York fishing adventures we don’t have room to mention! Use New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation website to learn more about where to fish and what regulations are in place. NYCampgrounds.com is an excellent source for RV campground information by region. And let us know here at ElMonteRV.com if we can help with an affordable RV rental for the trip!

NFL Football RV Tailgating One of [...]]]> Football season is upon us, and there’s no easier way to throw a tailgate party than with a well-equipped RV. If you haven’t had the pleasure, it’s definitely time to get in the game! To help you get started with RV football tailgating, we’ve put together some helpful tips and tools.

NFL Football RV Tailgating
One of the ways we’re helping you prepare for pro football RV tailgating is by publishing a month-by-month schedule of NFL games on our website. After all, you’re going to need plenty of time to plan all those great tailgate party menus!

And speaking of menus, you’ll find plenty of help online. Websites like Tabasco.com, Tailgating.com and SouthernTailgater.com will deliver recipe ideas sure to score a touchdown with your RV tailgating crew. Another website you’ll want to visit is NFLTailgating, where you’ll find tailgating gear customized for every NFL team on the roster! One more hot tailgating tip: TailgatingWiki.com is up and running and shares lots of helpful information on “away game” stadiums and tailgating venues.

College Football Tailgating
A crisp, autumn day and the promise of exciting gridiron action…add in the aroma of great tailgate party food and it’s paradise for the college football fan! We want to help, so we’ve created a guide to this season’s college football and posted it at ElMonteRV.com.

Whether you’re cheering for Fresno State or call yourself a die-hard Clemson Tigers fan, there’s no reason not to enjoy a full season of RV football tailgating. No matter what kind of food and drink you plan to serve, starting with the convenience of a motorhome kitchen makes it easy.

To get you in the mood, here are some of our favorite college football tailgating websites:

• Florida Gator Tailgating
• USC Trojan Tailgate Club
• MichiganTailgating

Ready to get your grill on? There’s an RV waiting at one of our rental locations that will fit your football tailgating needs perfectly. Read the football action guides we’ve posted on our website, pick your RV and your menu and get ready for some serious RV football tailgating this season!

When early pioneers began to settle the wild frontier, they followed the Hudson River north, then the Erie Canal west, carving out a life of farming in New York State. They had to clear the forests to create farmlands. At first they built small log cabins, but as they [...]]]> By Sue Freeman, New York Outdoors Blog

When early pioneers began to settle the wild frontier, they followed the Hudson River north, then the Erie Canal west, carving out a life of farming in New York State. They had to clear the forests to create farmlands. At first they built small log cabins, but as they cleared more land they found they could ship the lumber on the Erie Canal as a cash crop. The building material of choice became the glacially deposited cobblestones that rose to the surface each time they plowed their fields.

The farmers developed building with cobblestones into a fine art. Initially their buildings were crude, using stones of random sizes and colors, but it evolved into sorting stones and creating buildings with stripes, herringbone patterns and all sorts of creative flairs. They built houses, churches, schools, factories, smokehouses, stores, and even tombstones. It was hard labor, taking up to 3 years to manufacture a building, including hand hewing each window and door frame, and sometimes even carting wagon loads of stones back from the shores of Lake Ontario in a sled over snow. Imagine quarrying your own materials (such as ground limestone or dolomite, sand and water) to make mortar and waiting for it to age a year under a pile of manure until it was ready to use. That was only a small part of the entire process. Fascinating historical accounts of building cobblestone buildings can be found in the guidebook “Cobblestone Quest.”

This building technique came to a screeching halt with the outbreak of the Civil War, but many of the buildings still stand today as a testament to their fine craftsmanship. The buildings are clustered in the northwestern part of New York State. You can drive by them to enjoy their diversity and learn the history of each using “Cobblestone Quest – Road Tours of New York’s Historic Buildings,” (Footprint Press, Inc.). There are also cobblestone buildings you can tour as museums, antique shops and art galleries, restaurants you can eat in, and Bed and Breakfast Inns for an evening’s repose.

Travel back in time to the days when New York State was the wild frontier. Come explore New York’s unique cobblestone history.

RV Campground Options:

1. Medina/Wildwood Lake KOA, Medina
2. Redbreeze Secluded Waterfront Campsite, Waterport
3. Hamlin Beach State Park, Hamlin
4. Lakeside Beach State Park, Waterport
5. Letchworth State Park, Castile
6. Lei Ti Campground, Batavia

Cobblestone Bed & Breakfast Inns:

1. Captain Throop House Bed and Breakfast, PO Box 145, Pultneyville, NY, 14538, 315-589-8595
2. Maxwell Creek Inn Bed and Breakfast, 7563 Lake Road, Sodus, NY,14551, (315) 483-2222
3. Peppermint Cottage and Jackson Schoolhouse B&B, 336 Pleasant Valley Road, Lyons, NY, 14489, (888) 997-1998

Cobblestone Museums:

1. Babcock House Museum, 7449 Lake Road, Appleton
2. Hartland Historical Society District 10 Schoolhouse, 9713 Seaman Road, Hartland
3. Cobblestone Society Museum, 14393 Route 104, Childs
4. Alexander Town Museum in Alexander Classical School, 3323 Church Street, Alexander
5. Livingston County Historical Museum in Geneseo District #5 Schoolhouse, 30 Center Street, Geneseo
6. Chili Schoolhouse Museum, District #4 Schoolhouse, 2525 Scottsville Road, Henrietta
7. Tinker Homestead & Farm Museum, 1585 Calkins Road, Henrietta
8. Wallington District #8 Schoolhouse, 6135 North Geneva Road, Wallington

Cobblestone Restaurants:

1. Wilson House Inn, 300 Lake Street, Wilson
2. The Cobblestone Restaurant, 3610 Pre-Emption Road, Geneva

Cobblestone Antique Shops & Galleries:

1. Golden Lynx Art Gallery, 16 Mendon-Ionia Road, Mendon
2. Cobblestone Antiques, 6452 Victor-Manchester Road, Victor
3. Cobble Ridge Antiques, 3049 Parker Road, Palmyra

To make planning your [...]]]> Green hills, fly fishing and hundreds of miles of scenic hiking… these are just three of the attractions RV camping fans will find in Southern Vermont. Spend your days whitewater rafting or strolling quiet village streets, but definitely plan to spend time this year at one of Southern Vermont’s tree-filled RV campgrounds.

To make planning your RV camping vacation simpler, here are ten things you should know about Southern Vermont:

1. Bennington, Brattleboro and Bellows Falls are just three of the picturesque towns vacationers love. Southern Vermont’s villages are famous for handcrafted art, working farms and historic spots like Robert Frost’s grave.
2. Vermont’s wild rivers are the perfect setting for whitewater rafting and kayaking, The West River is a favorite for visitors who enjoy getting wet on vacation.
3. Green Mountain National Forest is four hundred thousand acres of outdoor recreational opportunity! Two National Recreation Areas, eight primitive wilderness areas and access to three national trails (see #6 below) make it the perfect place to bike, hike, boat, fish and camp.
4. Two man-made bodies of water, Harriman Reservoir and Somerset Reservoir, offer outdoor enthusiasts boating, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities in Southern Vermont. (Paddlers will especially enjoy the quiet coves at Somerset.)
5. Memorable Southern Vermont RV campgrounds include:
   • Pine Hollow Campground – park your RV on this campground’s pond for easy access to area attractions and a truly idyllic setting.
   • Dorset RV Park is within easy driving distance of outlet malls, hiking trails and Hildene, the summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln.
6. Famous hiking trails dot the landscape throughout Southern Vermont.
   • Appalachian Trail: The famous “A.T.” winds one hundred fifty miles through Vermont, in a wide variety of terrain. Don’t miss the chance to hike a piece of history.
   • Long Trail runs the length of Vermont and also gives Southern Vermont visitors the chance to hike one of the oldest trails in America.
   • The Robert Frost National Recreation Trail (PDF) honors the work of this venerable American poet on short loops suitable for most campers.
7. Covered Bridge Driving Tours allow visitors to experience in-depth the charm of the Vermont countryside. Here’s a helpful website with lots of information about these historic structures and how to find them.
8. Southern Vermont’s Scenic Drives such as the Equinox Skyline Drive and Vermont Scenic Route 100 are guaranteed to provide awe-inspiring views year-round.
9. Southern Vermont’s famous outlet malls provide great savings to make your vacation even more worthwhile. Here’s a link to information on malls near your RV campground.
10. The arts are definitely being celebrated in Southern Vermont, with such attractions as the Norman Rockwell Museum in Rutland, exhibits and performances at world-famous Bennington Center for the Arts, and the annual Putney Crafts Tour.

The green hills of Vermont are waiting to welcome you and your RV. There’s something to enjoy for every kind of motorhome camper. Pick your favorite activities from the links above and make a trek to Vermont this year.