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Popups offered at park
Popup campers now available at Lake Anna State Park, and at three other Virginia parks in pilot program.
Date published: 9/2/2006
By RUSTY DENNEN It's the latest thing to pop up in Virginia state parks' efforts to get more people to try camping--just in time for fall weekends. Popup campers are available for rent at Lake Anna, Belle Isle, Chippokes Plantation, Hungry Mother and Pocahontas state parks. The state is renting the campers as part of a joint venture with ReserveAmerica, which handles the parks' reservations, and Fleetwood, the RV maker. "Folks like to camp, but they don't want to get into buying all the equipment when they camp only once or twice a year," said Gary Waugh, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation in Richmond. "So we're trying to give them some different options." This is the first time the state has had such an arrangement with an RV company, though Waugh says a few years back the state offered set-up tents for rent. Though the popups are hardly comparable to the luxury RV behemoths that prowl the nation's campgrounds, the Fleetwood trailers are not exactly shacks either. They definitely make rainy weekends in the parks more fun. The five popups at Lake Anna State Park open up into two bedrooms and a dining area with air conditioning, heat, refrigerator, stove, outboard grill, and lots of storage. People just have to bring sleeping bags or bedding, food and other necessities, such as supplies for s'mores. ReserveAmerica this week sent e-mails to those who use its reservation system that the popups are ready and waiting at the selected parks. Each park has five units. The cost is the nightly camping fee, plus water and electric--at Lake Anna that's $27--plus $50 a night for the trailer. The park and Reserve America divide the $50 fee. ReserveAmerica has a separate contract with Fleetwood, which also gets a cut. The state has a five-year contract in which Fleetwood replaces the park popups with new models each year. Fleetwood Enterprises, based in Riverside, Calif., is one of the nation's largest producers of recreational vehicles and manufactured homes. It had sales of $2.5 billion in 2005. Popup trailers are a growing part of the RV market because they are small, easy to tow and easy to set up. They are not the Spartan accommodations of yesteryear. High-end models can sell for more than $15,000. Lake Anna State Park, established in 1983 on the southern end of Spotsylvania, opened its first campground over Memorial Day. There are 46 sites, including the popups. Half have water and electric, the rest have no hookups. Dave Floyd, assistant manager of the park, said camping is popular, especially on weekends, and that the popups are catching on. "This past weekend is the best indicator--we were sold out on water and electric sites on Saturday," he said. The park opened 10 cabins last year, and is planning to add six small, rustic "camping cabins" next year. Camping is available in state parks from March 1 through the first Monday in December. Cabins are available year-round. To reach RUSTY DENNEN:
Date published: 9/2/2006
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