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Jason Wynn
Leavenworth RV Campground
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Courtesy Thousand Trails
La Conner RV Campground
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Lake George Escape Park
By Annie Berman, photos courtesy Thousand Trails
If you’re looking to save more than ever on traveling to the States for your summer getaway this year, the Thousand Trails Camping Pass is a great option that gives you access to over 80 campgrounds across the United States and Canada. Pick one or more zones depending on where you want to camp and you also get access to discounted reservations at 90+ RV Resort campgrounds. From the Adirondack mountains in the Northeast region, to the lush green forests of the Pacific Northwest, there are plenty of unique locations to explore with a Thousand Trails Camping Pass. Here are a few member favorites...
Northeast Region
The Lake George Escape Campground, one of the premiere Encore campgrounds, is located in the northern New York region and is surrounded by Adirondack Park, a mix of public and privately owned land. It’s just a two and a half hour drive across the border from Montreal to experience Lake George Escape’s 175 acres. Lake George has 575 sites for camping and parking your rig or, make a reservation to stay in one of the beautiful park models and log cabins on site. In the summertime, visitors can enjoy hiking, canoeing, kayaking, or rowboating for a scenic tour on the Schroon River.
If you’re interested in exploring nearby Saratoga Springs, check out the Saratoga Brewfest on May 21. Held at the Saratoga Race Course, the Saratoga Brewfest showcases over 200 American craft breweries during the course of a three hour beer sampling, and will be soundtracked by the music of American rock duo, SIRSY. Saratoga Springs is located just 30 minutes south of the Lake George Escape Campground and is a popular destination for resorts and spas.
This year marks the second of the Adirondack Food & Wine Festival, which will take place from June 25th to 26th in Lake George, NY at the Charles R. Wood Festival Commons. This event features local artisan food vendors, wineries distilleries, breweries, craft-makers, and food trucks with the beautiful scenery of Lake George in the background. Because this festival is technically a New York farmer’s market, festival goers have the opportunity to “try before you buy,” and can take home tons of samples for purchase. Advance tickets are only $25 and can be purchased on adirondackwineandfoodfestival.com
Grab your friends from Lake George Escape and hop on your motorcycle to the Americade - the world’s largest motorcade, from June 7 - 11. If you enjoy the wind in your face and the purr of hundreds of motorcycles riding together, then the Americade is the event for a motorist like you. Motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the world come to ride together through the northern forests of New York and Vermont. Riding your motorcycle isn’t the only activity on the agenda throughout the five-day event, there are demos, vendors, and live entertainment including stunt shows and a performance by Grammy nominated recording artist, Aaron Lewis.
Northwest Region
The La Conner RV Campground is located in the Skagit Valley in Washington, just a two-hour drive from Vancouver, BC, along an 800 metres of saltwater coastline. Whether you hook up your RV or rent one of the park models, the La Conner RV Campground is an ideal location to explore the beauty of the Pacific Northwest all year round. This 111-acre campground is just west of the San Juan Islands, is surrounded by hiking trails, and offers a plethora of on-site amenities like storage, clubhouse, fitness center, playground, and laundry facilities. The La Conner RV Campground staff hosts themed activities for Thousand Trails members and their guests including a celebration weekend of Queen Victoria’s Birthday on May 20-22, 2016.
The Skagit Valley truly has a thriving performance art scene and the community is dedicated to keeping arts alive and well in their community schools. The Skagit River Poetry Festival, is a biennial festival that will take place this year from May 19-22 and is sponsored by Skagit River Poetry Foundation, an organization that provides poet residencies in Northwest Washington schools. The festival brings a diverse selection of poets reflecting cultures from around the world, to give workshops, readings, and to connect with local students who will prepare for this poetry festival throughout the school year. Tickets can be purchased on skagitriverpoetry.org/tickets.
The Leavenworth RV Campground in Washington is one of the most popular Thousand Trails campgrounds in the Northwest region. Situated amidst 300 acres of meadows and forests, summertime in Leavenworth is as picturesque as it is fun. Thousand Trails members and their guests can choose among a number of activities including hiking, biking, tennis, bocce ball, and a swimming pool that is set to reopen Memorial Day weekend 2016.
Located just 17 miles from the campground is the town of Leavenworth where visitors can take in a play, dine at one of Leavenworth’s many restaurants, or join in the seasonal festivities at the nearby Bavarian Village. Maifest is one of the Bavarian Village’s most popular festivals and is a traditional celebration to welcome the spring season. This year’s festival will take place from May 12th to 15th and is free and open to the public. Leavenworth is also known for having a vibrant local theater scene. The Icicle Creek Center for the Arts offers unique performances at three venues in town: Snowy Owl Theater, Canyon Wren Recital Hall, and Meadow Stage.
Another fun event to consider this summer in Leavenworth is The Wenatchee River Bluegrass Festival, which takes place this year from June 17-19, has been running for 14 years the Cashmere Coffeehouse, the northwest region’s most popular venue for bluegrass music. Some of the acts on the 2016 bill include Band of Ruhks, Volume Five, Clay Hess Band, Ned Crisp & Bottom Line, Prairie Flyer, and more. The festival has music workshops for musicians of all ages and levels and there is camping available for festival goers, complete with electricity and sewer hookups for those camping in their RV.
Remember to visit thousandtrails.com for more details on these campgrounds and how to get a Thousand Trails membership and save on camping all year round.