Upscale Vehicle Parks

In a high desert mountain, east of Los Angeles, meat was sizzling on the grill, and a group of people milled around an outdoor kitchen, sipping red wine and laughing. Some guests were sitting on comfortable chaise longues next to the rock fireplace, while others gazed at the flat-screen TV. It sounds as a party in the backyard of any upscale home but, this was an RV park.

In America the recreational vehicle parks which were rustic campgrounds with dirt roads, wooden picnic tables and a single pay phone are gone. Now many of them, like Outdoor Resorts Rancho California, in Aguanga, in Southern California, resemble country clubs, with their golf courses, clubhouses, swimming pools and tennis courts. Some parks are going even further and adding water slides, spas, restaurants and summer camps for children.

Most of the vehicles are outfitted with granite countertops, satellite television and a washer and dryer, which cost anywhere from $250,000 to $1.4 million. Majority  the upscale ones are in places where there are a lot of second homes, like Nevada, Florida, Texas and Southern California. The Buckhorn Lake Resort in Kerrville, Tex., added covered RV storage last month and will open guest cottages with private patios in the fall.

The lifestyle in these parks doesn’t come cheap. At Aguanga, a concrete pad generally sells for $80,000 to $120,000. A monthly fee of $330 includes daily trash pickup, water, sewer, cable TV and golfing for members. Owners can rent out their lots when they’re not there for $55 a night. However, there are always parties at the lots. People zoom around the park on golf carts, winding around the golf course and palm trees, waving and smiling at everyone. Family and friends who don’t own motorhomes are also invited.

Photos by: Sandy Huffaker