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The Port
Huron KOA campground in Kimball has a general
store, movie theater and pizza parlor for people
to enjoy.
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KIMBALL, Mich. — Don't
think camping. Think Kamping. Don't think solitude. Think
socializing.
The Port Huron KOA private
campground, following a national trend to more cushy
camping options, has 13 new family lodges — really like
little houses — with kitchens, full bath and even an
upstairs for children.
Set in a row near the back
of the 75-acre campground, they're for social people who
like being near others while getting away from it all.
"This is the direction
campgrounds are going. We're about six to eight years
ahead. I think the old camping stuff is gone," says
general manager Anthony Jacobs. "We're more of an
amusement park or family fun park. People pull in here
with a tent and upgrade to a Kabin or a Lodge. Once they
stay in a Kabin, you'll never see the tent again."
Amenities and atmosphere
— and spelling — are the huge differences between
private campgrounds such as KOA and more stately
traditional camping parks, such as Pinery Provincial Park
in Ontario.
But before you write a
eulogy for traditional camping, hold on.
"We will not be
changing our approach anytime soon," says Alistair
MacKenzie, ecologist at the Pinery, which has 1,000
campsites and not a single cabin. "A lot of people
still value sitting around a campfire and sleeping in a
sleeping bag under the stars." On a busy summer
weekend, the Pinery can have 8,000 to 10,000 campers.
In a horrible economy,
indicators are good for camping.
The sales of tents,
sleeping bags and camping furniture was up in the first
quarter of this year, according to the Outdoor Industries
Association. The travel research firm Leisure Trends Group
forecasts more people interested this year in
"accessible adventure" 50 miles or less from
home, with "larger families most likely to be
camping, with their top activities fishing, biking,
hiking, picnicking and barbecues."
There are an estimated
8,000 private campgrounds in the U.S. and about the same
number of public ones.
The Port Huron KOA is part
of a huge chain of 435 private KOA campgrounds nationwide.
It has 119 Kabins, 19 Lodges, 2 Kottages (both with indoor
plumbing) and spots for RVs, trailers and tents.
But the lodging is just the
tip of the attraction. While it has no lake, the KOA owns
Sawmill City next door, a park that features mini-golf,
bumper boats, batting cages, basketball, a train and
go-karts. With two pools, bicycles, an inline skating
facility, arcade, pizza parlor and ice cream stand to
visit, Kampers barely have time to sit around a Kampfire
at night before conking — er, Konking — out.
"From the time they
get here to the time they leave, the kids are occupied.
You can come here, open the door, and the kids can just
go," says Jacobs.
He expects more large
groups and extended families vacationing together this
year.
"When times get tough,
who do you reach out to but your family?" he says.
The KOA might run 3,000
campers through on a summer weekend. Although there are
rules for quiet after 11 p.m. — no loud radios, no loud
talking — it's hard to enforce when groups talk in even
normal voices late at night and everyone is packed close
together.
"One family can ruin
it for everyone," he says.
Meanwhile, the Pinery
embraces the opposite philosophy. It's not a recreation
park. It's a nature park. A quiet park. The fine is $150
for noise. Barking dogs are frowned upon.
Spread along 6,000 acres on
the Lake Huron shoreline in southwestern Ontario, the
50-year-old park's major activities are canoeing,
kayaking, swimming, nature walks, bicycling and strolling
the beach. You might not even see the camper next to you
through the sumac bushes.
"The Pinery is
classified as a natural environment park. What that means
is that it's an example of a very good ecological
community with excellent natural resources,"
MacKenzie says.
The Pinery does, however,
possess one trendy lodging option: yurts.
The camp has 12 yurts,
which are round, permanent structures with a pointed top,
fashioned after Mongolian lodgings.
The Pinery has had yurts
for 12 years. They also have campsites that range from
small tent sites to giant RV sites — although with only
electrical hookups, no water or sewer.
And the Pinery is so
popular that even it has trouble keeping everything quiet
on hot summer nights.
"We have a lot of
people trying to get some sleep," MacKenzie says.
"We strive to keep everybody happy."
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CAMPGROUND RESERVATIONS
—Port Huron KOA:
www.koa.com, 810-987-4070
—Pinery Provincial Park:
www.pinerypark.ca or www.ontarioparks.com, 888-668-7275
—State of Michigan
Campgrounds: www.midnrreservations.com, 800-447-2757
—Michigan's private
campgrounds: www.michcampgrounds.com, 989-826-5255
—National Park
campgrounds: www.recreation.gov, 877-444-6777
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