Campground Spotlight
Pechanga RV Resort, Temecula, California
Pechanga RV Resort, about an hour north of San Diego, was one of many RV campgrounds that closed in the spring in an effort to slow or stop the spread of COVID-19. Although Southern California’s Riverside County health officer listed RV parks as essential businesses, the owners of the popular resort decided to shut down temporarily out of an abundance of caution for guests, employees, and the surrounding community.
The monthlong shutdown of this FMCA commercial campground ended on May 5 when it began welcoming guests back while limiting spaces. Ordinarily, the resort has 210 sites available. It will operate at 50 percent capacity for the foreseeable future, its managers say.
The RV resort is adjacent to Pechanga Resort Casino. The casino, which temporarily closed in mid-March, reopened with limited operations on June 1. Pechanga’s golf course reopened on April 26. The properties are owned and operated by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians.
RV resort guests are required to wear face coverings while inside the park’s office or at the facility’s on-site laundry room. Guests must maintain at least 6 feet of distance from people who are not in their immediate families or RV group. For its part, the RV resort has a 24-hour custodial and sanitation department whose workers are required to adhere to county, state, and Pechanga safety mandates, which include wearing protective face coverings and gloves. According to the resort’s website, workers clean and sanitize the laundry facility at least three times daily, and they clean all rest rooms and showers consistently throughout their 10-hour shifts. Hand sanitizer stations are provided for guest use outside the main office and inside the laundry facility.
RV resort amenities include a fenced pet area and wireless internet access at each site. It also offers nearby access to a fuel station, a convenience store, Mexican and hamburger fast food restaurants, a pizza and pasta fast casual restaurant, and a nail salon. When operating at normal capacity, the resort offers a pool, a sundeck, cabanas, and a recreation room with a full kitchen and big-screen TVs.
Back-in and pull-through sites are available. All sites have water and sewer hookups, as well as 20-, 30-, and 50-amp power. Some sites have one or more of these features: picnic table, gazebo, outdoor grill, or fire pit.
Details
Pechanga RV Resort, C13961
45000 Pechanga Parkway
Temecula, CA 92592
(877) 997-8386
www.pechanga.com/rvresort
Travel
Savoring New Brunswick
St. Martins Sea Caves, in the Bay of Fundy, site of the Savour the Sea Caves experience.
If you’re interested in a more relaxed travel pace, add the Canada province of New Brunswick — located just north of the Maine border — to your bucket list. Several new experiences allow travelers to connect with the food, community, and environment at their leisure.
Among them is “wilderness dining.” And one example is the Savour the Sea Caves experience offered by Red Rock Adventure, which allows guests to dine on the ocean floor at low tide. A local chef prepares seasonal cuisine while telling stories about the culture and history of the area. The experience takes place at St. Martins Sea Caves, in the Bay of Fundy, known for its high tides. At press time, dates were available in July and August 2021. Prices start at $425 (Canadian) per person. The company offers other culinary adventures as well. Check for opportunities at www.bayoffundyadventures.com, keeping in mind restrictions may be in place because of COVID-19.
Exploring on foot is another option for experiencing New Brunswick. Nepisiguit Mi’gmaq Trail is a newly designated park with a 90-mile hiking trail. It follows the Nepisiguit River from the mountains of Mount Carleton Provincial Park in central New Brunswick to the ocean at Daly Point Nature Reserve in Bathurst, and is based on an ancient First Nations travel route. Twenty access points and paths are available for those who wish to enjoy a day hike. The distance between points ranges from 2.5 to 7 miles. The park normally is open year-round, and at press time it had just reopened to visitors on a limited basis. Ideal hiking conditions are available between June and October. Registration and a fee are required: www.migmaqtrail.ca.
The city of Moncton boasts more than 32 large-scale contemporary murals from local and international artists, creating an outdoor gallery of street art. Travelers are guided by a curator to learn about these hidden gems on a 1.5-hour walking tour that is available on Saturdays and Sundays; the cost is $25 (Canadian) per person and free for children. For more information, visit www.nbexplorer.com/moncton-street-art.
Opportunities to learn more about area history await also. Le Pays de la Sagouine provides a theatrical glimpse into Acadian history. Actors and bilingual staff work and live in a 19th-century town, allowing guests to visit and explore the music and food of the French settlers’ descendants who occupied the northeastern region of North America. At press time, the facility was preparing for the summer season and hoping to open (with restrictions). For details, visit www.sagouine.com/en/.
During Tour and Tea with Abigail at the historic McAdam Railway Station, guests step into the setting of the beloved children’s book Abigail Massey at McAdam Station and sip tea with book series characters that are brought to life by costumed staff. Reservations and advance payment are required; www.mcadamstation.ca/services. The cost is $15 per adult; $10 for children 12 and under; and free for children under 5.
These represent only a few of the memory-making experiences that await in New Brunswick. To explore further, visit www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca.
App File
Fishing
Serious anglers — as well as those who simply enjoy drowning worms — can reel in a boatload
of helpful information using a smartphone.
FishAngler: An extensive database with maps of lakes, rivers, and oceans allows anglers to retrieve information about fishing spots, fish species, catches, and marine buoys, along with photos. Real-time seven-day marine weather forecasts include wind and wave conditions, tide phases, and water temperatures. Users can organize and track their fishing experiences, and can connect with other anglers via a social news feed. Free for iOS and Android. www.fishangler.com.
Fishbrain: Check what species can be caught in bodies of water nearby, or search for species you want to target. Search exact catch locations and the top baits used at those spots. A fishing forecast helps determine when fish will bite. Anglers can log their catches, see a report of their past performance, and socialize with others. Free for iOS and Android. www.fishbrain.com.
Fishing Points: Favorite fishing locations can be saved in the app and found using a smartphone’s GPS and compass. A fish activity forecast predicts the best times for fishing. Weather information includes current conditions, hourly forecasts, and tide prediction charts. Users can create a fishing log and share photos of their catches. Free for iOS and Android. www.fishingpoints.app.
Hiking
Climb A “14er” In Colorado
Hikers enjoy the view, and their accomplishment, on the summit of 14,433-foot Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado.
With nearly 60 mountain peaks at least 14,000 feet above sea level, Colorado is a wonderland of high-altitude adventure. Many of them can be explored on day hikes, because trailheads are located at high elevations, and a number of campgrounds offer easy access to the trails.
Trailheads to 14,433-foot Mount Elbert, Colorado’s tallest peak, and Mount Massive, its second tallest, are less than 10 miles from the 9,700-foot Sugar Loafin’ RV Park, FMCA commercial member C12393, in Leadville.
Cripple Creek KOA, the highest KOA in the campground system at an elevation of 10,000 feet, is a 30-minute drive from the Crags Trail, which leads to 14,110-foot Pikes Peak.
If you prefer to motor through scenic backgrounds while exploring Colorado’s loftiest places, you can do that, too. A number of campgrounds offer rental Jeeps for folks who don’t arrive with a backcountry-worthy vehicle.
Campers who stay at Silver Summit RV Park in Silverton can drive the Alpine Loop Scenic and Historic Byway to Lake City and back, which travels over 12,800-foot Engineer Pass and 12,620-foot Cinnamon Pass; the latter offers views of 14,309-foot-high Uncompahgre Peak. Guests at Highlander RV Campground, C13802, in Lake City typically take the same route, but from a different direction.
The Mount Evans Scenic Byway — the highest paved road in North America — literally surrounds you in views from the top of the world. You can even drive to the top of Pikes Peak.
While many hikers aspire to summit one of Colorado’s 14ers, their trails tend to be popular and, thus, busy.
For more wilderness solitude, consider climbing one of Colorado’s 13,000-foot peaks (more than 580 of them), which are lesser known.
If you’d like to stand on top of the world this year, note that many campgrounds in high elevations have a shorter season because of the early arrival of winter snow. Of course, you always can do some research for next year’s adventures.
For more information about Colorado’s loftiest peaks, visit www.colorado.com/articles/what-are-14ers. The site also has tips on how to prepare for a high-altitude climb. Another resource is www.campcolorado.com. Use its search function to pinpoint privately owned and operated campgrounds in areas you plan to visit.