Seven years of traveling across this great country have given us plenty of amazing opportunities. We’ve seen and done things we likely wouldn’t have seen and done by now had it not been for our RV lifestyle. We’ve also stayed at incredible places, some better than others. Here are our seven most unique RV stays in seven years.

1. Behind a hotel

Occasionally, we’ve seen an RV parked behind a hotel and wondered, “Why aren’t the people staying in their rig?” I could only reason that perhaps they got a better deal at the hotel than they could get at a campground, as far-fetched as that may sound. 

We had a different situation where we intentionally parked behind a hotel in Ashland, Oregon. We arrived in the area to visit my cousins, only to learn our rig was too big for their driveway. We quickly scrambled for a place to park it so we could spend time with them. The best deal we found was at an 11-space RV park on the hotel property. 

We pulled in and maneuvered our big rig among the smaller ones. After meeting a few of our neighbors, we learned that most of them lived on site full time. The place turned out to be pretty sketchy. If we had that stay to do over again, we probably wouldn’t take it. At the time as new full-time RVers, however, it worked for our needs for two nights. (Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture to document it.)

2. On an airport ramp

Bob has had a love of aircraft for decades. He joined the Commemorative Air Force in 2015 and convinced me to join a year later. That’s afforded us some extraordinary opportunities. 

One of those was residing on an airport ramp for a week, thanks to a pilot we befriended on one of our annual summer tours with a B-25 WWII bomber plane. We reached out when passing through Terre Haute, Indiana, and got an invitation to stay with him and his wife. They had planned to house us on their property, but recent rain had softened the ground, making them fearful we’d get stuck. 

Instead, they offered to let us park on the ramp side of their airport hangar. That gave us amazing views of their C-47 troop transport and other planes through our RV windows. It also put us in close earshot of lifeflight helicopters a couple of hangars down that sounded like they were going to land on our roof.

3. At hot springs

En route to Alaska in 2023, we stopped at the Liard River Hot Springs Park in British Columbia. The campground wasn’t anything special. What was unique was the huge hot springs pool on site, included in the campsite price. What made it stand out even more was seeing a moose cross the boardwalk right in front of us on our way to take a dip. 

We spent hours in the springs over our two-night stay, basking in the water’s warmth and chatting with fellow travelers. We liked the place so much that we booked another two nights there on the way back to the contiguous United States after spending the summer in Alaska.

4. On a peninsula

While working our way across North Dakota from east to west, we discovered an ideal boondocking spot near New Salem, complete with picnic tables and fire rings. We set up on a piece of land surrounded by water and relished awe-inspiring views of nature and wildlife. 

We also survived a scary storm there. Despite that, we found the place serene overall and would definitely consider going back if we visit the state again. 

5. At a flight park

Just outside Salt Lake City, Utah, we uncovered a very unique campsite: on a cliff overlooking the city at Flight Park State Recreation Area. That gave us spectacular views at night. 

Even more unusual, though, was the big attraction there: paragliding. Early in the mornings and again in the evenings, sports fanatics would arrive, gear up, and take to the air to ride the wind thermals while tethered to parachutes. 

We enjoyed watching them jump off the cliff on the other side of the butte and rise and descend with the currents. Some rode for hours. 

6. Under a windmill

When dealing with one of many RV tire issues in 2022, we happened upon a noteworthy campground near Groom, Texas — home to a 19-story steel cross. About 15 minutes from the towering cross, this campground had four spots under a huge wind turbine. We stayed among seasonal workers while listening to the drone of the colossal structure.

7. On a lakeside

In 2021, we fulfilled a mission to visit the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We spent three weeks there, one near each of the three Great Lakes surrounding it. 

For our week near Lake Michigan, we secured a campsite that put the lake right in our front yard. We had panoramic scenes of blue water through our windows and just outside our door. It made for a memorable, peaceful stay.

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