Camping Cabins change Bay Area parks
The next big thing at Bay Area parks, Camping Cabins, has arrived this summer at Del Valle Regional Park near Livermore. It is part of a gamechanger for overnight facilities at parks across Northern California.
Camping Cabins are small, cute, woodsy cabins that usually sleep two to four, in which you bring your sleeping bag and pillow. They include electricity and heat but no kitchen. Most have picnic tables outside for camp stoves and barbecues.
They appeal to those who are new to camping and don’t own tents and accessories like airbeds, foam mattresses or cots. They also appeal to those who want four walls for privacy and security, and a bed/sleeping surface.
Across Northern California, Camping Cabins are in place at several parks, including BotheNapa, Clear Lake and McArthurBurney Falls state parks, at Manzanita Lake at Lassen Volcanic National Park, and many KOA campgrounds and RV parks.
Expansion of Camping Cabins seems to be a sure thing. A state law called the California Environmental Quality Act guarantees it. Before new campgrounds can be established, CEQA requires widereaching, timeconsuming and expensive studies. That’s why state parks haven’t added campgrounds to keep pace with demand.
Camping Cabins actually are classified as RVs and don't require a CEQA document. They are constructed offsite with axles and wheels and are towed into position. They then are set on blocks and off come the wheels. Lattice or sideboards are nailed around the bottom of the frame, and a deck with stairs is added. Wire for electricity and you’re in business.
At Del Valle, an overnighter costs $100 a night with a twonight minimum stay on weekends, the standard across Northern California.
Earlier this year, a proprietary KOA study showed that Millennials and GenXers are taking up camping far faster than seniors are leaving it. Along with population increases, that is creating new demand for campsites. With no campgrounds being constructed because of CEQA, the new camping cabins provide an answer.