Fun as it might sound, I haven’t seen anyone like this yet, but anything is possible!  Fishermen/women are a common sight around here, as are motorcyclists.  Guess you could call us a ‘fish-and-motorcycle-friendly’ RV Park and campground.

Speaking of fishing, this Winter is turning out be a stellar season for steelhead.  I’ve seen lots of drift boats out in the early morning and anglers returning home with happy grins on their faces and the icebox stuffed full.  The Salmon River near White Bird has no ice with water temps of around 35 degrees, a water level at 3880 CFS and crystal clear visibility. Weather forecasts in the near future are for clear skies and daytime highs in the mid to upper 40’s and evening/early morning temps in the low 30’s. Nice fishing weather makes for a great day on the river, whether you arrived in a pickup or a motorcycle.

Fly fishermen carry quite bit of gear...don't know how they'd navigate on a motorcycle. These folks came by a few weeks ago and spent a few hours casting their lines in the winter water. I know they had fun, but not sure if their icebox was full.

At least you can tell we are a pet-friendly campground!

Back to motorcycle fishing…I just saw a post from a Kawasaki owner in Virginia who posted ”Has anybody devised a way to get a 5 foot rod from point A to piont B on a cruiser? I have looked at the collapsable rods that they sell, but my friend says that to get a good one, you have to pay a lot…..and then, how to get the fish home!?  I know a couple of places where you can fish have grills set up near by, so I could just eat them there… but…..”, that’s in Virginia!  Anyone in Idaho have a solution for the guy?

Whatever your mode of transportation and however you choose to recreate and vacation, Swiftwater RV Park is ready for you…motorcyclist, RV-er, tent camper, 4-wheeler, cyclist.

Hope to see you soon!  Fill out our reservation form to ask a question or inquire about future vacation dates….we’ll be glad to help!

Idaho Pathfinders ATV ride into Pittsburg Landing - photo from IPA

Nothing represents the outdoors like the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.

Put the two together, and you’ve got a recipe for a fantastic Memorial Day weekend!

If you’re an ATV enthusiast, circle May 25, 26, 27 & 28 on your 2012 calendar and make your reservations now.  Idaho Pathfinders - a local White Bird ATV Club – along with Harold, are sponsoring this year’s event, which includes three different rides on three different days!

Our neighbor, Killgore Adventures, is the headquarters for this fabulous event.  Learn more about how to sign up, register, and make your camping reservations by downloading the helpful flyer about the 3rd Annual ATV Brochure_Memorial Day 2012 !

I’m not an ATV rider myself, but we have many many guests who make Swiftwater RV Park their destination headquarters for trail rides.  These special guests really appreciate the fact that they can start their ride direct from our campground.  In other words, they don’t have to haul a couple of 4-wheelers and gear to some other place to commence their ride. It’s fun, ‘cuz guests just don their helmet, stash a lunch, water and gear in their ATV and head out the driveway on their excursion.  Big smiles, big grins and happy people….upon departure and return.  I like happy guests!

Swiftwater RV Park’s rural location is a favorite campground for ATV recreationsts because of its close proximity to millions of acres of public lands.  For instance, the Memorial Day ride this year is so great because the Hells Canyon National Recreation area is only 17 miles away! However, the 3 planned trips are exceptional:  Kirkwood Historic Trail Ride is a 78 mile (round trip) ride, and the Big Canyon Ride is 60 miles round trip.  Loads of fun!

Be sure to call Killgore Adventures (208.839.2255) to reserve your camping site and place for this family fun Memorial Day Hells Canyon ATV Ride Weekend and BBQ.

If you want to learn more about Idaho’s ATV Clubs – regional organizations promoting responsible, respectful and safe trail rides on the on the many trails and forest roads throughout Idaho, click this links to ATV organizations:

Blue Ribbon Coalition  Elk City Dust Devils  High Mountain ATV Club   Idaho Pathfinders    North Idaho ATV

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Yikes! Weather temps dipped last night into the low 20′s!  Daytime temps, as indicated by my trusty Oregon Scientific Weather Station, shows we’ve warmed up to 30 degrees here at 11o’clock in the morning. Better get out the shades for a Winter walk, ‘cuz  our beautiful Idaho blue skies make it a dazzling day.

Amazingly, I saw a drift boat float by earlier this morning, with its oarsman bundled up. The guy is either enjoying the crisp morning, or a fisherman hoping to throw out a line to snag a steelhead!  Why that’s amazing is because the boat has to dodge the ice chunks floating on top of the Salmon River.  Sorry, didn’t get a pic of the boat, but you get a sense of the day from these images.

Our Swiftwater RV Park is nearly full with rigs that are placed here in our Winter Storage program from guests residing in the greater McCall, Idaho area.  However, there still are open spaces for folks wanting to come stay for a day..or more…just give us a shout out!

Merry Christmas, and hope to see you next year at Swiftwater RV Park – the best camping value on the Salmon River in Idaho!

Thanks so much for the pleasant and quiet stay at your park. You folks were great. The facilities were the best we found throughout our trip. Your prices are very reasonable. If we are ever out there again, we will be sure to look you folks up.

He’d have SwiftWater RV Park tattooed to his forehead, he loved it so much…(our veteran comic).

I have been completely pleased with the personal attention and professional service that I received. Our first attempt on the web was a total failure due to lack of support by a “so called” big time outfitters. After searching for a place to park our RV, I found this outfittting team of very talented guides from your recommendation. They took the time and had the patience to design exactly what I was looking for. They made the whole experience, from start to finish, very enjoyable. They made sure everything was going well with personal phone calls. That is the kind of service that makes them stand out from the pack!!

In my humble opinion, there is not a better operation anywhere. I can’t begin to list all the details of this journey. I will be referring to all my fellow travelers that SwiftWater RV Park is the place to call first. A message to everyone out there, shop around (I did), look at the rest and then come to the best “Park” in the Salmon River Valley.

Where are the Campervans?

The ensuing internet search landed me at an England motorhome site and then on to a ‘campervan’ for hire site regarding the Glastonbury Festival – which apparently is famous for the music, the atmosphere, the toilet facilities (or lack of) and……the mud. Celebrating 40 years, many festival attendees may be too old for tents but too young to miss this special event, so they rent campervans and motorhomes.  Check out this picture! Not Idaho camping, for sure

Wikipedia describes ‘campervans’ quite aptly as s ometimes referred to simply as a camper, or a caravanette (I like this version…is the interior decor ‘Barbie pink’?), is a self-propelled vehicle that provides both transport and sleeping accommodation.

Then it goes on to read “In the U.S. the term RV is more common they tend to be larger than in Europe..or the rest of the world.”  Go figure.

Volkswagen Autosleeper Clubman, GL

This cute model is a typical campervan that is very popular in Europe and it includes a ‘hob’ (kitchen stove) and grill and amenities familiar to U.S. manufactured RVs – even air conditioning – though smaller models often carry a “porta-potty” portable toilet, and sometimes an external shower which operates within the privacy of an awning. Yikes!

There’s more!  Then I learned about the ‘Dormobile’ – a 1960′s-era conversion type campervan aka ‘motorcaravan’, manufactured in Kent, England.  The first Dormobile motorhome, complete with a gas stove, a sink and cupboards and seats which converted into beds, appeared in 1957.

OK…we’ll get into more RV history in another segment, but can’t resist posting these two pics about ‘pop-up’ campervans…ah…the memories

Classic VW Camper..w/ a top

Toyota Landcruiser 4WD

The Park is going through the Winter blahs…the leaves are gone and the grass is brown, but we have plenty of guests enjoying the ability to store their rigs from November to March. They come to fish, hike and enjoy our sunny skies during Winter.  In preparation for your visit later this year, our bushes and trees are trimmed and seeds are being purchased to plant flowers by the Gazebo in May.

What are your plans for traveling this year?  Will the price of gas affect your travel plans?  Let us know your thoughts and keep us posted.

Stay tuned….more later and check us out on pg. 42 of the 2011 Idaho State Travel Guide.  http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/0a34d0e8#/0a34d0e8/44