FWC wrote:
Quite frankly, I think you would do better positioning these as 'glamping' locations for tent campers than RV sites. Assuming you live in the 'daks I am sure you know that all the DEC areas are completely full and that even dispersed and backcounty camping is really hard to come by. Folks coming up for a long weekend would pay a premium to know they have a reserved, private, 'wilderness' campsite.
Market these as 'wilderness lite', maybe install a small platform with some sort of rain cover, or a lean to, a fire pit (hole in the ground with some rocks) with a few Adirondack chairs and a latrine. Take some over saturated photos at dusk (photoshop out the black flies) with bearded 30 somethings sitting in the Adirondack chairs around the fire with Woolrich and Rumpl blankets, drinking Saranac or a Moscow Mule. All up, it would be a few thousand dollars to improve each site, then I would think you could get $200 per weekend night with the hipster down state crowd. Most folks would probably only stay 2-3 nights, but you could make your investment back in one season. It would all be about the marketing.
FWC has a pretty good plan! Just include space for a camper along with everything above. The tent platform can be used as a nice sitting area if someone comes in with a camper. The advertising ideas are spot on (lol!), except the $200 a night is pushing it. Although, there is that thing in marketing where sometimes you actually sell better if you raise the price "too" high - people just perceive it as being better if it is more expensive.
Dacks Camper - how far away do you live? Because you will have to check the campsites after they have been used, and if there is a long time between uses you will have to check them every time before renting.
Also, at a minimum people with campers will dump their grey water at the site... if it isn't done constantly it is not too bad, but... when they dump grey, their black tank valve may "accidentally" open up. Or all this accidental dumping may occur a little ways along the access road. Ooops!
I know everyone here are paragons of virtue, I'm talking about "the other guys".
Interesting plan and ideas, keep us updating on how it goes. I am actually very interested in what you have to do in dealing with government bureaucracy!
