Category: Fire Rings and Grills

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Designing and Building a Campground

  • Step 1: Perform a comprehensive study on the type of park best suited for the market you have selected and then project the profit and loss for the first five years. This study should also help you make the decision whether to try to purchase a franchise from one of the two franchise campground companies or to operate as an independent.
  • Step 2: Identify the specific parcel of land that you want to develop and then begin to quantify the costs associated with that specific parcel. Just a few questions to ask yourself:
    • Can I get proper zoning?
    • What offsite improvements will be required?
    • How will the sewage be handled?
    • What is the source of water?
    • Are there any unusual environmental requirements?
    • Is there a drainage problem?
    • Is the land level or is the grade too steep to be developed?
    • Can I install cabins or other fixed rental units?
  • Step 3: Develop the specific campground or RV park layout of sites and amenities. If you purchased a franchise, the franchise company will do this for you. If you have elected to be an independent park then you will have to hire someone to design the park.
  • Step 4: After receiving zoning and planning department approval, your local engineer or architect can draw the final plans and solicit bids on the construction of your RV park or campground. Local knowledge people can best handle this step.
  • Step 5: Build the park. But at the same time, even though you will be buried in details, don’t forget that now is the time to finalize all your marketing and business plans for the operation of the park. You will also need to prepare marketing materials like billboard ads, directory ads, rack cards, and many other marketing items.

A Kid Friendly Campsite

With most of your campers being families with children, it is important that your campsites be laid out in a manner that is not only kid friendly but also with safety in the foreground.

First, your campfire will probably be the focal point of the campsite, so for safety, it should be in the center of the open area or as close as possible.

*Tip: By continuing to keep safety in mind, it is important that each of your campsites have a fire ring to form a boundary that will keep little (or adult) toes out of the embers.*

Tents: Ideally, you want the tent entrances to face in the campsite but you want them downwind of the campfire so they don’t get filled with smoke.

Picnic Tables: Another focal point of the campsite that will get plenty of activity, the picnic table should be between the cooking area and the campfire so that kids don’t have to be in and out of that area. The idea is to reduce traffic around the cooking area as much as possible.

Cooking Area: This will be a very active place around meal time so the grill is best placed on the edge of the campsite’s open area. The idea is to have all storage, cooking and clean-up areas consolidated to one segment of the campsite, easily accessible, but not in the major traffic patterns of the campsite that the kids are using.

Most kids enjoy camping and most parents enjoy including their children but if your campsites aren’t set up to accommodate them you could be losing out on business!

ParknPool | Lexington, VA | sales@parknpool.com | 877.777.3700

 

 

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Grillin’, Chillin’ and Storytellin’ on a Campground

Ah…the inviting smell of hot, burning coals, the smoky taste of barbecue chicken and the gooey delight of campfire S’mores for dessert. All you need now is the perfect grill and fire ring to make this outdoor meal possible.

People have been using fire to cook their food for as long as we have been on earth. At first, it was common to cook on wood fires because wood was a much more plentiful resource, but by 4000 BC civilization began cooking on charcoal fires instead of simply using wood. Both cooking sources are still used today for campers, cookouts and barbecues.

Our charcoal burning pedestal group grills provide more cooking surface so everyone in your party can eat at the same time. No need to cook 4 chicken breasts at a time while your guests line-up for dinner. You can cook the whole family-size pack at one time!

No more caveman days, fire rings are a perfect solution to replace a ring of rocks. Have your guests gather around to tell ghost stories while roasting those S’mores. Oh yeah, and there is a warranty on our fire rings that covers the unit, not the fire!

The telling of ghost stories around the fire at a campground has been a tradition for many years. ParknPool knows that coming up with a scary story on the spot can be difficult so we have taken the liberty of providing one for the next time you are gathered around a fire ring with your family and friends.

Located on a hill overlooking the town below stood the brand new headquarters of ParknPool Corp. The whole staff was so excited to move into their new environmentally friendly building but within days of settling in, they began to hear strange noises and witness mysterious events. Upon entering for the first full day of operation, the staff found the entire office in disarray. Wall hangings, that just days before, were hung perfectly straight now hung crooked and out of place. All of their catalogs were all laid out with the pages flipping themselves and the phone began ringing off the hook but when answered were greeted by nothing but silence.

Weeks after that initial first day of operation the clocks were no longer working, all of them stuck at exactly 5:00pm giving the impression that the end of the day had arrived. Someone wanted them out of that building! After much research it was determined, that unbeknownst to the builders, staff and surveyors, the new headquarters of ParknPool Corp had been built above the unmarked graves of past criminals. Unspeakable crimes were committed by the hands of those buried beneath the new building – crimes so horrendous that there is absolutely no record of the haunting criminals’ existence.

And with no way to extinguish their haunting after-life presence, the end of this madness has yet to be seen…

S’mores are popular around campfires because simple ingredients make a perfect balance of flavors. The marshmallow is sticky and sweet, the chocolate is smooth, and the graham cracker is crisp and crumbly, acting almost like a pie crust helping to contain the filling. Making your own is simple, just don’t forget your recipe card!

Browse our site for pedestal grills and fire rings to invite the smell of hot, burning coals, the smoky taste of barbecue chicken and the gooey delight of campfire S’mores at your barbecue, campsite or cookout!

ParknPool | Lexington, VA | sales@parknpool.com | 877.777.3700

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Designing a Camping or Picnic Area

Common recreation site furnishings found in a camping or picnic area include picnic tables, fire rings and grills.

The best of these furnishings require little-to-no maintenance, have a long lifespan, are easy to clean, and are difficult for vandals to damage. These furnishings also must be convenient, easy to use and safe. It is best to avoid items with protruding objects or sharp corners that could injure users.

Picnic Tables: While many travelers and campers bring their own grill or stove, few actually carry a picnic table. Because of this, it is a good idea to provide picnic tables in campgrounds and on trails where day use is encouraged. Tables are available commercially in wood, metal, concrete, recycled plastic and plastic coated expanded metal. Select table material based on your area’s level of development, climate and amount of vandalism expected.

Grills and Fire Rings: Fire rings are essential at camp sites because they reduce fire hazards and make maintenance easier. Since, in most areas, evening use is not encouraged at picnic arears, fire rings are generally not necessary there. Fire rings with a hinged base so the cooking grate can be tilted back to clean out the ashes are the most preferred type. In addition, many accessible fire rings have an expanded metal barrier around the perimeter to keep campers from leaning against the hot surface. Grills are needed in campgrounds and may be installed at day-use trails. Pedestal styles are designed at a level comfortable for most users, and are also the most common. The best models have a cooking grate that is hinged and can be raised and lowered. Some models include lids to reduce cooking time and to keep food warm. Rotating grills and shelves for utensils are also available.

The most common campsite is the single-party camp site, other options include double-party camp sites, several-party camp sites and group camps. For more information on designing a campsite or picnic area call ParknPool at 877.777.3700 to speak with one of our sales managers.

ParknPool | Lexington, VA | sales@parknpool.com | 877.777.3700

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Facts, Tips, and How-To’s

Campfires are the nation’s leading cause of children’s camping injuries, and the primary cause of forest fires.

Four out of five forest fires are started by people, according to the US Forest Service.

More than 6.9 million acres of land burned as a result of wildfires in 2002.

In 2000, one out of every five person-caused forest fire was started by an out of control campfire.

A campfire is a key element of camping, here are a few simple steps to make maintaining your campfire easier:

  • Keep your campfire to a manageable size.
  • Never use gasoline to start a campfire.
  • Never leave a fire unattended.
  • Make sure children are supervised when they are around a campfire.
  • Select a location that is downwind and away from your camper or tent.
  • Never put glass in a campfire, it doesn’t always melt away.
  • Aluminum cans do not burn, and inhaling aluminum dust can be harmful to your lungs.
  • Campfires may be restricted in the summer, so before building one, check with rangers or the campground office to find out.

Maybe you don’t have a ParknPool fire ring, here’s how to build your own from scratch.

  1. Choose a spot that’s downwind protected, and at least 15 feet from your tent or camper.
  2. Clear a 10 ft. diameter around the site, and remove all grass, twigs and leaves. DON’T forget to make sure there aren’t any limbs overhanging.
  3. Dig a pit in the dirt about a foot deep.
  4. Use rocks and make a circle around the pit.
  5. Now, your campfire pit is ready for preparation.

Preparing your fire pit:

  1. Fill the pit with small pieces of dry wood.
  2. Always place your unused firewood upwind away from your fire.
  3. Keep a bucket of water and a shovel nearby at all times.

A blazing campfire is a responsibility, and it is your job to properly extinguish your campfire so that future campers will do the same.

When you are ready to put out your fire, follow these guidelines:

  • If possible, allow your wood to burn completely to ash.
  • LOTS of water should be poured on your fire, drown ALL embers (a glowing fragment from a fire), not just the red ones.
  • Make sure you pour water on the fire until the hissing sound stops.
  • Stir the campfire ashes and embers with a shovel.
  • Remove any embers by scraping all of the sticks and logs.
  • Stir and make sure everything is wet, and that they are also cold to the touch.
  • If water is not available, use dirt. Mix enough dirt with the embers, and continue adding and stirring until the remains are cool.

REMEMBER: DO NOT bury a fire, for the fire will continue to slowly burn and could catch roots on fire that will eventually get to the surface and cause the start of a wildfire.

ParknPool | Lexington, VA | sales@parknpool.com | 877.777.3700

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