First phase of 330-space RV park to open in June

With Montana Basecamp RV resort, Andy and Christy Matthews have ambitious plans to create a welcoming destination on the south end of Kalispell where travelers can rest, restock and regroup.

“Montana Basecamp has the opportunity to take a 50-acre dairy farm and transform it into one of the best RV parks in America,” Andy Matthews said.

The resort is currently under construction on land south of Gardner’s RV just off the southernmost roundabout on the U.S. 93 bypass. Matthews said the location offers a scenic launching point for exploring Northwest Montana along with the convenience of being a few miles from downtown Kalispell.

“We’re hoping to be a concierge for the city,” Andy Matthews said. “Montana Basecamp will house thousands of RVs per season. We will coordinate with the best of Kalispell to promote its businesses. People will be looking for experiences, and will want to know where to go to get certain things, including entertainment. This is like having an RV park as the front door to the city.”

The first phase of Montana Basecamp will feature 62 spaces, with plans for 330 sites when the park is completed.

Matthews is expecting to open the first phase by the end of June and sites can be reserved online for $109 a night after July 7. He said quite a few reservations are made already and he’s surprised how many are for a few weeks or even a month.

Each of the campsites will be 35 by 100 feet, designed to accommodate even the largest Class A motorhome. All parking areas will be back-in, which Matthews said will make the resort a greener place, with less asphalt than would be needed for pull-throughs. Back-in slots also create a safer environment, he said.

“This way kids can run around the back of RVs, and Wnot be on the road,” Matthews said.

Campers will have access to the Great Northern Historical Trail, which skirts the boundary of the property. The biking and walking path offers recreation for visitors and an active commute to Kalispell.

Adding trees to the open farmland is key to creating their dream park, and after consulting a University of Montana arborist, the Matthews decided to landscape with fall fiesta maple trees. At least 125 are scheduled for planting during phase one, with each site getting its own tree.

“We wanted to have a change with the season,” Matthews said. “We want people to say ‘it’s cool to see Montana Basecamp in the fall.’”

A check-in office with living quarters for the Matthews family and visitor bathrooms will be built right away. As construction continues on the remaining phases, Matthews said a store, swimming pool, playground and other amenities will be added.

The Matthewses are from Orlando, Florida, where Christy is a first-grade teacher and Andy works in real estate and residential construction. They plan to remain in Florida part of the year and make Montana their home during RV season.

Andy Matthews played tennis for the University of Montana in 1991, but had to leave school after one year due to family responsibilities. He never visited the Flathead Valley while living in Missoula, but Andy, Christy and their two daughters planned a Northwest Montana vacation about five years ago.

“We came up and rented a little house in Somers,” he said. “We couldn’t believe how beautiful it was when we landed at Glacier Airport. We fell in love with it, everything about it. We started trying to figure out how we could be here part of the year.”

They thought an RV resort was a real need for Kalispell as there are few camping options for larger units traveling in the Flathead Valley.

Tom Jentz, director of the Kalispell Planning Department, said the couple picked a good site for their project. At the request of the Siderius family, the city annexed the land in 2008 so Montana Basecamp can tap into city water and sewer systems.

“Though you can’t find an RV space in the summer here, it’s a market that no one’s been able to get into,” he said. “It is hard to get RV parks approved because of neighborhood opposition and access to utilities.”

In this case, Jentz said, it was a painless path to approving the couple’s plan. The park’s immediate access to the bypass, plus the seasonal nature of the operation helped stem objections to development, he said, so there was no formal neighborhood resistance.

“The park will be busy June, July and August and then it’s quiet,” Jentz said. “There’s nothing there all winter long.”

Matthews stressed that Montana Basecamp will not offer long-term stays.

“When you stay at an RV park that allows long-term, it takes away the destination RV experience,” he said. “We want people to come and enjoy, and then move on to their next destination.”

For more information, visit https://montanabasecamp.com/

Reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.