RV PARK REVIEW - Gold Ranch Verdi Casino & RV Resort

MAY 2013
DISCLAIMER: We are not paid to endorse or slam any RV park we review, the owners/operators are unaware of any position or personal opinion we make and/or post until after the fact. 

We headed to the Reno, NV area to visit old friends and found Gold Ranch Casino Verdi & RV Resort was just what we were looking for in a RV Resort. We wanted to be near our friends Jimmy and Sue, Lake Tahoe, Carson City and Virginia City ... you know a site that's convenient for playing tourist. It's situated in a beautiful setting nestled up against the Sierra Nevada Mountains with paved level sites. Gold Ranch features a fun casino with sit down restaurant, fast food for dine-in or drive-thru, gas station, pool & spa, clubhouse, laundry and bath house. The RV Resort is located just 2 miles from the California/Nevada state line with easy access off I-80W, exit 2.

Amenities at this Good Sam campground include:

• 105 fully paved sites, including 68 wide pull-throughs      
• Comfortably spaced lush green sites with 24-hour security
• Full hook-ups - 20/30/50 amps
• Wireless Internet at every site (fee applies)
• Clean showers and laundry facilities
• Clubhouse with fireplace, television, and free Wi-Fi
• Heated pool and Jacuzzi
• Two restaurants to choose from: the Sierra Café and Jack-In-The-Box
• Pets welcome
• Mail/Fax service available
• 24-hour convenience store and Chevron gas station

Our very peaceful and serene campsite.

All rates based on one RV and one tow per site include: Tax, electric, water, sewer, cable TV, 50 amp, pets, extra person (max 4 per site), clubhouse, pool and spa, gleaming showers and restroom facilities.  A 10% discount on daily rates for Good Sam and AARP members, and they offer weekly and extended stay discount rates too.  Our nightly 2013 May rates for for a pull through was about $35.00 less our Good Sam discount. Keep in mind rates tend to change or may have seasonal rates that fluctuate.

In our check-in welcome package, we found free drinks coupons to be used in the Casino and a buy one get one free dinner at their Sierra Cafe.

After driving in from Elko, I chose the dine out option ... no cooking or clean up. We both decided on the 8 oz. Prime Rib special for $8.99 served with a choice of Potato, Seasonal Vegetable and Choice of Soup or Salad; and using the buy one get one was a savings bonus.  For the price, it was actually very good ... and the no cooking or cleaning was even better.


So, I bet you can't guess the rating we give this campground? You're right! It's an A!  I was curious, so I just checked Good Sam's ratings and they agree with me ... 10.0 Facility / 9.5 Restrooms / 9.5 Appeal. Therefore Jim and I recommend you stop in when you're in the area and try it for yourself.  

Gold Ranch Casino Verdi & RV Resort

350 Gold Ranch Rd. (I-80 W, Exit 2)

Verdi, NV 89439

Call or Click Below 

RV Reservations  877.914.6789

As the sun sets at our campsite, we thank you for following McTraveler's RV Adventures.  We anticipate you'll be back soon to join us at our next destination and for more adventures.


Until then, wishing you safe travels!
Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie

DESTINATION - RENO, NV - A grand reunion of a 50+ year friendship

MAY 2013

Over the years, Jim introduced Pam to a long list of junior high and high school buddies he has stayed in contact with; and I and along with their spouses were inducted into this tight knit group ... amazing friendships have grown even stronger over the years.

Last winter when we started planning our 2013 Spring RV Trip 6,000+ mile route; we had to include a visit to Reno, NV where Jim's junior high school friend Jimmy and his wife Sue reside.

McTraveler made the drive from Elko, NV to Reno, NV which unveiled greener scenery and climbing altitude as we approached the Sierra Nevadas traveling along the Humboldt River and then over the Truckee River. We settled into the Gold Ranch Casino and RV Resort* on 350 Gold Ranch Rd., Verdi, NV 89439.  We really liked this campground that's nestled into the foothills of the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  It's located on the western outskirts of Reno which was a short drive to see Jimmy and Sue.

Jimmy is also retired and graciously played the grand tour guide as Sue had to work the first couple of days of our visit.  Day one tour starts with Incline Village and Lake Tahoe where there is so much to see and do. Jim, growing up as a California boy, had been here several times; but it was my first and found the area just breath taking with it's alpine mountain views and was amazed at the size and depth of the pristine lake. For lunch, we drove down to South Lake Tahoe where you can stand on the street corner with one foot in Nevada and the other in California; but California claims this city.

I so enjoyed listening to Jim and Jimmy laugh and reminiscence about the good old days and catch up on where and what their classmates are doing now.  At times the conversation was deep as the lake, so I chose Duke Ellington and John Coltrane playing In a Sentimental Mood for day one video tour.

  

Day 2, with Jimmy still in tour guide mode, put us on a paddle boat cruise of Lake Tahoe. He took us to Zephyr Cove along the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe to board the MS Dixie II.  We left the Zephyr Cove dock and meandered across the lake to Emerald Bay on the California side. Emerald Bay provided the setting for one of the first summer homes at Lake Tahoe in 1863. Vikingsholm is a magnificent castle built at Emerald Bay in 1929 and can be toured. We so enjoyed the day on the water ... a little cool, but still a perfect day to take in the picturesque scenery and enjoy an old friend's company.

After the cruise we stopped at a famous local landmark in the state capital of Carson City, Red's Old 395 Grill, reknown for their BBQ.  You walk into this fine establishment and you're immediately slapped in the face with sensory overload ... you don't know where to look first! It's a fun, quirky BBQ hangout with 101 beers on tap ... I had a smile plastered to my face and lickin' my lips with this stop.

 

Finally we got to spend time with Sue too; so we all take off for Virginia City, NV which is about 30 miles south of Reno.  Virginia City was a stopover for eastern emigrants traveling onto California. It developed into an overnight boomtown when the first major silver deposit, the Comstock Lode, discovery was made public in 1859. President Lincoln pushed through statehood for Nevada (even though the population was legally too low to do so) to help fund the Civil War. There's a history lesson on every corner in this town ... even Mark Twain wrote from here.  After a morning of touring the town, we HAD to stop in the old ice cream parlor for a cold treat. Those who know Jim, knows he's an ice cream addict. What a fun day we had together in the old pioneer mining town.  

Sue and Jimmy

Jim and I both have been blessed with long term friendships, and we cherish this one too.  So we thank Jimmy and Sue for taking time to make this reunion so special. Having a personal tour guide sure spoiled us!  We loved our time with you and hope you will join us for a ride along in McTraveler very soon.

And we thank you, our readers, for following our adventures.  Stay tuned for the next destination; and until then we wish you safe travels!

Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie



*Note: Our campground has since changed their name to Gold Ranch Verdi Casino which we recommend if you're in the area.