Setting up your RV at Island Creek: a step-by-step guide

From the moment you pull through the gate to slide-outs deployed and beverage in hand — here's how check-in and setup will work.

Once Island Creek opens in early 2027, this is the playbook for getting your rig on its site, set up, and into beverage-in-hand mode. It's specific to what we're building — wider spaces, paved patios, 50-amp full hookups, the works. If you've stayed at other parks, some of this will be familiar; some won't.

Step 1 — Arrive and check in

Check-in opens at noon for RV sites. The gate code and your site number arrive by text and email 24 hours before your arrival. If you roll in earlier than noon, the camp store is open from 8am — you can park, stretch your legs, and grab a coffee while we get your site ready.

Step 2 — Find your site

The park is laid out on a single loop with the pond at the center. Pull-through sites are on the outer edge; back-ins are inside. Site numbers are on lighted posts. The roads are wide enough that you don't have to thread a needle — that was a deliberate choice when we designed the layout.

Step 3 — Position your rig

Pull-through sites: just pull straight in. Stop when your front wheels reach the cement utility pad. That puts your hookups within reach, your slide-outs deploy onto the patio, and your awning extends over the grass.

Back-in sites: back in slow. Have someone outside the rig to spot. The site is wide enough that you don't need to be a millimeter off — give yourself ten feet of grace and adjust if you want to be picky.

Step 4 — Level

Each site is pre-leveled within an inch or two, but no site is perfectly level (no site anywhere is). Use your auto-leveling if you have it, leveling blocks if you don't. Get the bubble centered before you connect anything else — chasing level after you've hooked up is the most common rookie mistake.

Step 5 — Hookups, in order

• Sewer first (and clean — wear gloves). Slope down from the rig to the inlet, support the hose if it sags.
• Water next. Use a water-pressure regulator. Our system runs at safe pressure but a regulator protects your plumbing long-term.
• Power last. Test with a surge protector or EMS device before you plug your rig in. 50-amp on every site.

Step 6 — Set up the patio

Every site has a paved patio and a fire ring. Roll out the awning, set up your chairs, plug in the lights. If you brought an outdoor rug, this is the moment.

Step 7 — Walk to the camp store

Even if you don't need anything, the camp store is the social heart of the park. Coffee, ice, propane, firewood, and the activity board for the day. The store staff are also the fastest way to get answers about pickleball court reservations, food truck timing, or kid programs.

Step 8 — Open the beverage

You're set up. Welcome to Island Creek. The Wilmington trip starts in the morning.

If you've never RV'd before, the first setup takes about 45 minutes. By the third night, you'll be done in fifteen. That's normal.

Questions about the specifics of your reservation? Reach us on the Contact page — Doug or the team gets back to you within a business day.