Nights: 14
RV Park Cost: $245 total / $17.50 per night
Discounts Used: Passport America
GPS Location: Lat:36.21130, Long:115.98210
Address: 1801 Crawford Way Pahrump, NV 89048
Website: www.preferredrv.com

Pros:

• Great price, thanks to our Passport America discount
• 30 and 50 amp hookup, water and sewage
• Great facilities: 24 hour laundry, showers, pool, hot tub, entertainment hall, cafe, rec room, wood shop, glass shop, cactus garden, shuffleboard and more
• Discount Propane
• Crazy super friendly residents and staff
• Owned by a not-for-profit residents group
• Convenient location to both shopping and great parks
• Gated security

Cons:

• Internet is really sketchy, occasionally good, but more often not working at all
• Gravel pads require a bit of leveling of the trailer
• Pool was closed and under construction

Preferred RV resort is a neat place with a unique character among RV resorts we have been to. A lot of that stems from it being a member owned cooperative. While they rent to anyone, many of its residents become members who take part ownership in the park. These members run the park and volunteer to do most of the work. Profits earned by the resort are invested back into the facilities and as a result it’s loaded with them. They are currently working on a retractable roof for their pool, but they already have a wood shop and glass shop. One of the residents created a cactus garden with a water mill, stream and koi pond. Not everything is shiny and new, but it is all well maintained and shows a lot of character. Perhaps best of all, each evening as the sun sets large numbers of Great Tailed Grackles show up and sing their hearts out before bedding down for the night.

Not surprisingly there is a strong sense of community and the residents are extremely welcoming to newcomers. Like many parks, the typical resident is of retirement age and the social events (of which there are many) slant towards bingo, puzzles and card games (think bridge, not MTG nor Dominion). Soon after our arrival a volunteer resort host showed up with helpful information about local sights and the resort’s amenities. He seemed both genuinely happy to have us and proud of the resort and its community. Of course nearly anyone you meet will be quick to tell you it is resident owned and how great being a member is. Not pushy, but ever present.

Once again Passport America saved us some real money here with nearly a 50% discount on the daily rate normally offered for our entire stay. That pays for our yearly membership about 4 times over. Considering how nice the place is the normal rate is not bad and they accept three different travel membership discounts. Considering the laundry is also pretty cheap and the propane is discounted (though only available twice a week) staying here is very affordable.

The only problem we have had is the internet. Mind you bad internet seems to be more or less the norm at RV parks but this has been a bit worse than normal. According to one resident they have recently upgraded the system, and while I can always find a signal to connect to, more often than not it won’t give you any internet. As I write this it’s behaving very well, but this has been the exception rather than the rule. Fortunately the resort is in the midst of town. A block away you can find casinos and restaurants with free wireless with a bit more consistency.

There is one thing I have to mention that struck me while reading their guest guide. The slogan printed there is “Preferred town, people and living… the way it used to be.” It struck me as coded language for “nice white rich folks here.” Aside from Trail, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone who wasn’t older and white, nor will you find any in the pictures on their site. That said, there has not been a hint of racism or unwelcome while we have been here for us or anyone else. Nor could I find any such complaints online for the park – it’s perfectly pleasant and friendly. Many parks have an absolute age limit for which Trail and I don’t qualify and many also state they have to approve your trailer which basically means if it looks run down they won’t let you park. Preferred RV doesn’t have these. All in all I’d say these are good welcoming folks, but the presentation of their promotional material gave me some pause.