Posted 8/10/2022By Susan Thompson Lake Panorama TimesBeginning in the early 1970s, the Lake Panorama Association prohibited camping on private lots. But there was a small campground on the west side in the timber along the road that now leads to the LPA yard waste site. It was primitive, no showers, just outhouses.
That early campground was replaced by another primitive site west of the water plant. It became less primitive when a new restroom facility was completed in spring 1980. Rock was added to the roads, and the grounds were mowed and maintained by LPA staff.
For many years, there was talk of creating a second campground for the east side. In spring 1981, an area north of Lake Panorama National where an airstrip had been planned was turned into a campground designed for self-contained units only. Water and electric hookups were available, with a nightly fee of $4.
Fast forward to 2022. Both campgrounds remain in the same locations. One thing that sets the two campgrounds apart is the west side has campground hosts. For the past 12 years, Denny and Pat Daniel have filled that role.
Denny worked for many years for Hy-Vee, moving around Iowa. When he retired, the couple wanted to live in a small community and settled on Atlantic. They purchased and renovated a home they still own. But because they have been camping since they were married in 1989, they wanted to find a nearby campground they could enjoy during the summer months.
The first place they tried was Sun Valley Lake in Ringgold County. They bid on a lot and didn’t get it, so they kept looking. When they came to Lake Panorama, a realtor showed them the two campgrounds.
“When he brought us to the west campground, we fell in love with it,” Pat says.
They purchased a C lot, then chose the spot in the west campground they wanted to call home.
“It was in the middle of things, so we liked the location,” Denny says. “We leveled it out, planted grass and trees and shrubs and flowers, and made it really nice.” After settling in for a couple of years, they became the campground hosts.
The couple is at the campground five days a week. They generally spend Monday and Tuesday at their home in Atlantic, doing laundry and mowing their yard. But if Monday is a holiday, they know things will be busy at the campground, and they stick around in case they are needed.
“We are here to help,” Pat says. “We always tell our campers if there is something they need, to just ask. We’re always open to suggestions on ways we can improve the campground. We’ve made it into a park, with nice landscaping and flower beds. There are good people here who are always willing to help with a project, like painting picnic tables.”
The Daniels have taken on several projects themselves. They added flagpoles at the entrance, installed a basketball hoop and renovated the bathrooms. A few years ago, Denny received permission from the LPA to create five new camping sites. He had a friend with a truck who hauled 80 tons of rock the LPA had piled on the east side of the lake to help make the new sites possible.
Most of the campers are like the Daniels; they own a Lake Panorama lot and keep a camper at the west campground. They come and go through the summer months, sometimes bringing grandchildren and other family and friends to visit. Some people stay at the campground while they are having a house built on the lot they own. Some are there full-time through the camping season.
The Daniels’ official duties are to clean the bathrooms and make sure needed supplies are available. Denny cleans the bathrooms each morning around 5 a.m., then usually three more times each day. The couple also helps answer questions and coordinate work tasks with LPA.
The couple keeps a pile of firewood along the edge of their lot for people who don’t bring in their own.
“If someone builds a fire, generally some neighbors join them,” Pat says. “There are lots of groups here gathering around firepits in the evenings.”
Pat maintains a notebook with names and phone numbers of all the campers, in case they see a problem while a camper is empty. Sometimes they organize a group meal.
The couple enjoys camping so much they bought a second camper and keep it at a resort in Donna, Texas. That’s where they live from Oct. 1 to April 1. They also are in volunteer mode there, as they work shifts at the guard house and help plan social activities.
This spring, Pat came up with the idea of asking all the West Campground campers if they’d like to purchase matching T-shirts. The shirts were designed by, and purchased from, a woman who lives in their same resort in Texas. The bright blue shirts feature a lighthouse and the words West Campground Lake Panorama.
About 100 shirts were purchased. The Daniels organized a get-together at Shady Beach July 2 and asked everyone to attend and wear their shirts. About 40 members of the group showed up for a group photo.
“It was a lot of work but really fun to do,” Pat says. “We enjoy being a part of the Lake Panorama West Campground family.”
LAKE PANORAMA CAMPGROUND FACTS The west campground has 33 spaces, and the east campground has 24. Sixteen of the spots in the east campground have sewer hookup, plus water and electricity. In the west campground, all spaces have water and electricity. There are no sewer hookups, but there is a sewer dump station available.
Both campgrounds have a restroom and shower facility, plus a storm shelter. Electricity is available March 1 through Oct. 31. Water is guaranteed May 1 to Sept. 30 every year, with decisions on when to turn water on and off dependent on when temperatures could get low enough to freeze pipes.
The LPA currently does not offer weekly or daily camping. Spaces are rented on an annual basis. For 2022, the cost is $750 for the season, which includes water, electric and tax. Those in the east campground who have sewer hookups pay $80 more. Another $250 allows campers to leave their units at the campgrounds year-round. Campers must either be Lake Panorama property owners or be sponsored by an owner.
For more information on the campgrounds, or to get on a waiting list for the 2023 season, contact Lane Rumelhart, LPA project manager, 641-755-2301,
lpa@lakepanorama.org.