Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Kempton.
Hi Heather , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Kal-Haven Outpost began as a far-off dream discussed over campfires between two college friends Rob and Scott. The dream of a campground built from the campers’ perspective. That dream became a reality when in 2015 Scott and Kary called Rob and Heather and told them they had purchased the property along the Kal-Haven Trail just five miles from South Haven MI. It was the perfect spot to create something unique, not just another (SW Michigan) campground.
Rob and Heather had just bought their first home weeks prior to this call in Cheyenne WY! However because of the perfect location and area, they immediately put their (newly purchased) house up for sale again and moved across county to begin a new life and adventure.
Rob and Heather were married on the campground the following year, 2016, with Scott and Kary’s daughter as their flower girl. It was a wonderful celebration made even better by the fact that it was celebrated on the campground. It was an amazing beginning to an amazing place.
The first several years were a whirlwind of learning how to build, run and own a campground, all while families were growing. Sourcing materials locally has always been at the core of the Kal-Haven Outpost’s philosophy. The cabins were built on site by local craftsmen and finished out by Robert himself with rustic knotty pine tongue and groove broads made in Midland, MI. A lot of picnic tables, headboards, tables, benches, and other wood projects were finished those winters in the then-unheated garage.
Both families grew in 2017, with the Whiteford’s welcoming their second in the spring and the Kempton’s their first in the fall. At 4 days old, the Kempton’s newborn was in the store helping out (mostly just melting hearts)!
During this time, the Whiteford’s also purchased and started renovating Hotel Nichols in downtown South Haven. The 2018 offseason saw the addition of our custom built Couples Cabins, which took the best attributes of the Family style cabins and ran with it!
2019 Heather and Rob welcomed their second daughter at the beginning of the season. She was also in the campground store after just a few days coming into the world! Scott and Kary welcomed their third in the fall.
2020 was a crazy year for everyone, including campgrounds! However instead of folding, the campground thrived and became better and more efficient. 2021 made for a an amazing year with the campground completely replacing the exterior of the duplex. The following year, the Whiteford’s welcomed their fourth and The Outpost’s latest accommodations were added, our glamping tents and custom school bus conversion.
We at Kal-Haven Outpost believe family and friends are the most important things in the world. Even when the season gets busy we make time to have regular family picnics throughout the summer. Kids growing up together, having playdates and playmates outside where they can be free (and get a little dirty) is what life is all about.
The clean bathrooms at The Outpost are a cut above the facilities that any other campgrounds offer, featuring large format tiles, rough cut hickory sawn locally, a fully handicap accessible bath/shower and private shower rooms. On any given morning/afternoon/evening Rob or Heather can be seen cleaning the bathhouse, this being a point of pride to have the cleanest campground bathroom people have seen. Even their daughters may have tagged along to help!
Year after year improvements have been made including our huge off leash dog park, expanded playground, improved walking trails on property, the addition of bike rentals and countless minor upgrades. This year is no different. We are finalizing the Michigan shaped fishing pond, which will be stocked in the coming seasons, and built custom camper and cabin play structures.
Kal-Haven Outpost is a campground built from the perspective of campers on the bonds of friendship and family strength. It continues to expand and thrive, because of the unique visions of all involved.
All of our accommodations are Pet Friendly
Family Owned and Operated with Passion and Dedication to our wonderful guests!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Throughout our adventure we have grown in our experiences, just like our campground. Our general store has evolved and every year we make improvements to what we carry based on suggestions we have gotten from guests. When we first started building on this beautiful property we found that while the lack of trees was a great thing for building and setting infrustructure, natural shade is a much desired feature. So we have planted over 300 bareroot trees (along with over 50 varieties of other native plants) in an attempt to not only grow shade, but re-naturalize a property that had been worked as farmland for over 100 years.
As it was for many businesses, 2020 was a scary time to be in hospitality. We saw unprecedented cancellations and minimal new bookings through May, however when things opened up business boomed and we have been fortunate enough to carry that momentum through to today.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Robert Kempton
Owner and Manager Kal-Haven Outpost
Chatting with our guests about all of the adventures, excitement, memories and even a few mishaps over a cup of coffee in the morning is the most fulfilling life I can imagine. My family and I couldn’t be more excited to share this beautiful slice of Southwest Michigan with the world!
Heather Kempton
Owner and Manger Kal-Haven Outpost
We try to set ourselves apart from other campgrounds by providing a very personal experience for our guests. Offering a very clean bathhouse, comfortable accommodations, and peaceful natural surroundings. We want everyone to feel welcome here and do that by hosting different events throughout the spring/summer/fall and inviting not only our campers but the community as a whole as well. One perk to the location of our property is The Kal-Haven Trail runs directly along our property, which provides a beautiful bicycle ride to and from South Haven or for a longer ride Kalamazoo! Our kids (5 and 7 year olds) have learned to ride bikes on the trail, such a great resource!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kalhavenoutpost.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kalhavenoutpost
- Other: https://secure.webrez.com/hotel/2656?rc_id=20238
