When Kevin McCauley bought 150 acres of forested land in Hillsborough 45 years ago, it was an unusual purchase for a college student, but it just made sense.

“I was on one of my breaks from New England College and between classes, and I walked in this place saying, ‘there’s $200 an acre for these three pieces of land.’ I came out, I looked at this one,” said Kevin McCauley. “And this one, just like, spoke to me. I just was like, man, this is the most beautiful piece of land. I’ve just got to have this.”

Over the years, a vision formed in his mind of what the property could become.

He cut down some trees, milled the lumber and got to work.

McCauley built three homesteads on the property that are now rented out while he lives in a state-of-the-art RV home. Over the years, he slowly paid off the financing for the land and bought out his partners. Meanwhile, he worked in architecture and home building in Greenwich, Conn. and got married while slowly transforming the land into his dream.

Now, the land is home to a complete resort packed with the amenities necessary for a weekend getaway or an extended stay. It has 34 RV sites with access to water and sewer, a clubhouse, private bath suites, a shop with camping and RV essentials, free Wi-Fi installed by Erik and over 150 acres of wilderness.

Rocky Valley RV Resort is the first new campground of its kind in the state in five years. Beyond the work of building the resort, getting the permits and paperwork completed took almost five years.

“Welcome to southern New Hampshire’s best kept secret,” the website proclaims.

McCauley moved to the property with his wife and raised his son, Erik, after the completion of the first home in the early ‘80s. Erik grew up exploring the forest, the dirt paths, and the small brook and now has his own family living there. Together, father and son hatched the plan to share the land with others.

“His goal was to preserve its natural beauty and serenity, allowing visitors to experience the wonder and tranquility he felt,” the resort’s brochure said.

The McCauleys first got into the business when Erik moved into his RV nine years ago and started a YouTube channel with his now-wife, and they hit the road together. They were both able to work remotely while on the road. It was affordable and they loved to travel.

Over time, the couple built up their channel and a dedicated following for providing information on the ins and outs of living in an RV. Erik McCauley figured out that WiFi connectivity on the road was a huge issue and started his own business, called MobileMustHave, selling devices that allow constant connection, like StarLink, and other gadgets needed for life on the road.

When his father approached him with the business idea to start an RV park, he decided to come back to the Granite State and help with its design after seeing resorts across North America and how successful they were.

“This is my dad’s dream, but I’m here because I thought it was a good idea. Probably the single biggest motivator for me is that I grew up on this property riding four-wheelers, and there were kids everywhere,” Erik McCauley said. “So fast forward to me, and I have my own kids. I have a four-year-old and a two-year-old, basically, and they’re up here, and they’re like, there’s nobody here.”

The resort has been open all summer to people they know to test the day-to-day operations. On Saturday, Aug. 31, once the clubhouse was finished, they had a public grand opening.

Three generations of McCauleys now live on-site, and they oversee the property with the help of their manager, Darren King.

“Everything, cleaning toilets to booking reservations, landscaping, I do. I’m a jack of all trades,” said King.

This project took years of hard, physical labor, and was a large investment that they hope will attract more business to the area and help revitalize Hillsborough. They plan on being open until the end of October to attract leaf-peepers, and although it will take time, they hope to continue expanding the business and offer a wider variety of activities on-site, whether it be expansion of sites, amenities, accessibility for non-RV visitors, and more camping opportunities.

Their friend, Zeth Kenney, is a stonemason who helped with construction and brought to life their vision of the clubhouse with a granite chimney, framed with fresh pine from the property.

Kenney also spent time there as a kid.

“It used to be magical when we were kids,” Kenney said. “Yeah, I want to bring that back. I want that magic. It was magical here.”