We arrived here on a busy weekend but not a race weekend. A Friday night only stay on a 3-day weekend is not always easy but there were spaces at the park - only with no electricity. That was not an issue for us so we slotted into site 23 on the second loop. The cost was under $30 for out of state residents. Our site was difficult to get into, at least for me, but fine once I got parked. It was level but a bit muddy. The other advantage is that you are in the park and can walk - long walk - to the Glen and that is a fantastic place and well worth spending some time there. There are a lot of steps and it was raining slightly but even so, you may get a bit wet as you walk under two or three waterfalls out of the 19 in total.
Maine - Acadia NP - Blackwoods /
This is a very rare shot, we have a campfire. I think this is our second but it might be the third in nearly three years. It has rained or been very overcast for 5 of the seven days on the island and a fire seemed nice to dry things out. I think it was more theoretical than reality. Blackwoods is a NP campground on the eastern side of the island not far from Otters Point. Is has no services but there are restrooms and water is available in a few locations. But the location more than makes up for any issues. We dry camped for the entire time without moving the camper to empty or fill tanks. We were quite surprised. We were on site A-23 and we chose it because of the proximity to the ocean, about 250 yards. We recommend this campground and find it adds to the enjoyment of Acadia being in the midst of the quiet and the beauty. We paid $90 for six nights but that is Old People Rate
Massachusetts - Westport - Horseneck State Park /
This was a nice spot overlooking the ocean. We were in row two and there are no electric or water hookups. We used our generator for the first time to make coffee in the morning. Not the reason we have it but a nice perk. (Please note the hard earned pun!) The park was about $30 for the night. It was convenient for visiting New Bedford Whaling Historic site. The pretty sunset a bonus.
Maryland - Clarksburg - Little Bennett Regional Park /
Nice place - great location. You are 15 miles from Frederick just three miles off I-270 and a 20 minute drive to the metro to DC. They have full hook up sites, nicely spaced and wooded and lots to do if you just hang out in the park. It was a little more than we would normally pay but with Passport America it was right in line at $32. The easy access to the interstate, base for DC or Baltimore make it a bargain.
North Carolina - Morrow Mountain State Park (2 photos) /
We camped here for two nights as a prelude to our fall trip. We had added some gear and wanted to try it out in camping conditions. Worked great. We also added some new hooks and other things designed to make camping easier and all but one of those also worked well. Morrow Mountain State Park is in the central Piedmont portion of NC. It lies south of High Point and east of Charlotte near the town of Albemarle. The park is a decent size with a long lake on the northern and eastern boundaries. There are three camping areas but only one (C) has power. We stayed in site 100. It was short and steep. Easily the steepest site we have ever used. The front of our camper was on the ground to get level. People were nice but the park could use a bit of attention. It was a CCC built facility with beautiful stone buildings quarried on site but showing age. The pool is a work of art. We took three hikes all OK but not great partly because it was so beastly hot and humid. The cost to stay was reasonable about $20 a night for seniors. It suited for our purpose but I doubt we would go back, too close to actual mountains for the slight bumps at Morrow Mountain.
Steep site easier to see here, along with the table, lantern hook, fire ring and the nicely spaced sites.
Indiana - Crawfordsville - Walmart /
This was another really nice night. Clean, well lighted and easy to park out of the way. Also, super bonus, Culver's in the front was an easy walk!
Iowa - Madrid - Ledges State Park /
We were attending Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Ames two years ago and stayed in the campground at Ledges about 15 miles from the campus where the competition was held. You will note I did not think to take a photo of the site. The camping area was Ok. They had electric at most sites and they were reasonably level. Some of them were challenging to back into because of poorly placed signs and narrow rutted road in places. Water was available at a few spots around the campground. Cost was under $20 then. I just read that they are renovating the campground and it needed a bit of refresh. The park and the area are quite nice. Lots to see and do. The Cliff Swallows were building nests at a furious pace in along the canyon walls in the park. We would definitely stay here again (along with the many Cliff Swallows!) http://www.iowadnr.gov/Places-to-Go/State-Parks/Iowa-State-Parks/ParkDetails/ParkID/610148
Florida - Orlando -Disney Fort Wilderness (The Review) /
Lets begin with Disney is expensive. Across the board. However, while it may cost more there is also a value there. People would love a day at the theme park to be $50 but each park is full at twice that, so people perceive value for their money. Fort Wilderness Campground is two or three times what we would normally pay for a KOA type campground. So what is the value? First, everything works and works well, everything is clean, and your space is landscaped and level. You plug in the power and whatever your power need it is there, the water does not leak (and has been certified safe) and the sewer connection is contained so that a small spill does not make a mess and there is a rinse hose already hooked up on site. The pad is large enough, the edges of the pad are bordered with a sandy edge to keep things clean, you get a table that you can really use and on and on. Plus you have access to all Disney transportation, clean restrooms, nice places to walk, a beach, pools; it is a value. It is still expensive, we could not stay there a month but three or five days and you feel like you are somewhere special. Disney magic extends to the campground as well as the castle.
How much more can it cost to build a great site like this?
Florida - Orlando -Disney Fort Wilderness /
Coming home after a long day at Disney. I will write about Fort Wilderness later this week, for today, just an image.
Florida - Near Orlando - Friends /
In addition to nice campgrounds, convenient Wal-marts and National Parks, sometimes you just need a nice, long, flat driveway. If you have a friend, a good friend, this is a great option. Thanks Rusty and Janet.
Florida - Pensacola, Gulf Islands National Seashore - Fort Pickens Campground /
A very nice place to stay. You are a very short walk to either the bay or the Gulf side, wide white, soft sand beaches, lots of neat birds, hiking, presumably fishing as well, and water and electric at each site. Restrooms looked newish, there was some shade (none on our spot) and three or four loops of sites. The days we were here were cold and rainy. We reserved about 2 months ago and there were not too many spots left when we did. Place seemed full each night. We were here for three nights, I think. Under $30 a night for a peaceful and beautiful location is hard to beat. We would go back and in fact might be making plans to do so. Don't neglect seeing the old fort on the island and the Naval Air Museum on the mainland, excellent.
Mississippi - Gautier - Santa Maria RV Park /
Some days you just want a plug. We were traveling toward New Orleans after spending much of the day in Tuskegee at two National Park sites. It rained all day and the day before and we spent the previous night at a Walmart. So I wanted to get a full charge plus our inverter that was to have been fixed would not run the coffee pot. Ugh! I found this place in the Alstays app that had power, water, sewer and internet for only $28. So calling ahead for a reservation I also checked about a late arrival, they accommodated us easily. As you can see from the photo there were few nods toward making things look good but they delivered on the promise of pull-through space and everything worked. Somedays that is all you need. And note the sun came out that morning, but it was rather cold. Right off the interstate and run by nice folks I would stay there again overnight. (PS They did have a pool that looked rather new.)
www.santamariarvpark.com
Tennessee - Savannah - Pickwick Landing State Park /
I was not keeping track of sites when we first started camping in the Oliver. And this was our first night after Hohenwald where they set you up close by and then come in the morning to see how you did. This was near Shiloh National Battlefield which is why we were camped here. Very nice place, with electric and water hookups on site at a very reasonable cost, I think we paid $20.
California - Malibu - Leo Carillo State Park (two photos) /
This was a perfect place to stay for us. We went into LA one day and to the Channel Islands National Park the next. It was easy to access both areas. Traffic is a mess anywhere, so you don't miss out on the true LA experience. We had a pull-through space (L127) that had a picnic table and fire ring. Neither was in great shape. It did have electric hookups. We were close to the camp road but it was not too noisy, may be different on a weekend. The park could use some maintenance and some clean up but was acceptable. We did not use the restrooms or the pay showers. Cost for the night was around $48. We would stay here again but only because the alternatives that we could find were even less desirable. Bonus Question: who was Leo Carillo? Answer next camping post!
Looking down from the trail
Looking west from the trail
New Hampshire - Franconia - Fransted Family /
Extensive activity type campgrounds are not where we usually stay. But we needed to plug in this night in October and we wanted to be close to a pancake house for breakfast, Sad, I know. But wait until I showcase the pancake place later this week!. Anyway, we found this campground just a couple of days before they were closing for the season. So, it was quiet and not too "activity-ish." Our site was number 8 and was flat and easy to access. You may note that the trailer is actually missing. I took the site just past ours for the color but never shot the actual site we had. Sorry. We also took a wonderful hike along a stream for a couple of miles right from the campground and in the middle of the woods along the path was a sign that the first ski jump in the US was built nearby. Cool. Fransted Family Campground at https://franstedcampground.com/index.html
California - King's Canyon - Azalea Campground /
Not too much to say about the camping area here, beautiful as you would expect in a National Park. There were tight spaces and confusing water source. I thought you could get water at various spigots but for filling the trailer it was only at the check-in station. Of course, the National Park is a wonderful place to stay, would not want to miss it for a place with more services. Azalea is a "no reservation" campground but our friends arrived earlier and got us a spot. It was full the first night we were there.
Tennessee - Natchez Trace Parkway - Meriwether Lewis Park /
This was a wonderful place to camp. First it was free. Second, it was free and beautiful. We did a long hike along a stream that led to a river and then back across the woodland to the camp area, about 3 miles. You can also visit the replica cabin where Lewis died. It is not known for certain if he was murdered or if he took his own life but the latter seems to be the current favored theory. Highly recommended if you are doing the Natchez Trace.
Tennessee - Memphis - Meeman-Shelby Forest SP /
Meehan Shelby is located just a short distance north of downtown Memphis we found this to be an ideal spot to visit the area (http://tnstateparks.com/parks/campground/meeman-shelby). We liked the quiet locale, hikes in the forest and neat drive along the Mississippi. Easy access to Memphis as well. Our site, #14, had water and electric service and was paved. Any of the sites on the middle loop are nice with lots of shade. Not that we needed shade that day. It was my second time to back in and it took a few tries so the large bus pictured on site 14 on the web page now must be a mirage. Rate was about $22 in spring of 16. The directions to the park were not the easiest to follow and there are several entrances as well. Wifi could be had at night by driving to the welcome station and sitting in the car. We visited Graceland (of course) Sun Studio (http://www.sunstudio.com)- the highlight of the trip for me, great tour and Beale Street. Oh, and the giant pyramid Bass Pro store. Amazing space.
Indiana - Crawfordsville /
Yes, we are at a Walmart. We have stayed overnight in 6 or 8 of these stores. One of them was a bit dicey (Springfield - Mass) and most are not memorable. They are free and we feel reasonably safe. We always shop in the store. It is not a destination but if we want to travel late and get going early it is a good option. This one was very nice. We were alone on the automotive side, WIFI worked in the lot, there were birds singing in the AM and there was a custard stand in the front lot. Perfect.
Kentucky - Carter Caves State Resort Park /
We just stopped here for one night on the way back from a trip to Iowa. The campground was a bit off the Interstate but not too far to make the stop worthwhile. We were able to take a nice hike and enjoy a walk around the lake. We were in site 55 with electric. Water was available but a central locations. I don't recall any wifi. The site was level and easy to access. The rate we paid was about $20. We were headed down a road to the lake when I took this photo.
