Cross country "must sees" or A+campgrounds?

[Karen Carroll]

We are heading East next week to NYC and DC. We plan to take a southerly route back there and have planned 10 days going and 20 days on the East Coast and have an open-ended schedule for the return trip. Does anybody have suggestions for favorite camping spots or must-sees that we might plan into our trip? High on our list of priorities is budget friendly ( $0 - 20) campsites with both flush toilets and showers, since we have no on-board of either, only a port-potty. We do have a Golden Age Pass and have used it in the past to get free and $5 camping spots. We also need dog-friendly campgrounds. On our last trip East we found that some campgrounds and State Parks in Eastern and Northeastern states prohibit dogs. Our first 3 days we plan to travel I-8 to I-10 to the Uvalde area of Texas to visit the area that my ancestors homesteaded, but are open to all suggestions on where to stay or what to visit anywhere. Our other restrictions are commitments to be in NYC on May 19 and Rockville/DC area on June 7. What would be included in your ideal trip? Please share your experiences and suggestions, especially if you travel with your pets.

[Bobbie Mayer]

If you have never been there, try to come back via the NORTH Rim of the Grand Canyon. It's gorgeous, and much less crowded and more cool than the South Rim. Not sure about dogs, but they are usually allowed in National Park campgrounds, I think.

Bobbie

[Adrian W]

Check this out about City of Rocks State Park in New Mexico:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/in...howtopic=23053


Balmorhea State Park off I-10 is a very unique place, a spring fed swimming pool, with fish swimming with you in parts of the pool, a deep central area you can scuba dive in or snorkle. I just read in the state park web site: The swimming pool at Balmorhea State Park will be closed for annual cleaning beginning Monday, May 14 and reopen after noon on Friday, May 18.

Also off I-10 over by Junction is South Llano River State Park.
1927 Park Road 73
Junction TX 76849-9502
325/446-3994

However, these may not be within the price range you mentioned.

Check at this site: http://www.freecampgrounds.com/
Such as:
Junction has a city park with camping allowed: http://www.freecampgrounds.com/detail.aspx?id=327
Seems to have poor restroom and not showers.

http://www.freecampgrounds.com/detail.aspx?id=2018
Sunland Park Racetrack/Casino
8 sites in the parking lot with water/electric for only $5 night. Dump station in the vicinity. Great buffet at the casino for only $7.95 or $1 discount if you're 50 or over! Free dry camp in the parking lot. Security drove by numerous times. This is actually in New Mexico, but only 1/4 mile from Texas/New Mexico Border. Take exit 13 I-10 north of El Paso, Texas side. 2 train tracks are close by.

http://www.freecampgrounds.com/detail.aspx?id=386
Texas State Rest Area and Welcome Center just coming into Texas from New Mexico on I-10. A large state rest area and welcome center for cars, RVs and trucks. Close to Mexico border. A man in a security truck patrols at night. He said it's okay to stay as long as needed. Exit I-10 at the ramp by Flying J truck stop and cross ramp to rest area off the onramp. Exit 0 off I-10 eastbound or westbound. If westbound, cross over highway, turn left but stay to right on access road. Watch for sign. Lots of room, well lit, free WiFi and washrooms, security and separate area from big rigs. All Texas rest areas have free internet.

[RonMayo]

A favorite free compground and scenic spot of mine is:

Canyon de Chelly National Monument

NE Arizona

Google it

Ron Mayo

[Karen Carroll]

Thanks for the suggestions Bobby and Ron. We have camped a lot in the Western states and were lucky enough to stop at both the Grand Canyon North rim and Canyon De Chelly on our last long road trip and they were well worth the visit. We may visit again on our way back this time. We'll explore the suggestions offered by Adrian. The idea of swimming with the fish sounds interesting and I'll look into that a bit more, but think we'll pass on the nude soak. We are looking to take lots of backroads and prefer small quiet campgrounds. I was hoping for some thoughts for places to visit or camp on and towards the eastern seaboard, especially during that Memorial day weekend. It just occurred to me that we most likely will need reservations somewhere for that holiday weekend, and when I went online to check, it looks like the most popular spots on the east coast were booked up long ago. Anyone have an out of the way spot that they have found in the Maryland/Virginia/Carolinas area that might not be completely full? Al V. - any ideas?? We are also considering traveling up to New England or into Canada for that weekend.

[Al and Cindy K]

Eastern NC - Outer Banks, Cape Hatteras National Seashore - NPS campground at Frisco (first) or Ocracoke (second but does take reservations); Flush toilets, cold water only showers, $20-22/night less your Golden Age discount. Lots of history in this area, best beaches on east coast (my opinion of course).

Western NC - Any of the National Forest Service Campgrounds in Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. Have stayed at Jack Rabbit Mountain, Horse Cove - our favorite, flush johns but no shower, Standing Indian, Cheoah Point, Van Hook Glade, Carolina Hemlocks and probably some others that I don't recall. All have been nice for our type of camping - natural settings with privacy and large sites taking precedence over amenities. Prices around $10-20 before discounts and most are reservable. Also some great free areas for dispersed camping along many of the Forest Service roads.

Enjoy your visit - Al

[Chris Z]

Like Al, I think I would go up along the coast to Outer Banks and so forth and if I could -get up to Maine and Nova Scotia. On the way back, I would meander down the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway. Lots of camp[grounds along these mountains. If you decide to go that way, I could recommend some. The campgrounds right on the Parkway have only flush toilets and cold water sinks (take Golden Age) but lots of sites on either side.

[Karen Carroll]

Thanks Al & Cindy, & Chris too. Private sites and beautiful scenery are high on our list, so your suggestions sound good. I had been leaning towards going up the outer banks, so will do that on our way to NYC. We did Assateague National Seashore to see the wild ponies on the last trip and loved it, and we also did half of Skyline through Shenandoah (so impressed with the beautiful National park), but think we will go on down the rest of the way through Blue Ridge this trip, on our way home. There are still spots left for Memorial weekend in Acadia National Park, so maybe we will go up there and then into Nova Scotia. Planning the possibilities is a big part of the enjoyment. Thanks for the great ideas.

[Rarebird]

Hi,
Will you be heading north of NYC?? The best camping close to NY is in the Catskill Forest Preserve, and then north of that is the Adirondacks. Info. on both areas can be found at www.dec.state.ny.us. Reservations can be made through Reserveamerica, but the DEC (dept. of environmental conservation) site has lots of info. Dogs are allowed.
My favorite, close to NY is North-South Lake. Nice lake, hiking along the Hudson river escarpment, with views forever! It's located near Haines Falls, NY. This was the site of the huge Catskill Mountain House, circa. 1880's.
As with many campgrounds close to a city, these are best during the week, as they get busy on weekends.
Good luck, and have a nice trip!
Marjie

[Chris Z]

but think we will go on down the rest of the way through Blue Ridge this trip, on our way home. There are still spots left for Memorial weekend in Acadia National Park, so maybe we will go up there and then into Nova Scotia.

Gives me goosebumps to think about it! Spent a lot of time in Maine but pre-trailer (my sister-in-law lived there). Love that place. Acadia is neat. Used to be the ferry from Bar Harbor to NS was 6 hours but now it's a hovercraft and I hear it's 3 hours. Lots of fun if you go that way. Cabot trail in NS is breathtaking!
Everybody's different but we think the southern part of the Blue Ridge is the prettiest part.

[Karen Carroll]

Marjie: We will be heading north out of NYC on a Monday and are glad to have the name of your favorite camground in the Catskills. We camped 3 years ago on Long Island at Hecksher SP and were shocked to discover that they didn't accept pets (this after making our reservation weeks in advance and seeing nothing on the website prohibiting dogs). We were prewarned about the rules regulating which roads we could take coming in and out of the city. Our daughter lives in Queens, but there's no place to camp on city streets, of course! We traveled south on 9W from Port Henry and thought that it was a beautiful area, especially Lake George and we camped at Max Shaul SP, which I think is somewhere near the area you described. We practically had the whole campground to ourselves, and this was the day before the start of the Independence day weekend. We were so pleasantly surprised by how lovely upstate NY is, and are looking forward to spending more time in that area.
Chris: Is the hovercraft for passengers only? I know the fast boat from Port Angeles to Victoria, B.C. used to be a passenger only ferry and if you took a car, it was the slow ferry. I will put Cabot Trail on my list.

[Rarebird]

Karen,
Sorry about the problem with Hecksher SP, which didn't allow dogs. The Nassau and Suffolk county parks on Long Island do allow pets. If you will be spending any amount of time on Long Island, the Suffolk parks (further east) are nice. Several are on the ocean, or bay. These are very crowded in the summer!
Good luck with your trip, if you need any Long Island caming info, let me know!
Marjie

[Chris Z]

CABOT TRAIL

Karen
Like I say, it's been a few years since we went on the ferry. At that time, there were 16 wheelers, campers, cars and we had motorcycles. I had to look it up and it still appears the same. Kindof high but one time we drove up to St Johns and crossed to Digby. Seems like that ferry was smaller and cheaper there. Check the website. even one time we went all the way up New Brunswick to Nova Scotia without the ferry and I remember thinking I wouldn't do that again. Don't remember anything eventful. On the ferry, it's almost like a cruise in the middle of the vacation. Whales and dolphins, etc.
http://www.catferry.com/customer-service/faq.php

[Karen Carroll]

Thanks Marjie for your suggestions for staying at the Suffolk County Parks. We made it through NYC and are staying in Blydenburgh County Park for the weekend. It is a great small park, quiet, and about 1/2 hour from Queens, and our dogs are welcome here. No electric, but no biggie. The journey has been safe. Our favorites so far:
Cheaha State Park campground in AL for the extraordinary mountain views from the restaurant, and South LLanos River State Park near Junction, TX because of the wonderful trails and excellent wild turkey and birdwatching from the blinds provided throughout the park. Our favorite unplanned side trip - Carlsbad Caverns (free with Golden Age Pass + $4 each to kennel the dogs while we hiked the caverns). For those who suggested Blue Ridge Parkway, we enjoyed short sections but had to come down because of the rain, which wasn't present at lower elevations. The mountains are a bit steep for our little 4 banger, but we enjoyed the parts that we did travel, and everything in the area is worth visiting. We also liked our stay at Sam Houston Jones SP north of Lake Charles, LA. The swamp/bayou sounded like a jungle when we came in after dark and it was a fascinating place for taking photos of wildlife. The campground itself felt a bit crowded. The best bargain was $4 to camp at Guadalupe Mountains National Park (no showers or electric). From here on Long Island, we are headed out tomorrow towards Massachusetts and some beach camping, and then on north towards Maine, Nova Scotia, and back down along the Hudson River.