Favorite COE cg experience

[cpaharley2008]

Looking to camp more in COE areas and less in KOA and state parks. Trying together information of your favorite COE cg and why. In Pennsylvania, the best known is Raystown Lake COE with lake front campsites.

[SnowballCamper]

Posting so that I can get the email for the responses...

But I do really like the forest service campgrounds out here in the northwest USA. The sites are spaced farther apart than at state parks or national parks, usually there is room for bigger RVs. They are often close to national parks, but without the crowds. While they don't have full hookups (or a dump station) in all that I have seen, they have water, pit toilets (usually rather clean), and trash receptacles (except in active bear country). The price is usually $20/night or less.

My favorites include Big Creek campground on the west side of Glacier NP. It is right on the North Fork Flathead river and great for accessing the less visited northwest corner of Glacier NP.

My other favorite is Iron Creek campground between Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier. It is in a patch of old growth forest next to the Cispus river. Driving from the campground up to Windy Ridge viewpoint, you see the contrast in the forest made by the eruption almost 40 years ago. And at some turnouts you can get a view of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens...and on a clear day Mt. Hood too, all from one point. It's pretty amazing.

[WaltP]

Alex
I agree on the NFS campgrounds, they are among my favorites also. But I also like the COE campgrounds a lot.
BTW, it's not necessary to post to a thread in order to follow it. Just click on the Subscribe option under Thread Tools at the beginning of the thread.

Walt

[ssatkinson]

We have several COEs that we frequent! Here are a few:
Cottonwood COE, Gavin’s Point project, near Yankton, SD-good fishing, lots of boating on the lake, super clean restrooms and large sites. Quiet and peaceful, lots of shade along the River.

Rainbow Point on Hegben Lake, West Yellowstone, MT. Quiet, beautiful, close enough for day trips into Yellowstone.

Spring Hill Park, Barling, AR-lovely area near Fort Smith, site of annual River Egg Rally in Sept. Good base for sight seeing in the area.

Minooka Park on Wilson Lake, near Salina, KS-we use it for overnight stays on our way from MO to CO, nice restrooms, quiet.

Cedar Breaks and Jim Hogg COEs near Georgetown, TX are good if you are in the Austin area. Both show signs of heavy use but are convenient to many activities in the area. From Nov 1-April 1 it is walk up and extensions are available. Quite a few snow birds.

We are also just starting to enjoy the COE campgrounds and I am looking forward to reading to reading the recommendations of others!

[cpaharley2008]

I just received this today, it has the COE by state. Interestingly Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas have more than probably the rest of the states. Close to 2 dozen per state for those 4 while the average per state is about 4-6. Now to start marking the ones mentioned...

[Raz]

On several occasions I've arrived at COE camp grounds to find they have gone to reserve only, that is, all sites have to be reserved. No booth, no cash allowed, no iron ranger, just instructions and an 800 number. One campground in the Alleganys had just installed a pay telephone. I hadn't seen one of those in years.. Also, since COE campgrounds are located near COE projects that involve large bodies of water, they tend to be full on weekends. Unfortunately NFS is going reservation happy as well. And since most are now run by concessioneers, many close after labor day. Having to plan ahead on where you are going to spend each night takes alot of the fun out of road trips for me.

Only one COE campground here in Vermont. It's near Winhall in the southern part of the state. Quite nice, but busy in the summer.

[Iowa Dave]

Write or call your congressman and senator. May not do any good or it may. Stop in at the superintendents office at your corps sites and talk to the man in charge. Give him legitimate concerns and suggestions for remediation. May do some good, may not. No action will not make things change for the better. Everybody is accessible if you try hard enough and they put their pants on the same way you do. YMMV
Iowa Dave

[Raz]

My senator is too busy running for President. Being in Iowa, I'm sure you've seen his ads.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Looking to camp more in COE areas and less in KOA and state parks. Trying together information of your favorite COE cg and why. In Pennsylvania, the best known is Raystown Lake COE with lake front campsites.

I guess I'm outta the loop on this one.


Acronym Definition
COE Center Of Excellence
COE Corps Of Engineers (US Army)
COE Church of England
COE Common Operating Environment
COE Call of the Earth (United Nations University)
COE Cup of Excellence (Missoula, MT)
COE Council Of Europe
COE College of Engineering
COE College of Education
COE Center of Excellence (various locations)
COE County Office of Education
COE Computer Engineering
COE Cab Over Engine (truck design)
COE Coefficient of Expansion (glass and lampwork)
COE Comite Olimpico Español (Spanish: Spanish Olympic Committee)
COE Certificate of Education (various locations)
COE Code of Ethics
COE Conditions of Employment (various organizations)
COE Care of the Elderly (various locations)
COE Council on the Environment (various locations)
COE Concept Of Employment
COE Categories of Employment (International Monetary Fund)
COE Center Of Expertise
COE Conditional Offer of Employment
COE Commission on Education
COE Community of Excellence
COE Care of Equipment (for ACG duties)
COE Certificate of Eligibility (US DoD)
COE Category of Employees
COE Conseil d'Orientation pour l'Emploi (French: Policy Board for Employment)
COE Chamber Orchestra of Europe
COE Confirmation of Employment (Isle of Man)
COE Chief Of Engineers
COE Conseil Oecuménique des Églises (French: World Council of Churches)
COE Commission on Economic Opportunity
COE Certificate of Entitlement (Singapore)
COE Council on Occupational Education
COE Compulsive Overeating
COE Commission on Ethics (Florida)
COE Contemporary Operating Environment
COE Central Office Equipment (telecommunications)
COE Community of Evaluators
COE Council on Education
COE City of Edmonton (Canada)
COE Close of Escrow
COE Chief Operating Executive
COE Church of Euthanasia
COE Contemporary Operational Environment
COE Council for Opportunity in Education
COE Category of Eligibility (Medicaid; various locations)
COE Contacts over Ethernet
COE Can over Ethernet
COE Console over Ethernet
COE Confirmation of Enrollment (universities)
COE Centre d'Observation Économique (French: Center for Economic Observation)
COE Cost of Electricity
COE Chronic Otitis Externa
COE Koreguaje (SIL code, Colombia)
COE Course of Events
COE Centre for Optoelectronics
COE Computer-Optimized Equalization
COE Connection Oriented Ethernet
COE Cost of Energy
COE Council of Elders
COE Carded Open End (cotton)
COE Cornell Outdoor Education
COE Children of Eden (Stephen Schwartz musical)
COE College of Europe (Belgium and Poland)
COE Cost of Operation
COE Checkout and Evaluation
COE Cost of Equity
COE Course of Empire (band)
COE Center for Open Education
COE Central Office Environment (Cisco)
COE Clinician Order Entry (medical record)
COE Common Office Environment
COE Contingent Owned Equipment
COE City of Escondido (California)
COE Consistent Office Environment (US government)
COE Cash Operating Expense
COE Centre for Operations Excellence (Sauder School of Business, Canada)
COE Catalog Order Entry (customer purchase method)
COE Correction of Error
COE Crude Oil Equivalent
COE Certificate Of Entitlement Review (COE-Review.com)
COE Collège Ostéopathique Européen
COE Customer Owned Equipment
COE CATIA Operator's Exchange
COE Consistent Office Environment (EDS/GM)
COE Computer Order Entry (pharmacy; various companies)
COE Cooperative Office Experience
COE Certified Ophthalmic Executive
COE Comunicación Oral y Escrita (Oral and Written Communication)
COE Commission on Ecology
COE Creative Online Enterprises, Inc.
COE Cut Out Early
COE Concept of Execution
COE Colorado Education Online
COE Certification/Certificate of Equivalency
COE Control Office Equipment (telecommunications)
COE Contract Operations Executive
COE Confirmation of Exit (notification)
COE Cash over Everything

[Byron Kinnaman]

COE Camping is near a dam. Many are free and spread out along a river. Some with improvements such as tables, water, designated camp sites, etc. and fees are out there. Fees with interagency passes are 50%, the same as NPs, USFS, and BLM fee sites.

[DLDK]

Originally Posted by Raspy

I guess I'm outta the loop on this one.


Acronym Definition
COE Center Of Excellence
COE Corps Of Engineers (US Army)
<snip>
COE Cash over Everything

The second one.

[Cathy P.]

We have only camped at Canning Creek in Council Grove, KS, and in the off season, but it was wonderful! Very clean and nice although currently I believe they are still repairing damage caused by the floods this year: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233449 Because we have the America The Beautiful Senior Pass, we only pay $10 a night for the electric/water campsite. They have a dump station near the gated entrance.

We bought the Corp campground book that someone showed above, and hope to hit several of the campgrounds over time.

[Byron Kinnaman]

The America The Beautiful Senior Pass is good in most if not all Federal campgrounds. I've used my pass in National Parks, BLM campgrounds, COE campgrounds, NSFS campgrounds. The entrance fees to National Parks is outragous but the America The Beautiful Senior Pass it's free. Well worth the money spent on the pass.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by DLDK

The second one.

Thanks,

I was worried it might be:

Church Of Euthanasia (Not a place I'd want to go camping)

I see that Jim clarified it too, after I asked.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Raz

My senator is too busy running for President. Being in Iowa, I'm sure you've seen his ads.

I had a conversation with my guy on Saturday and gave him a few pointers on parks and recreation issues. He thanked me and I let him hug my girlfriend.

[Glenn Baglo]

He makes you look like a young pup, Dave.

[floyd]

Did you rub the hair on his legs?

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by floyd

Did you rub the hair on his legs?

Stop it! I'm to old to laugh that hard.

[theresa p]

Walt--thanks so much for that primer on the thread tools. I had never clicked on that button and had no idea that those options existed!

Awesome!!


And our only experience with COE campgrounds has been in Florida and we have had zero luck in getting in....totally booked right up months in advance. That is the negative thing these days about trying to camp spontaneously....cannot get any sites short notice.

[CharlesinGA]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

The America The Beautiful Senior Pass is good in most if not all Federal campgrounds. I've used my pass in National Parks, BLM campgrounds, COE campgrounds, NSFS campgrounds. The entrance fees to National Parks is outragous but WITH the America The Beautiful Senior Pass it's free. Well worth the money spent on the pass.

I edited your quote as the first two times I read it, I thought you were saying the senior pass was free, which it is not, its $80 one time. I finally realized you were saying the admission was free, which it is. Camping is usually 50% of normal rates. Lowest I paid was $5.50 in the Nebraska National Forest at Halsey, Nebraska. Regular fee was $11, the site had power.

As far as favorite COE places, the only one I have stayed at, was Left Tailrace Campground at Big Bend Dam, on the Missouri River, Ft Thompson, SD. It was great, aside from the flies. There are several campgrounds, most COE, that are located below dams on the Missouri River.

Surrounded by the river, you drive over the dam and down the backside to get to it. The old campground on the Ft Thompson side is closed and abandon. This is large and nice. I was right next to the bath house.
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0479...!3m1!1e3?hl=en

Here is the COE site for the lakes and recreation. Click the map or use the drop down boxes to find what you are looking for. If you visit a COE office, such as the project office at a dam, you generally can buy the America the Beautiful passes and they will give you a CD that has the states and all recreation areas listed. The project office close to me has a neat museum that documents the construction of the dam and the affects on the surrounding area.

https://corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil/visitors/visitors.cfm

Here is info on the park passes , these are autorized resellers of the passes.

https://www.usparkpass.com/

https://www.discovernw.org/mm5/merch...iAAEgLPq_D_BwE

Here is a list of every single place you can walk in and purchase a pass.

https://store.usgs.gov/s3fs-public/PassIssuanceList.pdf

Here is official govt info on the passes and how to get them. This is the first site you should visit for pass info!!!

https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm

The regular annual pass is available to anyone for the $80 fee. The senior pass is only available to US citizens and permanent residents (green card holders).

Charles