Post a brief review

[Gina D.]

With so many of us doing long distance travel, and taking our trailers as a mobile hotel room, it may be helpful for other users to see where they can pull over on their journeys for a nite or two before they continue on the interstates to their ultimate destination.

I know on my last trip, a lot of my evening was spent searching for where I was going to spend the NEXT nite due to some schedule changes and detours.

I am not talking about "Camping", I am talking about accommodations during the journey, such as RV Parks, Campgrounds, private or gov run, ON the beaten path that we can find refuge in for a good nite's sleep and meal in our rigs.

Include the road they are off of, and the closest town, and direction from that town (Ex. 5 mile north of hooterville)

Separating by state would be helpful too!

You can come back to your original posts to add as you go over the years.

Keep it simple, just give the location, name of the spot, rate it "Good, Bad, or Unmemorable". Mention if you would go back at another time. If there was something outstanding, list it, but keep it short, and likewise, if you WOULDN'T go back, say why, but don't drag it into a complaint session. Simply stating Dirty, Noisy, Too Expensive, bad area etc. should suffice.

If someone takes interest for their needs, they can look it up on Google, but links can help if you have the time.

Since I just did a long and very common journey, (LA to Portland, Oregon) I will start with the next post. Mine will include places from other trips too.

[Gina D.]

Places Gina D. has experienced:

California:

Lost Hills RV park, (Formerly KOA), Lost Hills, Ca. (San Joaquine valley) directly off I-5
Good, would go back. Clean. $24 a nite Internet?

Stockton Delta KOA, (Tower Park Marina-Resort,) Lodi, Ca. 6-7 miles west of Lodi on hiway 12. Poor Internet.
OK, wouldn't go back tho, no pads, service posts old and scary. $24 a nite

Visalia KOA, Visalia, Ca. 2-3 miles west of hiway 99. Internet.
Good once, bad once, probably won't go back. Nieghborhood turned dangerous. $24 a nite.

Sun and Fun RV Park, Tulare Ca. 3 miles south of Tulare on hiway 99.
Unmemorable, would go back tho, clean and well maintained, laundry showers etc, but out in the middle of nowhere. Typical RV park w/full timers. $25 a nite, $1 per pet. No internet.

Former Stockton Lodi KOA, right off hiway 99, stockton, ca. on 8 mile road (Now a private park, but still listed as KOA on the web) No internet.
Good, would go back, owners friendly and services good. $30 a nite, very pet friendly.

Indian Hill Ranch, Tehachapi, Ca, 5-6 miles south of Hiway 58. Intenet.
RV Park section good, clean, would go back.. a bit off the hiway to find tho, and no bathrooms for rv overniters. $20 a nite. (Full "camping" section elsewhere on the ranch)

Redwoods River RV Resort, Leggett, Ca. , 2 miles N. of Leggett on hiway 101. No internet.
LOOKED nice, but never stayed due to flooding. The owner made arrangements for customers elswhere, so very accomidating. Will stop again if I have a chance! $25 a nite.

Crescent City KOA, 2-3 miles north of Crescent City, Ca. on Hiway 101. Strong internet.
Good, would definately go again.. not typical KOA, more like woods camping with all services. $24 a nite. Small petting zoo.

Mount Shasta City KOA, in Mnt. Shasta City, off I-5. Internet.
Good, stayed many times, right on railroad tracks tho, Noisey. Clean, woodsy in tent and electrical hook up only areas.

Red Bluff Recreational Area, Sycamore campground, Off I-5 @ Red Bluff, Ca. No services, water only Urban State campground.
Good for a quick nite, City Park atomosphere, would stop again. $12 a nite, recognizes Golden access.

Highlands RV Park, IN Bishop, ca, on hiway 395. Internet.
Good, clean all services, typical RV park. $25 a nite, PET FRIENDLY.

Canyon RV Park, Anahiem Hills, ca. on hiway 91. Poor Internet.
Good, clean, city park (Former county campground, renovated) atmosphere. Have stayed frequently. Noisey tho, right on freeway.

Oregon

Honeyman State Park, 3 miles south of Florence, Or. on Hiway 101. No internet
Good, would stay again, vacation park with ATVs tho. Easy stop. Would stay again. $? (I forgot)

Beverly Beach State Park. 10 or so miles North of Newport, Or. off Hiway 101. All same as above for Honeyman.

Gold Hill KOA, Gold Hill Or. (Grants Pass) Internet? Right on I-5
Unmemerable. Nothing bad happened, it must be OK ...LOL!

Valley Of the Rogue State Park, just south of Rogue River Oregon on I-5. Poor Internet.
Good, always stop there, typical Oregon State Park, very clean (Almost "Primped") $? (I forgot)

Sunny Valley RV Park (formerly KOA) 12 miles north of Grants Pass on I-5
USED to be good, but lost thier KOA franchise due to an, er, "adult" business across the road that keeps spilling into the park. Nuff said. Won't stay there now.

Arizona

Quartsite, Off I-10 in Quartsite..
Open camping everywhere, all sorts of folks, good and bad, stacked ontop of each other in no service land.

[Frederick L. Simson]

Arizona, Grand Canyon Area

Williams/exit 167 (I-40), 20 miles west of I-17/Circle Pines KOA
1000 Circle Pines Road, Williams, Arizona, 86046
info: (928)635-2626 reservations: (800)562-9379
$23 water/electric only; full hookup available (extra cost)
Good, always stop here. High altitude Pine Forrest, welcome respite after all day in summer's desert heat. Easy freeway access, yet Quiet (once all the families get their kids to bed). Good, reasonable, on site Cafe for when you're too tired to cook; with live entertainment on weekends. WiFi & Dial-up available. Indoor Pool/Hot tub/Sauna. Very friendly staff, even when busy.

[Bigfoot Mike]

WINSLOW, ARIZONA, I-40

We have found that we like Meteor Crator RV Park. I can’t remember if it has Internet. All sites are pull though. Cost $10 per night with Passport America. Very friendly and helpful. Clean, Quiet, Far enough off I-40 to be quiet yet easy on, easy off. Near Winslow, AZ.

http://www.meteorcrater.com/rvpark/rvpark.htm

[Bigfoot Mike]

RED BLUFF, CALIFORNIA, I-5
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino/recreati...hing/lk-rbluff/

Lake Red Bluff Forestry Camp. Gate closes at 9 PM. Cost $6 Golden Passport. Good, quiet, safe feeling, overnighter. Bathrooms.

[Bigfoot Mike]

DUNNIGAN, CALIFORNIA, I-5
http://www.pilotcorp.com/Locations/Locatio...+Dunnigan%2c+CA

Pilot Truck Stop. off of I-5, FREE, good coffee in the morning. Has 3 Handicap RV spots that are very quiet and pull though. (save me a place) Free RV dump.

Pilot Travel Center, 24/7, County Road 8
Call: 530-724-3060
Fax: 530-724-3029

[Bigfoot Mike]

SILVER CITY, NEW MEXICO, HWY 180
(Best kept secret in New Mexico...)

FGRV member, Great Margaritas.
http://www.silvercity.org/
http://townofsilvercity.org/

[Nick]

[b]SILVER CITY, NEW MEXICO, HWY 180
(Best kept secret in New Mexico...)

FGRV member, Great Margaritas.
http://www.silvercity.org/
http://townofsilvercity.org/

One of our favorite places too.

[Morgan]

One of our favorite places too.

Mine, too.

[Gina D.]

See? Already helpful. Mikes suggestion of the Winslow park works great for my trip to Colorado later on.

[BOBSMITH]

Since our destinations are generally National Forests, State Parks, and National Parks, we tend to stay in public campgrounds run by those outfits.

Just to mention the latest place we stayed:

North Carolina

Davidson River Campground, just off 276 inside the Pisgah National Forest near the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Rates varied from $18 a night (basic) to $24 a night (full hookup). An absolutely beautiful and well maintained campground, I have nothing bad to say about the look and cleanliness and saftety of the campground.

However, at both their website and the entrance signs, they claim to have "full" hookups for RVs. I don't know what they mean by "full" hookups, but it apparently doesn't mean to them what it means to me. They have no water hookups whatsoever. Nor sewer. They do, apparently, have a handful of electrical hookup sites, but not in the winter. (I discount the campground host sites, which are, of course, full hookup.) They also have no sewer hookups, but they do have a dump station.

We arrived expecting full hookups, but had to boondock it once we got there.

I would suggest calling the Pisgah National Forest before heading there to find out if they indeed have any full hookup sites, if you're expecting such.

[Chris Z]

Tennessee
http://stayriveredge.com
Riveredge RV Park in Pigeon Forge just outside the Smokies.
Nice if you can get along the stream. Have GOT to be the nicest restrooms of any campground in the US - seemed more like a very nice hotel than a campground. Trolley comes thru campground if you want to go into Gatlinburg. Popular area so call first.
Trying to get back there this weekend 1/28/06 just to get away for a few days

NC / VA
http://www.nps.gov/blri/pphtml/camping.html
Blue Ridge Parkway -
sure do like any of the National Parks along the BRP and I think we've stayed in all of them now. So peaceful and well kept and the elevation knocks off 15- 20 degrees off the valley floor. No electric or water but they do have restrooms with flush toilets and sinks and they have dump station.

[jefh]

Hi Gina,
Look forward to meeting up with you when we get back to Fawnskin in Spring. While down here in Louisiana we have camped at CATFISH HEAVEN. A wonderfully quiet campground near Lafayette, LA. Most of the campgrounds and parks here are filled with FEMA trailers and look like the proverbaly trashy trailer parks. However CATFISH is well kept and run. We also have been to Grand Isle (the southernmost tip on the gulf) and unfortunately this wonderful beach camping area was destroyed by hurricanes. Will reopen next fall.
See photo for where are are next to inlaws on Bayou.
Jeff

[Tom Trostel]

I just learned from a Casita site that Google can be used to locate campgrounds. If you click on "local" on the task bar at Google's site, then type in "campgrounds" plus the city and state of choice, it will list all in that area. Isn't the internet wonderful! If this is old news to you, please ignore. Tom Trostel

[George Cathcart]

I just learned from a Casita site that Google can be used to locate campgrounds. . Tom Trostel

Have a text-message cell phone?
You can get Google to do the same thing on your cell phone. Try this Google SMS {Short Message Service] link, Enter search term: "campground", and the City and state (or zipcode). Demo is for your computer; you'd have to download the program before it would work on a compatible cell phone.

http://www.google.com/sms/demo.html

Google SMS can be handy to use for a bunch of other "inquiries" via your cell, including phone number lookup without that onerous "information" charge by your phone service.

(Off subject, so perhaps Donna would like to move this elsewhere. )

[Donna D.]

(Off subject, so perhaps Donna would like to move this elsewhere. )

Would rather everyone stay on topic and post reviews, but this is good information for those looking for campground information.

[Taylor Kissinger]

Washoe State Park, Nevada. On 395 between Reno and Carson City.

South bound you go by Washoe City and take exit to State Park. North bound you leave Carson City go up a grade and take exit to Park about 2 miles off of 395. Tall Sage brush and some shade trees. Spectacular view of Sierras. No hook ups, water available. Nice showers and toilets.

We always stop and have a Basque meal in Carson City, and test our luck. Helpful state park employees . We always stop for at least one night.

[John Lawrence]

A good alternative to Washoe State Park in those hot summer months...

Davis Creek Park, essentially across 395 from Washoe State Park on Old Rt. 395. We were there in late summer 2004. Rt. 395 was under construction north of Carson City, but the exit at that time was the same as the one for the state park, except you turn left instead of right heading north out of Carson City.

The big difference is shade! Neither park has hookups, but Davis Creek, a county campground, is mostly trees. We were there for 5 days and our black cat was most comfortable. And it was really hot that summer... Washoe Lake was dry!

Best and cheapest breakfast in town is at Cactus Jack's, downtown Carson City across from the Nugget.

[Taylor Kissinger]

Thanks John we were at Washoe one summer and it was hot. We try to roll that way in the late spring or fall. Camp our way down 395 in the sierras . To many nice places to list some are crowded on weekl ends

[Roger L.]

[b]WINSLOW, ARIZONA, I-40

We have found that we like Meteor Crator RV Park. I can’t remember if it has Internet. All sites are pull though. Cost $10 per night with Passport America. Very friendly and helpful. Clean, Quiet, Far enough off I-40 to be quiet yet easy on, easy off. Near Winslow, AZ.

Also, easy on/off I-40 in Winslow is Homolovi Ruins State Park campground which was a nice stopover.