Your Best And Your Favorite Rv Park(s)

What generally appeals to us is shade, quiet and dog friendly.

Colter Bay is wonderful for myriad reasons

There are so many others that could be tied for 2nd place.

And unfortunately several that are tied for last place!

 

My family and I love Bethpage in Virginia. They have a huge water area with many different pools, water slides, kiddie pools, etc. The sites are HUGE and leveled, the largest we've ever stayed at for a private campground. They have many activities to keep the kiddies busy. An ice cream parlor that gives big, healthy scoops (a hit with the hubby).

 

We live and mostly camp in NC. For hiking, fishing etc, we love Stone Mountain State Park near Wilkesboro. When my son and I go strictly for trout fishing, we stay either at Stone Mountain or Mountain Stream RV Park which is near Marion. Tons of good fishing in that area and the park is very pretty and there is a stream on the property with many sites backing up to it and lots of trout there too.

For the beach, another vote for Camp Hatteras in Rodanthe/Waves.

 

Heartside Grove in Petosky MI and J Bar Rafter in Hill City SD

 

Lake George RV Park, Lake George, NY (about an hour north of Albany, exit 20 off of I-87). Clean, TONS to do inside and outside the park, and just a beautiful area for so many activities, especially hiking opportunities in the Adirondacks. We go there every year.

Beyond LGRVP, I'm partial to state parks because I like the privacy afforded by the generous space between sites; my biggest pet peeve is being right on top of folks in the adjacent site, especially when they have no notion of being a good camping neighbor. Most of these are reasonably close to my home in eastern WV:

• Rocky Gap near Cumberland, MD
• Douthat State Park near Clifton Forge, VA
• Westmoreland State Park near Fredericksburg, VA.

I saw Bethpage mentioned in posts here. While it has it's good points, I found some of the sites to be close together and the endless parades of jacked-up golf carts "cruising" the park at night quite annoying.

Hopefully a trip to Acadia is in our not-too-distant future - I hear it's wonderful. If anyone has any thoughts on that area, please share!

 

I find the question interesting. Of course, the answer depends on who you are and what you enjoy. My wife and I are from Washington State, and retired. Come winter time, we like to get out of the cold, clouds, rain and snow, so we head south. The park that we have found that we really like and return to often is Desert Shadows in Cathedral City CA. As I mentioned, it depends on who you are and what you want. This is a "condo" park, so you rent owners spots. We usually stay here about six weeks. It is a 55+ park with all the amenities. They have everything from Bocce ball, to dances, to concerts, to tours to ping pong, putting green, six pools (one indoors), five hot tubs, tennis courts, friendly staff, the most friendly people you will ever meet live there, etc. etc. etc., and of course the most important things: sun and warmth. Plus the many things to do in the Coachella Valley.

While I mentioned all the bad weather in the winter in the Pacific Northwest, when the sun does come out, like it did today, 85 degrees, it is a marvelous place. During the Summer and early Fall, the place we love to go to is the RV Resort at Cannon Beach, Oregon. Room, grass, trees, and a short walk to one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in the country.

Anyway, these are two of our favorite places. If any of you are in these areas, please check them out. You will not be disappointed.

 

You gotta see Bella Terra RV Resort in Foley, AL. It is a motorhome only resort with mostly owned sites, but many sites are available for rent. The reviewers give it a 10 across the board. The staff treat you like family and they all go out of their way to make you feel welcome. There aren't enough words to describe this resort. Foley is just north of Gulf Shores, AL, about 6 miles from one of the prettiest beaches in the country. Winters are mild but summers can be brutal with the humidity.

Another favorite of ours is Palm Creek in Casa Grande, AZ. This is a mega park with beautiful facilities. The complaints seem to deal mainly with poor wi-fi, but that didn't bother us because we had our own. This is our favorite winter location.

As others have stated, Coulter Bay in the Tetons is gorgeous as long as you don't mind drycamping.

We have only camped in 25 states, but these are our choices so far.

 

My favorite park is the Victorian RV Park in Sparks Nevada. I always come up here for Hot August Nights (classic car event) and the Street Vibrations Motorcycle Rally.

The park has really nice landscaping and large trees to keep the sun off the top of the RV. It is also pet friendly and within walking distance to the events.

If you'er travelling to the Reno area, check it out!

 

Welcome aboard American Biker!
Great photo.
Whoo boy: I'm betting it is the 'surface of the sun' temperatures in Nevada right now!
Keep cool.
B)

 

Riverside, Bayfield CO. Great sites, use of terrain and nature, staff, bathrooms, rates. Restful, night sky.

Custer Crazyhorse, Custer SD. Feels like a campground. Nicely designed. Well located, yet not up on the street. night sky.

Lake Chautauqu KOA, Dewitteville NY. Elevated view of the lake. middle of 200 acres of wildlife. Strong services, staff. Night sky.

To make this list:
(1) No campground lighting other than from campers, vehicle and necessary security lighting.
(2) Natural setting with fire ring, picnic table, level sites, tight hook ups.
(3) Very clean bathroom, functional laundry
(4) Wi-Fi
(5) A "community" center or event such as ice cream social or large fire ring where folks gather.

 

After 6yrs fulltiming our all time favorite has to be Winchester Bay RV Resort in Winchester Bay, OR. In fact we are headed that way again now and may stop again.

We would also go to Fishpatrick's for seafood...he catches them himself and even Served them to us in his restaurant!

 

[SIZE=18pt] [/SIZE] I noticed that there haven't been any replies to this topic in a very long time. But what the heck? I'll throw in my two cents worth.

My favorite places to camp have always been in state and national parks.

In no particular order, here are my favorite state parks:

1. Palo Duro Canyon SP in the Texas panhandle. Very large state park with over 16 miles of in- park paved roads and great hiking. Camping sites vary but most all have nice views. Summer can be a scorcher there but worth it in order to take in the outdoor musical drama "Texas!" It's in a wonderful outdoor amphitheater with the canyon wall as a backdrop. Quite a few really great special effects throughout the show that may surprise you!
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/palo-duro-canyon

2. Tyler State Park in east Texas, 100 miles east of Dallas and just 2 miles north of I-20, is a beautiful park with a 64 acre spring-fed lake. You don't need a fishing license to fish from the shore of any lake in a Texas State Park, so take your rod & reel or your cane pole. The lake has a swimming beach as well as pedal boat and canoe rentals. There is a trail around the perimeter of the lake that is a fairly easy hike. I've camped all over the southwest and keep going back to Tyler State Park. There are plenty of full hook-up sites, some with lake views. My favorite seasons there are spring (forest is loaded with red bud and dogwood trees, as well as many varieties of wild flowers) and fall (wonderful fall colors throughout the forest and it's much cooler).

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/tyler

3. Mueller State Park in Colorado, while fairly close to Colorado Springs, is a world away from the city. This is a very large park with miles and miles of fabulous hiking trails. We didn't have hookups, but were able to fill our H2O tank and dump our black & grey tanks when needed. From the front portion of our campsite, we had a great view of Pike's Peak. Stunning! The rangers keep a pretty tight reign on things and enforce the rules, which is a good thing these days. While on hikes there we saw deer, elk, blue grouse and more. I can't emphasize enough how terrific the hiking trail system is in this park. And there are trails for people with any and every ability, from flat and easy to lots of ups, downs, twists and turns. We hope to return to Mueller soon.

http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/Parks/Mueller

Happy camping,

Mel

 

Just noticed this thread and wanted to add our two favorite parks to this growing list.

!. Gilbert Ray State Campground - So. West of Tucson, AZ. If you like being out in the desert in Jan., Feb., or March this is absolutely the nicest state campground we have run across and it's on our trip route at some point during Feb. of every year. The coyotes howl at night and the birds chirp during the day and there's nothing to do but enjoy nature and revel in the beauty and quietness this park provides. Unfortunately you can only stay for 7 days max and it's on a first come, first served basis but it a wonderful place to spend a week and our very favorite.......

2. JGW RV Park - Located just a few miles south of Redding, CA and right on the Sacramento River. Reserve one of the several pull thrus facing the river and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven. Just a really nice park, well taken care of and friendly folks all around. We try to get up there in the early fall when the temperature drops below 100 degrees. Watching the river flow by about 75 feet in front of your coach with a nice glass of wine in the evenings, well it just don't get much "mo betta" than that....................

Wishing all of you a happy summer of RVing. .............. BankShot

 

Anyone that reads this thread can easily see why the reviews vary so much on the review part of the board. While we all love the parks we like best, you can see from the postings that we all look for such different things. Some look for activities, some look for fancy amenities and some of us just look for peace, quiet and simplicity. There is nothing wrong with any of these desires at all but it does show that we value different things.

 

QUOTE(dalsgal @ Aug 16 2014, 07:57 AM) [snapback]37720[/snapback]

Anyone that reads this thread can easily see why the reviews vary so much on the review part of the board. While we all love the parks we like best, you can see from the postings that we all look for such different things. Some look for activities, some look for fancy amenities and some of us just look for peace, quiet and simplicity. There is nothing wrong with any of these desires at all but it does show that we value different things.



I couldn't agree more, Dalsgal! And that is one of the things I love about camping/RVing: You meet the most interesting/diverse group of people in the world, from every walk of life. And the Great Outdoors has something for each of us. I can find all the spectacular scenery and views, hiking trails, and peace and tranquility I want. Others can find the particular settings and activities they prefer. With our tents, pop-ups, truck campers, TTs, 5ers, and MHs we can have just the kind of experience we like. The camping life -- be it in a back country tent or a luxury MH in a "Rolls Royce" RV park -- is grand.

The guy on this forum who signs "Home is where I park it" has the right idea! And choosing our parking spot is one way we express our individuality. Life couldn't get any better.

Mel

 

QUOTE(dalsgal @ Aug 16 2014, 07:57 AM) [snapback]37720[/snapback]

Anyone that reads this thread can easily see why the reviews vary so much on the review part of the board. While we all love the parks we like best, you can see from the postings that we all look for such different things. Some look for activities, some look for fancy amenities and some of us just look for peace, quiet and simplicity. There is nothing wrong with any of these desires at all but it does show that we value different things.




So true, and many times that is why a park has both high and low ratings. It just depends on whether the reviewer found what he was looking for in a park.

 

I'd like to add one more thing on this thread that I feel is relevant. I am fairly new to this RVing lifestyle. My "significant other" worked on me for several years for us to buy a motorhome and I managed to stay out of the driver's seat by telling her she'd never get me behind the wheel of "one of those behemoths". Well, an unplanned trip to an RV show about three years ago stopped that way of thinking and by allowing myself to take a test drive in the unit we ended up buying, my life was abruptly turned around. Now I can't wait to take that puppy on our next trip and so on. What a great way to enjoy not just the open road but all the various campgrounds and parks along the way. The incredible times we have had on every single trip made to date have been life changing memories for us. Out next trip in three weeks takes us to the Oregon coast where the surf will be crashing on the beach a few feet from our space and the wine will be ten times better than when we drink it at home.................

 

Two come to mind quickly: (highly recommend both)

1. Willow Tree RV Resort in Longs, SC (close to Mrytle Beach)
2. Castaways RV Resort in Berlin, MD (close to Assateague Island)

Memorable:

1. Camp Hatteras, Rodanthe, NC (on Hatteras Island) *Recommend sound side
2. Up the Creek RV Park, Pigeon Forge, TN (*All sites FH, no bathhouse/laundry)
*Peaceful, tranquil and away from the congested PF area