Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Ok, I mentioned doing this on another thread so here goes. I appreciate it when I know a little bit about the campground I am going to be camping at before hand, from the personal experiences of others . I also pass on the pros and cons of campgrounds to people who ask. So, I am hoping you will join me on doing the same on this thread. My opinion of these campgrounds may differ from others who have camped there and that's ok. Everyone's opinion helps.

EDIT: I get lots of information on the campground websites but having first hand info and pictures from someone who has camped there is more valuable to me.

Ft. Clinch, Fernandina Beach, FL:
Pros:
*Campsites are pretty large, all shady and not on top of each other.
*Bathouse/Showers are new and top notch...even airconditioned!
*Washer and dryers
*St. Johns River within walking distance...good for fishing.
*Atlantic within short driving distance...good for crabbing/fishing/swimming.
Cons:
*Lots of raccoons who will steal you blind!

Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, FL:
Pros:
*Nice shady campsites...hardwoods.
*Easy walking distance to Springs and pavillions
*Close to Cedar Key (quaint little fishing town)
*Friendly park rangers and staff
*Deer came into campsites at dawn
*Manatee were feeding in the Springs in the morning
Cons:
*Bathroom/Showers needs serious updating!
*Not an easy path at night to bathroom/showers (at least where we camped)
*Campground host would not unlock bathrooms when we were using the pavillion.
I really like this campground except for the showers.

St. Joe's Peninsula, Cape San Blas, FL:
Pros:
*Great bathrooms/showers
*Washer/dryers
*You are walking distance from the Gulf beaches
*Deer are in the park
Cons:
*Not much shade
*Very sandy (but you are camping on the beach)
*Majority of the sites aren't private...pretty close to your neighbor
*A little bit of a drive to get to a convience store

White Oak Lake State Park, Prescott, Arkansas April 2009

Pros:

Very clean
Friendly staff
Hot Showers
Boat Launch
Hiking/Geocaching
Fishing
Boat Rentals
Bait Shop
Sites with shade
Quiet

Cons:

Campsites are pretty close together
Nearest town about 20 miles if you need something

halfdome, Danny wrote:Here's a link to see what a particular campsite looks like in Yosemite National Park. There may be other websites for other parks. Danny

Here's another good site I just found that has individual campsite photos. They just cover the west at this point, but I'm hoping they'll expand. They pay for photos as well if anyone wants to make a little extra $$$ on their next camp out. http://www.campsitephotos.com/

I'm confused. Isn't this supposed to be for people's PERSONAL ratings of campgrounds where they have been? Not for links to campground website or campground photos? That's what I am interested in at least. Perhaps we should also put when we stayed at a particular campground so we can have the latest info.

iplay10us2 wrote:I'm confused. Isn't this supposed to be for people's PERSONAL ratings of campgrounds where they have been? Not for links to campground website or campground photos? That's what I am interested in at least. Perhaps we should also put when we stayed at a particular campground so we can have the latest info.

Part of the question was a request for campground pictures. I have personally camped in lots of those campsites in my link. Since I have always enjoyed camping anywhere in Yosemite all I can offer is a link to campsite photos. I use this website every year to decide whether it will accommodate my tow vehicle and teardrop. All information is helpful when deciding where to camp. Danny

I camped at Highlands Hammock State Park, in Sebring, FL this weekend and enjoyed it a lot. Here are a few of the pros and cons.

Pros:
* Beautiful place for hiking, bike riding, observing nature and takng a tram ride deep inside the park.
* Some campsites are really nice.
* Nice long boardwalk through the woods.
* Interesting museum
* Nice little restaurant/ice cream shop in campground
* Open air concerts during certain months
* Lots of walking nature trails in the Big Hammock area

Cons:
*Some campsites are confusing (mine). Could be layed out much better.
*Bathouse is very small...2 showers in each one and they could use some renovation.

I really enjoyed it.

RAINBOW SPRINGS STATE PARK, FL
Very few campsites in the shade
Most in open meadow
Must drive several miles to the Springs
Springs area very nice swimming, hiking etc


LITTLE TALBOT ISLAND,STATE PARK,FL
Shady sites
Privacy under brush between sites
Small sites, no big motor homes, great for Teardrops
8-10 miles to nearest store
Must drive to the beach area, nice beaches
Small camp, only 41 sites
Nice bathrooms,clean,newly redone

MaryAnn:
Have you been to Rainbow Springs lately? The campground has been closed for renovation but should be opening any day now. Curious how it looks now.

Big Lake State Park. Craig, MO. June 2009.

Only stayed one night, but had shady spots, covered picnic tables, friendly staff and clean bathrooms. Spots were rather close together, however. Somewhat off the beaten path and not a lot of nearby services.


Lake Vermillion Rec Area. Canistota, SD. June 2009.

Nice and quiet. Clean. Hot showers with good water pressure. Mix of shady and partly shady sites. Sites aren't too close to the next one and most have trees between the sites. Windy while I was there, and according to the park staff, that is the norm.


Custer State Park, South Dakota. June 2009.


Grace Coolidge campground. One of the smaller campgrounds, but lots of trees for shade, and the sites aren't too close together. A few of the spots would be hard to back into due to it being a one way loop and the spots are angled an odd way. Clean bathrooms and hot showers. General store less than a mile away for supplies and firewood. Some of the other campgrounds in this HUGE state park looked newer, but they appeared to be built in a field and had little shade/trees. I didn't check out every campground, though, but Custer is a Must See!

Bonny Lake State Park. Idalia, CO. June 2009

Wagon Wheel Campground. I pretty much had the whole park to myself during the 2 days I was here. There was a campground host and about 2 other campers here at any given time. Lots of different loops in this campground with good shade and some privacy between spots. The park was clean and the staff friendly, but it is kind of a sad and depressing place. The lake has been drying up and they haven't been able to launch boats for about 3 years until this summer. I drove through the other campgrounds in the park and they are older and neglected looking.

Park office sells firewood, but closes at 430pm. Nearest services for food/gas are about 9 miles away and the "grocery store" had the rudest clerk and an OK selection of basic food needs.

Lots of turkeys, birds and jack rabbits in the park and that was nice to see.

Pay showers. 50 cents for 3 minutes. Nice laundry facility.

Red Rock Canyon State Park. Hinton, OK. June 2009

California Road Campground. Park has several loops and this is the one at the end of the park. Shade and good spacing between sites. The red rocks are very pretty, and the park has a swimming pool and snack shop open for the summer season. The hiking trails are not maintained very well or clearly marked, so take a GPS with you. Park does not sell firewood and the nearest place charges $10/bundle!!! Cold showers are free, but hot showers are 50 cents for 3 minutes. The bathroom is not too close if you are camping in the California Road campground, though.

The road in and out is rather steep and twisty, but it is only for 1/8 mile. Big rigs have to call up to the office when they are leaving so park ranger can stop traffic so the big rigs can take up both lanes on the way up.

These are great reviews...thank you all for taking the time to give your opinions. Personally, I prefer to hear from a camper how they feel about a campground they have camped in. Understandably, park brochures are going to give a shined up version of their campground.

Please keep em' coming.

Linger Lodge, Bradenton, FL

Pros:
- Shady river campsites
- Airconditioned laundry facility with 2 showers
- Restaurant/bar located within walking distance from campsites
- Small boat ramp right by campsites

Cons:
- No dumpster (that we could find)
- Needs electrical upgrades bad! Only has 30 amp large RV hookups, no 3 prong smaller outlets.
- Bathrooms/showers (only 2 of each in the laundry facility) are shared by restaurant patrons.

If you want someplace to camp right on the river with no frills whatsoever, this is the place. Very small campground and has a lot of long term residents. You can walk the entire grounds in 5 minutes so no need for bikes.

Kenlake State Park Resort is on the outside of Kentucky Lake (not between the lakes), right at the bridge taking you into the "Land Between the Lakes". The park is in Hardin, KY. We spent as much time inside the State Park, as we did between the lakes. It was beautiful. They had a lodge and a marina and tennis and golf and a swimming pool, and as campground guests we were allowed to use everything inside the park.

The picture of our campsite (above) was taken from their website. You can actually hover your mouse over each campsite number, and see a picture of the site. But, be advised that the sites are not as big as they look, in the picture. Our driveway was exactly long enough for the teardrop and the SUV. ALL SITES THERE, require a 50-foot power cord. We purchased a 25-foot extension, and it was perfect.

Campground map: http://kentuckystateparks.reserveameric ... ampingSpot

I've got to say that the bath-house was the nicest I've ever seen in a campground. There was a nice vanity with lights above it, with three sinks. Faucets were the curved kind with knobs that you turn (not the push-button kind you find in most campgrounds). Each shower had a nice dressing room, with plenty of hot water (faucets that turn), and the toilets were "automatic"...flush when you stand up. AND, it was clean, clean, clean! There was a laundromat attached to the bath-house.

The entire 7-nights was $260...including the reservation fee, tax, and everything. That was for an electric/water site and access to everything that the resort offered. The only thing we paid for at the resort (while there) was the laundromat ($1.25 wash / $1.00 dry) and we bought bags of ice and wood at the gate. LOL...wood was 25-cents per log.

We spent a lot of time at a portion of the resort that is being re-built. There is construction going on in that area, but, they had fabulous fishing/swimming areas, with picnic tables/grills (that I assume used to be the campsites). The people at the gate-house told us about it, and that we could go down there. It was fairly secluded and just a great place to go. There were a lot of "strange things"...one of them was what looked like a "high dive". We asked what it was and they told us that's where they used to lower the sail boats.

DH went to the marina many times, to buy fishing supplies and ask for advice. They were great (and even had wi-fi). I computed a little, while he asked about fishing. He fished every day, but he says, "there ain't no fish in that lake...they lied!" We actually saw fish jumping everywhere, but they wouldn't bite. Everyone said they just weren't biting...didn't know why. There was also wi-fi at the lodge. We went in there a few times (they had tables and couches for wi-fi use), but we were too busy to use it much.

This is what I saw every morning, when I opened my window shade in the teardrop. Just to the right of this picture, is the bridge going over, between the lakes.

That sounds like a great place to stay and the view is beautiful. I wish all the campgrounds offered the service where you could see your campsite. Thanks for the rating.

I am headed to Land Between the Lakes next week on my way to visit my sister in Lexington, KY. I am staying at Piney Campground in the southern portion, though. I will have to check out Kenlake while I am there.

Thanks for the review and the pictures.