SOUTH CAROLINA (near Savannah, GA)

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HILTON HEAD HARBOR RV RESORT, Hilton Head, SC
January, 2008
$40/night: full hookup with wifi
As my introduction to RV parks, I'm glad I chose to stay here, but it was pricey and had amenities I didn't need (pool, hot tub). It was beautifully maintained, and some sites were waterfront, with a dock. No complaints at all, except for the price. There was another RV resort on the island, which I checked out, but it seemed more crowded, and for the same price, i liked this place better. All plots are privately owned, so they each have a unique character. The place is very carefully manicured and tended, and has the feel of a suburban development. Each site is spacious, usually with some grass or landscaping and a large cement pad. There is laundry onsite and what looked to be a nice restaurant with water views, but it was closed for the season when I was there. If I wanted to go back to Hilton Head and pay the money, I'd stay here again. I do, however prefer more rustic, natural campgrounds.

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HUNTING ISLAND STATE PARK, SC
January, 2008
$20/night: water & electric
Loved it here. Spacious, airy, shady campground with a row of waterfront sites. I had waterfront site #49 which actually enabled me to pull through, so that my bedroom windows were facing the water. Gated and locked at night. Visible park rangers throughout the day and evening. This time of year wasn't very crowded, and Riley could run on the miles of beach untethered. The beach was beautiful and just outside my door. The nearby-ish town of Beaufort was a nice place for coffee shops, restaurants, services/provisions and strolling, though the 20-30 minute drive wasn't particularly inspiring. Verizon phone and USB modem worked, but just barely.

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HARDEEVILLE RV PARK, Hardeeville, SC
January-February, 2008
$10/night: full hookup with cable and wifi, monthly discount
I had investigated every park in the surrounding area of Savannah and settled on Hardeeville for a few reasons. Most parks were around $300/month, so that was not the biggest deciding factor, but it was disheartening to see that most of the parks were not going to be ideal. The Savannah KOA had a very rude staff and the sites were packed in very close together. Tybee Island was twice as expensive and an unpleasant half hour drive out of town (when the traffic was good). Other parks were either trashy or wouldn't allow Riley because he was too big. Hardeeville was spacious and shady, with grass and large trees. Len, the owner was always very friendly and helpful. The park was just a pleasant 10 minute drive into historic Savannah, and there was very little traffic to fight on the Talmadge bridge. I wanted to spend most of my time in Savannah, so the proximity was ideal. The only drawback to this park was that it was on a fairly busy road, and there wasn't a gate or enough foliage to give a sense of security or privacy from the traffic. There were complaints that the night club across the street pumped out loud music and throbbing bass on the weekends, but I hardly heard it. In fact, they were rarely open. Most guests here are long-termers, but i'd recommend it for anybody interested in being close to Savannah for any length of time. There is also laundry on-site. Wi-fi worked well at my site and cable was nice to have.

FLORIDA

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ANASTASIA STATE PARK, St. Augustine
February, 2008
$23/night: water & electric
I had site #48 and would request it again when I return. This was a beautiful park: clean and very well maintained. The roads were smooth enough to rollerblade on and the beach was within walking distance. While the park was booked solid at this time of year, it never seemed crowded. The road coming in to the park offered great opportunities to view shorebirds. Every site seemed to offer enough privacy and space, and there was a friendly, neighborly vibe. Within 10 minutes from the historic part of town, this park is ideally situated. From what I learned of other options in the area, this is definately the best place to stay. No dogs allowed on the beach, though. My Verizon USB modem and cell phone worked fairly well here.

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ST. JOE'S PENINSULA STATE PARK, Port St. Joe
February, 2008
$20/night: water & electric
There are two campground loops here, connected by a boardwalk over a marshy area, and I had a site in the loop farthest from the entrance (I forget the name of it). This loop was more shady and seemed more spacious. The other loop seemed more crowded and out in the open, but closer to the beach. Both, however had a boardwalk to the beach. My loop had recently undergone a controlled burn, so there was still a lot of charred vegetation. It's pretty remote, but my cell phone and USB modem just barely worked at my site. It was great here. Spacious, shady, peaceful and very friendly. Port St. Joe's, a 20-minute drive, is the nearest town with gas, groceries, post office and library, but not much of an attraction. It would have been nice to have a boat to be able to go out to the very tip of the wild peninsula, an 8-mile distance. There was also laundry on-site.

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MANATEE SPRINGS STATE PARK, Chiefland
March, 2008
$16/night: water & electric
Another great campground, this one extra-special because of the wild manatees that visited here. It's also a very popular place for cave-diving, with miles and miles of underwater caves to explore. There is an area where you can swim in the crystal-clear spring and a boardwalk to the Swanee River. There were manatees in the spring everyday I was here, as well as lots of jumping mullet and gar. The campground was sandy with spacious sites, plenty of privacy and shade. Great place. My cellphone and modem did not work here at all, but it was a 15-minute drive into Chiefland where there was a coffeeshop with wifi.

 

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ST. ANDREWS STATE PARK, Panama City
March, 2008
$24/night: water & electric
Wasn't crazy about this park. I had a decent waterfront site, but it was more of an "urban" park, being so close to Panama City. Loud and crowded, and not much privacy. It was the peak of Spring Break, and Panama City was crawling with drunken college kids. I only stayed one night.

 

ALABAMA

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BLAKELY HISTORIC PARK, Mobile
March, 2008
$30/night: full hookup
Another park I wasn't crazy about. The campground was far removed from the rest of the park and felt like a construction zone for a housing development, though the sites were certainly spacious enough and offered sewage as well. Not many other campers, too isolated for me, and pricey. I only stayed one night.

 

LOUISIANA

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FONTAINEBLEU STATE PARK, Mandeville
March, 2008
$16/night: water & electric
When I first arrived, I let Riley out of the car. He always sticks close to me, and as I was about to leash him the camp host rudely yelled at me to "get that dog on a leash". Later, I discover that he regularly drives around the park in a very noisy and loud ATV. At 8:00 am park workers with a blaring car radio collected garbage in front of my site. They slammed doors and yelled at each other. No privacy. Sites close together. I can't help but hear the next door neighbors complain into the night about Canadians. I love Canada. My cell phone and modem worked here, but not my favorite place.

MISSISSIPPI

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NATCHEZ STATE PARK, Natchez
March, 2008
$16/night: water & electric
I only stayed here one night, but it was a nice park on a lake and close to Natchez, a small town worth a visit. Clean showers. Friendly neighbors.

ARKANSAS

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LAKE CATHERINE STATE PARK, Hot Springs
March, 2008
$18/night: water & electric
Nice park on a lake with a nice power plant on the far side. I was only here 2 nights, but enjoyed my stay, and it was a short, pleasant drive into downtown Hot Springs. My site was in a little cul-de-sac, on the water, and the neighbors were fun. Clean showers. Cell phone and modem worked. Quiet and friendly, it was mostly occupied by local people with their families on vacation.

TEXAS
NOTE: A State Parks pass cost $60 and covers all day use fees for an entire year.

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BUCKHORN CREEK, Lake o' the Pines - Corps of Engineers CG
March, 2008
$18/night: water & electric
Stayed here a couple nights on my way to Austin. On a large, beautiful lake, it's a very nice place in the Piney Woods region of Texas. Spacious, shady. Modem and phone worked.

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MCKINNEY FALLS STATE PARK, Austin
March, 2008
$16/night + $4/day use fee: water and electric
Fine city park, but not much character and I didn't feel a sense of neighborliness. Even though it was only 15 minutes from downtown Austin, it felt a world away, which is good for city people who don't want to go far to get the nature experience. I would rather be closer to the energy of Austin, and would try Pecan Grove RV on Barton Springs Road next time. Cell phone and modem worked very well.

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SOUTH LLANO RIVER STATE PARK, Junction
April, 2008
$15/night + $2/day use fee: water and electric
In the west Texas hill country, I LOVED it here. Lots of wildlife, great people, beautiful river and peaceful. Popular place for bird-watchers. There are bird blinds setup with water fountains and food, and many different bird species come to eat and frolic there. This place made a birder out of me. Also armadillos, deer, wild turkeys, snakes, rabbits. Very clean, quiet and safe. Regular ranger-led programs, which were really great. Riley could swim in the river daily. i intended for this to be just a one-night stand, but ended up staying for a few weeks while I waited for parts for the Airstream. I could have moved on, but it was too good here. Some very scenic drives in the area as well. Cell phone worked, but poorly. No internet at all, but the library had a great wi-fi connection, and it's only 5 miles away. The sites were beautiful, spacious and private.

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SANDY LAKE RV, Carrollton
May, 2008
$27/night: full hookup
Only stayed here the one night before I dropped off my trailer at North Dallas RV. Very crowded, cramped, and no sense of fresh air and open space. It had a pool, though. Decided to spend my time at Lewisville Lake instead.

 

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LEWISVILLE LAKE PARK, Lewisville
May, 2008
$16/night: water and electric
Reasonable price and nice for a city park. I stayed here while my trailer was being fixed. Some sites have very nice water views. Good place to avoid the congestion of the big city. There was a curfew, though - the gates closed and locked you out at 11:00. Phone and verizon modem worked.

 

ARIZONA

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DEAD HORSE RANCH STATE PARK, Cottonwood
May, 2008
$19/night: water and electric or $12/night: just water
Noisy. I guess it's okay for people to use loudspeakers and play karoake into the night, or for church groups to wake up at dawn and use their PA system for the whole park to hear. Other than that, this park was a fine base to explore Sedona and Jerome, even Flagstaff. Phone and Verizon modem worked.

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GRAND CANYON TRAILER VILLAGE, Grand Canyon
May, 2008
$30/night: full hookup
Really nice to be able to walk to the rim of the canyon, but not much character to the place. If you don't need a hookup, the other campgrounds in the park are much much nicer. Phone and Verizon modem worked.

 

CALIFORNIA

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MOUNTAIN VALLEY AIRPORT RV PARK, Tehachapi
June, 2008
$13/night: drydock
This place was a nice little surprise, after driving through the desolate Mojave Desert. Good place to stop. Tucked away and quiet, but conveniently located. I pulled in at dusk and left early morning.

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OLEMA RV RESORT AND CAMPGROUND, Olema
June, 2008
$36/night: full hookup with weekly discount
This was another nice surprise. The online reviews were negative, but for the proximity to Point Reyes and the coast, I enjoyed settling in here for a while. The sites were spacious enough, but not particularly private - they had just finished re-doing the front sites to make them bigger, so the landscaping was still young and didn't offer much buffer between neighbors, but at least you weren't right on top of each other. There are trees and grass throughout the whole park, and the sites in the back are the shadiest, but they aren't full hookups. I loved being able to ride my bike to Inverness and on some trails of Point Reyes without having to get in my car. It's an hour drive to San Francisco, but it's a nice drive on coastal Route 1, or Sir Francis Drake through Fairfax and San Anselmo. Three miles up the road Point Reyes Station offers some restaurants, grocery, and gas. My verizon phone did not work here. I could get a whisper of a signal in Inverness, but the most reliable place for my Verizon phone was to drive down past Stinson Beach and park in one of the clifftop pullouts overlooking the Pacific. Not a bad place for a conference call. The park offers free WiFi and it worked great. Some downers are: 1) they only take cash 2) they have a 2-week limit 3) people drive too fast on the gravel roads and kick up a lot of dust 4) when I came back after leaving, I settled in at a different site, which was supposed to be a full hookup, but the sewage drain was clogged. They knew about it, because my neighbors told them about it when THEY were put there before me, but they put me there anyway.

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ANTHONY CHABOT REGIONAL PARK, Castro Valley
June, 2008
$25/night: full hookup
Nestled in a grove of Eucalyptus trees that I understand are very fragrant, this campground is on the top of a hill overlooking beautiful Lake Chabot. None of the full hookup sites have a view of the lake, but some of the tent sites do - and lots of them would accomodate an RV or trailer. It's a bit of a hike to get down to the lake and up again, but Riley and I loved it. I also loved the miles of mountain bike trails. I wanted to scope this place out as a possible base for exploring San Francisco. It's $11/night cheaper than Olema and can shave a good 15 minutes off the drive into the city, but there is a 10:00 curfew which kills the whole thing and the drive over the East Bay Bridge is always congested. Phone and Verizon card actually worked pretty well up here. They didn't have a problem with me washing my car and trailer here, either.

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RIVER BEND RESORT, Forestville
June, 2008
$38/night: water and electric
Small, cramped, crowded, and noisy. But the staff and people there were very friendly. I only stayed one night.