Favorite Campgrounds in Your State

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Camping season has finally reached up here to the "great white north" (where it's been in the high 80s all week, btw).  Since I know some Fiends will be venturing out beyond the confines of their home states, I thought it might be good for folks to share their favorite campgrounds in their home states, and why. It also might help to include when the last time you camped there was.

 

Ok, go!

 

:mh1:

[Travisma 1,317]

The Fort

 

Fort Desoto   St Pete FL

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I used to love Hunting island State Park, near Beaufort, SC.  

 

Our first trip, we got a campsite just steps from the beach.  We saw dolphins every day.  The kids were happy playing in the waves.  It was a nice walk to the lighthouse down the beach.  Oh, and all the other campers were very friendly.

 

A few years ago, we went back and the beach had eroded.  There were now many trees in the way of the nice walk to the lighthouse.  That time, we got a campsite on the loop behind the one near the beach.  The mosquitoes there were awful.    Still, I saw dolphins and the kids enjoyed playing in the waves.

 

Last spring, I made sure I had an ocean front campsite.  That meant booking 13 months in advance, if I am recalling correctly.  Still, the mosquitoes were awful.  The beach had eroded so much that now I felt it was dangerous for my kids to play in the waves.  There were many tree stumps along the beach that were underwater at high tide.  Many of them rose to a point.  I kept envisioning a child falling and getting impaled on one. (I am a worrier.)

 

When we first got to the campsite, it smelled awful.  After a while, my kids discovered a dead bird in a tree trunk on the site.  It had been decaying there for quite a while.  We let the ranger know and after about an hour, someone finally came and removed it.  Still, the smell lingered.

 

The kids have asked not to go back there.  I agree.

 

So now I don't have a favorite campground in SC.

[keith_h 420]

I have two.

 

Mt. Morrow State Park is our favorite, "Let's go hiking and do other outdoorsy things", campground. It has a long trail system that we like a lot along with a smattering of historic stuff. You can also fish the river but I wouldn't eat them due to PCB's from the old aluminum smelter that was up stream. It is only an hour and a half drive which makes it easy to leave on a Friday after the DW gets home around three and have plenty of time to set up and relax. Same with the Sunday drive home. It has electricity at some sites but no water or sewer although there are plenty of spigots to fill tanks on the way in so water isn't a big deal. Assuming you wait out the early rush the dump station is easy to get into and out of. The bathhouse is kept cleaner than many places I've stayed and has plenty of showers. We also like the fact that there is a good mix of tents and RV's through out the campground with most of the sites being roomy so your neighbors are 20-30 ft away side to side and 50-100 ft on the back.

 

For a bit of hiking and trout fishing but more for a place to stay when we go to Asheville we like Lake Powhatan Campground. It is run by the forest service and has a mix of full hookup, electric and unimproved sites. The majority of the full hookup sites are fairly level given you are in the mountains and have asphalt pads. On the sites we've stayed at we weren't able to see our neighbors about 20 ft away with the intervening trees.The bathhouses have separate bathrooms and showers and were kept very clean. The staff appeared to us to be mostly retired couples which is one of the reasons I think the place is kept so clean. Where rangers have other duties, the other folks main focus is on the campground. They do all of the check in, act as campground hosts and do the general cleaning/maintenance.  The campground is about a ten minute drive to Asheville and just next door to the North Carolina Arboretum. The road into the place has a couple of very tight S curves but should be manageable based on the number of large rigs I've seen there. While your mileage may vary, the gate house closes at 10PM but the couple of times we have stayed there and had a late night planned in Asheville the staff gave us the code to be able to return later than that.    

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

We haven't camped that much, outside of the Fort... but I will say that locally we like Stone Mountain (nice activities/amenities for kids) and Bald Ridge at Lake Lanier is pretty darn awesome :)

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

In RI it would be Burlingame State Campground. Short drive to the beach, the ferry to Block Island. Lots of fresh seafood options if you like that. Amenities and are a little dated but It's my go to for camping in RI.

In CT I like Whips campground Lone Oak Campground in East Canaan, CT. Pretty much the border of ny, ct, and ma. Lots of activities. Good variety of sites grocery and liquor stores only 5 minutes away. Bar above the office area. Lots of fun.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Bald Ridge Creek (Cumming, GA)

Shady Grove (Cumming, GA)

Stone Mountain

[Mtnmanky...aka Leon 72]

Most any of the Kentucky State Resort Parks.  There are several, and we have had good experiences at all of them we have visited.  They all have campgrounds as well as lodges which have rooms and good country meals.  Many of them are rustic, but are well run and friendly folks.   If I had to pick one, probably Carter Caves...small, quiet, remote, beautiful.

 

 

 

(I could be shameless and mention Singing Hills in Cave City, which my brother and his wife own and run...small, quiet, great stop over near Mammoth Cave, but that would be a biased report and so I won't do that!)  :facepalm:

[rtguy007 74]

In ohio....

Alum Creek State Park seems to be my favorite at the moment. I don't like going camping and being close to civilization but this is just far enough out for me and we can swing into the north part of Columbus and get supplies and visit cabelas (which we normally do to grab things we keep discovering we need for the camper).

Previously it was Shawnee State Park campground. It is like Elkmont in the smokies with power. Problem is our new rig won't fit most of the sites which keeps us out of there.

We are wanting to try some places up north around the lake (think Cedar Point area) but we find that if we start going that far we wind up out of state (mostly to Elkmont).

Of course my all time favorite is the Fort. However, when we want to get away from it all.....it is Elkmont.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

Indiana: Indiana Dunes, Springmill, Cliftyfalls, Brown County, Turkey Run, Prophetstown. All are state parks.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

While apparently there are some good campgrounds in NC, the only one we've ever stayed at is Tanglewood Park.  http://rvtanglewood.com/

 

It's about 15 minutes from our house.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Great info, folks.... keep it coming!

[Santa ... Shannon 160]

We love Mama Gertie's near Asheville, very peaceful and THE BEST maintained park we've ever been to. Also really like Moonshine Creek south of Waynesville in the middle of nowhere in the woods and mountains... which is the appeal.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

In TN:

 

Defeated Creek COE Park in Carthage, TN -  Huge, grassy lakefront sites with full hookups for $25.  Also, Carthage is the hometown of Al Gore so the weather is always warm there.  

 

Great Smoky Jellystone in Cosby, TN - wonderful little family run campground.  Lots of activities for the kids.  Beautiful sites along 2 streams that flow out of the National Park.  Direct access to the GSMNP trail system from the campground.  

[BuckeyeFortMama 43]

In Northeast Ohio we enjoy Evergreen RV park http://www.evergreenparkrvresort.com/

 

It is clean and well maintained.  The bath house is great and comparable to the Fort.  Good Sam ratings of 10 in every category consistently and well deserved.  They are set up for group camping trips with a great large pavilion.  They have a nice playground and full basketball court.  All paved roads for bikes and scooter riding-kid paradise!

 

Our favorite aspect of this campground is the indoor pool.  That sounds crazy but there aren't many great swimming days in an Ohio summer and this extends our use of this campground well into the shoulder camping seasons here.  And when it rains (no lightning) there is still swimming and in Ohio that can happen a lot when you are camping. 

The sites are long and have great space between, most are pull throughs but some are back in. All sites have a picnic table and a fire ring . Some have a nice swivel grate above the fire ring that turns it into a grill.  They allow tenting on your site with your camper so we can have friends tent on our site and split the site cost. They also don't charge you per child like most campgrounds and when you have as many kids as we do that's important!

[bhall 115]

J&D Campground in Catawissa/Elysburg, PA.  Stayed there last in October.  Nice view, and wide open spaces and 1 mile from Knoebels Grove Amusement Park.  We have talked about parking our camper there as a Seasonal for awhile now.

Artillery Ridge Campground in Gettysburg.  Stayed there last Memorial Day even though it's 10 minutes from the house.  I just like it there, I can't explain why but everything just 'feels right' to me at that place.

[Beckers 1,136]

I've only been to Butterfly campground in Jackson, NJ. The pool is nice but the playground is old and metal and in the mid day sun. That's not a good combo.

[DramaMama .......... Janet 75]

I camped at a few places in Mississippi growing up - nothing special - more about being with friends.  I had a nasty bike wreck at Tippah Lake in my preteens.   Don't have an urge to go back there.  Thrill and I have camped at a KOA in north GA.  Wouldn't recommend it - only there because of him doing the Chickamauga marathon.  

 

So, can I just say I WISHED we lived in Florida so I could just say THE FORT!

[TN22.....Brady 22]

X2 Great Smoky Jellystone in Cosby. They even made the top 10 places to stay in TN! Not bad considering the other nine places on the list, they are keeping good company.

http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/tennessee/tn-hotels/

[WalkerFiend 22]

Most any of the Kentucky State Resort Parks. There are several, and we have had good experiences at all of them we have visited. They all have campgrounds as well as lodges which have rooms and good country meals. Many of them are rustic, but are well run and friendly folks. If I had to pick one, probably Carter Caves...small, quiet, remote, beautiful.

I'll second Carter Caves. Even though we had a Skunk die and spray our campsite the day before we arrived. LOL. Not sure if the smell dissipated quickly, or if we just got used to it...

In Ohio, I'd like to offer up two places: Old Mans Cave/ Hocking Hills State Park, and Mohican State Park. Both are true natural wonders with a variety of outdoor activities in and around. If you can't live without a cell phone, they may not be the place for you, which is fine, it leaves more spots open for me! LOL.

Ok, a third State Park in Ohio: Salt Fork State Park, Ohio's largest park if I'm not mistaken, lots of water opportunities if you are a boater.

[Mikeypro 32]

My go to is Red Top Mountain State park north of Atlanta. Nice park, but most importantly has awesome hiking trails for me and Gandalf.

[rtguy007 74]

Most any of the Kentucky State Resort Parks. There are several, and we have had good experiences at all of them we have visited. They all have campgrounds as well as lodges which have rooms and good country meals. Many of them are rustic, but are well run and friendly folks. If I had to pick one, probably Carter Caves...small, quiet, remote, beautiful.

I'll second Carter Caves. Even though we had a Skunk die and spray our campsite the day before we arrived. LOL. Not sure if the smell dissipated quickly, or if we just got used to it...

In Ohio, I'd like to offer up two places: Old Mans Cave/ Hocking Hills State Park, and Mohican State Park. Both are true natural wonders with a variety of outdoor activities in and around. If you can't live without a cell phone, they may not be the place for you, which is fine, it leaves more spots open for me! LOL.

Ok, a third State Park in Ohio: Salt Fork State Park, Ohio's largest park if I'm not mistaken, lots of water opportunities if you are a boater.

Forgot about Mohican. Haven't been there since I was a kid. Hard to get in there unless you plan way ahead of time.

For us hocking hills is a little tight with the 35" TT. I like that they have a pool and to my knowledge it is the only state park with one. It just hard to get the camper in there.

We are thinking about trying salt fork. Wife is a little nervous of the drop offs around most of the sites or being directly out in the sun. They do have the best lodge in the state.

[WalkerFiend 22]

Forgot about Mohican. Haven't been there since I was a kid. Hard to get in there unless you plan way ahead of time.For us hocking hills is a little tight with the 35" TT. I like that they have a pool and to my knowledge it is the only state park with one. It just hard to get the camper in there.We are thinking about trying salt fork. Wife is a little nervous of the drop offs around most of the sites or being directly out in the sun. They do have the best lodge in the state.

Mohican and Hocking hills are the two busiest parks. I do tend to book reservations as far in advance as allowed (6 months right now).

-I know that Mohican has a pool as well.

-My camper is 36 feet, we just take it slow at Hocking Hills, normally try to book a site down by the water tower. That loop around the tower is tight, but manageable.

-Not all sites/loops are the same at Salt Fork. The back half of the "G" loop can have fairly shady sites. It all depends on the site you get, Google Earth is your friend... As for the Drop offs?? I don't get it, maybe in some loops, but G is almost perfectly flat all around. I know ther are stories about deaths on hiking trials. Some of the trails here and at other parks give stern warnings about staying on marked trails, heed those signs and you will be perfectly safe (IMHO).

[rtguy007 74]

Mohican and Hocking hills are the two busiest parks. I do tend to book reservations as far in advance as allowed (6 months right now).

-I know that Mohican has a pool as well.

-My camper is 36 feet, we just take it slow at Hocking Hills, normally try to book a site down by the water tower. That loop around the tower is tight, but manageable.

-Not all sites/loops are the same at Salt Fork. The back half of the "G" loop can have fairly shady sites. It all depends on the site you get, Google Earth is your friend... As for the Drop offs?? I don't get it, maybe in some loops, but G is almost perfectly flat all around. I know ther are stories about deaths on hiking trials. Some of the trails here and at other parks give stern warnings about staying on marked trails, heed those signs and you will be perfectly safe (IMHO).

 

We certainly plan on trying out Salt Fork. We have drove through a few times and my sister and brother in law didn't care for most of the sites because they had a roll off/drop off the back of them. I do agree for the most part. I know G was pretty level but the weekends we have tried to get in there all of the sites were booked (keep in mind we normally camp together and usually decide to go a week or two out from our arrival date). We both have kids and 3 out of the 4 don't listen or don't pay attention. the 4th has a mind of her own and likes to wonder off. After the tree branch falling on our old camper, we all get a little nervous about what our site looks like and what is around. The one thing that was really cool was when we drove through there in early April, there had to have been at least 40 to 50 deer wandering the campgrounds. There were only a few people back there and the deer seemed to just wander around and were not bothered by us driving right beside of them.

 

Glad to hear Mohican has a pool (kids will love it). I haven't been there in probably 25 years. Only thing I remember is the camp store.

 

I will PM you so we don't hijack this thread. Had some questions for you on other parks.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I will PM you so we don't hijack this thread. Had some questions for you on other parks.

 

Please feel free to hijack away!!  More info might be helpful for other folks too.

 

Plus hijacking is kind of our thing around here.  :rofl2: