CelenaCarr

We had an itch to try out our new generator, so from Tucson we headed here, leaving behind cacti forests for open fields punctuated by stocky Mesquite trees and backed by snow capped mountains. We couldn't have asked for a better initiation to boondocking. You'll always remember your first!

Like any close-in city park, you don't come here for the scenery. Sites are close together, but we've seen much closer, and in the winter when it's less busy it feels more spacious than it would at full capacity. The staff in the office is really nice, the grounds are clean, and we didn't experience anybody sleeping or walking through the park that the other reviewer mentioned.

You do want to pick your spot carefully - if you're right up by the road you will get some road noise. We were about midway back in the park and our rig is well insulated so we didn't notice any noise at night or otherwise.

There's a massive dog area in the back of the park, and you're a 5 minute drive to the Arroyo Chamisos trail that goes for miles and is perfect for walking your pup, or getting out on your bike.

We scouted basically every other park in Santa Fe before staying here and for the price and location, we thought it was the best option that's open in the winter. Santa Fe Skies is another option, but it's just as tight, pretty pricy and much further out from most stuff you're going to want to visit. If we were here in the summer we'd do the NFS campground, or the KOA, but we'd stay here again in the off season for sure.

AT&T signal is strong here, Verizon is fine for calls and basic stuff, but not streaming video.

There's really just a couple "official" camping spots here, but you're right at several really beautiful trails in the Organ Mountains. Next time we'd probably try the actual BLM campground on the other side of the mountains since the rangers were actively discouraging camping here, but we'd definitely return to the area for the scenery and hiking.

We were visiting the B.C. area and had reserved a spot here - Google reviews were pretty good, and the photos on the website made the park look really clean. But when we got into the campground we left almost immediately. Sites were extremely tight and unlevel with massive tree roots going through them, and were positioned at an impossible angle to back in without hitting a tree or a neighbor. The park is full of lots of abandoned-looking and dilapidated RVs, someone was going through the garbage as we drove through, and it's so close to the freeway that there's a billboard advertising to drivers right in the middle of the campground. They wouldn't refund us anything, but we didn't feel safe staying there.

Loved this spot - hookups and MASSIVE sites with bike trails right from the campground. We had just come from Blackwoods campground, and while we loved the "main" part of the park, it was nice to have the peace and quiet (every time we rode or walked it felt like we were the only people out) on this side of the island. Come with groceries and do laundry before you come - there are some small shops, but all the bigger stores and laundry services are all the way back in Ellsworth. There are some cute shops and restaurants in nearby Winter Harbor and Birch Harbor.

We had good cell signal here (2 bars Verizon LTE), and the park wifi was usable on and off. The ranger said it's better near the bathrooms and in the office, but we didn't find it necessary to find out.

We camped here last February, and as other reviewers have noted the local rangers were working on shutting down several of the sites people were using for camping. You don't want to go too far down this road with your trailer attached, so if you're scouting to see which spots are still available, unhitch at the trailhead. We didn't take that advice and drove down a super steep hill with no turnouts for over a mile, and when we finally turned around we wound up back in the spot closest to 89A that we could find.

A teepee and trailer hotel in Marfa that allows dry camping in their parking lot. The $15/person overnight fee includes free coffee in the morning, use of their outdoor hammocks, kitchen and showers. $30 felt a bit steep for dry camping, but for free coffee and walk/bike-ability to town, plus the awesome grounds, we were fine forking it over for a few nights.

We stayed for a little over two months at this park (our rate reflects the winter monthly rate). The park is clean with nice landscaping, a short dog walk and the nicest staff we've met in all of our travels. There are a handful of people who live in the park year-round who are also wonderful. You can get a mountain view from the park and you're 10 minutes to the plaza, and 10 minutes to amazing trailheads in a couple directions. A lot of the area campgrounds close at the end of October so this is a great option if you're visiting in the off season.

Vale Trails is a small RV park near the Oregon/Idaho border. The ladies at the office are extremely nice and helpful, pull-through sites are level and clean with grass and trees planted in between. This was a quick stopover for us on our way to Bend, and I'd stay here again if we were passing through.

There are train tracks running at the backside of the park - we only heard one train in the morning around 8:00, and there's a cattle auction yard nearby that sees action on Wednesdays, but it didn't bother us during our stay and didn't start very early.

We stayed here a couple nights over Memorial Day Weekend. The campground is wooded and clean, and the staff is friendly. Sites and campground roads are very tight though, and when the campground is full, you're basically on top of your neighbors. This is the only campground we've ever stayed at where we had to measure the width of our site before pulling in to make sure we'd really fit between the trees and the sewer hookup. We did get in, with about 3" on either side to spare.

There are a lot of seasonal campers here, though they're mostly up the hill in another section, and it's fairly clean, feels safe, and everyone seemed friendly when we walked around.

If you like a campground experience with neighbors, loudspeaker announcements, and activities - then it's a nice place well situated to visit Shenandoah. If you prefer more solitude, I'd skip it.