Jonathan

Ray’s place is a more rustic, albeit well maintained campground. The price appropriately reflects the amenities; there is a price discrepancy online versus what you could pay in person ($20/night versus $10). Still a total bargain since you get a nicely mowed grassy area, gravel spot, picnic table, and fire ring. Listed amenities are accurate. Shame no WiFi, but I received a consistent 2 bars/LTE on Verizon. Could stream Netflix.

Dump station was easily accessible in the CAMPERS ONLY section of the Eastbound stop. There is a short, cut hose with no threaded end for the flush, but no issues if you carry your own hose.

Dump station was incredibly accessible, free, and it has potable water too! Great stop to dump and fill, plus grab a snack.

Lake Powhatan Campground is beautiful - very dense trees and canopy made the overall campground very quiet. I was able to hike around a little bit, but take note that this is a mountain biking destination - almost all trails will have bikers on it, and they are all heavily trafficked. If you want to walk the loops and drop down the beach area you can still get some good exercise in. Easily accessible campground, and you are very close to stores nearby if needed. The campground map/reservation system has a well-marked legend, and it has a ton of variety in what amenities site could have - make sure to pay attention to each designation! One downside - zero connectivity (VZW) for a campground so close to civilization, and no WiFi.

Lake Ouachita State Park was a very pleasant experience! The campground was quiet despite being almost at 100% capacity. There was some lake noise during the day, but that's expected given the boating destination that is Ouachita. The campground host was incredibly hospitable, as was the Visitor Center employee that thankfully provided me much needed coffee. If you've made it this far in the review...know this...come for the lake, but stay for the sunsets - absolutely spectacular (especially after a storm). The 4-mile Caddo Bend Trail is only 0.4 miles from the campground, and it is an absolute must if staying at the campground. Get sweaty on the hike, then take a dip in the water to cool off. :-)

Edgar Evins State Park is a unique experience - I've never see platforms that make up your entire site! The park was incredibly well-maintained, and almost every site has some view of the lake. Be warned - the grade of the roads and how tight it is to get in most spots would make this difficult for a lot of trailers. My 20' GeoPro fit, but I couldn't imagine successfully backing up something any larger in most of the spaces; there are some that accommodate 5th wheels, but make sure to check every photo before booking your site. One of the best features - strong Wifi! They have extenders/repeaters absolutely everywhere through the park - even the marina! Easy to connect and stay connected. Will definitely be coming back to this state park.

The park itself is dated, but mostly well-kept. It is very beautiful - the dense tree canopy kept everything in the shade throughout the day. But be warned - lots of poison ivy and an army of bugs. These bugs do not care if you have spray or anything else - you are their target and they are successful in their attacks. If you look at the geography of the site and the surrounding area you'll understand why it's so bad, so I would advise staying away in any of the summer/early fall months. Note: Zero Wifi and no Verizon connection, so if you need either of these this is not the place to stay - I had to drive 5-7 minutes away from the site before my Verizon connected.

Lake Powhatan Campground is beautiful - very dense trees and canopy made the overall campground very quiet. I was able to hike around a little bit, but take note that this is a mountain biking destination - almost all trails will have bikers on it, and they are all heavily trafficked. If you want to walk the loops and drop down the beach area you can still get some good exercise in. Easily accessible campground, and you are very close to stores nearby if needed.

Edgar Evins State Park is a unique experience - I've never see platforms that make up your entire site! The park was incredibly well-maintained, and almost every site has some view of the lake. Be warned - the grade of the roads and how tight it is to get in most spots would make this difficult for a lot of trailers. My 20' GeoPro fit, but I couldn't imagine successfully backing up something any larger in most of the spaces; there are some that accommodate 5th wheels, but make sure to check every photo before booking your site. One of the best features - strong Wifi! They have extenders/repeaters absolutely everywhere through the park - even the marina! Easy to connect and stay connected. Will definitely be coming back to this state park.

The campground was pretty well-maintained and there were hardly any other sites booked (I stayed one night mid-week). It was also ridiculously hot and tons of bugs due to the proximity to water (Mississippi River) and low lying land area. Be warned the flying bugs are more intense than average; I was stung twice by wasps in a less than 24 hour stay.