davidlgood

We decided to stay here based on other reviews, and I'm so glad we did. The area is absolutely beautiful. If the weather is nice while you're here, you're going to love it.

When we arrived we were met by a very friendly staff member. I was checked in literally within 30 seconds and he was ready to show me to my site. He mentioned stopping by around 6:30 pm for some popcorn. I didn't give it much thought... but we were considering taking the kids of up to the office when there came a knock on the door... and sure enough, there is the staff member with a basket filled with FIVE bags of freshly popped popcorn -- one for each of us (we have three small children). How about that?? You don't see that kind of service or attention at most places, much less a RV park -- so super-huge kudos to this park for going the extra mile. The kids were super excited about the extra treat.

The park has 4 main rows of pull-thru, hard-packed gravel sites, pretty level, with trees scattered throughout the park. It's not a place you'll find extreme landscaping, or a mega-splash water park or playground... but what you will find is beautiful scenery all around, a nice quiet atmosphere, and a simple peaceful feeling. Not to forget -- exceptional staff.

While it's unfortunate that they don't have a playground for the kids, they have plenty of places to walk around and enjoy the trees, grass, and mountains in the background... so the kids still had a great time.

About the ONLY negative thing I can think of is the online reservation system -- provided by Rover Pass. The regular nightly rate is $38. Good Sam, Military, AARP, and Senior Citizens get a 10% discount (Military gets 15% discount). The discount pretty much will nix the tax associated with the reservation. Sadly, if you make your reservation online, Rover Pass will add $5.00 to the bill. This is NOT refundable... so if you have to change your reservation, you don't get the $5.00 back. This is because Rover Pass is kind of like PayPal -- they're just a middleman handling the transaction... so the park doesn't really have anything to do with what they charge on top of the regular rate and discount. Our final price ($38.00 -10% Good Sam Discount + Tax + Rover Pass) was $43.30.

In the future, I would strongly suggest just calling them over the phone and save yourself the Rover Pass service charge. I'm not going to take a star away from the park for this, simply because the online Rover Pass reservation is an OPTION and not something you HAVE to use. It's a choice.

They also have a card that they will stamp -- one stamp for every day you visit. If you stay FIVE nights, you get a free night on them. That's pretty nice, actually. Most parks give you a 7th night free if you stay for six CONSECUTIVE nights... but with Waiiaka you can stay five times ANY time you like, and still earn a sixth night for free. This may not be a big deal to some people, but it's the small 'extras' like this that really set this park apart from everyone else and shows that they are working hard to make sure every customer is 100% happy with their experience. In all my travels, I've only see this level of attention and care at one other park.

As far as data/WiFi goes -- I've heard people say that the WiFi is screaming fast... but for right now it's a paid option (close to $3.00 per day), but the staff member said that the new owners and trying to get it turned into FREE WiFi for everyone. That said, we didn't try it out. I ran cellular hotspot tests with AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.

I'm torn on this one. On the plus side, it's a very beautiful and clean park. Paved roads and full concrete pads (with plenty of space). Beautiful hedges on almost all sites provides a bit of privacy, which is very nice. Permanent concrete picnic tables outside which are nice, so no worry about a cruddy picnic table. The staff was very nice... and this really is a beautiful park. We didn't get a river site, but I was very happy with where we were assigned. We went by the river sites, and they have wonderful views of green grass and trees leading out to the river beyond. Most sites are pull-through making everything easy in; easy out. The down-side to this park is the price. With a AAA or Good SAM discount you can get a site for $47. You can save a few bucks if you give them cash. The price is what originally made my decision to stay here, over the park just past this one. BUT... what we weren't told over the phone is that they have a KID TAX. Now, they don't call it that -- but full-time families know what I'm talking about. A "Kid Tax" is when the park charges extra, per night, for children -- sometimes regardless of age. When checking in we were presented with a bill of $67. At first I thought it was a mistake... but then I remember the lady asked me how many kids we have... So I asked her if they charge extra for children. And yes... yes they do. To the tune of $5.00 per child per night. OUCH!! We have four kids -- 7, 4, 3, and 3 months... and it was $5.00 per child per night. Good thing we were only staying one night. I could see charging for extra adults (or kids over 18)... but really, how much extra electricity does a 3 year old use? or water? or sewer? Even if we had used the restrooms on site, or the pool... is it really necessary to charge that much extra? Not sure how the infant uses $5.00 worth of anything per night, but hey... what do I know? Cellular was great at the park, and they do provide WiFi if you need it. Sadly, this may be one of the highest ratings I've ever given a park I never plan on visiting again. What a bummer... because it is beautiful here. As far as the road noise -- it is located near the freeway, but with temperatures reaching 108° outside we had the AC running the whole time, so we can't comment on how noisy the freeway is. When I was outside I didn't really notice it, but others might be more sensitive to that sort of noise.

I feel that I have to write a review, to balance out a negative review (from someone I respect when it comes to reviews). Unfortunately, I have to assume that the negative reviewer must have had a bad day, or something... as his information (including cellular signals) just doesn't seem like one of his normal reviews.

My take on it is easy -- this may be one of our favorite Thousand Trails RV parks. You're most likely going to be on a "hill"... but I tried several spots and had zero issues leveling... and I have a big 40' diesel pusher. The sites are all mowed, and the grass is green everywhere. All around you are absolutely beautiful views -- you can see Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, etc. Beautiful valleys with lakes... and the park itself has two small lakes, for boating around or fishing. They have two large heated pools, jacuzzi hot tubs, and even a kiddie pool (which is VERY nice).

I didn't really find anything to be in a bad state of repair, but maybe I'm not expecting a 5-star Hilton experience. To me, the beautiful views and nature all around are most important.

The staff here is exceptionally friendly -- can't really say enough good things about the staff I interacted with.

As far as Cellular coverage goes -- from a data standpoint, this place is really good. Verizon will often times max-out your speedtest (assuming the dial only goes to 50Mbps), AT&T is really good, and even Sprint has a foot in this race (even though you only see one bar of service, the data speeds were plenty good). I don't have T-Mobile to test, so can't give information on that. Below are my speedtests -- each test performed FIVE times and averaged out with the final results:

Test Date: May 9, 2017

NON-BOOSTED HOTSPOTS
AT&T - PING (96 ms); DOWN (20.46 Mbps); UP (10.41 Mbps) - 3 bars LTE
Verizon - PING (37 ms); DOWN (48.66 Mbps); UP (19.18 Mbps) - 3 bars LTE
Sprint - PING (104 ms); DOWN (11.40 Mbps); UP (4.35 Mbps) - 1 bar LTE
T-Mobile - NOT TESTED
Park WiFi - NOT TESTED

This place is easy to miss, as it's not well advertised as a place people can camp. The official website is very outdated and almost totally useless (the phone numbers on the site are hit-or-miss and you're pretty much assured to only get a recording, if you find a working number).

Since there was no good information to be found about this site, we were unsure about using it. Fortunately, we were able to get hold of a human who answered a few basic questions -- so now we know.

This site is part of a city-owned convention center (where I'm sure they have gun shows, home shows, rodeos, car shows, expos, etc.) and is located in the north part of the convention center parking lot.

There are a few back-in sites, but most all of them are pull-through with no clearly defined head/tail to the spots (meaning you aren't going to get in trouble if you have a 45' rig... plenty of space). After all, it's an extra large parking lot. The only thing that really defines the individual spots are the numbered utility posts.

Each site has every service of electric (up to 50 AMP) and water. A few of them looked like they might have sewer hookups, but I can't guarantee that (maybe they're upgrading the site? I'll try to verify that when we pass back through in a few weeks). There is a dump station behind the restrooms, so even if there are no site-sewer hookups you can still dump at the station when you leave.

No reservations required for this site (I don't even think reservations are possible). First come, first served... but there are PLENTY of available spots, so I don't expect to ever show up and be turned away.

Payment is on the honor system. Pick up an envelope from the box at the restroom house... fill it out, and insert your cash. Average cost is $15, but there are a number of discounts posted (seniors, for example, pay $10 per night).

It's a quiet place. Everything was clean and everything worked. The bathroom isn't much to speak of -- a single bathroom for the men and one for the women. Wasn't dirty, but wasn't anything to write home to mom about either.

There are no shower facilities, no convenience stores, etc.

Other than the website being useless and it being very difficult to talk to a human who had any idea about the place... once we understood the rules (just show up, fill out an envelope and place your money inside)... it was all good.

We WILL be using this RV site every time we roll through this area (we have family in Plainview, Texas... so this is a great find for us as there are not many options right there in Plainview). It's not a luxury vacation destination, but it's quiet, simple, and a decent price.

Like many Thousand Trails RV Parks, this one is located "out of the way." Meaning -- if you're looking for big box stores, malls, and other immediate attractions you'll have to travel 30-60 minutes, depending on what you're after. Palmdale - 20 minutes; Lancaster - 26 minutes; Santa Clarita - 32 minutes. There are several nice restaurants in the Acton area, as well as a very nice local grocery store and Ace Hardware store. The park is HUGE with 854 sites. Anyone who complains about "annuals/permanent" people being "everywhere" doesn't have a proper scope for just how large this park is (they're usually people who will complain about annuals/permanent sites no matter how many/few there are). There is a train that runs along the edge of the park -- so if the sound of a commuter train offends you, avoid Sections A, B, C and K. If internet if your thing, you'll want to get a spot in Section N (called "the hill" to those who frequent the park). You can get really good AT&T and Verizon coverage at this location. Some people have reported cellular service in other areas of the park, but unless you have a booster I would not risk it unless your internet use is very light, or you don't "need" it for work or communication. Section M can get some decent download speeds, but upload speeds are not the greatest. Most of the park sites are gravel, so if there are high winds you can expect a dusty environment. There is plenty of beauty to be seen all around, and for the most part the park is nice and quiet. Great for getting away and relaxing. As of this review (October 2019) there are a good number of sites that are without power, and the entire section next to the Adult Lodge and Adult Pool has been closed (Section K). The bridge connecting part of the park is out, so people going to Sections M, N, P, and Q will have to take the back entrance. While rumors of improvements to these sites have been floating around for almost a decade, it looks like the parent company is going to put about $2,000,000 worth of improvements into the park in the next two years -- upgrading all sites to 50/30/110 power poles and also improving the family lodge, as well as a host of other improvements. Only time will tell if they deliver. The Family lodge is large, as is the Family Pool (they claim it's the "largest swimming pool in the west"). It is a nice, large pool... but it's not heated, so it can be a little chilly even in the heat of the summer. Plenty of low areas for smaller kids to play, as well as a small ramp for people to enter (or for kids to play on). There is a splash pad as well, for those who prefer that kind of water play. Mini golf and several playgrounds for the children to play are located throughout the park. Overall, this is not a place for anyone looking for posh city living in their coach. This is great for those who prefer a low-key, out of the way place to relax and kick back, and it's good for families as well. RVs of all shapes, sizes, and condition can be found here... so if you don't like the idea of someone in a 30 year old travel trailer parking next to your 2019 Prevost... this is not the place for you (keeping in mind that the park does require that all RVs are functional and presentable -- with current insurance and registration... so you're not going to see anything horrible or trashy in the park, depending on how you define trashy). We really enjoy the park (2 adults; 4 children) and stay here often when we're in the Los Angeles area. We never have to worry about finding a site (as the park is HUGE and isn't as crowded as the other Los Angeles "area" Thousand Trails parks). If you're a Thousand Trails member, you can stay here for free (obviously not including your initial membership fee)... but if you're not a member the prices for the sites might be a bit high. They do have nice cabins in various parts of the parks which are great for those looking for a quick weekend getaway or for a week-long family reunion.

The park is located in a beautiful location, with the sound on the north and the gulf on the south. Enough white beach for everyone!! Better yet, due to it being many miles down the road (with no through traffic) you're not going to have the public visitors that you might have at beaches further east (so it seems more private, as far as the beach goes).

Fort Pickens is a nice place to visit, but I would suggest visiting the interactive museum on-site before exploring the fort itself (they have a great educational video about the fort, which adds to your experience walking around exploring the grounds).

As some have mentioned, there are a few negatives to this campground. First -- THE TREES!!! If you're in a full-height motorhome or large 5th wheel, you're almost guaranteed to hear the brushing and scraping of tree limbs on the MAIN LOOP ROADS as you find your camping spot. I find this almost to be unforgivable for any park, considering it's a campground for RVs, yet they do not keep the trees in-check for height clearance.

Another HUGE problem is that the sites are NOT accurately measured. For example, we made reservations in one of the last remaining spots... and it was listed as a 40' spot. When we arrived, the front of our 40' Class A motorhome spilled out into the road. We immediately pulled out, looked online, and went to one of the "first come-first served" sites in the A loop while we waited the next morning for the registration office to open (This was on January 1, and while the park staff had the day off there was absolutely NO indication that the offices were closed... in fact, signs were still up asking people to register at the front door, and an "OPEN" sign was clearly on and visible. A large number of people were backed up, waiting in the registration parking area thinking that maybe the ranger was in the restroom, or out for a short patrol. Eventually, people would give up and go to their assigned sites anyway... and their spots were quickly taken by new people who waited and waited in the freezing temperatures until they, too, gave up and went to their spots).

When I checked-in the next day I told the Ranger on duty about my "change" of sites, explaining that the reserved site was too short. She looked it up, said that it was a 40' spot... but she quickly told me not to worry about it and let us stay in the spot we snagged temporarily the previous evening.

Two days later I spotted one of the Camp Hosts outside "measuring" sites with a tape measure. I had a brief conversation with him and he informed me he was measuring the sites, as they weren't accurately listed. WOW. It's nice to see that they're taking action to clarify things rather than just ignoring things. That right there demonstrates some positive action on behalf of the staff and hosts.

Speaking of the Rangers/Staff/Hosts -- absolutely amazing people. Very friendly, in good spirits, and super nice (even during freezing weather, while they were dealing with people who got their rigs stuck in the sand, which they weren't supposed to be on, and freezing/bursting hoses, pipes, etc.) The staff was dealing with a LOT of issues (mostly due to people just not understanding how to camp in freezing temperatures, or not following directions/rules like keeping OFF the grass or sand)... but they did it with a great attitude. Again -- GREAT staff all around.

Power (30/50) was good... water pressure was adequate... and all the sites, that I saw, were concrete and required minimal leveling.

Many of the sites have overhanging trees -- and those might not be listed on the reservation website, so I think it would be wise for anyone making a reservation to check with the Ranger station at the time of the reservation to make SURE the site is long enough, and that the height will be good as well.

Speaking of the length of the sites -- until they get accurate measurements of the sites and post them to the reservation system, as a general rule you need to SUBTRACT 6-10 feet from their listed length. It seems that they consider a 30' site suitable for a 40' rig, currently -- as they assume that there will be a 10' overhang behind your back tires. For us, this wasn't the case. So be warned that you need to add 6-10 feet when trying to find a site for your rig. There are also concrete parking 'stops' at the end of each pad... so you need to know where your rear jacks will land before putting them down. If, like us, the rear jacks are directly behind your back tire line it means you will NOT be able to back up all the way to the parking stop (unless you like your jacks resting halfway on the parking stop, potentially bending the foot pads).

The location of the campground is either great, or just okay, depending on what you're looking for in a campground. If you're looking for peaceful, quiet, and away from things just a little... this is a nice place. If you're the type that prefers to walk to restaurants or shopping centers, you're not going to like the location (although the drive into town is beautiful... as it's all dunes and beach and water views).

Peg Leg Pete's is the first restaurant that you'll encounter past the condos as you leave the park towards town... and it is VERY good. Filet steak was good... and I'm sure a lot of people go there for the oysters (we don't eat them)... but the grouper was awesome. Both as a main, included in the grouper chowder, and also in the grouper nuggets (which are what we wish standard fish-n-chips tasted like -- they were super good!).

So -- with those few issues now known to us, I would say that we would love to return (in warmer weather) for the beautiful beaches... but we'd likely only venture to Loop A, since we're not interested in the top of our rig getting scraped and damaged by overhanging branches in the other loops.

When we first arrived it was a mad dash for all the other members checking in that day -- a mad dash to cruise the full hookup sites. The full hookup sites are on the opposite side of Ben Howard Road from the Skykomish River.

As I drove around I thought I found a site, but a man was parked in the site with his car... waiting for his wife to pull the rig in. While a bit of a bummer, it is first-come first-served as there are no specific site reservations.

Seeing no vacant sites in the full hookup section, I drove across Ben Howard Road to both of the areas that overlook the Skykomish River, as all the staff and the Park Ranger seemed to talk those areas up as being the most beautiful. My desire to have a sewer connection blinded me to what beauty there was at those sites.

It looked like partial hookup was what we were going to have to live with, until a Park Ranger pulled along side me in a golf cart and told me that some 'newbie' campers were leaving from a full hookup site -- they were just new to camping and were running late. I pulled the rig around and simply waited for them to pack up and leave, and then snagged the spot.

I was happy about getting a full hookup site at first -- since we were going to be there for a full week -- but that joy quickly faded. While I was able to level the rig well enough (not as good as I would have liked, but good enough) it was a difficult process (more so than other parks).

Most of the full hookup sites run up a bit of a hill. If you have a smaller travel trailer, I'm sure you can easily level out. If, however, you have a 40 foot diesel pusher, there is less room in the sites to move around to find a level configuration while still allowing room for your toad.

The sites were all 30 amp. Water pressure is really good.

I wasn't a huge fan of the park, right from the start, as there seemed to be a large number of annuals (permanent/seasonal folks) who, especially in this area, tend to have rigs that are a bit more run down... and there was a little bit of clutter here and there (although not much). It just didn't have the same nature/park feeling as much as it had a trailer park feeling. That aside, there are lots of trees everywhere, and plenty of visual beauty to take in. So... initial impressions aside, it worked for us.

They have a great large playground for the kids, a large group fire ring (that actually gets used), and the bathrooms were spotless, according to my wife.

I have a DISH Netowrk satellite on top of the rig, and a lot of other people had portable satellites on the ground. Depending on your site, you may be able to get a glimpse of the sky and pull in a signal. I was only able to get one satellite, limiting the channels we were able to pick up... but that didn't bother us too much, as we're not big TV watchers anyway.

The very next morning, we started to have electrical issues. I have a Progressive Industries EMS installed in the rig (one of several -- as I like backups to the system already in place). This unit measures for high and low voltage, as well as 'ground/neutral' issues and, of course, offers surge protection. Something EVERY person with an RV should have -- PERIOD!!! Our first morning I noticed that the EMS was tripping... and we were using battery power. And then it would kick back on, and the charger would start recharging the batteries... and when it quickly hit the "floating charge" stage, it would trip the EMS again. This cycle would repeat over and over. I wasn't sure what was going on, as we were only maxing out at 19-22 amps during Float Charge (and we were on a 30 amp box). After an hour, everything settled down, and I had no further issues during the day.

That night, however, the EMS started tripping again. It's hard to say when it started, exactly, as we can't really tell when we go to battery power (it's very transparent) unless I'm close enough to a battery backup system for my computer -- it will make a slight "buzz" for one second. That's when I know something has tripped and we're on battery power. I suspect this started again sometime around 5:30 PM.

The same thing happened the next morning... and during the day all was fine... but the problem picked back up later in the evening -- this time tripping when we only reached about 9 amps. By this time I had set our charger to only use 10% of available power for charging... and it would still trip the EMS. I was stumped as to what was happening.

I went outside to the power bay, and watched the remote control panel to see what was happening. That's when I realized that the EMS wasn't tripping because we were using too many amps... it was tripping because of low voltage.

It seems that as people wake up and blow-dry their hair, make coffee, and do other things to get ready for the day/work... the voltage would get so low that it would trip the EMS. And then again at night, when people were returning from work... the same thing would happen.

I walked around and it appeared that everyone in my "leg" (the leg of power I was on that is shared by other sites in the leg) were for the most part clueless as to what was going on. I feel sorry for them, as they obviously don't have a EMS installed... and I wonder what kind of damage is happening to their electronics because of poor power conditions).

In any event -- I notified the ranger. She didn't seem to think there was an issue, since "no one else reported issues." Ugggh!!!! The next day I talked with another ranger... who pretty much said the same thing. I pleaded with her to tell the maintenance staff about the low voltage in that power leg, for the sake of the people who were there and clueless about it... but she didn't really "get" what I was talking about, so I'm not really sure how well that all played out.

Either way, we decided to pick up and move -- and we found a nice end spot in the first section of partial hookups overlooking the river.

This is where my opinion of the park changes drastically.

While I always enjoy having sewer connections, we have large tanks and have no issues going a few days, or even a week, or so, without dumping... so I wasn't too concerned. I found a spot, and leveled out -- absolutely no issues leveling the rig, as the spots by the river are rather large (with large green grassy yards behind them) and plenty of space all around... and when I went to hook up the power, to my surprise, we had 30 amp and 50 amp service!! YEAH!!!! We LOVE having a full 50 amps.

We quickly hooked up the power, and I watched the EMS control panel... and it showed a reading of 117 volts on Leg 1; and 120 volts on Leg 2. PERFECT!!! We had strong, clean power -- and 50 amps of it. No more power issues to deal with.

No only that, but the view from the partial hookup river sites is MUCH better than the full hookup sites. Since they are partial hookups, they tend to NOT attract the annual crowd -- so you get less of that "trailer park" feel from your neighbors. Sure, there were some older rigs, and travel trailers, and 5th wheels, and even a teardrop or two -- but even the older ones tended to look like they were well maintained.

Had I known that 50 amp power was available from the partial hookup section to begin with, I never would have messed around with the 30 amp full hookup sites and I would have been much happier.

So... when I first arrived, I was pretty sure we'd never return again... but after having moved to the partial hookups by the river, my opinion has changed. I'd return.

Satellite reception is a no-go at the partial hookups where I was (sites 60-76) and you're unlikely to get a clear view of the sky in the second section of partial hookups if you're on the back row (sites 77-83). You 'might' have a chance of seeing over the trees in that second section, if you're backed up to the river (sites 84-98) but it's no guarantee. But that's okay, as the river view is better than watching TV anyways.

The staff here is VERY nice. Even though I don't think I made any headway asking them to look into the low-voltage issue, everyone we talked to was extremely nice and very helpful otherwise.

The small town of Monroe is just a 10 minute drive and has plenty of good eating locations, Walmart, Lowes, etc.

There is a train track that runs nearby -- so if you hate trains, you may not like this place. It doesn't run often, but it runs early and late. Trains don't bother me... and normally cars and trucks don't either... but there is something about this area that tells me that the locals LOVE their LOUD vehicles. I think they knock the tailpipes off just so they're extra noisy. And they also love loud motorcycles. HA! It's not constant non-stop... but you'll likely hear them buzzing up and down the road.

As far as internet goes... If you have AT&T, you'll likely get 1-2 bars of LTE... but that could change to "No Service" at times. It kind of bounces around -- so you'll want to have a booster if that is your only cellular option. Data speeds are decent, when you have a bar or two... but long phone conversations will almost certainly end with a disconnect, or two, since your phone will likely toggle between 1-2 bars and "No Service" multiple times.

Here are my cellular data tests:

Date: May 20, 2017

NON-BOOSTED HOTSPOTS
AT&T - PING (86 ms); DOWN (6.59 Mbps); UP (4.52 Mbps) - 1 bar LTE
Verizon - PING (36 ms); DOWN (26.54 Mbps); UP (30.20 Mbps) - 3 bars LTE
Sprint - PING (62 ms); DOWN (8.46 Mbps); UP (0.57 Mbps) - 1 bar LTE
T-Mobile - NOT TESTED
Park WiFi - See NOTE *

NOTE: AT&T is 1-2 bars in some areas, but can easily drop to “No Service.” Having a booster will help the signal hold up, and speeds will be better than noted above.

NOTE: The park does have WiFi, if you’re lucky enough to get close enough to the Rangers’ Station or the Office (which means you’ll need to be in the partial hookup sites along the river — Sites 60-98). While I was able to connect to the park WiFi during the day, it was moderately slow (good enough for casual web browsing, but not good enough for video streaming), and I could not seem to connect in the late evenings -- which could indicate that the internet is disconnected when the Ranger and/or Office Staff leave for the day.

I've been to a few Jellystone parks, but my jaw dropped when I first rolled into this park to check-in. In front of my eyes was a HUGE water slide, lazy river, etc. It's an absolute shame that I wasn't here during peak season, as all of the slides and water park items were drained for the winter.

The plus-side to being here during the off months is that the park was mostly empty... so we had plenty of peace and quiet. I can imagine this place is explosive in the summer season... full of families having a blast.

The park has several lakes, with canoes here and there that you can use. There is a theater on-site, along with several other 'theater-ish' areas... great for gatherings, lectures, fun-time events, etc.

Several educational/fun stations are located throughout the park -- such as a "panning for gems" station. You purchase a bag of "sand" from the park store and your child can run it through the panning station, that runs it through a series of small wooden waterfalls not unlike those used by early gold panners. It's moderately educational, but super-fun for the kids.

Several playgrounds are found in the park -- and bounce houses and bounce mats are also found in several locations. I didn't expect any of these to be working... but some of the groundskeepers noticed that we pulled in with children -- so, without even asking us, they set the bounce houses to inflate while we were there. I just assumed everything was closed during the off season, so it was a great surprise to know that the staff was attentive enough to notice that we had kids and fire up some of the attractions just for them.

There is a "big rig" parking area -- great for those big rigs that need open sky to pull in a satellite signal. I don't prefer those sites, as they're a bit too stark and "open" for my taste... but others really love them. I'm more of a country/woods type of person, so the rest of the park really appealed to me -- with lots of old, established, and interesting trees to be found everywhere.

Even though we were not on a paved or concrete pad at our site (it was "ground") we found it to be solid, level, and plenty of space to either side (enough to set up our 9x12 screened shelter with room to spare).

There are other attractions, such as arcade games, pool, air hockey, etc. here and there... mini golf... and even another swimming pool near the main office.

The park is a great place for those who like water slides, interesting (and somewhat educational) activities, mini-golf, nature walks, fishing, canoes, or even some sporting events (they have a large field with bleachers for various sporting activities).

We will definitely consider hitting this park up again in our travels through the area -- but next time we'll see if we can hit it during the spring/summer season when all the water attractions are open. The kids would enjoy it very much, but I have to say that even I would inclined to participate -- it was that impressive.

This RV park is somewhat new, so it lacks some of the 'established' amenities you might find from a park that's been around for a decade. Sometimes these lacked amenities can be a bonus. For example, while the park does not have a shower/bath facility -- it means that the park does not attract old mobile units that are without a shower/bath (which often times are the RVs that are falling apart -- not always, but pretty often). The clients in the park all have decent rigs, and there are no 'eye sores' to be found.

This park is pretty unique in that "full service" is something the owners take seriously. This is the ONLY park I've ever heard of that is "full service" (think back to the 50's, when station attendants would rush out to your vehicle to pump your gas, check your fluid levels, etc.) When you check in someone will guide you into your site, and even hook up your power, water, and sewer (unless you don't want them to). This may not seem like a big deal to most of us who have hooked up our rigs a thousand times... but this "full service" attitude extends into the culture of the park.

Because the park is still new, there are still improvements in the works -- such as concrete pads on all of the sites. Most of the sites have concrete pads with fresh gravel to park your toad and tiled stonework to the front of the pads. Palm trees, flowers, and other extras are in place throughout the park and more are added each week.

American flags are proudly flown throughout the park. Again -- this may not seem like a big deal to most people, and flags will likely not make you sleep better at night... but it just shows how much the owners are working to add little details to the park to make it better and better every day, even if those details are small or overlooked by some.

Two side gates give you access to restaurants and a convenience store outside the park. Both are locked, with keypad locks, so access is restricted to customers of the park... but it makes for a super-quick trip to the BBQ restaurant for a quick bite to eat.

There are two on-site cable cars... that have been gutted and turned into some very novel laundromats. A very cool installment, for sure -- and something you just don't see every day. The washing machines and dryers are accessed using a mobile tablet that is mounted in the cable car... which makes everything a breeze (you don't have to go hunting through your couch looking for spare quarters just to wash your socks).

The sites are a good size, with a mix of pull-through and back-in sites. A good number of 'seasonal' customers are found in the park (many who planned to stay for a short period, but decided to stay for the season once they realized what a great find this park is).

The owner is an absolute pleasure to talk to, and he is a dedicated family man, hard worker, and always has a smile and great attitude. He is truly customer-oriented and works hard to insure that everyone has the best stay possible.

This will ALWAYS be our park of choice when traveling through, or staying for a while, in the Pensacola area.

If you're looking for a vacation resort with hot tubs, swimming pools, and other amenities... you'll want to go elsewhere. But, if you're looking for a great park with an exceptional staff and a high attention to cleanliness and detail... this is the park for you.

We're looking forward to the many improvements that will show up over the coming months and years.

The "appeal" of the park will depend on what you're after. Being a modestly recent addition to the RV Park listings you can't expect to see decade-old lush landscaping... but you can expect to see new landscaping improvements, and a very clean park with plenty of nice things to look at and appreciate. Overall, a very quiet park with nice clients and an above-and-beyond great staff.

Also -- a quick 20 minute drive will put you right on the Pensacola beach strip with access to restaurants, bars, knick-knack shops, and Pensacola's beautiful white powder beaches. And since you're not staying right on the beach you don't run the risk of high winds sand-blasting your rig all week long should the weather turn sour.

This is known, to locals, as the "World’s Littlest Skyscraper." It's nothing more than a made-up "tourist attraction"... but there isn't much that should attract someone. It's a building. Nothing more. Nothing to do, nothing to see. Just an old building that has suffered years of neglect. Just because someone claims that something is an "attraction" doesn't mean we should all blindly flock to it with cameras in-hand. This is a great example of why I dislike "tourist attractions". How anyone could give this more than a single star rating is beyond me (I'm still amazed that it's even listed as an attraction here).