deniseglennnawaa

This is another Fairground that has gotten smart and realized they can monetize their campsites all year. You can reserve online or call, but need to plan ahead for weekends because they only approve during regular business hours. Easy access from the freeway, recommend using the N Alder St entrance off of University Way. Most sites are on grass, a few are on pavement. Check the grass before driving on it, sprinklers were in full force when we arrived and made some spots muddy. Showers were clean (on the ladies side) and located near the "Old Town" section. It was nice to have electricity, it gets HOT on the eastern side of the Cascades. We'd definitely stop again. The fair and rodeo are held over Labor Day weekend, so don't plan on being anywhere in Ellensburg that weekend unless you're going to the fair/rodeo and staying elsewhere. They don't rent to individuals during that time.

We stayed at Atlantic City BLM campground on our way through the area. It was clean and quiet, and the vault toilets were also very clean. Beware if you're large, like us, the trees will get you. Our new rig is a 46' toyhauler fifth wheel that we pull with a Freightliner HDT. There were no issues with the roads, coming in the last 1/2 mile is on a well-maintained dirt road and the campground itself is gravel. It hadn't been raining, and dry and firm is what we prefer (to muddy and getting stuck, LOL). The trees could use some trimming, but we understand the reluctance to damage the local flora. Watch out for ticks! There is absolutely NO cell connectivity here, so be prepared. Maybe your weather radio would work, we forgot to test ours. Lander is 25 miles away, the Coalter complex is worth a visit - brews, good food, great ice cream. About 10 miles beyond Lander is Sinks Canyon State Park, where the river disappears into a cave and reappears 1/4 miles downstream. Fascinating, and worth a visit, and there's no admission charge for this state park.

This park is a great bargain, but be careful which site you reserve. I called so I could make sure we got a site that was long enough based on a list given to us by friends who have stayed here. I chose #51, and am not sure online reservation was even an option at the time. Online it says #B51 has a "slight" downhill. It was actually 3.8% while connected to the truck. With Big Foot levelers and 7.5" blocking we were still 0.5% off level. Good enough, but be aware. All three axles were off the ground, and the asphalt was soft enough that we sunk in at the rear. The nose was at the ground. It was on a curve, so backing in between the trees was easy enough, they were placed far enough back. Water and electric posts were convenient for our rig, in the middle right where our hookups are located. Waterfront in the description means you're closest to the water, but it's barely visible and you walk through the woods to get to the swampy edge. Sites are fairly close together, there was train noise and freeway noise, but not bothersome inside. Bathrooms were dated and as clean as you can expect, but we ran out of warm water the first time. Recommend turning the water off between soaping and rinsing, much better results that way. Wouldn't recommend other loops besides B for a rig our size, 45' fifth wheel pulled with a Freightliner HDT, 68' total. We would come back if we needed to stay in the area again, but we would choose a different site. NN Park has a senior rate, but sure to ask for it!

This campground was a planned stop on our way up to Washington from the northern California valley and Don Pedro Lake. We arrived early on Sunday after spending the night at Denio Junction, where they allow boondocking. After the 100-105 degree temps of the previous week, this place was pretty pleasant. I think it reached 95, but only stayed there briefly and started cooling by 5 pm. A nice breeze - that didn't feel like an OVEN - helped a lot, and in the shade it was pretty nice. Our site, #10, is huge and grassy. We were able to easily back in, and when we leave we're going back out the same way. The roads are marked as one-way, but the turns at the south end are too challenging for our length and height. We're 68' long, and 13'6" tall, and have enough scratches, thank you very much! Cement picnic tables and fire pits with grates at each site, several pit toilets and water spigots around the loops. Most everyone left by noon, and a couple more came in. Very quiet except for our generator (sorry, but these temps...!). We're hoping it will cool off enough by evening that we can shut it off for the night. The 3.5 mile maintained gravel road in from OR 205 was washboarded, but we went slow and it was fine.

We came north on 205, and the 14% grade coming down into Frenchglen was a surprise. Take it slow!

Stony Fork campground is a beautiful, wooded location with some reservable sites and many FCFS sites. I booked the only pull-thru 6 months in advance. It was a good choice for us with our 46' fifth wheel pulled by a Freightliner HDT. We got into it easily. Some of the curves at the middle of the campground loop road are tight, but we made it. We had friends visit that are big like us too, and they easily backed into #8. There are a few sites that will accommodate larger rigs, but the road is only one narrow lane wide, so room for the truck to manuever could be an issue in some of them. Some sites are level, some have a pretty good slope to them. The hosts on duty were amazing and couldn't have been kinder or more helpful. The bathrooms/showers were clean. AT&T coverage was good enough to stream TV, there were no OTA channels. Verizon was slightly better. I don't measure using "bars", they are a useless measurement, and especially so if you have data only.

We stayed here for a week in the dry sites up on the hill. We had a fantastic view from up here, pastoral with tree-covered hills on one side, and the reservoir on the other. ATT signal was good enough to do basic stuff, browse the internet, etc. Verizon was good enough to make phone calls and send texts, but slow doing anything data-related. The roads in are paved and marked, and any size rig can fit in the upper sites. The lower, developed ones with electricity might be more challenging if you're 68' long like we are. We only saw one or two that we would attempt with our setup. The first couple days we were in some kind of midge hatch, and they were everywhere - along with a couple that actually bit. Most were non-biting, but very annoying. Then they just sort of almost disappeared. It was windy, but that's spring. The only negative would be the bugs, and you can't get away from that when you're near water.

We stayed at this campground for 12 nights in May. Our site was a pull-thru, #7. There was room for our HDT and 45' fifth wheel, but it took some back-and-forth to get it just right because of the giant rocks. In the upper loop there was a lot of freeway noise, but we also had good cell and data service. We would NOT have been able to take our rig into the lower loop, the curves were too tight for our 68' combined length. A couple of other sites in the upper loop would have worked, and we had friends stop in for one night who are as big as we are. They fit in #13, a back-in, with a terrific view of the river and valley. However, there's no shelter from the wind in that spot, so be aware. You trade the view for the wind in the spring when the weather can be fickle. The loop road is narrow and they got some scratches, their rig bends differently than ours.

The camp host is delightful, she's been here for years. We enjoyed some of the many trails in the park, and drove out to see Register Rock. Our nightly rate has the senior discount built in - 1/2 price Monday - Thursday. We also got the annual pass to save on entry fees, although this park included the entry in the camping fee.

We stayed four nights at Lums Pond to check Delaware off the map and to replenish with full hook-ups. We are 68' long with our HDT and 45' fifth wheel, and our Rand McNally RV GPS took us to the main entrance for day use of the park, which is NOT connected by road to the campground. Our only option to turn around was the farthest parking lot (God bless the ranger who gave us instructions), and it was TIGHT getting in there! Make sure you're going to the campground entrance off Red Lion Rd. When I typed it in by hand it worked, even though the GPS showed the SAME ADDRESS! Our site was plenty long enough - there are several that will fit a big rig. The grounds are like a park, with some well-trimmed trees near the sites and grass in the middle of the campground circles. You can't beat the price - private campgrounds in the area charge $75-$100 or more. Individual shower rooms, and a few full bathrooms that are handicap accessible.

Cell data service: ATT -114 dBm, Speedtest showed 60 Mbps down, 3 up, Nighthawk with window antenna.
T-Mobile -100 dBm, Speedtest 147 Mbps down, 9 up, Mifi with no booster.

We loved it, we'll be back.

We've been members since this was Leisure Time (30+ years), and used to come all the time tent camping with the kids. They're all grown now, and we come once or twice a year now that we're full-timers - summer and Xmas - to spend time with the kids and grandkids. To correct a few of the incorrect reviews, it's the Skykomish River, not the Snohomish. The north side of Ben Howard Rd, and therefore the north part of the campground and next to the river, is 50-amp and no sewer. The south side of the campground, where all the amenities are located, is 30-amp and FHU. At this time with the COVID restrictions, all the amenities are closed except restrooms and laundry.

Arrival was easy, we go into the day-parking lot, turn around, and walk to the ranger station next to it, because we're so big it's difficult to turn around to get back out of the main campground area if we go up to the ranger station like you would normally. The turns are tight in the main section, and there are only a couple spots we would fit it, one of which is handicapped, which we are not, and the other has been turned into an annual site. We already know that we'll fit in the west section river sites, 77-98. All sites are back-in, and sites 60-76 in the east river section are difficult to back into because of our length and the narrowness of the access "road". We pull our 45' toyhauler with a Freightliner, so we need a bit of room to maneuver the truck if the sites are too 90-degree square to the roads, like they are in the main campground. They're at a better angle in 77-98.

In the winter when it's rainy, this place is a mudhole. Nothing is paved, so it's mud, gravel, wet grass, you get the picture. In the summer when it's dry, it's pretty pleasant. The river is floatable from the campground down to the Monroe bridge, where there's great access with parking.

Ben Howard road is narrow, hilly, no shoulders. The one improvement we noticed is that they've lowered the speed limit to 25 in the vicinity of the campground, which is nice since you have to cross the road to get from the river side to the main side where the restrooms are located. Whether people observe that new speed limit or not seems to be hit or miss, but at least it can now be enforced if the county so chooses.

There is new management the past year or so, and things seem a little better, but this campground is so old that many things are in serious need of upgrading. It doesn't appear that Equity Lifestyle Properties (the overall owner) seems to spend much money on anything here, including regular maintenance. One toilet at the shower bathroom has been removed from the floor and was out of order the last time we were here nine months ago. Seems to me that kind of work should be done immediately. Perhaps it's COVID-related this time, but there's always at least one out-of-order each time we visit.

It's a great location for us because our kids live nearby, but if we had a better option we'd take it. I'm sure we'll be back, because no one is building new RV parks anywhere nearby.

Our favorite thing about this campground is the location near our family, and the river. We see eagles, and there's just something about the water that makes everything else bearable.

We had reserved #11, and before we arrived (after a TON of research and finding an obscure campground map) we found the map on recreation.gov is inaccurate. When we arrived, #11 was a total no-go for us - way too short! It wasn't even shown on the right side of the road!

Fortunately #9 was FCFS and open, so we took that one instead. The camp host took care of things for us and we spent 9 wonderful nights at this beautiful place. We are 68' long connected with our 45' fifth wheel toyhauler and Freightliner. We hung out the back of #9, but had a great view of the lake from our ramp/deck. We went hiking 5 times, and saw deer every day. You can access the Lakeshore trail from the campground and go north or south, both worthwhile. The Doctor Creek trail crosses the road and climbs - consistently - until you've gained over 1000' and find yourself in a meadow next to a dirt road. The Lakeshore trail to the Overlook is beautiful, but if you decide to take the road back instead of the steep trail, be aware it's over 9 miles! Maybe 3 miles back down the trail isn't such a bad idea.

As full-timers we have an arsenal of cellular providers, and our experience was the T-Mobile (data only) was workable but painfully slow, Verizon (cell + a little data) could get texts no problem and phone calls too, and I could look up the weather and use other apps if I stood in a certain place in the coach. AT&T (data only) pretty useless. That was UNTIL everyone started to arrive in the area for Labor Day weekend. Then we had nada, zilch, nothing! I even got up at 3 am a couple nights to take care of some critical stuff, and that worked, but still painfully slow. After everyone left, it was back to the previous mid-week experience. We don't get "bars" on our data service, but T-Mobile was running at -114 dBm at best, while AT&T was -122 dBm, basically unusable. Verizon at 2 bars if I stood in the right place was about -111 dBm.

We absolutely loved our time here. Even when the campground was full we didn't feel crowded. We hope to be able to return some day. You can get paper maps of the area and the campgrounds at the Lakeside Resort just up the road and across the street, an easy walk of about 1/2 mile.