michaelsirott

If you're traveling through the Chicago area this park is a nice option to spend a night or two. This was an interesting park because of it's location. It is situated in the middle of industrial northern Indiana; there appears to be a steel mill to the west and a power plant to the east. Both facilities are visible from the beach. Never the less the dunes along the lakeshore make a nice little hike. While not very scenic itself, the campground is clean and surprisingly quiet.

I’m torn about this review. We booked a week here because we have family with a seasonal site and park model.

The owner and staff are extremely friendly and accommodating. The vibe within the campground is family and pet friendly. The campground store is well supplied and friendly.

We visited during the peak of the tourist season, in July 2023. I can’t say there was anything particularly “wrong” with this campground, except that the advertising, location and the site quality didn’t match the $100/night price tag. My review is weighted to account for the price price. The campground is NOT near the water, although the lower half of the property does have a nice view of the water. Access to one of the local beaches or inlets is only via a two mile drive on busy local roads and then parking at one of the paid municipal parking areas.

Site quality: All sites appeared to be well maintained and functional. Most sites were completely level. Our site required backing in around a corner. Residents of neighboring sites had to move their vehicles to give us room to back in. Every site in the campground appears to be on grass or on dirt. Consequently the place became very muddy during the rains.

For the above reasons, we would not stay here again. But we understand why the site is appealing to those that return year after year.

This is a large campground with several sections and loops. Being only about an hour from Seattle it seems to be quite popular on the weekends with families car camping, hikers, and lake goers.

The sites were basic. Most sites seem best suited to tent camping. The parking pads were fairly level, but not super large. Any RV larger than about 25 feet would be iffy. There are no hook-ups but there were water spigots throughout all of the loops. Don't count on much sun for solar because almost every site is in the shade all day. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit.

Even though the sites are basic, the grounds were extremely well maintained by the camp hosts and forest service. In fact our camp hosts were great. They welcomed us to the campground as soon as we backed in and gave us the rundown on all of the facilities. They also deliver firewood right to your site.

We stayed here for the last two nights of the 2021 season and were the last campers to roll out on Monday morning before the gates closed to the public. We were surprised that the campground was closing so early in the season because the weather was still quite nice.

This is an expansive state park campground on the shores of Banks Lake. We stayed here on what had to have been one of the hottest days of the summer in 2012. And not being boaters or into water sports, we found ourselves without much to do. It was too hot to hike in the desert. Too hot to fish. All we could do was take occasional dips in the lake.

If you're in to water sports, this is the park for you. There's a marina for launching bigger boats and numerous beaches and access points where you can swim and launch smaller personal watercraft (like rafts and canoes).

Banks Lake is surrounded by scablands, basalt cliffs, and sagebrush. There's Steamboat Rock, which is the most prominent basalt feature in the park. It's an uphill hike to the top through the scablands. Watch out for rattlers.

The campground offers something for everyone; full hookup sites to tent sites and everything in between. It can get noisy in the summer with families and loud boats.

Riverside State Park is a gem of Spokane. There are actually two campgrounds; the larger campground is located on the north bank of the Spokane River, at "Bowl and Pitcher". There is another campground located at the northwest end of the park, situated on Long Lake (aka Lake Spokane). This review is for the larger campground located at Bowl and Pitcher.

The campground is beautifully situated on the north bank of the Spokane River. There are a several ways you can access the campground which should be obvious with a GPS or map; all involve taking Aubrey White Parkway either from the north or the south. The northern approach is probably easier for bigger motorhomes and trailers. Use caution because it's a park road with lots of bicycle and foot traffic. The speed limit is 25 MPH.

There are many site options including tent sites, paved RV pads, and group camping. Many of the sites are right above the river bank. You and your pets can't swim here though. The current is very fast and there are rapids just downstream from the campground! If you're looking for swimming acces, visit the park's other campground on Long Lake.

Positives:
-very well maintained
-choice of sites
-on the river
-just a few miles from downtown Spokane
-access to over 80 miles of hiking/biking trails

Negatives:
-can fill up in the summer.
-can be noisy in the summer

This is a beautiful park right on the water across the sound from Seattle. We kayaked from the beach just a short walk from our campsite. When the tide came in at night we could here the waves coming ashore from inside our camper.

The park is reasonably well maintained. The bathroom facilities are dated but functional. When we were there the showers were closed due to COVID. The sites are easily accessible and level, although the park entry drive may be challenging for larger RVs because the road is tight and narrow.

Unfortunately like any city park the crowds are abundant. Camp sites are close together with virtually no privacy. Also the campground shares the parking lot with the day-use area. If you're looking for a place to settle down for a quiet weekend this isn't it. If you're looking for a campground with water access this may work for you.

This is a free, primitive campground located on the national forest side of Crawfish Lake.

There are a few sites accessible to larger vehicles but most are designed for vehicles less than 20 feet or tents. Most sites are on the water with a few on the other side of the gravel access drive. There are vault toilets. The campground can get busy/full on summer weekends but is mostly empty during the week and off-season.

This campground is in a very remote area. Access is seasonal. Although there are cabins on the opposite side of the lake, you really feel like you're in the wilderness here. We hear wolves and coyotes at nights and almost always see deer during the day. What's amazing is that there is actually cell phone reception here (but not data).

The basic no-hookup sites were in good condition and spread out enough to not feel cramped. All sites have good level areas for tents. The parking pads are relatively level for RVs. 26 feet is probably the max comfortable length. Most sites aren't actually on the water and don't have much of a view. But there's good water access via several docks and a large boat ramp.

The town of Hunters is quite remote. There's a decent convenience store in town as well as a local bar and grill.

Verizon service was spotty. ATT service was good enough to stream video.

This is a basic National Forest Service campground on the roadside of Highway 20 (North Cascade Highway). The main appeal to this campground is it's proximity to the Cascade range. When I visited, the campground was very clean and seemed well maintained. Perhaps because it had just been opened for the season. The literature says the campground opens in July. This year, it was open in early June. The sites are generously sized, with fire pits and picnic tables in most sites. Some sites are pull through, but most are back in.

There are no hook-ups (unless you're the camp host), but there are numerous water spigots and vault toilets around the site. There's no sewage dump. There was some noise from highway 20 but it wasn't unbearable. The most noise came from the creek which runs adjacent to the camp ground. Also note that there is no cell service anywhere along the North Cascade Highway.

We visited Salt Creek Rec Area in early October just as the busy season was winding down. We enjoyed listening to the wind and crashing waves just a few feet from our site. Coming from Eastern Washington where there were drought like conditions, we actually enjoyed the moist air and rain during our stay. We also liked watching the shipping traffic in the strait. There are several good hikes right from the campground. The hike to Striped Peak follows a lushly forested trail along the water until it turns up the hill. A shorter hike to the old gun battery position follows the bluff from the campground. It was well worth the effort!

Arrival to our pre-paid site went smoothly. We got a reminder email a few days before giving us details about the park. The park manager responded quickly to a question I had about water by email.

The park looked about 70% full during the time we were there. We stayed on the western, wooded side of the campground in the non-hook-up area. The sites in this part of the park are just a few steps away from a cliff above the water and most have a great view of the strait. The non-hook-up/tent sites provide more privacy and are closer to the water. The sites are still packed pretty close together but the layout is more relaxed we didn't feel too close to our next door neighbors. The non-hookup sites are limited to RVs of about 25 feet. One of our neighbors in a travel trailer didn't have enough room to extend her slide outs on both sides because of trees in the site. On the other side of the park the hook-up sites are larger, paved and able to suite bigger rigs. We saw motorhomes and 5th wheels 35+ feet in length. These sites also had decent views of the water. But for us it looked too much like an RV parking lot.

The entire park was well maintained and friendly. Although there were lots of dogs and children around we did not have any issues with noise. We were surprised to find good 4G Verizon service at our site.

Not many negatives to report. This park is very popular and it apparently gets much busier and louder during peak season.