paulfiarkoski

Not much more to say that hasn't already been said. I just wanted to post my pics. :)

If you don't already know about the falls, you must find them. Basically, just head down to the creek from the area by site #1 and let your ears guide you. Very beautiful falls and the water is so pure. The day I was there, there was a young lady in an angel costume getting pictures taken by a pro.

Also, I would strongly suggest walking/hiking the trail upstream from Proctor Rd. You can pick it up on the opposite side of the creek from the campground. No exaggeration: this hike compares with the famous West End Oak Creek in Sedona. I saw turkeys and deer on my Sunday morning stroll.

Very basic campground with no hookups but I wouldn’t call it primitive. Roads were well maintained and campsites are all pretty big. Lot of space for cars and tents or campers. I tent camped at spot #6 and was treated to some spectacular sunrises.
This campground is the closest to the trailheads if you’re planning on hiking down to see the ruins.
Facilities are limited to vault toilet and trash cans bur do campers really need more than that? :)

I felt like I traveled back in time when I pulled my travel trailer into Krazy K from Phoenix for a 2-night stay. I was here with a friend to explore the beautiful Verde Valley. We really enjoyed the convenient location to I-17, the town of Camp Verde, and Cliff Castle Casino.

Starting with the entrance sign, you get the feeling this isn't your typical cookie-cutter campground. At first glance, everything appeared clean and well-maintained. We arrived late in the afternoon and had to call the posted number for assistance checking. Within a couple of minutes, the cheerful owner of the park appeared on her golf cart to handle the transaction and led us to our spot.

Over the length of our short stay, we'd come to appreciate the calm and peaceful vibe reminiscent of a bygone era. Sure, there's an interstate buzzing nearby, but the breeze blowing through the treetops nearly drowns out the hum of vehicles cruising through. The hookups were easy to access and worked flawlessly. We enjoyed the pool, hot tub, and comfortable deck area. The clean, hot showers and spotless restrooms were icing on the cake. What's not to love?

The only downside for me is that since I'm still a youngster by RVing standards (53 y-o) I had to pay the full $60 nightly rate.

Great little spot that I'd love to go back to again in the future. Semi-primitive. No electricity or water but it does have vault toilets and creek nearby to draw water from if you have a way to purify it. No cell service either. Each campsite has a concrete picnic table and fire ring with grate for cooking.
Camping is free but you must display a Tonto Pass on your rear view mirror since the campground is in Tonto National Forest. The pass is available at many convenient stores in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.

Great hiking trail nearby (Cave Creek Trail #4).
Plenty of unmaintained roads to go off-roading on.

My wife and I recently bought our first camper and took it to Pleasant Harbor for our first “glamping” experience. We’re in our 50s and decided this year we’re done sleeping on the ground.
We mainly went here for our first overnighter because it’s a short drive from our home and seemed pretty nice based on pics and reviews. We were super impressed with Pleasant Harbor.
The three staff members we came into contact with were super friendly and helpful. Our campsite was ready when we arrived and super clean - no trash or weeds. Even though all the sites adjacent to us were occupied, it remained relatively quiet the whole time.
We stayed in a “partial hookup” spot with water and electricity only and everything worked perfectly. We didn’t really use the recreation facilities or general store so I can comment on them, but we did cover the whole property on our morning walk and the whole place was consistently well-maintained. My favorite experience was waking up in the morning to the amazing view of sailboats headed out on the lake with mountains rising up in all directions. We also really enjoyed the well-maintained patch of lawn that our spot backed up to. The only drawback I can think of is there are no fire rings here.
Overall we had a great time And will definitely be back.

Full disclosure: I did not camp here. I’m sharing this information for any of my fellow campers who happen to be traveling through North Central Kansas and need a nice quiet place to stop for the night
I was in Jewell Kansas in June 2022 for a family reunion and too went for a walk around well-kept town Square, when I noticed a dropbox for electric hook-up users.
Next to it was a sign that reads free camper parking, electrical hook up $10 per day.
There are also two water spigots nearby to hook up to, and a self-pay fuel station less than 30 yards away.
There’s also free public Wi-Fi with a very strong signal at the spot.
That’s about all the information I can provide, but I expect that’s enough for most of my RVing friends. Safe travels!

Covid screwed up our original plans for Christmas, so my wife and I booked a spot last-minute for Christmas night.
At White Tank Mountains Regional Park, there are two main campgrounds to choose from: 1) Family campground (modern, with hookups) 2) Willow Campground (primitive site for tents and small self-contained campers. This review applies only to the Family campground.
We liked how spacious and flat all the campsites were. We were delighted to see our site included both electrical and water since we were expecting only electricity.
Each site provides enough space for the biggest of rigs and room (in most cases) for another vehicle. Included with your camping pad are a nice, big concrete picnic table and partially sunken campfire ring. The gravel pad encasing the table and fire was big enough for us to set up the cornhole game.
If you're a hiker or mountain biker, I'd definitely recommend staying a minimum of two nights here. Since check-in is 1 p.m. and check-out is noon, one night is hardly enough to experience the best of this park. We didn't mountain bike, but I can vouch for the excellent hiking experiences you'll get on both Waterfall Trail and Ford Canyon Trail. If you have time for only one hike, Waterfall Trail would be my top recommendation. It's considerably shorter and easier to navigate, with more to see: namely petroglyphs and a seasonal waterfall.
Here's a link to an interactive trail map: https://maricopa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html

Additional notes:
- $32 nightly campsite fee includes gate entrance
- All the volunteers and park staff we came in contact with were very friendly and helpful
- Gates to the park close at 8 p.m. but upon check-in you'll receive a gate code and instructions on how to enter after the gates close to the public
- There's a very clean and well-maintained, modern restroom in the center of the campground that's very accessible from all campsites. Bonus: there's a shower stall here, too.
- From the west end of the campground, you can catch Ironwood Trail to connect with other trails in the park
- The dump station is located near the campground entry/exit point. It's well-maintained and very clean.
- Although there are no trash bins located around the campground, there's a trash dumpster adjacent to the dump station

My wife and I live in Phoenix and chose Cave Creek Regional Park campground for an impromptu 2-night getaway from the city.
Good choice.
We enjoyed the scenic views in all directions, modern amenities and close proximity to Phoenix.
Each campsite has a flat asphalt pad with water and electricity hookups, a large concrete picnic table and fire pit with grate. (I’m posting pics, too.)
Thanks to the staffed entrance gate, the only people coming and going in the campground are those with reservations and their guests. The stables and main visitor center entrance are on a different road.
When we camped here at full capacity in mid-Feb, most of the rigs displayed out-of-state plates and most sites only had two people at them. We heard no loud noises from adjacent sites - only birds and horses. At night, the stars sparkled like diamonds.
If you like to hike, there’s a great trail that starts on the north end of the campground and heads into the hills. We hiked Clay Mine Trail east/northeast and took a left on Overton. At the junction with Go John, we turned around and traced our steps back to the campground. Total distance was about 5 miles. Views were incredible.
Even though it was good to get out of the city, it was good to know there were plenty of places to get groceries and supplies.

My first visit here was a solo weekend trip with my 16’ travel trailer. I mainly used Roper Lake as my base camp for a trip to Chiricahua National Monument. I was able to reserve a spot that backs up to the lake on the west side. (Gila Loop spot #46)
Although the park is well maintained, my first impression was about a hundred cockroaches on the pad. Thankfully none ended up in the camper. I arrived after dark and was pleasantly surprised in the morning to witness a brilliant sunrise come up over to the east side of the lake. To the west the 10,000+ foot-high Mt Graham basked in the glow of the sunrise.
Although the campground is light on amenities, it is pretty quiet and all the campsites are well spaced.
Gila is the smallest off three loops. I pedaled my bike through the other two campgrounds and they were significantly more busy and crowded. Was happy to be in Gila. I also paddled my kayak around the lake and enjoyed the views.
One thing worth noting is that the water source at the campsite came out of the tap warm, presumably because of the underground artesian springs.
Speaking of Springs, one cool diversion in the area I would recommend is the Essence of Tranquility hot springs resort a couple of mile to the west. And of course, Chiricahua National Monument is amazing, even though it’s about 90 minutes away.

My wife and I stayed two nights at campsite #3 in our 16-foot travel trailer. It was a perfect fit. I wouldn’t recommend bringing anything longer than 15 -20 feet in here. You’d have a hard time maneuvering through the park and leveling it.
We were here the first weekend of June and summer conditions prevailed: mid 80s during the day, upper 60s at night. Translation: no AC or heater was needed. Good thing, since there are no hookups here. We didn’t hear one generator over the weekend and we didn’t mind.
Note: there is a dump station icon on the map as you pull into the campground, however upon closer inspection, it is only for gray water. No human waste may be dumped at this campground.
There are plenty of fresh water spigots around but not the type you can connect a hose to.
Tip: bring a jug and a funnel if you plan to add water to your RV’s tank.
We had every intent to hike about 12 miles over the weekend but it was so relaxing just chilling in the campground, that was mainly all we did, except for a drive up Bonita Canyon with stops at each of the pullouts and trailheads to get pics.
I took a drive up to Massai Point to watch the sunset out first night there and had the place to myself. The views were stunning. In the campground, we saw plenty of beautiful birds, one turkey and a coatimundi. Thankfully no bears, although there are bear warning signs and bear proof containers all over the place.
The weekend we were here there was a strict no fire rule in effect and I’d say about half of the sites were not available for camping due to their proximity to the (dry) creekbed and related flood risk.
Only saw the campground host a couple times. She wasn’t particularly friendly but wasn’t cranky either. What she did well was good make sure people were where they were (or weren’t) supposed to be.
Regarding cell phone coverage, I was able to get one bar only in a few spots using T-Mobile.

Overall a great stay and we’d definitely come back.