roadtripper2537442

First and Foremost; this is a review of the Campground, not America's Mailbox the company, and their Staff (who are the Best!

But an honest review of the Campground itself is a whole 'nuther Story! Stayed here twice, this last time for one night. $33 for the cheap seats, which is an electric only parking lot nestled gently within 200' of I-90, and two truck stops at the same exit. Exit ramp being right there, next to the campsite. Now, just imagine the numerous trucks using their engine brakes (even though it's illegal in City limits), to slow down on the exit.

Then on the other side of the highway, the merge lane where Pocket Rockets and the like accelerate loudly to get on the interstate! So obviously, Sleep is not an option. The price, especially for members is far too high for what it is. I normally stay at The Ellsworth AFB Famcamp, with 50amp electric, for $15 per night.

Once again, only a true evaluation of the "campground", not the operation and staff. I believe the only thing that would make a difference would be to construct a tall, brick/concrete, sound-barrier between the campground, the highway and truck stops., but that would be expensive.

Please let Walmart management know that you appreciate their hospitality, more and more locations refuse overnight campers now. The only downside to this location is it's proximity to the interstate, which can be noisy at times, mostly the truckers exiting the highway using their engine brakes. And the limited space for overnighter's.. who are supposed to park on the outside perimeter only. Private security enforces this limitation. I arrived at 8:15pm and found the last available spot.

Please let Walmart management know that you appreciate their hospitality, more and more locations refuse overnight campers now. The only downside to this location is it's proximity to the interstate, which can be noisy at times, mostly the truckers exiting the highway using their engine brakes. And the limited space for overnighter's.. who are supposed to park on the outside perimeter only. Private security enforces this limitation. I arrived at 8:15pm and found the last available spot.

Easy access on FR237, off of hwy 260, just west of Forest Lakes, Arizona. Short, dirt road with some small/medium potholes leads you into the first dispersed area. Amenities include Vault toilet, fire pits and very nice picnic tables. Remember that it's free! Spaces are marked "Camp Here" and you need to be within 50' of the sign. Some spaces are fairly close together, but more room than the average campground.

14 day stay limit and best if visiting when it is not raining. It had rained just prior to my arrival, and all night the first night. It is quite muddy! I was planning on exploring the area with my e-bike, but too muddy for that as well.

Lot's of shade, but enough open space for my Starlink to provide over 90mbps service. And the 4-bars of T-mobile is through a partner provider, which means your speed via cell phone will be throttled.

Nice and quiet, not at all crowded right now. At nearly 8000' elevation, it's 59 degrees today, while in the 90's, 2-1/2 hours south in Phoenix.

I stayed at the NC State Fairgrounds Campground this past December (2021), for a month while receiving treatment at the VA Hospital in Durham,NC. The campground normally limits stays to two weeks, which is nuts since most often, it is less than half-full. The price was $30 per night with no discounts for Military,Veterans,Disabled Vets, etc. And no discounted rates for weekly stays.

The campground is basically a big parking lot, with no bath house, laundry, picnic tables, fire rings, playground equipment... nothing! They do have full hookups, including 50amp service, and Wi-Fi... well, they call it Wi-Fi. Sitting in the middle of the campground, I would get between 2.5-3.5Mb download speed, and that was spotting due to weak signal levels.

Most of the sites are somewhat level, but are in desperate need of attention. The gravel is sparse, and the sites get quite muddy when it rains. Despite the posted signs, people drive way too fast, which stirs up a lot of dust.

I was informed by more than one source that the State, and Fairgrounds management could care less what people think about the campgrounds. That the only reason it exists is to provide camping area for special events (horse shows,etc), and the annual State Fair traveling workers (carnies). Which is sad because it would not take much to make it better.

The improvements would pay for themselves via increased patronage. Stands to reason that if it were a nicer camp ground, it would stay full year round, especially since there are so few campgrounds in the Raleigh metro area.

$310 weekly Rate ???? Upon my initial arrival, I had to wonder why this campground had such bad reviews. First appearances were favorable, i.e., the flora and layout. But staying a week allowed for a closer and more detailed look. I had a 40' toy hauler 5th-wheel and had to back in against the perimeter fence. The fence being a catch-all for hoards of litter. Actually, there was litter throughout the campground. There was a useless playground, right next to a dog run (full of poop), which was right next to a very trashy, dumpster site. My first visit to the recently remodeled bath house was a double-edge sword.. the fact that the remodel was nicely done (for a campground), but also, no one was keeping it clean! The floor was kind of dirty, so after taking a shower, I used the broom and swept up the floor. Sweeping a pile of dirt up next to the handicapped shower. Three days, then five, then six.. that dirt pile was still there. The campground is mostly occupied by long-term residents, a lot of them in run-down campers. Some had 5-6 dogs, including German Shepherds, contained only by a 3' temporary fence. Not a safe feeling !!! Would not recommend this campground.. at all. Extreme calcium content in the water.

I had called ahead to see if they had Wi-Fi due to the T-mobile map showing no coverage in that area.
After getting settled into my site... NO Wi-Fi ! Walked up to talk to the camp hosts, who said their Wi-Fi worked great... then turning to his Wife, and had an ah-ha moment. Some of the park buildings were being re-built, and the Wi-Fi antenna system had been taken down.
My site was nice, but very sketchy T-mobile service. But the Showers/Restrooms were nasty (seems to be a New Mexico Park thing?
This would be a good place if you have kids... playgrounds, swimming beach at the lake, although the picnic table area that surrounds it was also filthy.

At the $750 monthly rate, one would expect a nice campground, with amenities. I had talked to these folks a few times before I left my winter spot in Arizona, and had prepaid for the month of April. I had the first of several VA medical appts. on April 3rd and needed to be situated prior to that. Well, two fronts that brought snow changed that, and could not move in until yesterday (April 7th). I understood the weather being a factor, and spent the week at Ellsworth AFB Famcamp. ..So, to keep this short: upon arrival, the road leading in and around the camping spots, and the spaces themselves were a giant Mud-Pit ! By the time I managed to get into a space my Rig was covered in mud! This would not have happened if there was adequate gravel throughout. And at the price, should have been paved, with concrete pads. I could not go in and out of my camper without tracking a bunch of dirt and mud in. Then, come to find out that the Shower/laundry facility would not be open "for awhile".
OK, it's 50 degrees outside today and upper 70's forecast within a day or two. After informing the Lady of the Park that I was leaving and wanted a refund, she was gracious enough to bring me a check in short order (minus the full day rate of $40 for last night). Then as I was packing up, her husband came by and was more confrontational.. wanting to know what the problem was. I told him that the amenities were part of the $750 rate, and that I was not happy being buried in mud! He told me that they had spread gravel two years ago... anyway, it's two older people trying to run the campground, and it's either overwhelmed them, or they do not think that Quality is a factor for their clients.

At the age of 68, I still considered the most awesome place that I had visited was Disney Land, until my arrival at the Palo Duro Canyon State Park. OMG! Simply amazing!

I had booked my stay 3 months ahead of time and the longest stay at one site that I could find was 3 days. And that was not enough to truly enjoy the Park. The State of Texas got it right with this one. If you are a military veteran, you get a discount. If you are a disabled Vet with at least 50% disability, as I am, it's dirt cheap!

I could easily write a book about this place. Even with the drawbacks of Zero TV or Cell signal (except AT&T), and the not-so-clean shower facilities, The sheer awesomeness of the Canyon keeps the ratings as exceptional.

On a side note, it's difficult to judge a site via the website. Many, as mine was, are not level.

The Chimney Rock Pioneer Crossing campground was my last stop prior to arriving at America's Mailbox in Box Elder, S.D., for residency purposes. I had reserved and paid for a full weeks' stay, but somehow (my bad) scheduled my stop for eight nights. Needless to say, I was chomping at the bit to get on the road by the end of the stay.

First, let me say that the Owners are extremely nice people and work hard at keeping the area nice. But i'm reviewing the overall experience, which was dismal and disruptive. I had been assigned to space #11 per my reservation. It was only hours after getting setup in the space that I had to request being moved! There are now a number of long-term campers at the location. Good for revenue stream, but maybe not for normal campers.

The family in the space next to me had twin children who chaos on steroids... non-stop fighting and screaming, with non-parenting, parents! They also had two ankle-biters which they kept outside, that barked at anything and everything. Then add the fact that the husband was remodeling the back-half of his camper. The noise of power tools, hammers, nail-guns.. you get the idea by now. I was on the phone with my VA medical providers, attempting to schedule appointments, and had to tell them that I would call back due to the noise level.

So, I had to move to another space, which helped somewhat with the noise, but did not eliminate it. No on to the subject of the Technology Desert.. I could get one network TV channel, along with the PBS channels. There is NO Wi-Fi in the park, my T-mobile cell signal was non-existent, but was able to roam with their partner provider, Viaero Wireless which was all but worthless, 2g signal; too slow to even access email.

Back to the Noise.. there are train tracks just a few hundred yards from the park, and there are about a dozen, very long, and load (air horns) coal trains that go up and down the tracks, every day, and night. Most people don't sleep through air-horns in the middle of the night.

The camper sites were not terrible, but one reviewer mentioned how "roomy" the sites were? Not sure what she was accustomed to, but I measured 12' between my neighbor's hookups, and the side of my camper. And the hookups are in the middle of the site, rather than the rear, which places the sewer drain at your picnic table. (see photos)

I did go to the Scott's Bluff National Monument Park on one day which was very nice, and the camper's have a great view of the Chimney Rock monument. So, this park would be OK for a quick night or two, but not longer. For me personally, I just did not find it comfortable at all. I'm still learning what aspects to consider when scheduling my stops.