roadtripper2926411

This was the first campground that I have reserved online that I couldn't fit in. We had WI-11, a wide spot in the first loop, but it proved too small for our TT, when considering a slide out and a crew cab truck.

I was just about to abandon the idea of staying at the campground to go down the road to a commercial RV property in Escalante, when my wife suggested that we go ask the camp host if there were any larger sites available. I was about to dismiss the idea as it was a Friday night and I knew the campground was probably booked up, but I'm learning in my old age to listen to her more, and am glad I did. She knocked on the host's door, and told him our situation while I and our yellow lab, Moki, waited in the truck tucked under a juniper tree, cursing my own planning error.

The camp host/ranger, Doug, immediately went into action, jumped in his golf-cart and proceeded to drive around to look for an open spot, even though he had to know that it would be a futile effort. He came over to us in about 5 minutes to tell us the bad news, but then suggested an alternative location in the park that worked out even better than the site I had reserved!

Doug was the nicest and most accommodating campground host that I have ever met!. Most often, I never even see a host, much less meet one. He also came by later and delivered us some fire-wood. Doug is nothing short of being a 'Rock Star' in my view, and a real asset and ambassador for the State of Utah!

The park bifurcates the campground into 2 campgrounds, the larger Wide Hollow Campground has 22 sites, with 3 of them having both water and electricity. The Lake View Campground has 4 sites, including a Lake View Group Area, and all of them have water and electricity. There are also several frost-free water spigots throughout the Wide Hollow Campground. Other facilities include restrooms, showers (not very clean), a boat ramp for the small reservoir, a day-use picnic area with a shelter, and a group pavilion.

A dump station is located just before you enter the park. However, most rigs with any size will need to swing wide into the ranger's residence drive-way to turn-around to effectively use the station when leaving, as the outside lane of the station does not have enough room to pull through in the same direction as you're leaving. It's just too tight. If you are using the station upon entering, it won't be too hard to line-up. There are 2 frost-free water spigots there along with a $13 fee station.

According to Doug, there are plans in place to expand the campground to the south by ~30 sites, all with power and electricity. There is a brand-new visitor center and gift-shop and the staff there is friendly as well. They have T-shirts, patches, stickers and water-bottles for sale, along with various information brochures.

The Petrified Forest Trail and the joining Trail of Sleeping Rainbows is certainly worth the ~2 hour effort. The trail is dog friendly, unlike NPS trails, but it will require a moderate amount of effort. We saw some beautiful vistas and interesting pieces of petrified wood once on top of the mesa.

We found the campground quiet. We did hear a few generators, although there were none operating close to us.

Stayed here in mid-October for only one night, but wished we could have stayed longer. We got the last site available online, a pull-through without any hookups. The site details said 25' max length, and our trailer is actually 27' when you count the tongue. We fit, but barely. Our slide-out was just pass the yellow line that distinguished the campsite from the road. I also got into the junipers a little bit getting tucked back into the pull through. There were better sites to be sure, but none available.

But even being on the road we felt like we had plenty of privacy as we looked out from our doorway into the wild blue yonder, not seeing any other campsites. Great views of some of the hoodoos in the campground.

The visitor center was interesting, with books, t-shirts, interpretive displays, and an ice cream freezer! Very nice staff on site.

The dump site gets 5 stars in my book. Everything works, and there is flush out water available.

There are plenty of trails and roads within the park to explore. I think you could easily spend a week here by taking your time.

Utah gets it right when it comes to State Parks. I wished Idaho did.

Late October, and we were looking for something for one night and took a chance and drove to the campground to see if there were any vacancies. Mesa Verde was closed. We went by a sign that read all camping is done by call-in reservations. So, we called the number without success in talking with anyone and then drove up and spoke to some contractors who revealed that the Park Manager was still in the office. The nice lady got us a spot, although no hook-ups. It was a pull-through with plenty of room. However, some of the spots are not so much. And, the road through the campsite is very narrow and winds around tree and campsites.

The dump station is just as you leave the campground and there is no water available to flush out your tank.

As an alternative, there is dispersed camping about 4 to 5 miles further up the road.

The roads going into the park are crooked and narrow. The road coming from the east especially so. I recommend coming in from the west.

Nice park! Nice little lake! There is a 20 site full hook-up campground, and 4 tent sites that are well off the road. There is also a nice laundry room (2 washers, 2 dryers) with showers in the center. There is nice spacing between sites. Tables and fire rings for all.

Pads are a little narrow, Trees all around. Easy come, and easy go.

No recycling, and there are only 2 dumpsters in the whole park.

The lake has a nice pier, boat ramp and is very inviting if you have a canoe or kayak. No swimming, however. Looks like there is decent fishing.

No internet, not much cell service.

I'm curious about how many campers actually use the casino. The only reason that we went into Cactus Pete's Casino was to give someone our registration envelope with our $20 fee. There wasn't any drop box that we could find. We also didn't see a camp host or anyone else in an official capacity until the next morning when they seem to drive around to see if occupied spaces have paid. I'm not sure really how they monitor who has paid.

We didn't use the water and sewer hookups as it froze during the night. We had also had a back-in spot along the fence.

There is also a dump site as well.

This is a good value for a full hook-up RV park. The only noise I heard was somebody racing down the side street once next to the RV Park. Quiet. No TV reception.

This is a FCFS campground ran by the Navajo Nation as part of the the Tsey dine Heritage Area, appropriately named Cottonwood Campground as it sits in a cottonwood grove near a creek. Loop 3, sites 56-93 were closed when we camped there in late March 2022. We did not use the rest room facilities. Many of the sites are small and not for big rigs, but a few are.

Although this is dry camping, there is water available and a single dump station that you may have to get in line for as you leave. The park manager was very friendly.

Fuel and groceries can be obtained in Chinle.

Although we never had a problem, there are signs everywhere both in the campground and along the roads in Canyon de Chelley warning against leaving valuables in vehicles. In one viewing parking lot we did see broken glass from a vehicle. There is one viewing area along the east canyon road that is actually closed because you must leave your car in a parking lot for a hike down into the canyon. The Monument's Superintendent we were told in the Visitor Center closed that site to address the break-in issue. The solution to the problem it seems, at least interim, is to close the parking lot and public access to the canyon floor.

You may however hire one of the Native American tour services to take you down into the canyon. I guess that is similar to Monument Valley to the north, also on Navajo Nation Reservation land. If you have time, I would recommend hiring one of those companies to go down into the canyon. It's beautiful!

Driving through the loops conjured up scenes from the movie "The Grapes of Wrath", where Tom Joad and his family arrive from the midwest to one of the California labor camps looking for farm work during the dust bowl depression in the 1930s. Except, this experience is in color! Sites are really close together, depending on the loop, and backing in a trailer will be a challenge in some sites dodging other rigs and large trees. Still, it has full hookups and the good volunteers from Colorado who worked the firewood detail where very friendly.

This park is too big for me, meaning too many sites.

This is a smaller campground a couple of miles off the main highway near Island Park on the south bank of Henry's Fork River. The road in is a washboarded gravel road. Some sites such as ours, has electrical service and water is provided by spigots. There is also a vault toilet and trash dumpsters. No recycling.

This is a pretty little campground where white pelicans can be seen fishing in the river. A trail leads from the campground to Harriman State Park. a good ways away.

The nearest dump station at this writing is the one at Last Chance, south of Island Park. Going north, and you will have to go to MT as Henry's Fork State Park's dump station is OOC until after 2022.

Made reservations about 3 weeks before arrival online and secured one of the full hookup sites along the creek. Our site was paved, but not particularly level as the older growth trees' roots have buckled some of the pavement. There was a fire ring and a wooden picnic table that was doing its best to morph into its rain forest surroundings, with a healthy layer of moss growing on its horizontal surfaces. Of course this is a State Park Campground, so you are close to your neighbors.

There is a nice trail that surrounds the campground, and the beach is easily accessible without crossing the highway, as the trail passes under a 'McCullough style' concrete arched bridge.

Fire wood is for sale for $5 a bundle at the main office as you arrive. As this an Oregon State Park, they have a full recycling center at the entrance and a dump station if you happen to not have a full hookup site.

We spent most of our time visiting Newport for the first time in over 40 years. We shared a nice crab sandwich lunch at Mo's Annex at the harbor and recalled our last time there where Mo herself stood in line with us one Friday evening in February 1979 while we waited for a table to open. She was a hoot as I recall.

While we had 3 nights reserved, we pulled out a day early because of the steady rain and wind during the week we were there and headed east before the snow was to fall. We were told by one of the staff, that we should get reimbursed for the day we didn't stay.

It's a shame that the NPS has to contract out the management of the campgrounds. Rude lady at the check-in located in the Morefield Village Gift Shop. We made a reservation via phone on the day we arrived but that does not mean you reserve a spot. They show you where to look for one. There were several sites available and we picked one, but many are not very level and shade can be a bit sparce. Dry camping but potable water available at the dump station just before you get to the site loops, so top off with water there before you find your site. There are showers, laundry, cafe, and gas station located in the Village. However, as you might imagine, gas prices were highly marked up from what you will find on the highway.

The park itself is well worth a visit. However, make sure you don't arrive at the various sites towards the end of the day as the volunteers don't want you on the trails anywhere near closing time. So, probably best to see the different sites in the morning.

With a National Lifetime Senior Pass its cheap enough and certainly close to the sites and miles off the main highway.