roadtripper4358801

These folks are doing everything right. This small campground is neat as a pin. Nicely laid out amongst mature trees and gravel roadways, everything is well kept and well cared for. And the washrooms: the largest and cleanest showers we’ve ever enjoyed! The only knock is the noise from the interstate. But unless you’re a very light sleeper or have small children, it’s a small price to pay!

When traveling cross country it’s hit or miss with campgrounds. This little park is fantastic! Welcoming and friendly staff, beautiful grounds, lovely lake, wonderfully clean washrooms and very quiet. As another reviewer said, “these people got it right!” Would definitely stay again!

The grounds are clean and neat as a pin and very quiet. Bathrooms are old but clean and the full hookups at every site work great. The owner is fantastic! Very close to I-80 but the noise was minimal. However…the nearby trains, which pass with regularity and horns blaring are a definite negative. But unless you’re a very light sleeper or have small children the trains are worth the enduring for a very nice campground.

We stayed at the Game Lodge campground in Custer State Park for five nights beginning May 8, 2022. Granted, we were early in the season but Game Lodge and three other park campgrounds were the only ones of the eight open. Yet, when we arrived on Sunday evening the campground couldn't have been half full. Although it did fill to almost capacity by later in the week. The campground was clean and organized, the utilities worked, the bath-house was immaculate and the campground host was terrific. We even had two bison greet us from the other side of the fence (to keep them out of the campground). In fact they pretty much hung around the Lodge/Campground/Visitor's Center all week. This campground was perfect for two older adults but didn't have much to offer children but a small play area and a swimming pond. If you're traveling with a family you'd be better served by some of the other more resort-style campgrounds. Game Lodge campground is rather out-in-the-open with few trees which was great given the time of year and the limited warm sunshine. If you value a more in-the-woods style of camping the Blue Bell Campground might be more to your liking. None the less, Game Lodge is centrally located to all of the driving loops in Custer, and the other nearby sites such as Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Wind Cave National Park, the Black Hills and even the Badlands are only 90 minutes away. In five days driving the park roadways we saw over 50 bison, long horn sheep, antelope, turkeys, pheasants, and hundreds of prairie dogs! All from the car, or from short hiking trails. All in all a fantastic place to visit, and a great place to camp.

I will echo the other reviews but add a couple of additional thoughts. Most of the sites (30 or so) are seasonal. But unlike most places the seasonal sites were neat, clean, orderly and well kept. The non-seasonal sites (8-10) are located at the bottom end of the loop, in the pines, backing up to the woods. Pretty close together for sure but not intrusive. The one bath/shower house (most campers use full hookup) is a bit dated but very well kept and clean. But the campground’ greatest strength is its staff, both owners and hosts. Delightful people all around. Will definitely stay here again.

I really don't know how I got this lucky (I don't remember reserving this site) but we found ourselves on site 9. Which backs right up to the lake! On our first night we slept to the sound of two foot waves gently splashing on the rocks. The second night it was as calm as could be and we sat on the rocks looking out over beautiful Lake Superior. Wow. The campground was almost completely full in mid-September but it really didn't feel overwhelming. Lots of big-rigs but quite a few small RVs like us too. However, that was likely due to our terrific site. If you're situated on the inside loop on top of the hill (near the bath house) you'll get to know your neighbors. Very close together! Although it rained quite heavily over night, the campground didn't get too muddy and seemed to drain pretty well. Bathrooms and showers were clean and adequate in quantity for the number of campers. However, I don't think most people choose Union Bay for the campground. It's chosen for its location which can't be beat! Great proximity to all hiking trails and the South Border Road to the South end of the park. And, the Visitor's Center is very nice and inhabited by a tremendously helpful group of Rangers. Although the campground isn't very "wilderness" the surrounding park certainly is. Thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

We only stayed here for one night on May 15, 2022. We only used the water and electricity. Since it was raining we used our on-board facilities so we can't testify as to the condition of the wash-houses. The campground was clean for a Sunday night and the sites were freshly graveled and the roadways had been recently paved. Oh, and our campground hosts were terrific! The only negative is that there are very few water spigots that I could find but the water was clean and acceptable (when found). All in all, a terrific, short stay.

We stayed in Jubilee College State Park campground for one night on May 5, 2022. We had reserved our site a month earlier but needn't have. There were only three or four others in the campground. The electricity at our reserved site did not work, and we checked three others before we found one that did. The vault toilets were usable but the shower house was unheated, had no hot water and was dirty. Again, I assume that we were too early in the season for everything to be ready for visitors. Park personnel had apparently done some recent work on one of the water faucets by a vault toilet and, even with my water filter, the water was cloudy. I tried another. The camp host was situated at the entrance to the campground area but the home-made sign tacked to the fence said they were not open. All in all the campground was a disappointment but we were just passing through and it was early in the season. The balance of the park looked terrific with hiking trails and activities galore. So yes, we'd stop again if we are ever in the area.

We stayed two nights at Van Riper, but really they were just overnights with a trip to Copper Harbor in between. Although we did not make use of the park's amenities we were impressed. Neat, clean and spacious with plenty of elbow room. If you plan on camping with friends or family, the sites on the inside of the loops are back to back and a great way to be close. Sites on the outside of the loops were nicely forested and surprisingly private. We had originally reserved site 145 but found it to be a bit muddy but the check-in staff was very accommodating and let us move to 11 without any problem. Bathrooms and showers were neat and clean. Would definitely stay there again.

We were traveling through the South Dakota area and stayed at Left Trailrace for one night on May 7, 2022. We had planned on boon-docking at Oacoma Flats which is very close to I-90 but it was raining and cold so we opted to drive 20 miles north to Left Trailrace for the electric service (heat). Very nice yet simple campground right on the Missouri River. Mostly inhabited by fishermen but it worked for us. The hosts were terrific, the sites were clean, the electric and water service was good and the wash-house was clean and warm. All in all a nice, simple place to stay if you're traveling by (and don't want to boondock as there are few choices in that part of the world) or an even better place if you boat or fish. Yes, we'd stay again.