roadtripper5171991

Lake McClellan Campground is a quick 4 miles from I-40 at Allenreed, TX, and it's a good one. Far enough from the highway to feel like the windy backcountry. No reservations, we pulled in around 3pm on a Friday in early May and snagged Site 13 - water, electric, a bit removed from the other sites. Restrooms were super clean, showers functional. Noticed a few sites had leaky water spigots like ours; we turned our water off when not in need to save the resource. Two ATV trails begin at the campground, so be prepared for engine noise and dust, but probably quieter during the week. With the lake long since dried up, most folks are here to ride their machines.

Came on a three night stay to hike the trails- which are fun. The pleasant surprise was the West Rim campground, recently updated. All new water/electric/dump at each site, leveled with gravel, and most are extremely large. Great trees and good distance from your neighbors in the first 20+ sites (although all trees removed in the pull-throughs). Super clean wash facilities. Pleasantly quiet, a trailhead for the impressive West Rim Loop Trail starts in the campground. Highly recommended.

Brantley Lake State Park was our hangout while visiting nearby (and unmissable) Carlsbad Caverns National Park in late February 2024. Our second day was spent hunkered down during a red flag warning afternoon and early evening. Limestone Campground is interesting - well thought out design, water/electric worked as advertised, shower/washroom facility was clean and large. A bit of landscaping around the campground is welcome in this windswept, high desert setting. The state park - we never visited any of its facilities. The water seemed extremely low. Recommend the campground, about 45 miles north of the Carlsbad Caverns entrance.

Dropped in without a reservation on a late Tuesday afternoon in early October as the park was on our direct route - good sites available, we got a pull-through: level on a paved pad with electric/water. Dump station nearby. Our loop was at half-full, the others were nearly empty. When the park is full, some of these sites will be close together. Bypass the old washroom - it works, but looks like upkeep/cleaning stopped when the new, spiffy toilets/showers (a short distance away) opened. Folks at the reservation desk could not have been nicer. Park is showing its age, and some nearby roadway noise was audible. However, everything worked for an overnight stop, and it was dark enough and night to catch parts of the Milky Way above.

Devil's Den has been highly recommended for a long time on many camping-centric sites, and deservedly so. Our early May camping experience was near-glamping - full hookup, level site, its own trail hooking up to the larger trail system, excellent shower facilities. A park ranger asked if we wanted to change from site 62 - a very tall dead tree had been targeted for removal but was still in place. High winds that night, and the instability of the tree prompted the park query. We stayed put; a trailer two sites down was hit by a very large branch separated from a healthy tree by the storm. As we left, workers prepared to fell our Killer Tree - hats off to those folks responsible for keeping campers alert.

Excellent hiking trail system meant you could leave your truck at the campground. It's also a mountain biking haven, but mid-week off season campers don't tend toward adrenaline and crashes. Yellow Rock overlook trail is a must for hikers, the Lake and Woody Plant trails are pleasant and start in the campground. The CCC architecture, preserved and refurbished in a 21st century project, makes this a particularly photogenic park. No cell service or internet anywhere in the park - a blessing for some, a curse for others. We got brief signals at the top of the Yellow Rock trail.

Pay attention to the signs on the highway warning of curvy Highway 74 - not for trailers, or even big pickup trucks! Take Highway 170 for a smooth entry.

An October overnight stop heading west on I-40. Five miles off the interstate to the secluded park. Excellent paved waterfront sites stretched along the Arkansas River - electric/water at all sites, dump station at the entrance. Everything trimmed/mowed, clean park with big sites, many shaded by massive cottonwoods. Very quiet, handful of campers on a Sunday night. Docking a star for the restrooms - everything works, but the campground side facility was very, very worn out and dirty. The day use restroom was moderately better. Courteous volunteer host! Senior pass made this a very reasonable $10. Recommend as long as you don’t require the washrooms.

We picked Bennett Spring State Park because it was on our way, got excellent ratings, and was available on a weekend in early May. And it is a well-maintained campground, with good showers, pretty good spacing for most sites, friendly staff and a family atmosphere. Picked up water at the entry dump station, and all sites have electricity.

Still, we were fish out of water at this comfortable state park - no anglers in our crew, and this park is dedicated to trout fishing. Everyone was down at the well-stocked stream and pools with a pole in hand. For us, leisurely biking to watch the fishing action and see the CCC-era architecture, a pleasant campsite, and an excellent trout dinner from the park's Dining Lodge made this a good camping place for us. However, not being into fishing, we probably won't be back, but would recommend Bennett Spring for anyone who is.

Our access into the park felt weird - google maps short cut nearby Lebanon, directed us down a rural route and finally onto narrow gravel road for the final couple of miles coming in from the south. It worked, but was uncomfortable and left us at the opposite end of the park from the campgrounds. Take the approach through Lebanon for the best entry.

Stayed for two nights at this superb, low-key federal campground in the Nashville suburbs. Excellent sites around a pretty section of the reservoir - spread out nicely, water/electric and excellent washroom facilities. Easy access to downtown, and literally minutes away from The Hermitage. Highly recommended, $14 per night with the lifetime parks pass.

Our four-night stay in mid-May was marked by near daily rain and a severe thunderstorm warning delivered by the camp hosts. The campground’s best sites ring a meadow as you enter the south area. Our inner site (with electric) 45 was almost totally shaded, roomy but tucked in close to our neighbors. Typical Wisconsin parks screen door vault toilets, the main shower/restrooms were good with potable water right at the park entrance. Bicycling and hiking the bay view trails in the park was very cool, and it’s a good central base for exploring both Door County and the Green Bay area.

Bluewater Lake State Park is a well-kept facility, mainly a fishing/boating/kayak destination. We stayed three nights in mid-May on the Electric Loop at site 5 - a challenge for leveling, but most sites were more consistently level. Good spacing, water/electric were fine. Our internet was sporadically effective, texts generally okay. Facilities (showers. rest rooms) were on par for a good state park.

The lake itself is very pretty, most of the campgrounds are non-electric with community water spigots. A pleasant surprise was the Canyonside Trail, a two-mile excursion into the canyon cut by Bluewater Creek. We walked the trail on a Saturday and only saw three other visitors - folks don't come to Bluewater Lake to hike!

The park is semi-secluded, and was a great place to relax for a couple days. Recommended!