roadtripper5826271

The sites here are huge for a commercial RV park (i.e., not a state park or similar). The owner was extremely nice and everything was well-maintained including the reservation and customer service operation which was done remotely and very efficiently.

The sites aren't landscaped. Most sites are gravel. A few sites have concrete pads. It did not rain while we were there but it looked like there was enough dust amidst the gravel that our dog's paws would have gotten very muddy had it been wet.

It was mostly a stopover for us but we used the time to visit Ponce de Leon Springs State Park, which has a beautiful clear spring-fed pool (but no camping). Other than that, I'm not sure there's much to do in the area. The campground is right next to a Dollar General store.

The shower facilities did not look inviting at all. I often prefer a campground's shower to my own RV shower. Not here.

They use Tengo Internet for their wifi service. Signal was weak in our site but generally worked OK.

We'll definitely stay there again when we are in the area and need a stopover.

From their web site and worthy of note: "Water and 30 amp power service only, no wastewater services, showers or bathrooms. Must be self contained. "

We enjoyed our stay and have no complaints. A lot of the national park campgrounds in the area either don't take reservations, don't take trailers longer than 21' or were full, so we were happy to find this place.

The place is, first and foremost, an Inn. The rooms at the inn have the best views of the river. However, RV campers only have a walk a couple hundred feet to enjoy the river views. We used the place as a basecamp to explore the area a bit. For that, it was perfect.

The park managers were very friendly and, when we got there, gave us the spot on the end because they thought that was nicer than the one they had originally scheduled for us. The one on the end doesn't have neighbors on the passenger side of a trailer but, other than that, the few sites seemed to be identical.

Google's directions to the place were accurate although, as you turn off the main highway into what appears to be a wrong turn, we had a moment of doubt and ended up calling the place to double-check. Just be aware that the inn is not very visible from the road and is hidden behind a restaurant.

The campground is as others have said, though the price is now $26 Canadian, which includes firewood. Walking up the hill into the tent areas was enough of a hike for me and my dog. I suppose if it had been crowded in the tent area, it would have been rude to use those paths for hiking but no one was up there.

There are a *lot* of little camp sites like this along the parkway between the southern park entrance and the town of Jasper. Most of them say "max length 25 feet." Our trailer is 33 feet overall. We took a chance and pulled in to take a look. We did manage to get in and out without issue but it would have been a real challenge for a newbie.

Except right by the road, you can't easily access the stream itself, though can certainly hear it and maybe even see it if your windows point northward. I supposed we could have made it to the stream if I had been willing to drag me and my dog through the undergrowth but, alas, I was not.

We arrived on Canada Day, so we were mildly surprised to get a site at all, in their overflow area.

The main area is closer to the reservoir and each site is marked with a post. The overflow area is a grassy field and people line up as they judge best along the outer perimeter of the field. It was a bit of a free-for-all but everyone was very pleasant and both our evenings were enjoyable. I imagine it is a bit more tame on all the other days of the year that are not their independence day.

The overflow area and even the main campground are inundated with prairie dog holes. I felt bad because I drove over a few of them while maneuvering into my spot. But the little guys get their revenge if you aren't watching where you walk; the holes are everywhere.

The price listed, $21, is Canadian dollars so the $US would be somewhat cheaper. They accepted American money and seemed willing for us to try to figure out the conversion and pay the correct amount but we just paid $42 US for the two nights.

There were vault toilets that seemed well maintained.

It rained the night before we left and the already high water was even higher, creating a bit of a challenge for people in the main part of the campground since the road out was somewhat flooded. It wouldn't be a big deal to back up a bit and turn around but just be aware that high water can be a problem here.

So much depends on which site you get into. We were in the row closest to the lake. The view of Lake Michigan was so nice that even the normal sardine-style, side-by-side slots that are typical of a full-hookup park didn't bother us. Each morning, I would take our dog across the road to the lake and see geese and an occasional loon there.

I'd definitely stay here again but I'd try to make sure I got put into that lake-side row. For those one row back, some of the criticisms in other reviews apply, such as no path to the water without either going the long way around on the road or cutting through someone's site. I didn't experience any road noise worth complaining about but I could see how the pleasant-looking tent sites in the back row might have heard traffic noise from route 2.

For us, the wifi was inconsistent. To be fair, we both work from the road, so we may use it more than most. Verizon signal was good enough that we could switch to our own mobile hotspot and that was fine.

The grounds and restrooms were fastidiously maintained. It seems like all of Michigan keeps their grass very short--I suspect to keep the mosquitoes down--and this place was no exception.

There's an on-site laundromat and the lady in the office can make change for the machines. Everyone was very friendly.

We squeezed into site 7 with our 33' travel trailer. Our back window and a couple of the side windows look out into the lake. To be fair, the other two side windows look directly onto the aluminum roof of the ramada. (Each site has a ramada.)

As others have said, there are not a lot of spaces for bigger rigs. Our backup plan was to go to the San Pedro site a few miles away.

There are water spigots close to many of the sites, though not intended for individual use.

The $5/night price represents a senior discount.

We really enjoyed our time here. Previous reviewers who implicitly shrieked at the restrooms and showers were not wrong but there were multiple restroom buildings. The one nearest the road merited a shriek or two. Another one, further back in the RV area was better. Not great, but good enough. I saw at least one other restroom but did not go in.

The place itself is nice. It's far from any major roads and the local road that passes the campground is only lightly used. There's a boat launch, a "splash zone" (floating fun house?) for kids. I might have enjoyed the splash zone, too, but we spent our time kayaking and paddleboarding. When we visited, in late July, the water temperature was, for me, perfect and the water was clear, about 8-10 foot visibility.

The sites themselves are laid out a bit chaotically as they tried to fit the sites between the existing cedars and pines. A lot of them were quite large. It seemed to me that some of the sites might make leveling the trailer or RV challenging, but our site was fine, with just a couple of pads under one set of wheels to help the leveling system. Most of the sites are in partial shade due to the surrounding forest.

The price we paid, $62 reflects a $2/night pet fee but does not reflect their reservation fee, convenience fee, or the taxes.

Most people mention levelness and noise. I'll expand on those two topics.

Noise: There are 3 loops, A, B, and C. A is the first loop as you enter and is closest to the road. B is further up the hill and those sites are (mostly) a bit further from the road. Loop C is still further, on the left, up a steepish hill. Those sites are furthest from the road.

The camp host, who was extremely helpful, recommended Site 18, which is the topmost one in loop C. It did look nice but we chose site 8 and didn't feel any later regret.

We camped in site 8, which is in the B loop. Traffic noise was noticeable but didn't bother us. It is mostly during morning and afternoon "rush" hours that there is any noise to worry about.

Levelness: We had issues leveling our trailer in Site 8 even though it looked pretty reasonable. Maybe we were doing something wrong. In any case, after a few tries, the auto-leveling system claimed success. A lot of the sites were sufficiently level for shorter trailer and a bit more of a challenge for longer trailers. In any case, I felt we could have fit our 33' trailer into quite a few of the sites and still been able to level it.

Note that there's a "people tube," as the sign says, that leads from loop A across the highway to the Snake River. Also, there are three potable water spigots situated at various points in the campground, one per loop. There is no dump station but there is one at K&J's in Alpine that doesn't charge a set fee but asks for a donation.

Someone mentioned a dog running around. The current camp host has a dog but the little guy didn't run around at all. We never used the restrooms, so I can't comment on them.

One last thought... the sites were a bit weedy. Maybe that's only because it is spring and the prime growing season for everything green.

Note that we paid $7 because we have a senior parks pass. Without it, the price would be $15/night.

When we were there in mid-March the no-see-under weren’t bad at all, though a lady that worked there said they tended to be bad all year round.

We really liked it but the sites were not very level. The longer the rig, the more challenging it is to find a level spot.

We really liked Cedar Key, 9 miles away. It feels a bit touristy but simultaneously authentic, if that’s possible. If or when we pass best Cedar Key next, we’ll likely try to stay here again.

My wife and I loved this place. On this trip, we've stayed at a total of 3 sites on the Great Lakes and this was our favorite of the three.

Normally, I'd reserve 5 stars for the rarely found large site with full hook-ups (as opposed to sardine-style packing) but this place has such a nice view of the lake, and relatively easy access to the lake (short walk down a hill and across a road), that I feel like anything less than five stars would be unfair.

The grounds are well-maintained and the RV sites have electric only. Our site, 12, seemed to have an issue with at the power source. My surge suppressor reported reversed polarity. When plugged in elsewhere to test, it reported normal connections. The manager told me he'd have someone look at it on the day we left. (I didn't need it looked at urgently because we were able to run a long extension cord to an unoccupied site to get 20 amps, which was all we needed.)

Reading my own review, it seems like it should not get 5 stars, but the location was so beautiful, and the well-mowed grounds so spacious, that I'm sticking with 5.

The place was a bit hard to find, by the way. Google Maps will get you close and, once on Skanee Rd (I think), look for the medium-sized sign. There's another entrance to the park that is nothing more than a circular area that I was barely able to get out of gracefully towing a 28' trailer. Don't go there. :)