roadtripper749619

Pretty TN park with narrow interior roads that become difficult to navigate when the sites are full and cars are parked too close to the road. We were on site 65, which is in a curve, and even though the site is wide, it was difficult to back into because the road is narrow. The huge concrete picnic table and fire ring take up a lot of the site. This site has a cell phone relay pole which helped boost our hotspots. It is also close to the bathhouse which looks new and was very clean - I didn't use it though.

There are horses and horse trails, hiking trails, a disc golf course, and a closed splash pad (it may be just closed for the season). We enjoyed riding our bikes through the 3 separate campgrounds here and for several miles on the main road through the park but there aren't any paved bike paths. We stayed in Campground 2 but liked the looks of Campground 3 better because of the concrete pads and better spacing.

The check in station wasn't very well thought out. There is room for one rig to pull off the road but you block the cars parked in the same lot. Everyone else must wait in line on the street blocking all traffic into the park. There are two dump station lanes that are easy to enter but if there is more than one person checking into the campground across the street, leaving the dump station is very difficult. We witnessed someone nearly flip their 5th wheel trailer trying to pull out of the dump station.

We would stay here again but book a site in Campground 3 and leave mid-week to avoid the problems at the dump station. (The nightly price includes $40 in taxes and a $5 booking fee)

This is a beautiful park and we enjoyed bike riding on the main road but the campground is small and the spacing is cramped under beautiful oak trees. We camped on site #25 and it was large enough to accommodate our 30ft. TT. The turns in the campground were very difficult to manage due to trees and the closeness of the sites. The campsites and dump station are 1/2 mile from the entrance which is paved but the interior campground road and sites are pressed sand. We didn't have a problem leveling. Water & Electric at the site - no problems & easily reached. This site is very close to the bath house and volleyball court so there was a bit of noise with the number of kids congregated there.

There is a beautiful white deer that lives in the forest - a true site to see! We had no problems with connectivity. Hot spot connection with a booster: Verizon - Upload: 55.50 Download: 6.03 Streaming: 3.9 AT&T - Upload: 7.98 Upload: 0.41 Streaming: 2.4

We have bookmarked this State Park as a place to visit again! We stayed for a week on site D24. It was a short walk to the beach path entrance from our site, but the path itself is quite a hill and much further than anticipated. Even though it was warm outside, the wind on the beach was extreme so we didn’t get to stay long and we both wished we had brought jackets. I agree with other reviewers that these sites are too close and when it’s full, it’s overflowing but we still enjoyed our time here. Both AT&T and Verizon were really good with an antenna. The town of Manzanita was a great place to grab a bite to eat and do some exploring. The only surprise was the dump station - the hole was pitched at an angle and it was difficult to keep the hose from coming out.

Very small campground at the end of a residential street. Check in is a little confusing since the hut is past the campground entrance and the pull off for RVs is at the gate. We had to park and then walk down to the hut. The sites are all in one row with vegetation in between them and wedged between the railroad tracks and the lake. The railroad track is only a couple hundred yards away and they run 24/7, blowing the horn at all hours of the day and night, so we did not get a lot of sleep the week we were here. The dump station is located right at the doors of the bath house and on the wrong side, so we had to turn around at the entrance to access it. Verizon did well for work and AT&T was good enough to stream. Because of the train noise, we do not plan to return.

We stayed for a week on site 112 Loop E and I was extremely glad that there was a large shade tree on the site. The tree was on one end of the site and the electric was on the other end, so I had to use an extension to reach the pole and take advantage of the shade. The site had no water, but there is a spigot on 113 that was within easy reach. Bonus! The site was level and we didn’t have any issues with the electric. The weeds were pretty high while we were there and the didn’t mow. Perhaps they are short on help? There is a nice bike path and a lake. We will return!

This is a beautiful and natural State Park that felt a little dangerous with all the alligator warning signs! We were asked if we owned a pet and what type (not an unusual question in campgrounds) because there are several sites that they DO NOT allow pets on because they are a possible meal for the alligators that lie along the banks behind the campsites. Even though we were really close to the alligators we still felt comfortable enough to enjoy the site and a cozy fire because of the natural scenery and foliage. I had no trouble getting my 30ft TT into this site but I would get a site off the creek. There is a place to swim but we were not THAT brave! They have lots of trails but none that we could ride our bikes on. There are eagles nesting in the campground too!

AT&T Down: 47.29mbps Up: 5.37mbps Streaming: 1.4mbps Verizon Down: 4.57mbps Up: 8.18mbps Streaming: 2.7mbps

I love Florida State Parks and I was excited to visit the oldest one in the state. I hope that with the changes they say they are getting ready to implement, that our next visit will be better. As soon as we arrived and plugged into shore power, it showed a reversed polarity. I unplugged and contacted the park rangers. They came out, glanced over it and dismissed it as “the park need new electric poles and this is no big deal.” I felt dismissed but decided to take their word for it and try it. It wasn’t long before the whole plug and my cord where hot to the touch. I called them back out and they agreed that it was faulty and replaced the 30amp plug. I had no problems with the electric after that.

We camped on site #99 with our 30ft TT and while the site was large enough for us to fit, we were cramped with neighbors just feet away on 3 of the 4 sides. There are just too many sites in this park. The rangers said that there is a plan to replace the electric and reduce the number of some of the sites in 2023. If they carry out this plan, this can be a really nice park again.

There are several appealing things about this park like the numerous long trails through the forested areas and the incredible tram ride! I was also surprised by the large gift store/small grocery. The rangers are also really knowledgeable about the local wildlife and they have a small education trailer that they open up to all who are there.

Starlink Down: 106.04mbps Up: 4.83mbps Streaming: 170mbps Verizon Down: 27.63mbps Up: 15.69mbps Streaming: 4.0mbps AT&T Down: 50.49mbps Up: 4.92mbps Streaming: 1.4mbps

We enjoyed trying the “gator bites” at Cowpoke’s Watering Hole.

This is a really nice State Park outside of St. Louis and we camp here whenever we are in the area. Well maintained wooded area with a few nice trails. We enjoy riding our bikes here and sleep peacefully at night. We stayed on site 10 in Nov of 2022 which is electric only, but there is a water spigot at site 7. AT&T was good. They lock the gates at 9pm and you must have a code to get back in.

We only stayed one night in the Shady Rest loop on site 4 and look forward to coming back when we have more time. Small, wooded campground quite a drive from the main road, with ample space to park but it is a little difficult to get into some of the sites because of all the trees. Small playground for kids and clean restrooms. Picnic table and fire pit at all the sites. They look to be working on the electrical system. There was a warning about using too much electricity causing outages while we were there but we had no issues. This is one of our favorite spots in this area and I’m glad to see it being renovated. The biggest inconvenience was not having any water connection. We had to exit the loop to get water from the dump station. There were very few people in the campground, which was nice, but I imagine that it would feel quite cramped when full.

We stayed on site 97 in the Live Oak Campground in Dec 2022. It was cold and we were thankful to be surrounded by the trees and bushes. The water pipes in the park burst while we were there. We didn’t lose our connection to the water but the rangers came around and advised us to boil the water for 24hrs after they got them fixed. It was too cold to get out and enjoy the trails but the beach is only 3/4 mile away and we enjoyed our strolls on the empty beach. AT&T Down: 44.72mbps Up: 1.65mbps Streaming: 1.5mbps Verizon Down: 95.09mbps Up: 6.83mbps Streaming: 4.1mbps

The only grocery store on the island is small, cramped and very expensive. Be sure to stock up before you arrive!