roadtripper80653

After visiting Zion and Bryce, we loved this (mostly) quiet little spot. We were in the area just one night so opted for $20 with no hookups vs a boondocking spot further out. First come first served Nov-Feb and it was pretty empty when we arrived. Greeted by three horses when we set up along the fence, and close enough to hear the river. Facilities were clean and well maintained. Wonderful to have no cell service when we're prepared for it. Only part of the campground is open in winter so it filled in later in the day - including someone who had to run their genny. Pie store was closed but the 100+ year old sentinels still stand tall. Natural beauty and history all in one.

Plan A was to stay at Elk Mount CG near Wind Cave for $18/night, no hookups. Temps shot up to 96, so in the spirit of promoting matrimonial harmony we did a search for nearby options with electric. Allen Ranch was perfect. Called and spoke to a friendly gentleman who said pick a spot and check ourselves in. Agree with other reviewers that at $40 we'd probably pass, but Passport America discount of $20 is perfect.

Entry road is dirt but very well maintained. Class A may have problems with RR crossing in front of the park. Wouldn’t recommend anything longer than 32 feet, although larger fivers might be OK. Interior roads are dirt and very tight, sites are grass. Vertical clearance didn’t look like an issue. Lots of aquatic bugs in June (zoom in on the boat launch sign). Sites are a mix of sun and shade, mostly shade. Vault toilets need some love. Potable water is good, didn’t check out dump station but there is one. Boat launch and playground next to campground. Train track is 50-100 ft from campsites and frequent trains blow horn for RR crossing, including at 3a. Campsites only available through the rec.gov app, no envelope cash/check option. Rangers come around in the evening to confirm registration. It was worth $12, good for an overnight stop.

If you manage your expectations, you won't be disappointed. This isn't a "campground" and it's not in a park. This is a place to spend the night on a concrete pad with electric hookups. That was the most important thing to us since it was 95 degrees. Bonus that there is a dump station and fresh water. It's near the train tracks and we did have a few go by during our stay, but noise was mostly drowned out by our A/C unit.

Stayed March 25. Your experience will depend on your level of expectation. We wanted a stop where we could get water and dump, didn't want to spend KOA money, and didn't want to drive further along our route. We made a reservation online and for our needs, this campground worked perfectly. Since we knew water was shut off until April 1, we filled with potable water by the dump station. Level sites, easy in/out, bathrooms were also closed till April 1 and the port-a-potties by the playground were open. Quiet at night once traffic died down (until obnoxious tenters with a loud muffler had to drive to the port-a-potty , repeatedly starting at 6:30a. Takes all kinds!). Lake levels are way down, but it still made a nice leg stretch walkabout after a long day of driving. Driving a little further off the interstate was worth it to us.

Posting a current review, agree with everything from the last reviewer 7/22/21. The camp host was available during our stay and opened up his wifi for us since we didn't realize we wouldn't have service and forgot to look at our site number before we drove in. Later we saw the hot spot option by DNR offices on our way out. This was about a 40 minute drive to the ferry to Isle Royale, and about the same to the MN high point hike, the two things that brought us to the area. The mosquitos were unbelievably bad in July, but the same is true everywhere up north. Fee was $20/night plus $7 transaction fee.

As others have mentioned this isn't a "campground", it's an urban gravel parking lot with hookups. But for us, it's perfect as we're passing through. We've stayed here several times and there is a nice trail along the river if you want to get a leg stretch. All spots are level, interior roads are easy and there's a section for bigger rigs with pull-throughs. The advantage of urban is that there's a grocery and just about every other kind of store you can imagine nearby, including a self car wash with tall bays! Surprisingly quiet at night.

With so many dispersed camping options in the area, we were surprised at not finding a spot mid-week even in season. Luckily, sites 1-20 at Kelly Dahl are set aside for FCFS and we were able to slide into a spot for a long weekend. Water is plentiful throughout the campground, toilets are spotless, host was friendly. It was busy the whole time we were there, but what we would expect with proximity to Denver/Boulder area. More tents than hard side campers, and lots of friends/families coming together - it was nice to see! Mix of shade and sun, interior roads wide and well maintained. Our Verizon service ranged from nothing to one bar of 1X to one bar of 4G - enough to sort of check the weather. We heard very little road noise since there's a ridge that separates the campground. Easy access to Nederland and lots of hiking close by.

Original plan was to dry camp here for $10. With temps hitting triple digits we decided if we're going to pay for electric, pay $5 more and be in the state park ($25). This is a beautiful park though with huge old trees providing shade, lots of green grass. It looked like the electric spots are on the end of the park with little shade. Dump station. We would stay here if the temps were better. Strong Verizon signal. If you're in a big rig, note there's a 5 ton weight limit bridge you have to cross to get into the park.

We had read the reviews about kids revving their vehicles, and could see the park is near the football field. But we decided to take a chance on a weeknight. There used to be hookups, but everything was locked and dry camping was fine for our needs. Lots of birds in the park and some small kids playing. Around 7p a car pulled up right beside our camper blasting 90s boy band ballads (several songs), followed by a parade of dumbshyte kids driving trucks/cars with loud exhaust circling the park. Not just one or two, but a dozen! It was comical at first, like we were in some weird 1950s movie scene. How do the kids afford gas?! After several hours it got old. No idea why residents who live around the park tolerate this. Sheriff drove by twice and third time we saw flashing lights. That along with a thunderstorm quieted things down around 10.30 (posted sign says park quiet hours 11p).