WalkerWalkabout

PROS: signage to where the rv parking is easy to follow and the roads are plenty wide with few turns. The lot is very clean and there is 24/hr security monitoring it. Millie (dog) really enjoyed all the open/undeveloped space to run. They have an unfenced dog area with poop bags and little traffic going to/from the golf clubhouse. They have a few 50 amp outlets and many 30 amp.

CONS: they do charge $20. The RV lot is extremely sloped. I measured a 16" differential between the back and front of my coach.

So, the most level 50 amp spot was already taken by a rig even larger than mine. I opted instead to park next to the RV parking isle and run my generator during the hot part of the day. In exchange I opted not to pay the fee or check in at the desk. Seemed only fair. I was able to level the coach fine in my custom location and have a grand view of the prairie. Slept well considering I kept waiting for the magic knock on the door.

Pros: beautiful peaceful setting. dog park has the best grass I have experienced in my 6 years of FT traveling and it has nice mature shade providing trees. We spent many hours during our stay chilling under the shade, working on the laptop while the dog slept or rolled around on her back. The MH sites are long, wide and lots of open space between sites.

Cons: the park wifi is isolated to the club house and isn't strong enough to attend video conference calls, stream YouTube clips or download software updates. Verizon is the only vendor and works well unless (like me) you are on the pre-paid hotspot plan. Then you can expect 600kbp top speed most of the time; which also makes it worthless when you want to accomplish the 3 items already mentioned.

Tips: The town of Newport (~15 min north) is your biggest town and offers a substantial set of stores (Safeway, Super1, Auto Supply, Verizon, Fast Food). Walmart is south and takes about 40 min because of the distance, small town roads/frequent stop signs and road construction. I didn't get any arrival instructions and this is the first place where the check-in is about a mile from the rv park and hookup/disconnect spot. My advice is drive straight to the rv park, park in the hookup/disconnect area and then drive your toad back to the office to check-in. Otherwise, park on the street in front of the office and just let the traffic figure out how to get around you while you are checking in.

For a shorter (1 - 2 week stay) I would likely come back. I have enough of a data plan on my phone to get me through a week as a hotspot. Anything longer, it is just too debilitating and I'll stay closer to CDA. I made it 3 weeks and would stay 2 more if I still had enough data to keep working.

I see why people opt to own a lot with the cabin and pergola. Fix the internet situation and I would be too tempted to own one too.

easy and quick walk to the beach. you can hear the surf at night. compared to other options you get a bit more space. there are a few parks closer to the beach, but the cost is so much more. the store across the street is almost too convenient. the BBQ food truck hangs out in the open field between the store and bar. you'll have a free concert thur - sun. the Burger or Philly Cheesesteak at the Jetty Shack down the road is great. It sucks they allow people to smoke, so I simply order it for pickup. The cell tower is practically next door. shockingly tmobile 5G was better than starlink by a wide margin.

I would certainly stay here the next time I visit Surfside Beach.

PSA - the downside is really about the town itself. (1) the misquotes are plentiful. you look forward to the windy days, because otherwise... you don't want to be outside without a good spray of repellant on. this means I sadly was unable to use my patio deck during my stay. Talking to the locals... this is just a Texas coast normal reality. (2) the other item to be aware of is the water is completely unsafe to even bath in. TSD out of the ground registers 1600+. the level of arsenic and other big scary things is 1000% over the safety limit. You can get the latest water quality report online. Even after running through a 3 stage ClearSource water filter and zero G pitcher, the water will taste rancid and registers over 800. Save your filters and avoid putting the ground water into you RV. It was my dog that made me notice the problem on day 4, when she spent an entire day trying her water but walking away. Then I went to grab my first glass and realized it tasted like a@#. The town has several water station where for $1.50/5 gal you can buy safe water. One is right next door to the rv park. I dry camp frequently, so I have 20 gal that I just kept pumping into my tanks every few days and only used the ground water for the toilet (by refilling a gallon jug).

I have been here before. Easy in/out, great grass for the dog to relax and we enjoy the paved trail on the other side of the river. Has been very peaceful both times. Always here in Oct - Dec, so too cold for open windows, makes the highway traffic irrelevant when the furnace and generator are running anyway. Pretty much had the whole place to ourselves again.

lots of truckers flowing through. not the largest lot. easy in/out. I had planned to stay at the casino a few miles east, but they barricaded their lot during Covid-19. I tried the Loves but was crazy. Never been to such a small Loves fuel stop. So, back to Walmart I went. It'll do.

I was coming up from Colorado Springs and I am convinced I took the worst route possible (103 - 105 - 104 - 111 - 110), because it was me vs the frequent and fast moving oil tankers on these washboard dirt roads until I got to 111 and I needed to travel <10 mph to make it a minor earthquake like experience. I should have gone around the area via 390 to 112 (near Grover) to 110.

This is my first boondocking experience, so I am reserving a 5 star just in case there is better. However, the established sites are far spread apart (see photo) and it isn't very busy considering this is 4th of July weekend.

Great Verizon signal with or without the directional mimo attenna. Total crap on my Tmobile.
vender - ping - download - upload - direction
tmobile - 170 - 3.29 - 1.31
verizon w/o mimo - 70 - 29.71 - 8.68
verizon w/ mimo - 60 - 17.90 - 5.80 - west
verizon w/ mimo - 37 - 21.56 - 9.59 - east
verizon w/mimo - 37 - 31.88 - 3.15 - north

First... don’t come down from the north on the east side of the lake. You’ll find 10 miles of washboard dirt to navigate. Took me nearly 30 min and felt like an earthquake.

All the campgrounds on the East are great spots and they all have some room for my 34’ rig. Rainbow has no power or water, so is $15/nt. I was shocked when I saw the campground was closed already (oct 10), but I got lucky with 1 site of the 4 left open large enough. These sites next to the boat launch apparently are open all-year. The closed sites look amazing though and I would come back here when they are open.

The bigger drawback is the mouse infestation. I am up to 12 kills so far in my first 4 days. There were 5 inside the RV by midnight on the first day. Running the generator all night seems to keep them out; which isn’t so bad since the temps are 30ish. But still would be perfectly ok saving the fuel and bundling up. If I hadn’t already paid for the week, I likely would have gone down the road to the OR campground to pay $30/nt for electric and water sites.

I drove the toad to check it out. glad I did. there is a tractor blocking the road. park is closed because of covid. sign says until further notice. looks nice though. If in the area again, I would stay here. maybe 1 - 2 off the main road, so I would imagine it is quiet.

pros - super friendly staff, tons of stuff for kids and very good bbq take-out. Lots of privacy on the FH 50 amp sites, decent size dog park and trails for walking them.

cons - expensive! (reserved a deluxe site for $47+tax/nt, which got me 30 amp electric only and then $66+ tax/nt for FH 50 amp super site and then $56+tax/nt for FH 50 amp site). Dirt roads kick up dust when kids drive by on golf carts, trains go by day and night next to the resort, challenge leveling rig. The FH 50 Deluxe sites are private but narrow. Too narrow for me to pull out my bikes from the rear of the RV, so certainly too narrow to extend the awning.

I would stay here again only when I need/want to stay north of the Springs, because the pros and cons still out perform the 1 other competitor.

I am here in the early season, so the park was empty and quiet.

~appreciate the permission to wash the rv at the site
~the park has wonderful green space.
~access to the river w/ rental equipment.
~a short walk path that meanders through the trees and along the river.
~an off leash area and a dedicated beach for your dog.
~it is across the street from a small trail/park/boat launch that has a nice boardwalk to meander on, but you do have to sprint across a busy road if you opt to walk.
~in the other direction you can walk your dog toward a marina and restaurant. I did it in the morning, so I could let Millie walk off-leash. Employees and the marina were friendly.
~the park staff I met were very personable and friendly. They were new to the park.
~if you are around in June and August you'll be on the Ironman bike course, so be aware of the restrictions and entertainment.