roadtripper9753603

While staying in the PNW, we found a couple of nights available at this so called "resort". It is definitely not a resort. Lets get to the pros and cons of this place:

Pros:
- Water and Electric hookups
- Beautifully situated in the Sol Duc Rainforest

Cons:
- No Sewer
- No Verizon service (and by what I heard, no service from other providers)
- No access to Pool or Spa (Due to COVID)
- Managed by Aramark
- The tiniest, tightest spaces you will ever stay at (no, your car won't fit if you are pulling a trailer)
- Cars parked in front of trailers (you need to arrive early to stand a chance to have the space to back in your trailer)
- Spot 7 is not leveled
- $10 fee to dump ($5 if you have an Access pass or Senior discount)

After visiting this campground and seeing the lack of amenities for the price we paid, we were terribly disappointed. This campground is highway robbery for what they charge. The dry camping area next door is a better value. The sites at the end of the loop are the hardest to back into. You will probably have to go in reverse from the beginning of the loop and reverse your way in. There is not enough space at the very end of the loop, and we only have a 23' trailer. We decided to cut our losses and left that same afternoon. We found a more spacious spot (probably about the size of 4 of the RV spaces in Sol Duc "Resort") in Lake Crescent for half the price.

We came during COVID season and were hoping to stay in the park. Unfortunately, North and Sunset Campgrounds were scheduled to open within the following week. We were contemplating staying at a dispersed down the road but because it was late and getting dark, we decided with what was near us. Ruby's Inn was a great choice for a full hookup RV spot. It was inexpensive, leveled, and quiet throughout the night. Their WiFi seemed to not work with any of my electronics (computer, TV, or phone) but our hotspot filled that gap. We had 2 bars of Verizon but with a booster, we were able to get 5 bars. The pool is tiny but does its job keeping the kids busy. My only gripe is that some fire pits, including ours in site 132, were in awkward positions. For example, ours was right next to the hook ups and we had to walk around the back side of our trailer to utilize it. Some of our neighbors fire pits were far from their doorstep and some were right next to their trailer. Location is nice, and there is a Bryce Canyon shuttle stop right in front of the campground (you have to pay your entrance fee or have an annual pass to get on). There is a bike trail nearby that winds all the way to the entrance of the park.

Lawson's Landing is one of those California coastal gems that people overlook because of it's distance from the main road. Lawson's Landing is a beautiful piece of land where you can choose to camp up in the hills, behind sand dunes, or overlooking the bay (right outside your window!). It offers great swimming, exciting crabbing, and much needed unwinding from life. We came to Lawson's Landing as a layover to our 4th of July weekend at the Redwoods. We came to enjoy this place so much that we have already added it to our "return again" list. So heres the run down of everything that this place gets right, and what they get wrong.

Lawson's Creek is considered a dry camp. Our site, which was on the sea wall, and many of the other sites we saw had a fresh water spigot in-between sites. This is convenient so you can fill up right at your site. We had sunny days and our solar set up was perfect. Verizon signal was 2 LTE bars, boosted to 4 bars. The campground is clean. The crabbing and fishing is great. There is a small shop at the end that sells snacks, fishing gear and bait, and souvenirs. Sites are nicely spaced. Road is very bumpy and full of potholes/large rocks. Just take it slow as you drive in. Biking becomes a bit more difficult, but possible because of the road condition. Swimming is fun for the kids. The beach is kid friendly and, permitting weather, is pretty safe for kids to play in. Do not come here depending on using the table they provide. Our table was full of seagull poop. Bring your own table or get ready to clean off their table.

As a reminder, pump gas before heading into this area if you are low on fuel. There are no gas stations nearby. You have to drive about 30-40 minutes back into town to get gas. Also, coming into Dillon Beach while towing can be tricky because of the windy country roads. Take it slow coming in and you should be fine.

Ranger Creek Airstrip is such a beautiful treasure that is heavily abused. Yes, I did give this a 3 star review and my title does say 5 star. Why? Well, Ranger Creek is known by the locals. Since this is technically a dispersed campground (they are not collecting the $5/night fee anymore), the locals use it as their playground on the weekends since it is probably one of the best free camping spots in the area. Why? You have a choice between wide, open spaces or wooded camping all in the same place. Unfortunately, the weekends should be avoided here at all costs. The locals that visit this campground are some of the most uncourteous and disrespectful campers you will ever experience. Generators run late past midnight, loud talking and music blasting at 2 am, public drunkenness, and kids purposefully making potholes with shovels in the already abysmal road are a few of the practices you should expect. Oh, and that's not to mention how people ignore public policy on limiting large social gatherings due to COVID (locals circling the wagon with their RV's). It's pure unregulated camping anarchy where anything goes since there is no one there to enforce any decency.

But once the weekdays come around, you are treated to one of the most beautiful campgrounds where the real campers come to enjoy the days pass by and experience Mount Rainier. You will be treated with the pick of the best sites in the campground since the campground is practically empty. You will hear nature happen. People will be friendlier. Overall, it is just darn peaceful and deserves a 5 star review. So lets get down to business and list the pros and cons of this place:

Cons
- Weekend locals
- Terrible condition of the road
- Mosquitos
- Limited Verizon service

Pros
- Weekdays
- Lots of space
- Beautiful wooded campsites
- Secluded (especially true when you go farther back in)
- Limited Verizon service (if you wish to disconnect)
- Decently leveled spots
- Beautiful river a short walk away
- Close to Mount Rainer's Sunrise area

Ranger Creek Airstrip has two paths when you drive in: the left and the right road. The left road will lead you into the wide open area that's fantastic for rigs that require solar. Once you pass the open space and reach the airstrip side, you will find the wooded area sites. You have an inner side and an outer side. The outer side will have sites that are partially shaded and have a great view of the airstrip. Yes, planes land there at times, but more frequently on the weekends. The inner will have shaded sites inside the woods. Going back to the entrance, if you take the right road, you will be greeted with wooded sites on the side of the road. There are no sites on this side worthy of solar rigs since they are covered in shade all the time. You can go past the airstrip and the road will turn to the right. Once your encounter the first fork, you can go to the left and it will take you down a long road that leads to more sites that are very secluded. There are a few areas that are tent only. The very last spot before it loops back has the closest access to the river from anywhere on the campground. Keep in mind that it is extremely bumpy and full of potholes. It is a short distance but making it all the way to that area will take 15-20 minutes if you take it slow to avoid car damage due to the road condition.

Cell Service: we stayed at the large open area and were able to get 1 bar of 1x Verizon service. Boosted, we were able to get 2-3 bars of Verizon LTE but could barely load anything even with 3 bars. The closer you are to the entrance side, the better service you will get. The wooded areas have no Verizon bars.

There is no water or dump at this campsite. There is a latrine on the left side of the airstrip where the fee box is located (no fees are being collected).

Lastly, take it slow going in and out. The road is seriously in dire need of repair. And if you are planning on going, please be a good steward and pack out your trash and be respectful to your neighbors. No, there are no posted campground rules but there are a few common sense rules that you should follow for the greater good of the campground, such as quiet times, generator hours, and cleaning up after yourself.

Goose Island Campground is a great place to stay while in Moab. It is only about a 5-10 minute drive to Moab and feels as isolated as you can be without having to go too far. This campground is located right next to the Colorado River with great river views. There are two sides to this campground: the highway view and the river view side. The higher number river view sites give a nearly unobstructed view of both the cliff and river. The lower numbers river view sites have large plants that cover the river view but have amazing cliff views. The highway view sites have the best solar potential since they are in direct sunlight all day (or at least until the sun goes behind the canyon). We stayed in 4 and this site provided a very large pad that curved out of view from the road. The road can get noisy at time especially when bikers drive down the highway and rev their bikes. Cars drive in and out of the campground constantly checking for an open spot (trust me, if it’s past 12pm, there aren’t none). River bugs (gnats and mosquito-like bugs) can invade your RV at night if you leave the lights on and don’t close your doors. There is easy access to the bike trail that leads into town. It is about a 20-30 min bike ride into town. There are vault toilets and a dumpster. No water or electric. Pads are nice and even. Important note is that you need to be here early, maybe around 10am, and wait around for a spot to free up if you want any chance of staying here. They accept US currency or check and done through an envelope system at the entrance. The campsite fill up extremely fast. We have Verizon and get 1 LTE bar but with our booster, we can bring it up to 3-4 bars.

This place is a gem at the edge of the Crescent Lake. You get to experience 2 different sections of Olympic NP in one campground. First, you are camping in a rainforest setting, just like the one you would find at Hoh. Second, you have the beautiful, mesmerizing glacier water lake, Crescent Lake, just a stone throw away from your campsite. Large, spacious pads also make this place a good deal for your money. Let’s look at the pros and cons:

Cons:
- Mosquitos galore. I hate mosquitos. In my book, they have a special place in hell where they are tortured day and night.
- Uneven pads. Bring some leveling blocks if you have an RV
- Terrible solar generation. You will not generate solar due to the treetops.

Pros
- Clean bathrooms
- Large pads. There are some smaller ones available too.
- Breathtaking scenery
- Friendly camphost
- Right next to the lake

We came during COVID at the last minute during the week and found many sites open. About half the sites were available at 6pm on a Sunday evening. Also, dump is $10 (cheaper with your Access pass and so on). During COVID season, you can only pay with a credit card that you will write your credit card number on an envelope and put in their pay box or through their pay.gov site (might be pay.org.... cant remember). We had Verizon 1 LTE bar and were able to boost it to 5 LTE bars (one of our best boosts to date). You are about 45 minutes away from Port Angeles, 30 minutes to Sol Duc visitors center, and about 1 hour to Forks. It’s a nice middle ground to most of Olympic NP.