Maryhill is a very nice state park along the Columbia River with 20, 30, and 50 amp service and sewer hookup in the utility sites. In the winter, it’s a good spot to overnight only, as it is somewhat bleak and cold. The utility spots, which are on gravel, have both pull-through and back-in. The pull-through spots are on the outer edge of the loop. The pull-through spots are “arc’d” in a half circle; however, it’s a wide arc, so you can easily “bend” your RV around it. Some of the pull-through spots have a great view of the river! The back-in spots are in the center of the loop. The camping spots, including the standard, each have a picnic table and a fire pit and have great spacing so you aren’t right next to your neighbor.
Millersylvania State Park – Olympia, WA
Millersylvania State Park is located south of Olympia, WA. There are 120 tent spaces and 48 utility spaces. The utility spaces do not have sewer… there is one “community” sewer dump for the whole park.
The maximum campsite length is 60 feet. Standard campsites (tents) are restricted to 35 feet, due to the park’s tight, narrow roadways in the standard campsite section. Most of the utility spots at this state park are on paved asphalt pads. The paved pads, which are relatively level, are all “out in the open.” There are a few utility spots among the trees, but those are on gravel/dirt. The “standard” spots are on dirt among the trees. Although the utility sites don’t have a “defined” tent area, you could squeeze a very small tent in.
Hee Hee Illahee RV Resort – Salem OR
You can’t help but giggle when you see the name of this resort, located in Salem. Some internet research indicates Illahee generally translates to “earth” or “country” in Indian folklore, but another translation specified “house by the water.” However, the “hee hee” part does bring a smile to your face. One of the co-managers said the name is supposed to translate to “fun place to be.”
Californian RV Resort – Acton, CA
Californian RV Resort was the only decent RV park in the Lancaster/Palmdale area. It’s located off a busy highway. My GPS (Magellan) had trouble with this, just as another reviewer posted. Better yet, it appears that a good majority of the spots are “pull through” with some “back in” around the perimeter.
Kit Fox RV Park – Patterson, CA
This is a beautiful RV park out in the middle of nowhere! I stopped here because the RV parks in Sacramento and Stockton did not give me a “warm fuzzy” feeling so I kept on going and ended up here. The good news is… the RV park is just a short walk (3 tenths of a mile) from a good selection of restaurants and a hotel built specifically for the “overnighter passing through.” (There is a town around here somewhere, but it was farther down the road.) The bad news is…. No cable! You have to pull in channels via your RV antenna. The reception is adequate, a little fuzzy but adequate. If you have a digital TV, you will get some good reception. Further, there is a “watch out” factor. There is only one entrance/exit to the RV park. The manager said that when you leave, and go out, be very careful. It’s a left turn to get out and go back to the freeway. If you take that left turn, the road coming from the left is a blind curve. It’s difficult to see who is coming from the left when you pull out of the park. The manager said that people don’t always obey the 25 mph speed limit on that road.
This park has about 150 slots, but only 13 of them are “pull through.” Because of this, the manager won’t assign you a “pull through” unless you are 45 feet or longer. The park does have wireless, but it’s a little slow (might as well have been dialup!!!), even though I had a spot close to the transmitter! (The manager asked me if having wireless was important to me, and I said “YES!”)
The one big downer to this park is that this area can get very windy! However, this is a good overnight stop, especially if you don’t feel like cooking your own dinner!
Cape Disappointment State Park – Ilwaco, WA
Three stars for this delightful state park as it has just about everything, including a new name. It use to be called Fort Canby State Park, but now I guess in honor of the area, they changed the name.
Located on the southwestern point of the State, just 2 miles from town, Cape Disappointment has 152 standard campsites, 83 utility sites, five primitive campsites, one dump station, eight restrooms and 14 showers and some are handicapped access. The maximum site length is 45 feet but all the sites are well spaced in a wagon wheel design so that you don’t look into your neighbors window.
Paradise Point State Park – Woodland, WA
Ah…… the aroma of pine trees, lots of them! Fresh air! The smell of wood crackling on a campfire. There is just one more thing needed to make this scene complete: the thunderous roar of a jillion vehicles driving north and south on Interstate 5 to take you back to the reality you wanted to escape! Yes, folks, if you want “balance” in your life, this is the place to come! Both the utility (Sites 1-20) and standard (Sites 21-69) camping slots have an asphalt paved pad and can accommodate RV’s (but don’t count on the asphalt pad being level!!!). Also, both the utility and standard slots have a fire ring and a large picnic table plus plenty of room to pitch a tent next to your RV if you want. Two of the sites include use of a Yurt ($49 for the Yurt as of this writing). The only escape from the road noise is to camp in the “primitive” area (spots 70-79). The “primitive” sites have a tent pad, picnic table, and fire ring. All campers for those spots park in one special marked place, and then “hike it in” along a trail with spot 70 being the closest and spot 79 being the farthest down the trail. I noticed that between primitive spots 74 and 75, there was a piece of dead tree trunk with lots of moss growth, and this dead tree trunk was sitting in such a way that it would make a great “fort” for children to play in.
At the upper end of the campground, there is an open area with picnic tables and an amphitheater. Also, you can either take a walk or drive about a mile down a road to kind of a “hidden valley” with a romantic picnic area next to a river. This picnic area would be the perfect place to propose marriage! That is…… if you can make yourself be heard over the roaring thunder of the vehicles traveling over the concrete/steel bridge way up there in the air. If you want some solitude, take the hiking trail along the river in the “hidden valley,” and go as far as you can on it. You will find some great seclusion spots where you can view the river or go fishing; and the peace and quiet will be occasionally interrupted by the sound of a small airplane flying overhead. Warning, the hiking trail is moderately strenuous. Be sure you have fully functional legs, lungs, and heart. It’s worth it for the peace and quiet.
There is a propane facility in a gas station located one mile outside the park. The utility sites have water and electric only. The sewer dump for the park is tricky to drive through if you are staying on the lower loop. Good luck if you are over 30 feet! If you are on the upper loop, it’s a straight shot in. There are recycling stations next to the garbage cans for the environmentally conscious. Television reception is kind of fuzzy if you don’t have satellite. If you have a high definition ready television, you will pick up a few HD channels. Seriously, this would be a great getaway if it weren’t for the freeway!
Deerwood RV Park – Eugene, OR
This is a beautiful park south of Eugene, Oregon. Lots of trees, good shade, and great landscaping that is well maintained. There are currently 75 RV slots, which can accommodate big rigs. Spaces 1-11, and Spaces 65-75 are near the highway. Although the trees hide the road from view, there is still some road noise if you are in those slots. RV sites are blacktop paved, and pretty level, with some pull-through and some back-in. The back-in slots are a rather sharp, tight "back-in." The people in the RV across from me applauded after I backed in all by myself. Each site has a plastic round outdoor table with two matching plastic chairs. Laundry facilities and restrooms/shower rooms are adequate and are accessible for "physically challenged" customers. There are pet walking areas, as well as areas to wash your dogs. There is a covered picnic area for large parties.
The state of Oregon emphasizes recycling and this park has recycle facilities included with the nicely fenced garbage area. The cable TV was limited but had good channels, no "junk" channels. The park is located on a bus line which runs M-F during commuter hours.
Although the park advertises "wireless available," it’s with a 3rd party provider. You can get it free for 24 hours, but after that you must sign up for it with the provider. The "free 24 hours" has a catch to it, you must sign up with a credit card. On the other hand, the park has it’s own phone switch. For a dollar a day (as of this writing), you can have a phone line with a phone number. I found this option preferable. The dial-up worked adequately for my needs.
The only thing I didn’t like about this park was that it was not within walking distance of any grocery stores, etc.
http://www.deerwoodrvpark.com/
Fern Ridge Shores RV Park – Veneta, OR
Fern Ridge Shores RV Park is a small campground located on a lake in Veneta. They have a swimming area, but I wouldn’t swim in it… the water looked too dirty. The manager was a little difficult to deal with. I arrived around noon and I had a reservation. When I checked in, the manager made a big issue about only being able to accept "local" credit cards. I finally offered my VISA (which was NOT "local") and the manager indicated they could take that.This park is open around April or May through October. It appeared that most of the spots here were occupied by "residents" who had their RV set up with porches and decks built onto them. I’m actually surprised there were ANY overnight spots here at all!
Park has full water, electric, sewer, and cable, but I had to "hunt" for the cable hookup. Each site has a small storage building. It appears that if you stay here awhile, you could probably store things in the small building, bring your own lock.
There is a pay phone if needed. The laundry was pretty cheap as of this writing, but if you want HOT water, you have to insert an extra quarter above the amount specified. There are plenty of trees for shade.
My computer detected an unsecured wireless system for the park, but I was unable to connect to it. Other residents said they either didn’t use it, or thought you needed a "code" for it. I asked the manager, who said you had to be within "line of site" of the WAP. I sat right under the WAP, and still couldn’t connect.
Heceta Beach RV Park – Coast Ranges, OR
If you want to be close to the beach and that’s the most important thing, then Heceta Beach RV Park is a good place. You don’t have a beach view, but it’s just a short walk to the beach. The park is somewhat cramped and cumbersome to maneuver through, but I have been in worse.
When you enter the park, the "Check in line" is a VERY sharp hard left turn. (There is a second entrance that is easier, if you know about it ahead of time.) On the other hand, the RV spaces are long, and can accommodate big rigs. There were a lot of "big rigs" here during my stay. I would have loved to see how they maneuvered around and got into their spaces as it was difficult with my 30 foot. The spaces are close together, but there is some attempt at privacy by having very tall shrubs and trees between the spaces. My cat was entertained! Spots are gravel and mostly back-in with a few "pull-throughs." Each space has a picnic table and a small fire ring.
Try to avoid getting placed in spots 41, 42, and 31, as those spaces are right next to the restrooms and people will walk through your site to go to the restrooms. Some spaces are full hookup to include cable, some are water and sewer (and cable) only.
This park also has tent spaces if you have children who would like to have their own spot away from the adults! The laundry and restrooms were fairly clean, but not perfect. The laundry room is small (two washers two dryers) and during my stay, one of the washers was out of service. The state of Oregon emphasizes recycling, and this park had some recycle containers next to the garbage area. There is a pay phone available in case your cell phone provider doesn’t cover this area.
There is a fairly well stocked mini mart, but as mini marts go, it’s overpriced as usual. Propane service is available, but I didn’t check prices. The cable service is decent, and if you have an HD-ready TV with you, you will also get the HD stations and audio stations. As of this writing, this park does not have WiFi, but they have a modem hookup in a desk in the office. They supply the phone cable, you just hook up your computer and use your dial-up software. Staff is friendly and helpful!
http://www.hecetabeachrv.com/