Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Home Blog Page 95

Squaw Rock Resort – Naches, WA

1

A little pricy for the few amenities offered. This park has changed hands a lot recently and the new owners have been there for just a year or so, but I think they are charging to much. We paid $30. a night for partial hookups. Because we were right on the river, sewers are not allowed, but there there was neither WiFi or TV available. Full hookups along the road are $35. Saying that, they did offer a nice restaurant, small but nice pool, laundromat which I only found when we were leaving. The ground is mostly dirt and rocks as the grass that was there is now gone.

There are a few pull thrus but not many and they are right on the road. Stay away from the ones near the dump as the odor was very noticeable.

Potholes Lake State Park – Moses Lake, WA

0

I’m not exactly sure what town Potholes associates with, but as the crow flies, its about 10 miles south of Moses Lake and about 20ish driving miles off I-90 (via Hwy 17 south and O’Sullivan Dam road… the road goes over the largest earth filled dam in the US. Its pretty cool)

Potholes was another State Park that didn’t let us down. The sites are large and spacious and set so privacy is really available. $29 dollars for full-hookups, $14 for primative camp sites, and I think $10 for an extra vehicle.

Finger Lakes National Forest – Hector, NY

3

I was beside myself to discover the only National Forest in New York State. It shows on very few maps, and no RV guides. Finger Lakes National Forest is a small patch of National Forest that sits between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, just south of the Seneca Army Depot.

We had a great time. Blueberry Patch Campground in Finger Lakes National Fortest is a large clearing where wild blueberries grow in abundance. It’s the leftovers from the days when the area was heavily farmed in the late 1800’s.Too much agriculture effectively killed the region 150 years ago. New York State was stuck with the leftovers, and soon the National Parks Service took over the main areas. Over the decades to follow, the NPS has worked to revive the eco-system by controlled grazing, logging, and recreational use. The region became a National Forest in 1983.

This is a beautiful ridge in between two of the Finger Lakes. But leave the big rig home. Most camping is “primitive” sites with no ammenities. The only services are in two public camping areas which are both quite primitive.

The first area is reserved for horse owners only through the summer months. The Backbone Horse Campground features stalls, a fenced in area, and a pond to water Horses. There’s chemical toilets for people. It’s a nice, grassy, semi shaded area, and it’s free! (If you own a horse).

The second area is the Blueberry Patch Campground which is open to all for $10.00 per night. Ammenities are limited to chemical toilets. The camping area is very nice, but not suitable for larger rigs. Pop-ups, Truck Campers, and tents are the only equipment this place can handle. We were in heaven!

Wineries and golf courses fill the areas outside the Forest, so there’s plenty for adults to do. Leave the kids in the big rig in the garage!

There’s also several campsites scattered throughout the Forest that are free to first-come. No services are available but the landscape is great. The Finger Lakes Trail makes a brief appearance in the area with a lean-to available to Hearty Hikers.

If you’ve got a small rig, and expect nothing but Nature, this is a great place. If you need a generator to make your morning coffee, please go elsewhere.

Suncrest Resort – Moses Lake, WA

4

Located right off I-90 and just west of Moses Lake, Suncrest is a large resort with easy access on and off the freeway. The spaces are average size, with water, electricity, sewer and free WiFi. It doesn’t have cable TV and I notice that most folks have a satellite dish. They have a great pool and spa.

They offer Good Sam, Passport America and Coast to Coast discounts but only give Good Sam discounts in summer.

Oasis RV Park and Golf – Ephrata, WA

2

Oasis RV Park is another keeper with average size spaces, but lots of grass, mature trees, a lake and best for those who care a 9-hole golf course.

Half the sites are full service, free WiFi and cable TV and all for under $30.00 a night. The folks tell me the water in the pool is “nice” and you can take it from me, the ice cream in the little store really hits the spot on a warm summer day. The park was half full when we were there and the manager told me it’s usually completely full in summers so gas prices have started to hurt. They are open all year, but limited in winter.

I found the staff was extremely friendly and helpful.

Fort Casey State Park – Coupeville, WA

2

Fort Casey State APark is located at the Keystone Ferry Dock on Whidbey Island, south of Coupeville, Washington; and is open year round. This park does not take reservations, it’s first come, first serve.

Of the 35 total spaces, one pull-through is reserved for physically challenged customers. The park is a good overnight spot to dry camp if you have ferry reservations for the next morning to get to Port Townsend on the Keystone-Port Townsend Ferry and don’t want to get up early and race to get there. However, if you stay here in the winter, be sure you have a good inverter, as it could be a bit chilly! (In my opinion, this park should be renamed “Inverter Park” because of all the travel trailers and RV’s here that were using Honda inverters!)

The RV Resort at Carolina Crossroads – Roanoke Rapids, NC

2

The RV Resort at Carolina Crossroads - Roanoke Rapids, North CarolinaThis campground is a new park, just off I-95 exit 171 in Roanoke Rapids, NC. The clubhouse and pool are still under construction.

The campground is big rig friendly, with quick check-in. They also have overnight specials.

The bathrooms and facilities are very, very clean. They have free wifi too. There is no cable yet but there is a good selection of local channels available.

Normandy Farms Camping Resort – Foxboro, MA

0

The one word that comes to mind when describing Normandy Farms is “classy”. This campground is right up there with the best of them in the country. From the moment you enter the property you know you’re not in just at another campground. We’ve camped here several times and are always impressed when we visit, most recently this past weekend.

Pull into Normandy Farms and the first thing you’ll notice is the architecturally beautiful open beam Welcome/Registration Center. Check in is typically quick and easy but we arrived on a Friday afternoon and it was quite busy. If you prepay for your stay and it’s not your first visit to Normandy Farms, you can use the “Quick Check-In” lane. You are also escorted directly to your site after you check-in.

Normandy Farms Camping Resort - Foxboro, MA
Normandy Farms Camping Resort - Full Hookups

The property is very nicely landscaped and well maintained. If you’re into horticulture you’ll appreciate the extras they’ve put into the grounds. We noticed many fairly unique specimen trees and shrubs scattered throughout the resort.

The campground is fairly large, with over 400 sites from open and sunny to wooded and include a good selection of sites for big rigs. Most sites have full hook-ups (30/50 amps). A word of caution… we elected for full hookups including cable TV. The sites with these services are extremely small (see the above photo). Unless you really need cable, I suggest you ask for a full hookup without cable. Those sites are much bigger and, since you’re less than 20 miles from Boston, you’ll get more than enough channels to keep you happy.

Only the major interior roads are paved. The rest are gravel, nevertheless well maintained. Sites are gravel, and level. Site sizes vary greatly (see above). WiFi is now free (it was previously an extra charge). The signal level at our site was very strong, however there were several occasions during our stay when we couldn’t connect. When it’s working, WiFi is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends via email.

Normandy Farms Camping Resort - Foxboro, MA
Normandy Farms Camping Resort - Playground

Normandy Farms is truly a “destination resort”. You can stay here a week or more and never really need to venture out of the park. 3 outdoor pools, jacuzzi, an indoor heated pool, sauna and fitness center are just a few of the perks at this campground. During our stay there was an RV show on the grounds all weekend. The show’s sponsor even included a free pancake and sausage breakfast for all park guests!

I won’t go into the finer details of the other amenities available at this campground. Believe me, they’ve got it all and they do it well. Check them out.

Oak Plantation Campground – Charleston, SC

7

Oak Plantation Campground - Sharleston, South CarolinaOak Plantation is a very nice campground located in John’s Island, near Charleston, South Carolina. The park was beautifully maintained and almost all of the sites were in the shade. The sites vary in size and privacy… from small and closely spaced to large and private. We had one of the smaller sites and our slideout was uncomfortably close to our neighbor’s awning. Other sites had plenty of room.

Three Island Crossing State Park – Glenns Ferry, ID

3

We just returned from a wonderful weekend stay at Three Island Crossing State Park. This was our third time here (we camped here the past two summers). This was a very nice campground!